Onion Valley to Whitney July 2024

[shredhiker]

I made my first trip to Yosemite in September of 2020, spending a week in the high country, with heavy wildfire haze putting a damper on most of the trip. Still, I couldn't help but fall in love with the Sierra. As fate would have it, my buddy Rex and I wound up back there in May of 2021, battling lingering snow and spring blow down. Nearly a year later he called me about planning a trip to hike the High Sierra Trail in 2023, which wasn't a hard sell. Unfortunately for us, the historic snow pack meant we'd be putting those plans on hold for yet another year. When it came time to figure out the logistics of this trip, we had a group of 3, and the flights & transportation to make the HST work were cutting it awfully close, so I suggested an alternate route; Kearsarge Pass to Mt Whitney.

This meant hoping for a competitive permit and a shorter route, but still a chance to see some of the best scenery the Sierra has to offer. We agreed that it was our most logical choice for the year & were happy to receive a permit hiking in on July 16. That was one day sooner than we'd hoped to enter, but with any section of the JMT this time of year, we gladly took what we could get. We woke up super early July 15 on the east coast; made the two hour drive to the Atlanta airport, for the long flight to Fresno, and the equally long drive to Whitney Portal Campground, where we finally arrived around 8pm. No one slept great that night due to a combination of nervousness, excitement, and a little bit of delirium from the long travel day.

Day 1

We tore down camp around 7 am, sorting through our luggage as we went to ensure that everything we'd need in our packs was present & accounted for. WP has strict rules about food and scented items being left in vehicles, so we spent plenty of time double-checking that it was all stored in the nearby bear boxes. We were hanging out by the famous Whitney Portal Store when the owner & his wife arrived to open up. Shortly after the lights were turned on we ordered some much needed coffee & breakfast, which was absolutely delicious. We had a shuttle arranged with Lone Pine Kurt, who showed up promptly at 10 am. It was a fun & entertaining ride to Onion Valley, Kurt offered us some great advice for the upcoming hike and a few restaurant suggestions for when we finished up.

Just before noon we started the climb up toward Kearsarge Pass from the trailhead. The plan was to exit the portal in 8 days, we could have done it in less, but wanted to give everyone another easy day to acclimate & possibly take a side trip later on in the hike. I'd been up this trailhead a few years prior, this time the ascent was even tougher and slow going than I'd remembered. Still, the scenery was spectacular and morale was high as we fought our way up toward the pass. It was just past 5pm when we finally got to the top, and the view down into the Kearsarge Lakes Basin was just as exciting as the first time I'd seen it. We took a few minutes to enjoy the exquisite scene before us, then started making our way down toward the lakes to look for a camp spot.

We were among the last groups to arrive for the day, and luckily found a site up above the lake hidden away from the trees. We were all cutting it pretty close trying to cram 8-9 days worth of food in our bear vaults, but thankfully this area had a bear locker. When we made our way down there just before dark, we found one side of it locked & the other side crammed full of bear canisters. Luckily there were a few members of a group that were camped right there wandering around. We politely asked them if they could remove a couple of the bear canisters from the locker, and explained that they didn't really need to be stored in there. Permits through Inyo NF are printed online now, with no requirement to pick them up from a ranger station, leaving a lot of hikers confused on food storage regulations.

By the time we were all retiring for the night, I wasn't feeling my best. It had me a little worried since it wasn't that big of a day, but I told myself it was just a bad combination of the hike and lack of sleep while traveling. Still as I drifted off I felt a bit feverish, I was just going to have to sleep that off, there was no time be ill out here.




Day 2

I tossed and turned through the night, more than I slept. Feeling short of breath with a slightly elevated heart rate, I realized that in addition to the effects of the altitude, I was indeed running a slight fever. When I finally crawled out of the tent, I was having difficulty doing basic camp chores. I managed to get breakfast down and all my gear packed up, then took a few minutes to just stroll around Kearsarge Lakes, hoping that starting to move would somehow make me feel better. It didn't.

