Mount Whitney via Cottonwood

Transcription

1 Mount Whitney via Cottonwood At 14,495 feet Mount Whitney is the high point of the lowe foty-eight states and the goal of many. The Tail Route is the standad tip but obtaining a pemit can be poblematic and you need to get an application in by Mach. The Mountainees Route equies the ability to tavel off tail as well as ope wok and belayed climbing. Ou oute fom Cottonwood cosses ove the Siea Cest at the Cottonwood Pass and then dops to the west to the Ken Rive and then loops to Guita Lake below the westen slopes of the peak. We like this oute fo a numbe of easons: It is beautiful with high alpine lakes and expansive views. Fa fewe people than on the egula Whitney Tail whee thee can be liteally hundeds of people. Rathe than a ush to the summit this oute offes a fine hike in it s own ight and the summit as a bonus To make it a tuly elaxing tip we utilize the sevices of Cottonwood Pack Station to cay equipment while we hike with a day pack. This also enables us to take along a few exta luxuies and make a complete vacation. We have changed ou itineay to give moe acclimatization time and to make the last day shote. Yes, this does take longe and cost moe - but it makes the tip a lot easie and with a fa geate chance of getting to the top. Isn t that woth it? Itineay Day 1 Fom the Cottonwood Packstation we hike up and ove Cottonwood Pass and descend a little ove about a half mile to Chicken Spings Lake, ou fist night s camp. This day is about 5 miles long with about 1400 feet of elevation gain and makes fo a geat beak-in day. Day 2 We leave camp and then make a long contou enteing Sequoia Kings National Pak, and continuing to the headwates of Rock Ceek. This is about a 10 mile day. Day 3 We dop down Rock Ceek befoe climbing up onto the wide open spaces of Guyot Flat. Staying above teeline we climb and contou aound into Cabtee Meadows. We now tun towads Mt. Whitney and climbing steadily we get to camp at Guita Lake (11,460 ). This is a 10 mile tip. The pack stock leave us hee and etun back to Cabtee Meadows to ovenight the mules and wait fo us to climb. Day 4 We ae not too fa fom the summit but we allow all day fo the ascent to the summit and the etun to a lowe camp. Thee ae numeous switchbacks up to Tailcest (13,550 ) whee we meet othes coming up fom the othe side. The summit seems within gasp but the thin ai limits ou ability to move speedily, though with slow but steady pogess, befoe long we will be on top and enjoying the highest point outside of Alaska. Afte summit photos and elaxing on top we etace ou steps back. While we ae climbing the packes come up and collect ou camp and move it down to Cabtee Meadow and we continue past Guita Lake to Cabtee and meet them thee. Doing it this way sets the stage fo an easie last day back to the cas. Day 5 The packstock etun and pick up ou gea and we etace ou steps back to Rock Ceek Cossing and then head to camp at Rock Ceek Lake via a diffeent oute. Day 6 Back to the oad head. This is a long day so be pepaed fo an ealy stat and a late aftenoon etun to the oadhead. Meeting place and time We meet at the Cottonwood Packstation at 11.00am. We ll do a pack check, a goup oientation and make lunch befoe hitting the tail. The Packstation is some 45 minutes fom Lone Pine so you need to have checked and double-checked you gea since thee will be no oppotunity fo last minute shopping fo fogotten items. See ou diving diections below.

