The Lure Of A Mountain Lake – Whitney Portal Trail, CA
I’ve always been attracted to high mountains. There is something about their imposing presence that teases and lures me.
“Come climb me” they seem to say “you’ll find yourself here”
This would all be fine and dandy were it not for the fact that I have a debilitating fear of heights combined with a good dose of vertigo the combo of which makes for entertaining stuff.
As an example, I might be hiking along perfectly normally when something about the trail, some sheer drop or some angled perspective suddenly grips me. The world fades away, my vision turns to tunnel tightness, things start to wobble and there I am…on my ass in complete rigor mortis. Once in this embarrassing state it’s very hard to get myself out and I might sit there and cry like an abandoned baby seal until I’m able to scoot myself down (usually, once again, on my ass) to the bottom. I react the same on snow and ice, having an unreasonably morbid fear of slipping which only amplifies my inadequacy in the mountains. I don’t ski much.
Despite this I just can’t resist the draw. I want to be there, up in the high clouds breathing in that sharp air and fading into oblivion in the largeness of the mountains. It’s a strange mix of fear and excitement which I guess only the insane have?
As you imagine, given my odd persona, I’ve wanted to climb Mt.Whitney forever.
The sharp tooth-edge tips of the 14,505 ft (4,421 m) high mountain seem impossibly enticing. She is the tallest in the contiguous US and yet she is totally climbable. Hundreds of people take the 22 mile round trip each year, many of them with only amateur hiking skills.
The problem is that the last 5 miles or so of the trip involve walking along a high ridgeline with steep drop-offs on both sides, a scene guaranteed to turn me into fear-paralyzed granite. If I ever did try to climb her, I’d probably have to be left there as a permanent souvenir since I don’t think any earthly thing could ever get me down.
So, I’ve resigned myself to doing the next best thing.
The first 2.5-3 miles of the Whitney Portal Trail provide a steep, but wide switchback of trails up to a beautiful mountain lake (Lone Pine Lake). No permit is required and the entire trail is dog-friendly (a definite bonus). We’ve hiked this trail before and, more importantly, I’ve managed to do the whole thing upright without any use of my posterior. This time of year the lake is still frozen, but the snowline is mostly above the lake-bed with clear trails beneath.
After confirming it was safe at the Lone Pine Visitor’s Center we decided to give it a try.
Our companions on this little expedition were RV buddies Russ, Todd & Frances who we’ve dragged along (or did they drag us?) on Hwy 395. Since they also own a “beastly” rig (albeit a rather sexy vintage one), they’re almost like RV soul-mates. Besides that Frances and Polly are in deep doggie-love and play like young puppies everytime they’re together. It’s too darn cute.
We chose mid-morning for our hike to allow the trail to warm up and started the long, winding drive up Whitney Portal to the 8,360 ft (~2,550 m) parking lot at the trailhead entrance. It was a brilliant, clear morning and the sky was that impossibly deep, intense blue that is so unique in the high mountains. Temps dropped dramatically as we drove higher and by the time we got to the tree-line it was nicely chilly.
This is where the trail starts. From a baseline of thick Ponderosa Pine it winds through seemingly never-ending set of switchbacks up the steep heart of the mountain. As you climb the views open and expand providing an almost inconceivably wide panorama. It’s so hard to capture it on camera since it’s just so immense and you get the feeling that you’re both impossibly small and impossibly large at the same time. You know what I mean?
Once you hit ~9,800 ft (~2,990 m) you shift south on a longer traverse until you reach a saddle where the trail splits off to the lake. At this point you’re in the snowline, at least this time of year, and the brilliant white of the snow glistens brightly against the aqua blue of the frozen lake. Strange, cracked formations web across the lake-shore revealing both the beauty and fragility of the ice. It’s a breathtaking scene and the perfect place to stop for a snack.
We all took around 4 easy hours doing the trail. Happily enough I had no “episodes”, although poor Paul suffered from some kind of strange blood-sugar drop at the summit and was only saved by the prompt intervention of Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Sea-Salt Caramels which (thankfully) our RV buddies had bought along for emergency purposes. Thank goodness, yet again, for chocolate.