We left camp around 10am, and it was a painfully long hour hike to get to the gorgeous Bullfrog Lake. This had been one of my favorite sites a few years before, and I'd really been looking forward to seeing it again, but I was feeling so horrible that I couldn't really enjoy it. The guys had hiked a bit ahead of me at this point, after snapping a few photos, I found them across the lake in a nice shaded spot. I told them I wasn't feeling great, and found a spot to lie down for a few. I instantly fell asleep, napped for maybe half an hour, and woke up realizing we'd need to discuss a change of plans. I told them that I wasn't sure if it was the altitude or me coming down with something, but there was no way I'd be able to complete the 8 mile day we'd intended, ending near the base of Center Peak.

Everyone agreed to just play the day by ear, and make it as far as we could. This would mean giving up one of the side trips we'd hoped to complete later on in the hike, but hopefully it wouldn't call for a major change of plans. I later learned that our friend Chad was feeling pretty lousy that day as well, just not as bad off as I was, and the short day was a substantial help for him as well. We made our way toward camp near Lower Vidette Meadow, as I developed an annoying dry cough that would stay with me through the entirety of the trip. We got there around 3 pm, and I spent the day trying to rest in the shade and expend as little energy as possible.



Day 3

Honestly, it's hard to recall much about this short day along Bubbs Creek. I was feeling better than the day before, but still nowhere near 100% Our goal was to make it as far as we could toward Forester, so we'd be in a good position to go over it the following morning. It was cloudy for a good part of the day, then later in the afternoon the skies became a little hazy from distant wildfire smoke. That evening haze was present most of the trip, though it cleared up nicely each night.

We came across a couple of park rangers who suggested we try to camp as close to the tree line as possible on our way to Forester, especially with the clouds lingering overhead. When we finally made it to a group of campsites just before getting out of the trees, there were tons of people already there & tent spots were sparse. We decided to keep moving and found a beautiful site with a good water source out in the open meadows. It was a bit more exposed than I would have liked, but the views were absolutely top notch.



Day 4

I woke up finally feeling substantially better, after getting the best nights sleep I'd had the entire trip. That couldn't have happened at a better time, as we had to make it over Forester Pass before the afternoon storms would creep in. We left camp around 8 am, enjoying the views and taking lots of photos & video, it was around noon when we made it to the top of the pass. Although I felt ok about the pace were keeping on our way up to 13k, I was still the slowest moving hiker in our group, which I was unaccustomed to. Thankfully we'd planned this whole trip at a fairly relaxed pace, so it wasn't a major hindrance to my hiking partners, who were used to me being in front during our previous trips.

We stopped for a relatively short break at the top of the pass, took the obligatory pictures, and set our sites on one of the unnamed lakes down below as a place to stop for lunch. The section of the Tyndall Creek valley south of Forester Pass would be one of my favorite sections of the entire trip. I spent most of the day enjoying the relatively flat trail, in awe of the beautiful scenery, and wondering how I could get back to the area to do some off trail exploring on a future hike. The afternoon storms arrived right on schedule, with scattered hail greeting me across a long exposed section of the trail. By the time I'd gotten to some tree cover it had mostly passed, we had some light rain coming & going throughout the rest of the day, but never enough to cause concern.

We eventually decided on a campsite near Shepherds Pass trail junction. The rain came in again, but thankfully we were able to take cover under the trees and wait it out. This was the first night I'd really felt well enough to notice the mosquitoes, which had been a nuisance most nights of the trip, but were particularly bad in this area. Thankfully we came prepared with long clothing, head nets and deet. At this point I was just elated to be feeling good enough to enjoy the hike again.




Stay tuned for days 5-8, I'll try to have them finished up in the next day or two.

 

[SteveR]

Looking forward to it!

 

[wsp_scott]

Photos show the start of a good trip except for the sickness part, glad it did not last the whole trip.

Out of curiosity, did the rangers ask to see your permit?

 

[shredhiker]

Photos show the start of a good trip except for the sickness part, glad it did not last the whole trip.

Out of curiosity, did the rangers ask to see your permit?

No, we talked quite a bit with those rangers and another at the Crabtree station. Neither asked about permits or bear canisters oddly enough.

 

[Titans]

Beautiful photos and another great TR, thanks for sharing. Bummer you weren't feeling great, tough altitude, though I don't remember you feeling sick on previous trips. You probably picked something up- we sure did after getting on a plane this year. Good to hear you felt much better on day 4.

