Hey, need some help…I am starting the PCT on 4/20, and need to get an idea of when one would generally be around the Mt. Whitney area from that starting date. I am trying to get a thru permit to climb it and I have to put in the approximate starting date. And I know this may seem crazy, but I haven’t got my guidebooks or maps yet, so I am not sure whereabouts Mt. Whitney is.
Anyways, thanks in advance for any help.
-Sasquatch
sasquatch
the rangers will understand if youre not there at the time you have on your permit (if you enter from the PCT side). You probably won’t even see any.
Tha Wookie
The date isn’t important but be sure to carry your permit. We were asked for the permit three times in one day in the Lyell Canyon- Tuolumne area of Yosemite! The Whitney stamp is cool.
Marcia
This season they are doing away with the “Whitney Zone Stamp”. Now they regulate Whitney by enforcing an exit permit for the Whitney Portal trailhead. If you are not planning to exit at Whitney Portal than you have nothing to worry about. I would however still ask for the stamp if you can get it just in case.
thinair
You leave the PCT at mile 760.5 to do the Mt Whitney side trip. This side trip is 16 miles roundtrip from Crabtree Meadow.
In your planning, you should shoot for a June 15 Kennedy Meadows date. KM is at mile 697. You’ll probably get to KM before June 15, but try to push your KM date as far ahead to June 15 as you can. This will give the Sierra snow time to melt. Whitney is 3-4 days after KM.
yogi
www.pcthandbook.com
yogi
A 4/20 start will put you at Kennedy Meadows as early as June 1st, so the question becomes, how much snow would you like to have in the Sierra, and if you want minimal snow, how many zero days are you willing to have in the first 700 miles? Some don’t mind being ahead of the crowd and having more snow, but most prefer to give it some time to melt. The rapid rate of Sierra melting we see this past week can easily reverse over the next month with colder temps and fresh spring storms. It’s still far too early to know what the percentage of normal snowpack will be in May and June.
Weathercarrot
I am planning on either Tahoe-Yosemite or the PCT stretch from Tahoe to Yosemite (or South to North actually after reading this!). I have to start in mid-June! Does anyone know if there are more bridges on the PCT section from Yosemite to Tahoe, than on the Tahoe-Yos trail?
Also does anyone have any comparison opinions of these 2 routes (PCT vs T-Y for the same section - from Yos to Tahoe)? (I have both books of course)
By the way I just talked to one of the Tuolumne winter rangers and he told me its too early to tell (amt of snow)
Thanks a lot! Bonnie
Bonnie