Mt. Whitney via Cottonwood Lks/New Army Pass?
Mark
climb Whitney this summer and since I've been there, done that Portal
thing (should I say zoo?), I've got no desire to do that route. Time,
distance, noteworthy side trips, any and all info about this route are
welcome.
TIA,
Mark
--
mark
ma...@mailzone.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The most effective way to cope with change is to help create it.
Eugene Miya
There's at least three ways to do that.
I believe that Goldens are now just catch and release. Sigh.
Slurp.
Chuck Worth
Cottonwood Pass Trail (3 1/2 miles)
This trail leads from the end of the Horse shoe Meadows Road to the summit
of Cottonwood Pass in 3 1/2 miles. The Cottonwood Pass Trail continues
downhill, through Big Whitney Meadow, where it eventually joins the Siberian
Pass Trail. One branch of the Pacific Crest Trail heads south and east from
Cottonwood Pass to Trail Pass, and beyond. From Cottonwood Pass, the Pacific
Crest Trail traverses the southern slopes of Cirque Peakbefore climbingand
then descending to ajunction with the Siberian Pass Trail after 5 miles.
Siberian Pass is 1 mile to the south, and you can meet the New Army Pass
Trail by hiking 1/4 mile north. Continuing west ward, the Pacific Crest
Trail gradually descends for 4 miles to meet the end of the New Army Pass
Trail. The Pacific Crest Trail continues down Rock Creek another 1/2 mile,
where it crosses to the north side of the creek. The trail then climbs to
the saddle northeast of Mt. Guyot, goes through Guyot Flat, and descends to
lower Crabtree Meadow after 6 miles. The Pacific Crest Trail heads north for
1/2 mile from lower Crabtree Meadow to a junction with the John Muir Trail.
From Lower Crabtree Meadow, a shortcut trail gradually climbs to the
northeast on the north side of Vvhitney Creek for I mile, where it meets the
John Muir Trail near Crabtree Ranger Station. Another side route goes down
into the Kern River Canyon by following the creek immediately south of
Whitney Creek. Beautiful campsites can be found on the ridgetop just prior
to dropping down into the Kern Drainage.
Cottonwood Lakes Trail and New Army Pass Trail ( 7 miles )
This is the direct trail leading from Horseshoe Meadows to New Army Pass.
From the trailhead along the Horseshoe Meadows Road, the easy trail to
Cottonwood Creek and on to Golden Trout Camp is 2 miles. IThe trail then
heads up the creek another 2 miles to Cotton wood Lakes basin, where many
use trails have appeared, leading fishermen to their favorite spots. Wood
campfires are prohib ited within 300 feet of water in Cottonwood Lakes
basin, and special fishing regulations are also enforced. The trail to New
Army Pass takes off to the west, passing Long Lake and High Lake. The summit
of the pass is approximately 3 miles beyond the Cottonwood Lakes basin. The
trail descends the western side for 2 1/2 miles to the Siberian Pass Trail.
The trail then goes north for 1/2 mile, crossing one of the tributaries of
Rock Creek. One trail goes northeast from here, leading to the "Soldier
Lakes" southwest of The Major General. The New Army Pass Trail continues
down Rock Creek another 6 miles to a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail.
There are two other, older trails leading to Cottonwood Lakes. One trail
leaves the Horseshoe Meadows Road near the old pack station and ascends
Little Cottonwood Creek before descending to Golden Trout Camp after 4
miles. The other trail, which leaves the Horseshoe Meadows Road below the
new trailhead and climbs up Cottonwood Creek to Golden Trout Camp, is 1/4
mile longer than the current New Army Pass Trail, and it involves an extra
500 feet of gain. At one time there was a trail over Army Pass ( 1/2 mi NE
of New Army Pass) but it has been abandoned. The northeastern side of the
Army Pass Trail holds snow almost all summer long and rockfall was a
continuous hazard.
It is do-able and avoids (well, sort of) the mess at Whitney Portal.
Main thing I can think of is that this is all very high (the lowest
elevations around 10K) so acclimatization and conditioning are important.
Snow fields could be a problem in some places in some years (I remember
deciding to not go down Old Army because of a steep icy snowfield right at
the top--we had no capability for self-arrest--and backtracking to New
Army...one of my better decisions 'though it took us several miles out of
the way.)
Good trekkin', Chuck
Mark <ma...@mailzone.com> wrote in message
news:marks-0DF04B....@news.ucdavis.edu...
del...@my-deja.com
ma...@mailzone.com wrote:
> Anyone out there done this one? A buddy of mine desperately wants to
> climb Whitney this summer and since I've been there, done that Portal
> thing (should I say zoo?), I've got no desire to do that route. Time,
> distance, noteworthy side trips, any and all info about this route
are welcome.
>
The usual backdoor route is over New Army to the PCT and on to Crabtree
Meadow where the trail branches off to Whitney. A good X-C alternate
is, after decending from New Army, head up Rock Creek thru Miter Basin
and past Sky-Blue Lake, over Crabtree Pass and across over Discovery
Pass, hitting the Whitney trail half way up.
This is a three day trip in, plus the time coming out, which can be a
day to Portal or a couple back over NAP or Cottonwood.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
rick++
and much, much less crowded and less permit beauracy.
Chuck Worth
traffic. Last time I was on Langley's summit there must have been 30-40
people alse there that day. It *does* have spectacular views.
-Chuck
rick++ <rick...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:88bobr$eng$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
Tom Kenney
>Langley may be *less* crowded than Whitney, but it gets a fair amount of
>traffic. Last time I was on Langley's summit there must have been 30-40
>people alse there that day. It *does* have spectacular views.
Following is a link to my Tuttle Creek page, with pictures and a map. This
canyon is an interresting approach to Langley and the surrounding peaks. It's a
very rugged canyon, but has some of the best scenery. Also, Tuttle Pass is a
route into the Miter Basin, which (as someone in this thread mentioned) connects
with the Crabtree area. Tuttle Creek has no permit quota, so you can always get
a walk-up permit, except that if you wish to do Whitney you still have to get a
Whitney stamp, which is not so easy. Here's the link:
http://tom.fluxtech.com/tom/tstories/tuttexpl.html
Enjoy!
Tom Kenney
tke...@bearcomp.com
t...@fluxtech.com