Exploring the White Mountains

A forum that'll feed your need for exploring the limitless adventure possibilities found in "other" places. Post trip reports or ask questions about outdoor adventures beyond the Sierra Nevada here.
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Vaca Russ
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Exploring the White Mountains

Post by Vaca Russ »

Sport and I decided we wanted to “bag a 14er”. Why not start by picking the low hanging fruit? White Mountain Peak is considered to be one the easiest 14ers to climb. It is still a 14.2 mile round trip hike at altitude. We needed to acclimate so we spent two nights up on the “Giants to the east of the Sierra”.

We spent the first night at 9400 feet. We found an ideal camp spot along a certain creek.
1Tent .JPG
We do believe in “no trace camping” but when you are car camping you can carry a lot of tools. I felt the need to build a cabin. :D
2Cabin.JPG
…and a livestock barn.
3Barn.JPG
…and why not a privy as well?
4Privy.JPG
The next day we began to explore. We inspected an old mine.
6Old Mine.JPG
…and then we drove to Shulman Grove and hiked among the ancient bristlecone pines.
7Shulman Map.JPG
8Tree.JPG
9Tree Nevada.JPG
10Methuselah.JPG
11Sport Grove.JPG
To be continued…
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"...Or have you only comfort, and the lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host and then a master?"

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Vaca Russ
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Re: Exploring the White Mountains

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That evening we made camp at the locked Barcroft gate.
12Gate Camp.JPG
We awoke before dawn and prepared for the 14.2 mile round trip. The hike starts at a locked gate.
13Locked Gate.JPG
Before long we reached the research center and observatory.
14Research Center.JPG
15Observatory.JPG
We also met quite a few of the local residents.
16Marmot.JPG
Eventually our destination came into view.
17Sport touching summit.JPG
After a brief hike we reached the summit.
18R&S at Summit.JPG
The views were spectacular.
18zChalfant Valley210.JPG
Who are these people?
19Register.JPG
I was a little bored so I built another structure. :D
20Summit Lab.JPG
Thank you for reading our silly report,

-Russ
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"...Or have you only comfort, and the lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host and then a master?"

Kahil Gibran.
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Rockchucker
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Re: Exploring the White Mountains

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Image looking at white mountain peak from the east


Image
Panoramic view
Image wagon that wrecked near the top.
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Rockchucker
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Re: Exploring the White Mountains

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Image looking east

Image old foxtail pine
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Wandering Daisy
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Re: Exploring the White Mountains

Post by Wandering Daisy »

After walking up White Mountain the standard road, I began to explore the eastern side of the White Mountains and found them a great place for early season backpacking. There are even small snow-melt ponds on the top plateau early season and the seasonal creeks are flowing. I have explored most of the northern canyons and climbed most of the northern "13'ers". In the future, I need to get down to the Perry Aiken area. If you want rough wilderness and do not mind lots of elevation gains (and rattlesnakes) the east side of the Whites are a real gem. I never saw anyone else on my travels.
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Rockchucker
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Re: Exploring the White Mountains

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Wandering Daisy wrote:After walking up White Mountain the standard road, I began to explore the eastern side of the White Mountains and found them a great place for early season backpacking. There are even small snow-melt ponds on the top plateau early season and the seasonal creeks are flowing. I have explored most of the northern canyons and climbed most of the northern "13'ers". In the future, I need to get down to the Perry Aiken area. If you want rough wilderness and do not mind lots of elevation gains (and rattlesnakes) the east side of the Whites are a real gem. I never saw anyone else on my travels.
The trail up Perry Aiken is a steep one! Lydia canyon is deep and very overgrown.
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kd6swa
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Re: Exploring the White Mountains

Post by kd6swa »

In October 1993 I was up at the locked gate, the wind was blowing pretty hard and it was cold and cut to the bone. I guess late June, July or August is best to make this hike.

73
KD6SWA
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SSSdave
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Re: Exploring the White Mountains

Post by SSSdave »

Wandering Daisy wrote:After walking up White Mountain the standard road, I began to explore the eastern side of the White Mountains and found them a great place for early season backpacking...I never saw anyone else on my travels.
Good to read of someone else that has actually backpacked there because it is so rare despite all the daytime visitors. Much like what one finds in places like Death Valley. Most people are simply afraid of places without trails that have little water. Of note, one cannot even park a car overnight within the large designated boundaries of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest that is part of Inyo National Forest, much less camp or backpack overnight. Thus one must carefully inspect the boundaries of the reserve on topos for where one can legally visit overnight outside those boundaries. Where one can go is all areas north of the locked gate and as you noted most of the lower areas of the east side. Our backpack in 2006:

http://www.davidsenesac.com/White_Mtns_ ... -2-06.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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lostcoyote
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Re: Exploring the White Mountains

Post by lostcoyote »

some high ones even higher than the ones in the patriarch area... Image
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JWreno
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Re: Exploring the White Mountains

Post by JWreno »

We did a 3 night astronomy camping trip at Grand View campground in the Whites. On Friday we day hiked the old bristlecone groves. On Saturday we day hiked Whites Peak. It was the last weekend in September and the weather was still nice but we did need our wind gear. We saw a group of big horn sheep on the way back to the trail head. I could see Mt Montgomery next to Boundary Peak from the top. We did those peaks about 10 years before.

Camping for two nights at about 8900 feet prevented any discomfort with altitude. The astronomy viewing was great since the campsites are very spread out so neighbor light pollution isn't a problem. We brought all the water we needed for the 4 days.
Jeff
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