Distance: 13.7 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 12953'
Elevation Gain: 6000'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 5.2
Round trip time: 11 hours 40 minutes
Recommended water: 182 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Whitney Portal Road
Difficulty: Very Strenuous
At 5:30 AM, I drove up Whitney Portal Road to Whitney Campground on a quest for Lone Pine Peak (SPS #108). I parked just outside the campground on the side of the road where vehicle parking was marked. I walked through the campground to the Meysan Lake trail. The trail was not in the Whitney Zone so didn't require a permit for hiking. The start of the trail was broken up by roads to vacation homes nestled in the trees. No one else was on the trail and I didn't see another soul all day. The trail made sensible and frequent switchbacks as it worked up to Grass Lake, Camp Lake, and Meysan Lake. Gurgling sounds of Meysan Creek could be heard when the trail wandered near. It was a pleasant 3000' ascent to Grass Lake, where I left the trail. I stayed east of Grass Lake and crossed three streams. I spent too much time on one crossing in an effort to keep my feet dry, forcing a minor bushwhack on the opposite side. Some of the chutes ahead still had snow. If the chute to Lone Pine had snow, it would have been trouble. Fortunately, it was dry.
The notorious sandy scree chute was not completely visible from the start. It just looked like a head wall, but it cut back sharply through an opening in the cliffs. Before I tackled it, I dropped a small water cache under a boulder for the return trip. The chute was wide, but there was no obvious best way. Attempting to go up on the high angle dirt was self-defeating. I tried to stay on boulders and larger talus for traction. In the lower half of the chute, I tended toward the right side, then more left in the upper half. It was a slow grind. I paused every 50-100' to see if I could improve my route. I eventually reached the top of the chute where multiple large cairns had been built. The chute gained about 1500' in a half mile, but somehow went class 2. From the top of the chute, I was still 600' below the peak. I found a use trail and followed it toward the first of two false summits. More scrambling on large, solid granite got me over the false summits. I could have saved some energy if I had stayed lower and gone around false summits. Finally, I reached the the summit: a large boulder on the precipice of a 2000' drop to the lakes below. I was psyched and relieved.
The views were incredible. Lone Pine Peak lives between Mount Langley and Mount Whitney. Other visible 14ers included Russell and Williamson. Next door was Mallory and Irvine. To the east, Owens Valley stretched out 10000' below and the Inyo and White Mountains were visible through some haze. There were multiple registers in the ammo box under the summit boulder. The newest was placed in 2023. Several entries said things like "Never again" or "One and done". The chute was discouraging, but I can't say never. I rested a while on top in perfect weather and slathered on another layer of sunscreen. On the way back, the large cairns were helpful in deciding where to drop into the chute. It was easier than expected going down. A combination of scree skiing, plunge stepping, and using the available boulders. It still took a long time, but gravity was my friend. I picked up my water cache, then made no attempt to find dry passage back over the streams. I plodded clumsily through a wide, shallow part. Wet feet and shins were a welcome way to cool off. Descending the trail was pleasant, but the endless switchbacks seemed to eat up the rest of the afternoon. Satisfied with the days events, I loaded up the truck for the drive back to the OC.
