Sierra Peaks Section Emblem Peak
Hiked: 8/27/2023 to 8/28/2023
Distance: 24.7 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 14505' (Whitney), 12730' (Wotans)
Prominence: 10078' (Whitney), 328' (Wotans)
Elevation Gain: 6930' (combined)
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 5.5
Round trip time: 18 hours
Recommended water: 332 oz.
Parking/Fees: $70 Whitney camping permit 2 days
Difficulty: Very Strenuous
Leisa and I did a two-day hike to Mount Whitney and Wotans Throne. This was my first official overnight hike where I wasn't at a developed camp site. Leisa didn't want to rush it as a day hike. Our improbable trip came after a record winter washed out Whitney Portal Road and dumped record snow on the Sierras. A week before our permit date, Tropical Storm Hilary brought record rainfall to SoCal, swelling the streams and closing Whitney campgrounds. The Portal re-opened the day before our start, but we had to take a detour from Lubken Canyon Road to reach it.
We started up the Old Whitney Trail at 9 AM to bypass the first stream crossing. It is shorter than the main trail and only slightly steeper, by my lights, worth it even in normal conditions. In 0.4 miles, we intersected the main trail. The scenery was great from the jump. The other streams we crossed were full, but not overflowing as I had feared. Bits of snow lined some parts of the lower trail and we met a care free doe in the one of the meadows. We passed Lone Pine Lake, Outpost Camp, and Mirror Lake on cruise control. At Trailside Meadows, a large snow field was melting and calving. We had originally planned to camp at Consultation Lake, but decided to get as close as we could to the switchbacks. We set up our tent at Trail Camp (12,000'). Neither of us had slept at this elevation before. Our first order of business was to filter water for the night and load our day packs for the next day. We finished prep at 3 PM with a lot of daylight left. I thought I had time to climb Wotans Throne, rising directly above the lake at Trail Camp. Leisa was not interested so I set off solo.
I did no prep for Wotans but thought I could handle what looked like class 3 on the west ridge. I didn't expect to see anyone else and I didn't. I scrambled above the lake and worked around a snow filled basin and a swampy area. I discovered cairns that helped me navigate around minor obstacles. I lost the cairns at the ridge and started up. It was class 2 at first on solid rock. I tried to follow a couple of ramps, but stay generally along the ridge. About half way up, I got great views of two azure blue lakes. They were half frozen and unnamed according to the maps I checked. The upper ridge moved into class 3 terrain, but there were several good options. I had to down climb 10' into chute, then out the other side, leaving only a short hop to the summit. A small pile of rocks was my reward, and fantastic views of the Whitney ridge. I continued to the end of the summit ridge to make sure the other end wasn't higher. I tried to find the marked route on the way down, but I don't think it was much different than way I ascended. The total trip from camp was about two miles and took two hours. We settled in for dinner, then relaxed until nightfall.
I barely slept a wink at night, tossing every 10-15 minutes, unable to get comfortable. Leisa slept better, but not well. For me, it was a combination of the altitude and the inflatable pillow that didn't offer enough neck support. I was lying awake for hours trying to psychically will the sun up to end my misery. The night seemed endless. It didn't get cold until just before sunrise, and even then probably not below 40F. I need to research better pillows. Finally, the first rays of sun broke and the camp began to stir. In the dawn, I could already see a line of headlamps on the 99 switchbacks, and day hikers that had started at midnight slowly ambled through. We got up and ate breakfast, then set out for the summit around 7 AM. We had been warned to be careful on the switchbacks by a friendly ranger. We had to scramble up a 12' section of rock where snow had covered a turn. We also scrambled up loose scree in three places where the trail was washed out. There were also two snow crossings, a short one we just walked over, and a longer one where microspikes gave us traction and confidence. We took a longer break at Trail Crest.
Despite the restless night, I was not feeling any AMS. Leisa felt a little spacey, but worked through it. The final 1.9 miles went slowly along the cliff lined and rocky trail. Between the needles, Leisa said she wasn't feeling well. We had just stopped to eat another snack and decided a 10 minute break was in order. Leisa rallied after this final break and we paused at the snow field covering the last switchback below the summit. No one was using the trail through the snow. Instead, everyone was scrambling up next to the snow field. It was the same situation we had faced on Gorgonio. We proceeded to scramble up, with only a couple class 2 moves to make it back to the trail. There were about 15 people on the summit engaged in photos and celebrations. We signed the register at the hut and took our own photos and video. Unlike my first summit, I didn't have a headache or any other AMS symptoms. I found the benchmark I had missed before. There were at least four different marks, but three of them had been vandalized and were unreadable. Iceberg Lake was a frozen blue-white ice cube. We were on the summit about 15 minutes. It took us 3 hours to get back to Trail Camp, another hour to pack up and refill water, then three more hours to the car. We finished the night at the Pizza Factory with a large special and a pitcher of Blue Moon.
Stats for Day 1: Portal to Trail Camp and Wotans Throne: 8.7 miles, 4430' gain, 800' loss, 7 hours
Stats for Day 2: Whitney summit, exit at Portal: 16 miles, 2500' gain, 6200' loss, 11 hours
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See Also:
Mount Whitney Day Hike
