Distance: 14.9 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 14246'
Prominence: 7196'
Elevation Gain: 3450'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.7
Round trip time: 7 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 128 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at White Mountain Road locked gate
Difficulty: Strenuous
White Mountain Peak (DPS #1) is California's third highest peak and easiest 14er. That's not to say it was easy. It was the first hike of a planned two-day outing in the White Mountains. The normal trailhead is at a locked gate (11700') on White Mountain Road. To reach it, I followed White Mountain Road for 25 miles after it turned into a dirt road. I'd read reports of people getting flat tires on this road, so I drove it a little slower than I would have otherwise. Most of the road was OK until the final 4 miles, where the National Forest Service recommends high clearance (I concur). To acclimate, I decided to drive halfway up the road the night before and sleep in the truck at 10500'. The acclimation part worked great, but I was quite uncomfortable and got poor-quality sleep when I could sleep at all. I'll stick to a campground in the future, if possible.
The forecast was for PM t-storms. The night I drove up, I got thrashed by thunder, rain, and sleet. I felt motivated to start very early to make sure I was down before the mountains brewed more storms. From my parking spot, I needed an hour to drive the final 13 miles, so I was up at 2:30 AM and on the dirt road trail by 4:15 AM. I hiked in darkness for about 90 minutes before the sun made an appearance. By then, I was already past the UC Barcroft Lab and well on the way. White Mountain looked impressive from most angles with two significant sub-peaks. As an aside, there were dozens of marmots everywhere. Marmot heaven. The trail circled around a deep gully to reach the base. From there, a series of switchbacks carved Z patterns on the eastern face. A lingering snow field covered one of the switchbacks, but multiple use trails had sprouted to bypass it. While I had no AMS symptoms, the grind at elevation made it hard work.
When I reached the summit, a group was there milling around. The register box was filled with toys, a few registers, and extra water. I don't think I've seen anything like it. A research building stood on the summit, its secrets padlocked behind doors. I was blown away by the views. The eastern Sierra Crest was a fortress with towers to deny any passage. Other peaks in the White Mountain range stood out, though most had soft rounded slopes and summits that contrasted with the sharp edges in the Sierra. I took some time to wander around the summit. On the way back, I met a stream of hikers heading up, obviously less concerned about fickle weather. The mountain ended up being kind of busy. Not really a surprise on a Saturday in July. I took a shortcut that shaved a little distance by cutting a U-turn in the road. My two takeaways were that the hike was harder than expected, and the views much, much better than expected. I left realizing I had not previously given White its propers.
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