A brilliant day with a brilliant hike. I may not have mastered the mountain, but I got to partake of her and that’ll do for now.
Fantastic photos capturing the beauty of the landscape. Glad you were able to enjoy the hike without any ‘issue’ 🙂
Me too. It would have been a long ass-hike back 🙂
Nina
Oh California 🙂 That last photograph is breathtaking.
Thank you! And yes, CA has it’s good points 🙂
Nina
Oh Nina, I can soooo relate to your height issues. I must be insane also, because I always seem to put us on roads that I have no business being on. I look down at the jeep’s floor, sing songs, fiddle with my camera, read maps, etc. while poor Dave winds his way up and the down these hairpin roads. I seem to be drawn to things that terrify me, but I never really conquer them so I’m doomed to repeat the process……
I’ll not tell Lewis that Polly has a new love, he’s so sensitive about her you know.
We are so totally identical! I too keep trying only to learn the same lesson over and over. Isn’t that the very definition of madness?
Oh and Polly still has a special place in her heart for Lewis. It’s hard not too. He’s a darn handsome boy.
Nina
Love that last photo, but the photo of Polly with that long, bright red tongue is awesome! I love mountain lakes, if we make it there, I’d love to hike it if we are able to leave Angel.
If the temps are still moderate like now you should have no problem leaving her. Beware of the altitude though. The lake is up at 10,000 feet so you definitely feel it.
Nina
You two have got to figure out away to relax and have fun. Slow down a bit, get out into nature – and please, get that poor Polly out for a walk!!
Fantastic shots, and great timing to catch the tail end of the chill.
We’re in Sante Fe enjoying the snow cap mountains. But you can tell it’s on the end of the season here…
Best,
Smitty
Is it windy there yet? We loved (loved) NM the one spring we traveled there, but goodness that wind!!
Nina
Ha – I can totally relate! I went into panic mode just reading the description of the Angel’s Landing Hike in Zion. Then made the mistake of watching a You Tube video about it and almost burst into tears. I like to say that I’m not afraid of heights – I’m just afraid of falling! 😉 Love those pics of the lake – gorgeous!
Oh yeah Angels Landing. That one is famous! I’ve seen pics and don’t think I could do it either.
The other time I chickened out was at the base of Half Dome in Yosemite. We made it all the way up to the final rope section. I think I managed about 15 feet of it before I froze up and had to ass it back down. Never made the summit.
Nina
Wow, that last photo is a stunner. I’ve been to the top 4 times and don’t have any photos like that. Actually, the last 2 miles are entirely on the west side of the mountain which is MUCH gentler slope. There are about 5 “windows” where you can peer over the face of Whitney. They are the seracs you can see from the east side profile. The real problem is the 14,000ft elevation. The worst part is the seemingly unending switchbacks up the east face which is quite steep. There might be 100 of them. That is a real slog. With old knees, they are almost as bad going down as going up. I think if you have the problem with heights you mention,that stretch would be your undoing. I don’t have a real problem with heights but I find the summit to be a bit un-settling when any where near the eastern edge. It appears to be straight down for 2000 ft. OTOH, the view is, well, quite magnificent. Google earth has detailed views of the trail. And, Panaramio has a bunch of photos.
FOUR times!! I am sooooo impressed. Given your description I definitely don’t think I’d make it. Those drops would send my head spinning. Wow!
Nina
P.S. The last photo was taken through some rocks at the Alabama Hills after we got home. I just happened to catch the light just right.
We also had the urge to climb the entire mountain when we stayed in the area. For me it was not a fear of heights (which I actually find thrilling), but a complete aversion to sleeping in a tent (I’ve heard that only crazy people do it in one day). What can I say, RV living has spoiled me. For those of us who can’t go the whole way, Lone Pine Lake is a great alternative. Sounds like you had a perfect day for making the trek, and some perfect hiking partners who packed the most essential hiking ingredient- chocolate!
