Lowest to Highest Route Days 7-8

We left the desert behind and entered the Sierra. We crossed the Inyo Mountains, dropped into the Owens Valley, and then headed up Mt. Whitney. Along the way we learned about Owens Lake, the LA Aqueduct, and a lot about winter conditions in the mountains. This stretch of the Lowest to Highest Route included an unexpected but pleasant surprise — we’re going to attempt to summit Mt. Whitney in the winter!

Day 7 – Lone Pine – Miles 101.3 – 125.9

During breakfast we munched on the pine nuts that littered our tent site. Yum! We got hiking early looking forward to an easy downhill 15 miles to Lone Pone where we’d resupply. We had no idea what we were in for…

The descent started with beautiful views of Mt. Whitney and the Sierras across Owen’s Valley, but soon the route took us off trail for the 5,000 foot drop into the valley. We tried following a wash down, but it got steeper and steeper and eventually turned into a huge drop off that we’d have to rock climb to descend, so we backtracked a bit and found a safer way down. It was slow moving, but eventually we got to the bottom and then to Lone Pine for our resupply.

We ate burritos, French fries, and coke, and refilled our packs with rations for the next day and a half up Whitney. We also got permits for Whitney, and the ranger told us that above 12,000 feet of elevation there are 8 feet of snow. We don’t have the equipment for that kind of mountaineering, so we’ll make it as far up as we can and then turn back around. Tonight we are camped at the base of the mountain. We had coconut curry noodles for dinner. Yum! -T

Day 8 – The Side of Mt. Whitney – Miles 125.9 – 136.8

Today was exciting. We have been seeing glimpses of the Sierra for the last week and observed all of the snow capping them. Going into today, we had assumed that there would be too much snow to make it to the summit of Mt. Whitney. Our expectation was to make it part way up the mountain, then throw in the towel and complete the “Lowest to High-ish” route. But, that’s not what happened!

We woke up at the foot of the beautiful mountains. We filtered water and lost a Sawyer O-ring first thing in the morning. Sawyer O-rings are notorious for falling out and rendering the filters useless. This, among several other shortcomings, is why we usually use Platypus QuickDraw filters, but for whatever reason we brought our Sawyers on this trip. We headed up a beautiful trail that followed a creek from Lone Pine Campground to Whitney Portal — the base of Mt. Whitney. The snow increased in depth as we climbed, but at Whitney Portal it was still only about a foot (~30cm) deep. We found a snow-free patch of ground under a tree and enjoyed a ramen break before heading up the mountain.

At the start of the Whitney trail, there was a scale for weighing packs. Fun! My pack weighed in at 15 lbs (6.8 kgs) and Renee’s at 13.5 lbs (6.1 kgs). These weights are heavy by our summer standards, but including food, water, microspikes, and extra layers for the cold, we’re happy with them. We started walking up the trail, expecting the snow to quickly get deep, but it didn’t! When we hit 9,200 feet (2,800 m) the snow was about 2 feet deep, but the trail was well-packed and walkable. It was 1:30 pm and we were about 9 miles from the summit, which would be an easy out-and-back in the summer. We were tempted to “send-it”, but movement is slower in winter. With 5,300 feet (1,600 m) left to climb, knowing the snow would keep getting deeper, and without enough food to spend an extra night on the mountain, we decided to turn around and research whether or not we could come back to GO FOR IT.

We walked down to the trail head, found a friendly couple that gave us a ride back to town, and we’re now researching what it takes for an ascent of Mt. Whitney in early winter. Plenty of people do it late in the winter, but it seems more rare early. We have been talking to John at Elevation Sierra, a small gear shop in Lone Pine, and he’s been SO helpful giving us the information we need to feel confident about going back to do it. We are going to buy Ice Axes, rent snowshoes and crampons, and head back up the mountain in a few days! -T