 

[shredhiker]

Day 5

I rolled out of the tent around 8am to start my coffee and breakfast ritual, breathing a sigh of relief that my condition was continuing to improve. We broke camp around 10, starting the fairly gradual ascent toward the Bighorn Plateau. As we came out of the woods, the scenery in every direction became increasingly magnificent. Eventually we were on flat ground & easy hiking, not much of that to recall on this hike. This may well have been my favorite section of the whole trip, traveling across the desolate & desert-like plateau. As short as this segment was, the views around Tawny Point & Bighorn Lake were just otherworldly. Who knows how far I got behind the group here, taking photos and even stopping for a snack break on a log, just to soak it all in. I made note that if I ever get back up that way, it's a must to spend more time there.

Making my way south, I got my first good views of Mt Whitney and the surrounding peaks, since we'd gotten our shuttle from the portal at the start of the trip. Even off in the distance, it was hard to envision a trail that would have us at the summit in a few short days. Eventually we began to descent back down into the lush green meadows, and scattered stands of trees. Around 2:00 rain clouds started to form overhead, and we could see the haze settling into the distant valleys.

We tried to get off trail and find a campsite around Sandy Meadow, but the small streams branching off Whitney Creek in the area were all dried up. We ended up going about a half mile past there, and found a good running water source crossing the trail. There wasn't enough flat ground for ideal tent spots, but we found a few small spaces that were close enough to make due for the night. In this rocky/sandy section of forest, it was probably the least scenic campsite of the trip, but given how gorgeous everything had been during the hike, the day as whole was a high point of the trip. Shockingly, we'd only covered around 4 miles.



Day 6

This would be another short day for us. Initially we'd hoped to leave this camp and explore down around Crabtree Lakes before hiking up to Guitar Lake. Having burned our extra day toward the start of the trip, that was no longer a feasible option. It wasn't far from camp that we dropped down into Crabtree Meadow, with it's clear flowing creek, and more people than we'd seen on the trail since the hike began.

A couple of us had read online that we could get wag bags at the ranger station there, so we headed out there to meet with the mildly annoyed park ranger who was stationed at the cabin. He informed us that they'd stopped providing those in the field some years ago, as it wasn't a sustainable practice, but told us that he had a few on hand if we absolutely needed them. After the mild scolding he gave us for being ill-prepared, he was happy to provide us with a lot of helpful info about the area; including how to navigate the Whitney Zone without the wag bags if we'd been more familiar with the area. He was pretty understanding about the fact that permits for the region are granted by so many different agencies with varying policies, it can be difficult to get accurate info on a given year.

He wasn't exaggerating when he told us how much water we'd find as we continued on. The lakes were full, every stream flowing, and many of the meadows still quite marshy in late July. Although I was feeling pretty good overall, I still had this nagging dry cough that came & went throughout each day. We reached guitar like pretty early, around 2pm, with heavy storm clouds looming overhead. As expected, there were lots of other campers in the area, so we wasted no time picking out a few decent tent spots. Soon after, the rain came, which had us spend most of the afternoon lounging in our tents. We were all a little nervous about tackling Whitney the next day, so at least we should be well rested. We actually had a bit of a late dinner due to the rain, and near dark we sat around talking with some folks who were cowboy camping nearby, about how we'd all come to arrive at Guitar Lake.



I'll try to finish up days 7 & 8 ASAP.

 

[wsp_scott]

The one time I crossed the Bighorn Plateau it was in torrential rain and hail, I did not linger for views

 

[shredhiker]

Day 7

I woke just past 5 am, to see the moon still bright in the sky. Actually it had been so bright overnight, that I dug my buff out to use as a makeshift sleep mask. I realized the day before that I hadn't rationed out quite enough coffee to finish the trip, and thankfully one of my hiking partners had packed a few extra... of all the days to run short on caffeine!! We watched the string of headlamps climbing upward as we had breakfast. Most everyone would be hiking out to the portal after their summit, but we were going to camp one more night, hence our later start.