We were avid tent campers before we RV’d so I don’t have a big aversion to it, but I do admit the RV had spoiled me terribly. If we ever do the hike it would be over 3 days or so ‘coz there’s no way I’m fit enough to go it in a day. For now Lone Pine Lake is enough.
Nina
Enchanting writing and photos dear. Only you.. can make scooting on your fanny sounds like poetry. 😀
So wish we were there with you guys.. missing you all!
Thank you my dear. I do my best 🙂 Miss you too.
Nina
Acute Mountain Sickness. AMS.
Something I as a teen unknowingly suffered from hiking the Canadian Rockies.
Learned about it in a lecture at the Sierra Club that showed a group of medicos that documented an athletic 20’s guy who succumb to it.
A friend went through AMS on a snow outing in the Sierras. She strangely refused to do the basics of staying warm, hydrated, dry.
Only remedy is drop altitude. (Not something that makes sense to anybody that spent the day climbing).
Love travel because it makes you think out beyond the familiar!
Very familiar with AMS. I learned a lot about it before I went on my 1-month trek to Nepal several years ago. I initially thought of AMS when Paul started feeling bad, but the symptoms didn’t match. It was definitely blood sugar since the chocolate cleared it right up. We did start trekking down too, just as precaution.
Nina
I made the mistake of looking at your photos while at work. Now I’m wondering whether I can wait another year to retire. Great photos. Love the Owens Valley area. Any suggestions on RV parks for long stays (retirement is only 13 months away and I’m headed west). Again thanks for the photos.
I’m not too familiar with the RV parks around here since we almost always stay in either National Forest or BLM when we come here. I do know there is a nice-looking park just south of Lone Pine and another one in downtown Bishop. Both get great reviews and I’m sure they offer monthly rates.
Nina
Thanks. I have heard that the Alabama Hills are great for boondocking in Lone Pine with a 14 day maximum at any one sight. Again thanks for the photos.
Correct. I have a detailed boondocking site review of this area in my archives if you search for it.
Nina
Ah, switchbacks in the heights, and vertigo, my Achilles heel! At least I can enjoy some of the views through your poetry and your poetic lens. Thanks for continuing to share, Nina!
Glad to share it. Sorry you suffer too. It’s such a bummer for hiking. Thankfully mine isn’t too bad, but when it hits it’s a doozy.
Nina
I’ve never seen Lone Pine Lake iced up…she is beautiful! Thanks for taking me there in the spring…I LOVE those mountains!
It was my first time to see her frozen too. Pretty special.
Nina
Nina, you can do this, you’ve got this! I hiked Mt. Whitney when I was 30, and my hiking companion was a 60-year old neighbor who completed the hike as her birthday present to herself. Get the book “Medicine for Mountaineering” by Wilkinson, and do everything he says to prepare for the high altitude. We took 3 days to ascend, enjoying the wild beauty slowly, and descended in one day. We physically prepped for several months prior. It’s an amazing memory I still cherish. You can do the final switchbacks; just use your hiking sticks. Ralph is right. When I was on the summit, I peered down the eastern face as I watched the sun rise over the White Mountains, and I did have to step back from the edge. But, the top is very broad/wide and the 360 degree vistas are life changing. I so look forward to your blog post in the future from the top of Whitney! 🙂 [ I can be “found” on RVillage also. ]
Physically I’m certain I can make it. It’s the paralyzing fear of heights issue that worries me. When it hits I literally freeze up and cannot move. Still if the trail is wide enough and the drop offs not too steep I’m usually ok. Maybe the Whitney trail is still possible for me?