2 Lone Pine Accommodation and Showes The Whitney Potal Hostel and Hotel. This is a geat place to stay in Lone Pine and pices ae easonable. They also offe showes so if you want to clean up befoe heading home stop by and gab one fo a few dollas. Contact them at and look on line at Dates and Pices Check the latest bochue, call us o go to ou web site fo dates and ates. Should minimum paticipant numbes not be eached you will be given the option of paying ou pivate ate, escheduling, o canceling. Pice includes guiding, pemits, all necessay goup climbing gea, tents, packstock and packes, kitchen gea and beakfasts, lunches and dinnes (you bing hot/cold dinks and snack items). Scheduled dates include USFS tail fees. Pivate pogams do not. Ratios We keep the atio of one guide to five paticipants to ensue speed and efficiency while climbing. We need to be off the peak ealy enough to avoid encountes with aftenoon thundestoms. Peequisites Good hiking shape is the main peequisite. Climbing skills ae not needed, but you should be able to hike, with a day pack, up to thiteen miles a day with 3000 feet o moe elevation gain. While we use packstock to cay the loads the distances to be coveed each day ae not insignificant and do not think of this as a much easie option to the egula Whitney Tail oute. You still have long days hiking to put in so be pepaed. Packstation Diections Thee ae a numbe of oads and two tailheads hee making it a little confusing. So hee is whee to go. In Lone Pine, at intesection of US Rt. 395 and Whitney Potal Rd, take Whitney Potal Rd west and go 3.2 miles to Tuttle Ceek campgound sign. Tun left at sign onto Hoseshoe Meadow Road and go 20 miles up the steep oad with many haipin bends to the New Amy Pass sign. Tun ight afte sign and go 0.25 miles to a sign to fo the packstation on the left. Thee is also a campgound hee. Special Notes The above itineay is ou ideal one. Howeve since we ae woking with packstock things can change. The packes ae limited by the pak sevice fo gazing and this changes ove the season and ou campsites might well have to adapt to stock foage. Weathe can also change things. So be undestanding and do not expect to adhee to an inflexible schedule. Fo maps use the Mt. Whitney, Mt. Langley and Cique Peak 7.5 minute maps. The Tom Haison Mt. Whitney High County Map coves most of the oute and the Whitney Zone one gives detail of the peak aea. We stongly suggest allowing moe time fo acclimatization. Ninety pecent of ou unsuccessful attempts fail due to poblems with altitude. (And the balance due to weathe). Thee ae two campgounds nea the tailhead and if you aive the night befoe this is pefect. Sites ae non-esevable and fist come fist seved. Beas ae a poblem at the Cottonwood Tailhead. Do not leave food, scented items (deodoant, soap etc.) in you vehicle. Thee is limited stoage so do not bing exta items with you to the tailhead. Clean up all tash pio to you tip. Failue to take pecautions can cause the vehicle to be ipped apat by a bea and the added insult of a fine fom the Foest Sevice. We have GPS as accuately as we can the oute so you know what you ae getting into. Day 1 to Chicken Spings Lake 5.3 miles Elevation Gain 1405 feet *Hiking Time 3 hous 35 minutes Day 2 to Rock Ceek Cossing 10.5 miles Elevation Gain 620 feet *Hiking Time 6 hous 43 minutes Day 3 to Guita Lake 10.3 miles Elevation Gain 2985 feet *Hiking Time 7 hous 10 minutes Day 4 Mount Whitney then back to Cabtee Meadows 14.4 miles Elevation Gain 3405 feet *Hiking Time 12 hous 5 minutes (Getting to the top of Whitney 32.2 miles) Day 5 to Rock Ceek Lake 11.3 miles Elevation Gain 2020 * Hiking Time 7 hous 10 minutes Day 6 back to pack station 11.4 miles Elevation Gain 1435 * Hiking Time 7 hous Total 63.2 miles Total Elevation Gain 11,870

3 Equipment List fo Mt. Whitney via Cottonwood The following list is a geneal guide and will assist you in packing fo the pogam. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have specific questions egading equipment o if you need assistance pio to making a puchase. The following list will vay accoding to the time of yea, and you individual equiements. Items maked with a * ae items that we ent o we can coodinate entals with a local shop. Because we ae using pack stock to cay the equipment this does not mean that you can take anything o eveything. Thee will be a complete pack check befoe leaving and items deemed unnecessay will have to be left behind. You will be limited to 20lb fo pesonal gea. Yes, we do have scales. Essentials Footwea. Fo this tips a medium-weight pai of hiking boots. We do not ecommend lightweight hikes o tennies since they give little ankle suppot and the soles ae often thin. Please spend time choosing you footwea since this can make the diffeence between pleasue and pain. Camp Shoes. A lightweight pai of tennies o Tevas to wea in camp. This will educe vegetation damage at ou campsites. A day pack. lage enough to take wate, exta clothing, ainwea, camea etc duing the days. No bookbag style backpacks please. Sleeping Bag. Most summe tips ae wam and a bag ated to about 25 F will be plenty wam enough. We much pefe down bags, and good quality ones at that. You bag should weigh in at aound 3 pounds. Sleeping pad. A 3/4 o full length closed cell foam o Themaest. If you bing a Themaest also bing a epai kit to fix pesky holes. Bivy Sac. Only if you plan on sleeping out unde the stas - which we do ecommend if you ae up fo it. Clothing Etc. 2 pai synthetic line socks. 2 pai heavie synthetic o wool blend socks. Long undewea top. Capilene o some othe synthetic is most desiable. Long undewea bottom. Wam pants. Tights o Expedition Weight Capilene. Wam shit. Synchilla o 200 weight woks well. Anothe fuzzy sweate top o pile jacket of some sot GoeTex Jacket and Pants. A lightweight set is sufficient and heavy bulky clothing is unnecessay. Side zips on the pants should be long enough to slide ove boots. Jacket must have a hood. Do not skimp on you bad weathe gea. Nylon ponchos ae not acceptable. Shots fo on the tail Tee shit fo on the tail Polypopylene o simila gloves. Wam hat. Synthetics ae less itchy than wool. Sunhat. Bette to cove up than ely upon sunsceen. Sun glasses. Good quality with side shields. Wate Bottles. Two quat (1 lite) wide mouth bottles and o a hydation system holding up to 50oz. (2 lites). Don t bing bike bottles o any bottle that doesn t have a wide opening. Headlamp. With a spae set of batteies. Eating and dinking equipment. An insulated backpacking mug, with a lid. Small bowl o plate. Fok and spoon. Pocket knife. Swiss amy style. Guys - no need to bing giant leatheman type tools. Pesonal toileties. It is not necessay to smell like a ose each day so do not ove do it. Remembe toilet pape and a small zip-lock bag to cay out the used in. In the Whitney Zone we use the Cay out bags. This is on Days 3/4 & 5. Ea plugs ae geat to have in a noisy tent. Pesonal Medical Kit. The guide will cay a lage kit so yous will pedominately consist of foot epai items, mild pain kille such as Advil and bandaids. Sunsceen and lip sceen. SPF 30+. A 1oz. bottle will be enough. Make sue the lip stuff actually contains a sunsceen. Bug epellent. Only needed in the ealy season. Camea. A spae battey and an exta cad ae good back ups. Ski/tekking poles. These ae not essential, but can be handy on the tail. It is you choice, but they do save wea on the knees. Plastic tash bag. Handy fo keeping gea in outside the tent should it ain. Optional eading mateial etc. Food We will povide beakfast, dinne and lunch but bing some snack items like cliff bas, powe bas, gop concoctions. A days woth fo most people would be 2 bas, 3 ounces of gop, and pehaps a candy ba. Don t ove do it. Shaed Equipment Povided by SMC Duffle bag. Use this fo packing gea onto the mules. We pefe to use ou own since they fit the saddlebags well. Shelte. We will povide lightweight, but stom wothy tents. If you have you favoite, by all means bing it, but we do need to pai people up to educe weight. Stove. We povide MSR Whispelite stoves. Cookwea. Wate puification. A sad but tue fact of life is that much Siea wate is contaminated. Iodine may be used individually o the goup can cay a pump style puifie. Bea Canistes. Siea beas have fallen into bad habits and leaned that backpacke s food is tasty and easy to obtain. We povide these. You specifically don t need x Cell phones. They aely wok anyway. x Big fist aid kits (we have a compehensive one). x Deodoant o any toileties beyond those listed above. x Items that ae not on this list.

