Lamarck Col for a XC first timer

[thegib]

Maybe the plane's air-pressure (equivalent to ~8000') will help? Most times I poop out, coming from sea level on that day, but occasionally (once actually) I have no problem. Good luck. Drink lots of water.

[wildhiker]

Also, am I crazy for trying to do the Col and reach the Bench in one day after flying in from PA the day before?

If you can get to the trailhead on the same day as your flight, you can do the short hike to one of the Lamarck Lakes and camp there to help acclimate before tackling Lamarck Col at nearly 13,000 feet the next day.

When my wife and I were in our early 50s, we drove from our house at sea level in the Bay Area to North Lake and hiked to upper Lamarck Lake to camp that same day. The next day, we comfortably made it over Lamarck Col and all the way down to camp at Darwin Bench.

-Phil

[Wandering Daisy]

My comments were based on entering the same day as flying. Yes, you gain some hours flying to Pacific Time. But add up total hours including driving to the trailhead, and I think it is crazy regardless of fitness level. Perhaps you could give us some more detail on your travel plans prior to the hike. Like others said, if you mean staying at the trailhead campground the night before, that is a different situation.

[raft_man]

Hey! Thanks for all the great replies. Sorry, I should have been more clear. I would be flying in the day before and spend that day getting supplies and such in Bishop. I'd either stay in town or, ideally, camp at the trailhead (It looks like there is a little first-come-first-serve campground there, but I imagine it fills up pretty quickly), or even at one of the Lamarck Lakes on that travel day before tackling the col on the next day / first day of the backpacking portion of the trip.

I'm in my early 40's, pretty active and in pretty good shape , but understand that altitude sickness can hit anyone really at anytime. My bigger concern is the snow. I'll keep an eye on snowpack over the next few months but will probably bring micro spikes just in case since the loop I'm thinking about doing has a few other cols / passes.

[MichaelRPetrick]

I agree with WD and others that going tackling the pass the 2nd day is generally a good idea. If found it significantly harder than the other Eastside one-day pass entries I've done (Bishop, Kearsarge, Piute, Pine Creek).

I made it to Darwin Bench the first night, the one time I entered over Lamarck, and regretted it. The cumulative altitude hit me so bad my dinner setup was me in a fetal position on my sleeping pad, spooning M&Ms into my mouth from the bag.

Never did have the energy to get my stove going. Thankfully I'd filtered a ton of water before it hit me hard, so I did at least hydrate well.

Worst AMS I've ever had, and that also includes a buncha trips up Whitney and doing Langley in a day from sea level.

PS
(And no, you're not likely to find a site at the trailhead campground.)

[papercup]

You're not likely to find a site at the trailhead campground, but you'd have a pretty good chance of finding one somewhere in the vicinity if you hunt around a bit. Four Jeffrey and Forks have a decent number of spots and often have walk-ins available, and then it's just a short drive to the trailhead the next morning. Camping at Lower Lamarck Lake is also a totally reasonable option and probably how I'd want to do it if the logistics allow.

[Bishop_Bob]

You're not likely to find a site at the trailhead campground, but you'd have a pretty good chance of finding one somewhere in the vicinity if you hunt around a bit. Four Jeffrey and Forks have a decent number of spots and often have walk-ins available, and then it's just a short drive to the trailhead the next morning. Camping at Lower Lamarck Lake is also a totally reasonable option and probably how I'd want to do it if the logistics allow.

Yeah, I agree. Don't over-think the campsite on day 0. You'll get something in the vicinity. I've even camped at Bitterbrush, which is also along CA-168 but a little bit lower elevation, and I've almost never seen anyone else there that time of year.

[MichaelRPetrick]

I agree with WD and others that tackling the pass the 2nd day is generally a good idea. If found it significantly harder than the other Eastside one-day passes I've gone over (Bishop, Kearsarge, Piute, Pine Creek).

The one time I entered over Lamarck, I made it to Darwin Bench the first night and regretted it. The cumulative altitude hit me so bad my dinner setup was me in a fetal position on my sleeping pad, spooning M&Ms into my mouth from the bag.

Never did have the energy to get my stove going. Thankfully I'd filtered a ton of water before it hit me hard, so I did at least hydrate well.

Worst AMS I've ever had, and that also includes a buncha trips up Whitney and doing Langley in a day from sea level.

PS
(And no, you're not likely to find a site at the trailhead campground.)

[sbennett3705]

Would anyone have a photograph of the col looking up from Darwin Canyon? I'm expecting to enter from that side and I've heard finding the col is less distinct (i.e., no "Muir Hut" rock to shoot for).

[Bishop_Bob]

Lamarck Col looking from its base on the east side

Here's my photo looking up from the base of the Col coming from the east. As I recall, the Col is closer to the right of the jagged saddle. I've gone up this side 3 or 4 times and never managed to get off track. You will come across transient footpaths going up.