Nina
Well, I need to “come clean”. LOL We camped overnight at 12,000 ft elevation, the campsite just below the switchbacks. We had 2 burly Marines (trainers for the USMC) with headlamps as our guides. We all started up the switchbacks at 1:00 a.m., so I couldn’t see anything below me because it was pitch black out; very little moonlight. LOL It was amazing to see the dawn unfold as we reached the top of the switchbacks and then watched the sun clear the top of the White Mountains on the summit. The hike down the switchbacks? I kept my eyes on the trail because it was rocky, so the height didn’t affect me. The one “regret” I have is that we didn’t overnight at the lake. We hiked back straight to the cars because of our schedule. The trail to the summit is easy-peasy after you conquer the switchbacks. 🙂 It was a challenge to start out at 1:00 a.m. But, the reward was we had the summit to ourselves before the crowds came up. My summit experience was 26 years ago, and back then we all called it “the Disneyland of mountain peaks” because 50 trail permits were allowed each day. In August, that was a lot of people. Not sure how many permits a day they grant now.
Cheers for sharing your experience. Sounds like a pre-dawn summit is definitely the way to go. Must have been absolutely amazing!
Nina
That ridge to Whitney looks doable 🙂 Last photo left a lasting impression!!!! Thank you.
Box Canyon Mark
Not sure I’m going to take advice from a mountain goat like you. Some of the trail pics you post on your blog make me sweat just by looking at them LOL. Still you never know…maybe one day.
Nina
Such a cute picture of Frances looking at the lake. It looks so different from when we were there in October 2014. The water was a gorgeous deep blue but it had snowed a few days prior so there was snow all around the lake and we had to hike through quite a bit of it to get there.
Oh, yesterday it was a tour of Stone and their Imperial Russian Stout is wonderful.
Gayle
Mmmmmm….stout. I’m having withdrawals.
Nina
Loved this post! I also have the weird climbing anxiety thing. I always have this weird sensation or feeling that Im drawn to jump. Weird how our brain messes with us.
We just drove through the Lone Pine are on 395 last week on our way to our first workamping job in Washington. Beautiful area…wish we had spent more time.
I get that same weird pull. It’s like the entire world condenses in front of me and I’m pulled towards it.
Hope you enjoy your workamping job! It’s still a bit early for the PNW, but it’ll be getting nice real soon.
Nina
Wow! Some awesome photography. That’s why you climb mountains to see that which cannot be appreciated from below.
I can’t deny the photography is a huge draw for me. It’s a different world up there.
Nina
So beautiful — love the ice covered lake and that magical photo of Mt. Whitney. I’m with you — I don’t like hiking steep, narrow trails with sheer drop-offs — makes me dizzy just thinking about it. The hike to Lone Pine Lake, though, sounds just perfect! (p.s. We never hike without dark chocolate.) 🙂
It’s a nice, easy trail…well apart from the elevation and steepness. I’m definitely adding chocolate to our emergency supplies.
Nina
Beautifully written. You make me feel as if I were there. Stairs “not filled in” give me that paralyzed butt-scooting disease!!!
Love your God ray image!
Happy to bring you along on the hike, even if it’s just electronically!
Nina
I COMPLETELY understand your fear of heights. I have it too, although I don’t usually end up on my butt. My hands sweat and I get dizzy. Plus, a heart condition wouldn’t allow me to do that trail! So, I’ll admire your photos!
Cheryl Ann~~
Dizziness is definitely a common denominator for folks who suffer.
Nina
Feelings of grandeur well expressed. Love the Alabama Hills and hope to get back there one day when the portal road is open. Last time we were there, the snow covered the lower part of the road so we stopped there and had a picnic lunch gazing at the peaks.
The portal road JUST opened up two days before we arrived here so we were very lucky. I’ve yet to see the shop open at the top parking lot though. Apparently they make a really good burger there, but it’s always been closed by the time we get here.
Nina
Both myself and the cowboy can relate to your fear of heights! I’ve hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon twice but those trails are wide enough. Did some extensive hiking in Zion, some with the use of those chains–didn’t freak out but came close! Told my friend Jeane if she was doing Angel’s Landing she was doing it alone. Goosenecks State Park totally freaked the cowboy, I thought we were going to have to pack up and leave in the middle of the night he was so agitated.
Goosenecks is pretty freaky. We camped there, but had to park a tad back so that I didn’t feel dizzy.
Nina
I LOVE your photos! This post makes me want to go visit Mount Whitney. Thank you.
It’s a very special place out here. If you ever get the chance to visit I highly recommend it!