4 TOPO! map pinted on 11/11/11 fom Untitled.tpo W W W W WGS W N N Day 1 Camp Stat at Packstation ceated with TOPO! 2009 National Geogaphic W W W W WGS W mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi. :4.16 mi., Gain: = Cottonwood Day 1 elevation pofile. Please wait... dag to pan map 36 28'36" N '47" W 1 g

5 TOPO! map pinted on 11/11/11 fom Untitled.tpo W W W W W W WGS W N N N Day 2 Camp ceated with TOPO! 2009 National Geogaphic W W W W W W Day 1 Camp WGS W mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi. :8.90 mi., Cottonwood Gain: Day = miles elevation pofile. Please wait... dag to pan map 36 30'23" N '58" W N g

6 TOPO! map pinted on 07/05/15 fom Day 3 Cottonwood 2012.tpo m m m m m m m m m WGS84 Zone 11S m 49 N. 49 N. 50 N. 50 N. 48 N. Day 3 Camp 42 N. 42 N. 43 N. 43 N. 48 N. 44 N. 44 N. 45 N. 45 N. 46 N. 46 N. 47 N. 47 N. Day 2 Camp Map ceated with TOPO! 2009 National Geogaphic m m m m m m m m m WGS84 Zone 11S m Reshaping elevation Please Hold mouse button down to tavel pofile. wait x 0 mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi. :9.41 mi., Gain: = miles km Cottonwood Day 3 07/05/15

7 TOPO! map pinted on 07/05/15 fom Day 4 Cottonwood 2012.tpo 00m m m m m m m m WGS84 Zone 11S m Summit Day 3 Camp Day 4 Camp p ceated with TOPO! 2009 National Geogaphic 00m m m m m m m m WGS84 Zone 11S m mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi. :4.32 mi., Cottonwood Day Gain: = elevation pofi to pan map 11S mE mN ng

8 TOPO! map pinted on 07/21/13 fom cottonwood 2013.tpo WGS84 Zone 11S m CAMP CAMP 42 N. 42 N. 43 N. 43 N. 44 N. 44 N. 45 N. 45 N. 46 N. 46 N. Map ceated with TOPO! 2009 National Geogaphic WGS84 Zone 11S m x mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi. :9.33 mi., Gain: = miles km Cottonwood Day 5 07/21/13 elevation pofile. Please wait... Click and dag to pan map 11 Reshaping

9 TOPO! map pinted on 07/21/13 fom cottonwood 2013.tpo WGS84 Zone 11S m 33 N. 33 N. 34 N. 34 N. 35 N. 35 N. 36 N. 36 N. 37 N. 37 N. 38 N. 38 N. Map ceated with TOPO! 2009 National Geogaphic WGS84 Zone 11S m x mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi. :10.30 mi., Gain: = miles km Cottonwood Day 6 07/21/13 elevation pofile. Please wait... Click and dag to pan map 11 Reshaping