We backpacked into High Creek, dropped our packs and summitted same day. It took ALL day. We started at 9am Saturday and packed 6 miles in, dropped the packs, and summitted with day packs (about 7 miles round trip). We were back to camp at 8pm. After High Creek the elevation hit most everyone and the climb up became a lot slower than anticipated. It was in the 70s during the day, but dropped to the 30s overnight so it was real cold, especially at the summit.
The next day we descended within a few hours. It was an accomplishment for sure and helped us feel comfortable for our trek to Whitney! I personally thought it was a great view and camping at High Creek we were able to see the City lights below.
Responses
Awesome shots! I love combining these peaks with a backpack trip, too. It’s a great way to miss the biggest crowds, too.
When is your Mount Whitney trek?
High Creek wasn’t too crowded either!
We are doing Whitney at the end of June, actually summit on July 2nd, but we are going in through Cottonwood Lakes and out the Whitney trail….so doing 5 days total!