Nina
So glad you did well on the hike and I too have some of the same effects if I’m up high on a ridge but also have the same affliction of being called to the mountains. Your photos are amazing and you continue to add to the long list of places I shall see one day and getting my butt ready to hike around home this summer!
It’s funny how much I love hiking in the mountains and yet how scared I often get when I’m doing it. Maybe that’s part of the thrill?
Nina
Very nice Nina. Wife says to enter that last photo in one of the magazines reflecting Highway 395. The eastern sierra are one of our favorite placing to boondocking. We love the Crowley Lake BLM. They have a dump station and water in the designated site CG. This was added several years ago under a grant that took ten years to obtain. There are several trail to hike in back of the CG. Well worth the time to spend a day in the area. Keep those cards and letters coming you two.
So wish Crowley Lake was open. According to the BLM office it won’t open until mid-April by which time we may well be further north. We’ve yet to stay there!
Nina
Mt. Whitney is for me “unfinished business”. I actually attempted the climb many, many years ago. Got to the base camp just below the Whitney pinnacles in your last photo (about 12,500 ft.). The problem was it was a weekend and I did not allow enough time. Plus the last portion of the trail prior to ridgeline is about 99 switchbacks (sheer granite one side and clear air the other side), about half of which still had ice across the trail. It was doable but there were SO many hikers at base camp that the switchbacks were like a freeway at rush hour. YOU would have made it to base camp, but I guarantee you would NOT have wanted to go further based on your described phobias. But, it’s fairly straight forward, with easy trails and meadows and absolutely beautiful up to and including base camp. I will never forget the sight of about 100 multi-colored tents at base camp, situated around two glacial lakes and boulders the size of buildings. You should do it again and hike up to base camp. It can be done fairly easily, up and back, in one day from Whitney Portal. You just have to pick the right time of year…for me it was just prior to Labor day.
Ah yes, those 99 switchbacks on a sheer face sound like they would definitely trigger my “issues”. Maybe I’ll hike to base camp w/ Paul one day and he can do the summit without me. Cheers for the info!
Nina
Good idea, Nina. You’ll have great views at the base of the switchbacks.
This is an amazing post, Nina. I really love the high elevation areas so these photos, which are all lovely, really grab me. That last pic is very inspirational. The mountains are my temples. The high country is my heaven. I’m in touch with myself there like absolutely now where else. That photo just seems to say “Come Here.” I love it.
But I also really like seeing and photographing small waterfalls so you had me with that one as well. Totally taken in. Awesome! Thanks, and keep up the heavenly hikes and scenery. 🙂
Beautifully said. I completely concur w/ your sentiments!
Nina
Checked out the boon docking part of your blog. Fantastic. My budget for campground fees just went way down. Would you happen to have any info on rv camping in Baja? Thanks much.
We’ve not personally done any Baja camping, but I follow a blogger “Winnie Views” who camped there all this winter. You’ll find good stuff there:
http://winnieviews.blogspot.com/
Nina
Thanks.
Oh!!!Such beauty….and you have plenty of courage!!! Enjoy
Courage or perhaps stupidity
LOL. Thankfully this trail doesn’t test it much. It’s a nice wide trail.
Nina
Wonderful post, Nina. So glad we got to join you and Paul on this amazing hike. I’ll never forget that frozen blue lake- I can barely describe that color in words but your photos captured it brilliantly! Also, that last picture could be a magazine cover!
It was so lovely to have you three along!
Nina
Thanks for including that is dog friendly, we always wonder about that when we plan a hike. Photos are great and the hike sounds wonderful. Put it on the list!
Dog Friendly is always our #1 priority since we rarely ever hike without Polly. Thankfully most of the hikes here in the E.Sierras are pooch friendly. It’s a great place to go with doggie.
Nina
Just added to my list… the last shot is FANTASTIC!!!
