WHITE MOUNTAIN PEAK

The drive to the trailhead may have been the most difficult part of climbing White Mountain Peak. We drove up the Bristlecone Pine Forest Scenic Byway after dark, which may have been a good thing. The last couple of miles of road beyond the Patriarch Grove were in terrible shape. It’s probably good that I couldn’t see just how bad the road was. I just hit the gas pedal and hoped for the best. When we came back down the next afternoon we couldn’t believe we had made it up there in a regular car. All of the other vehicles at the trailhead had high clearance, which I definitely recommend if you decide to do this hike.

Prior to the trip, I found a website with great information on this hike. It is:

https://hikingguy.com/hiking-trails/hikes-around-mt-whitney/white-mountain-peak-hike-california/

There were a handful of vehicles at the trailhead when we arrived. I saw a couple of tents, but most people seemed to be sleeping in their vehicles. We parked close to the outhouse and found a flatish spot in the meadow nearby. The ground was really rocky, and getting the tent staked down was a major challenge. Once that was done, I got my gear ready for the hike the next day. We went to bed early, since I planned to get up at 5am. Unfortunately, I slept poorly. I’m not sure if it was due to the rocky ground, the high altitude, or something else.

I got up before first light, ate a bagel, and started walking. The plan was to let Christy sleep in, though she wasn’t able to sleep as long as she had hoped. The trail is a jeep road that continues beyond the gate at the parking lot. I made it to the top of the first hill in time for a lovely sunrise. A bit farther on, I arrived at the University of California’s Barcroft Research Station. I passed by the quiet cluster of buildings and continued up the road. The next hill features a telescope and the first views of my destination – White Mountain Peak. It’s a lovely vista from the grassy meadows on the crest of the ridge.

From there, I continued following the jeep road along the ridge. I passed into the White Mountain Wilderness along here. I dropped down into a gap, and then began the real climb. The rest of the hike is a steady climb on switchbacks. At one of the first, I encountered one of the highlights of my hike – a herd of female bighorn sheep. They were everywhere, including in the trail. They were clearly used to people, and I was able to get many photos of them.

I ran into a snowfield near the top, but it was largely avoidable. I arrived at the summit hut a few minutes later. I had non-stop views throughout the hike, but here I could see in every direction. West was the Owens Valley and the Sierra Nevada beyond. East was views across the desert to the horizon.

The summit hut has a sign on the door that says, “research in progress, do not enter”. I started wondering what kind of research was happening, and came up with a theory. I’ll bet it is a psychological experiment. There’s a camera over the door, and they calculate how many people adhere to the sign and how many can’t resist the temptation.

I know you’re wondering….no, I didn’t go in.

I arrived about 10am. I had a snack and enjoyed the view for a few minutes, but then I heard a rumble of thunder. Really? At 10am? There were some dark clouds sweeping towards me from the south. The building is allegedly not grounded, so it didn’t offer protection. The storm got closer and closer, and it was moving fast. I decided I better at least get off the summit. I hurried down a few switchbacks, and the storm passed just to my east. I thought about going back up, but I was already pretty far down. I decided to head back.

Two more storms rolled by during my return hike. Both followed the same track, just to my east. I passed several groups of hikers heading up. I didn’t see many people on my hike, though I did encounter a mountain biker coming down when I was near the middle of my climb.

I made it back to the car by early afternoon. We drove back down, looking forward to the views along the Bristlecone Pine Scenic Byway. Unfortunately, the weather continued to deteriorate, which compromised the views.

We did stop at the Patriarch Grove, which contains the largest known Bristlecone Pine in the world. We did the short walk over to it, and contemplated doing the full loop trail. Then a lightning bolt lit up the hillside on the other side of the parking area, and we thought better of it. We raced to the car and headed back to Bishop.

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