It was around 7 when we began our ascent, plenty of time to beat the afternoon thunderstorms, which the recent forecast predicted would be rolling in around 4 o'clock. This would prove to be a giant rookie mistake! The views were incredible as we climbed up toward trail crest, a few scattered clouds among the mostly blue sky. As the sun rose higher over the sea of granite, we were reminded why people call this the "range of light"

Just before 11am, we had made it to trail crest, where we dropped our large backs in lieu of much smaller ones with only some water and a few snacks. There may have been a whiskey bottle or two present as well. This is also the point where I put my Sony camera away, and switched the iPhone for the remainder of the trip. Clouds began to accumulate off in the distance along with the wildfire haze, but nothing that appeared too concerning for the moment. 2/3 of our group had never hiked a 14'er before, so we were curious as to how that would pan out. Without the 30 lb packs weighing us down, the push toward the summit was actually one of the easier & more enjoyable afternoons of the trip.

It was right around 12:40 when we finally reached the summit. There were probably 20 or so other hikers up there. We enjoyed talking with a few of them, took a few obligatory peak photos, celebrated with a few shots of whiskey and spent maybe half an hour enjoying the view. Then we heard thunder way off in the distance, noticed the clouds moving in, and decided it was time to start making our way down. This is when the day really took a turn...

Without the adrenaline and excitement we had coming up, the hike back to trail crest felt quite long, as the air got colder and the winds picked up. By the time we'd made it back to our packs, a light rain had began coming down, and we knew the fun was about to end. In hindsight; I wish we'd just went back toward Guitar Lake at that point. As we began to descend the 99 switchbacks, the skies got fearfully dark & the rain picked up. Try as we did to get down as quickly as possible, those switchbacks require a lot of lateral movement but the vertical drop is slow. For a brief period the thunder & occasionally lightning strikes that had been distant were directly overhead and deafeningly loud. This was by far the sketchiest storm any of us had ever been caught in, we should have started our hike an hour earlier (always easier to say after the fact) Thankfully the worst part of the storm passed as quickly as it came, and before long we were back in a light rain with the sun peaking through the clouds. Over the next day or two, we'd meet a handful of hikers who'd spotted us coming down & wondered who those poor idiots were who got caught up in that downpour.

Around 4:30 we finally arrived at Trail Camp cold, wet, & hungry. We stopped to eat and shed our rain gear. After about 20 minutes of sitting, we decided to keep moving along toward Outpost Camp. We knew it was going to continue to be cold, and it made more sense to keep moving than to just sit around. The further we moved downhill, the more water we found had accumulated on the trail, to the point that a few areas were hard to follow, and required some water crossings that probably didn't exist a few hours before. It was a grueling couple of miles down to Outpost Camp, but we made it just after 7pm. Water was flowing all over the camp area, with Lone Pine Creek running high & swift and many of the spur trails around the tent sites flowing like small creeks as well, it was difficult to find tent spots that weren't in danger of flooding if more rain came.

By dark, I was as exhausted as I'd been the entire trip, but none of us slept well at all. There was a sea of headlamps moving around camp that kept us everyone awake most of the night, this didn't stop until first light the following morning. I know it's common for hikers to arrive late or leave out early from this area, but there appeared to be a group who were just hanging around with their head lamps on most of the night. Eventually I dug my buff out of my pack to once again to block some of the light out, which helped a little.



Day 8

As much as we'd enjoyed our time in the wilderness, we all got up eager to pack out & dreaming of a hot breakfast from the Whitney Portal Store. At some point as I was packing up, the last bit of Deet I had remaining leaked out, forcing me to unpack everything and clean up that mess as best I could. As the sun came out, I found myself admiring the beauty of that area on our way out, the surrounding granite peaks reminded me of Yosemite Valley. It was then I remembered we had campsites in Yosemite for our last two nights before flying home, and still had that to look forward to.

We started our hike out around 7am, and reached the portal around 10. After finding a picnic table outside with room for our packs, we rushed down to the counter to grab some caffeine and order breakfast. The owner and his wife recognized us from a week prior and asked about our trip, including the awful storm from the day before. They also informed us that a bear had broken into someone's SUV, thankfully it wasn't ours. An hour later we were packing our things into the car and making our way toward Yosemite. We stopped at Mammoth Lakes for a burger & beer dinner, unfortunately it was raining heavily as we drove Tioga Rd so we didn't get to enjoy the scenery as much as I'd hoped as we made our way toward Hodgdon Meadow. The hustle & bustle of a busy national park campground in peak season was a clear indication that our time in the wilderness had come to an end.

 

[donkiluminate]

Did this fall of 2022. One of my favorite trips. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

 

[shredhiker]

Video is up if anyone has an hour to kill.