I almost have an all natural sunscreen lip balm perfected. Check out cold pressed raspberry seed oil, 28-50 spf, applied directly to lips or added to any skin care product. It can be found from the family owned company Berry Beautiful in Vashon, WA. I’m in the testing phase – hiking in full sun daily. Recipe to follow soon… No animals have been harmed in this testing but I did slip on an ice field while wearing this lip balm. My lips are fine – my butt is bruised.
Excellent! Happy to hear your new recipe is working. I’ll have to check out raspberry seed oil!
Nina
Hey guys, Saturday April 11th is Alabama Hills Day for the general public to drive the area and get a since of appreciation for the scenic views. This information was published in Congressmen Cooks news letter posted on line. FYI
Thanks for that heads up. We should be long gone by then.
Nina
Nina,
I have the same thing. Some days I am fine and then boom! can’t move another inch. I can stand on a rock and stare at the next couple of steps and stare and stare. Maybe I will go, maybe not. There’s nothing to do about it either… Oh well…
Ed
PS love your blog
Exactly how I get. Totally frozen. Yup, not much to do about it.
Nina
You are right, Nina, the mile, or so is along a narrow trail with steep drop offs on both sides…..climbed Whitney in the early 90’s with my oldest son….we left our packs at ‘trail crest’ about 1 mile from the top and walked the rest of the way without the weight. Spent about 2 hours on top sitting and watching jets doing ‘mock dogfights’ above Owens Valley, but below our elevation….very, very cool to sit there realizing you are the highest point in the Continental U.S……it’s all down hill from there. We were tired of eating dehydrated food so we hiked the 9 miles down to Whitney Portal in 3 hours and had a steak dinner in Lone Pine that night. We did the hike coming in from the backside of Whitney….we used a trailhead at Onion Valley in Independence, and hiked south on the Pacific Crest Trail and did the switchbacks on the backside of Whitney to the top….took 4 days. We like Onion Valley trailhead because you can get a ‘day of hike’ trail permit which is easier to get than one for the trail out of Whitney Portal…..just a much longer hike, but amazing scenery along the way…spent most of 4 days over 10,000 feet elevation.
Wow! What an adventure! Clark is there anything you haven’t done? Thanks to your comment I’ve learned about the Onion Creek Trailhead which is an area we’ve never explored in all our 395 drives. So, tomorrow we’re heading out there! We won’t be going all the way to Whitney, but looks like there are lots of lovely lakes not too far away. Thanks for the tip!
Nina
Beautiful photos, and of course I loved your intro-narrative! We’re only at 7k ft in NM and really feeling the altitude, even after four days. So I think we’ll need some acclimating over the months before even thinking about hiking in higher altitudes! And yes, the wind has us tucked in for an extra day – it’s brutal!
We’re getting our own wind here today, although only at ~4000 feet. We’ve been rocking and rolling all night! Looks like a windy spring for all!
Nina
What a lovely post…and those pictures are stunning! What an absolutely lovely day filled with great people and furry friends. Cheers!
Todd
It was all the better for having you with us! Thanks for coming along!
Nina
This post brought back some great memories of our time there with the two of you. Loved seeing Lone Pine Lake still frozen. If memory serves, I was the one dealing with a bit of vertigo the day we did our hike, but I finally made it to the lake. That last shot of yours looks like it should be hanging in a gallery Nina.
Very true LuAnn. You struggled with the middle portion of the hike, but made it up in the end. We were glad you did too!
Nina
Hi guys…I commented a few days back but hadn’t seen a response: now I see why! Your audience is getting huge…still, hello from an older correspondent who’s written you before from Mt. Shasta. Our high mountain lakes are gorgeous, too, and we can plug you in in our driveway! Cheerios, -Kathi & Michael
God you know I relate…I I climbed the pyramids of Tikal and came down on my posterior the whole way down…a bit embarrassing but necessary..I even have trouble driving on many of these roads and will definitely just keep looking at my hands until we get all the way down…great photos…am looking forward to being there in May sometime
Your Mt. Whitney photo goes right to my wallpaper. The best photo ever of majestic Whitney…brings back fond memories of Sierra peak-bagging. Thank you!
Glad it spoke to you 🙂 I was very happy to capture it.
Nina