Lone Pine Peak

[tekewin]

At 5:30 AM, I drove up Whitney Portal Road to Whitney Campground on a quest for Lone Pine Peak (SPS #108). I parked just outside the campground on the side of the road where vehicle parking was marked. I walked through the campground to the Meysan Lake trail. The trail was not in the Whitney Zone so didn't require a permit for hiking. The start of the trail was broken up by roads to vacation homes nestled in the trees. No one else was on the trail and I didn't see another soul all day. The trail made sensible and frequent switchbacks as it worked up to Grass Lake, Camp Lake, and Meysan Lake. Gurgling sounds of Meysan Creek could be heard when the trail wandered near. It was a pleasant 3000' ascent to Grass Lake, where I left the trail. I stayed east of Grass Lake and crossed three streams. I spent too much time on one crossing in an effort to keep my feet dry, forcing a minor bushwhack on the opposite side. Some of the chutes ahead still had snow. If the chute to Lone Pine had snow, it would have been trouble. Fortunately, it was dry.

Sean climbed Lone Pine in 2013 but not all of the photos survived the transition to the new board:
viewtopic.php?p=44864&hilit=lone+pine+peak#p44864




Alpenglow on Lone Pine Peak




Reflection in Grass Lake



The (notorious) sandy scree chute was not completely visible from the start. It just looked like a head wall, but it cut back sharply through an opening in the cliffs. Before I tackled it, I dropped a small water cache under a boulder for the return trip. The chute was wide, but there was no obvious best way. Attempting to go up on the high angle dirt was self-defeating. I tried to stay on boulders and larger talus for traction. In the lower half of the chute, I tended toward the right side, then more left in the upper half. It was a slow grind. I paused every 50-100' to see if I could improve my route. I eventually reached the top of the chute where multiple large cairns had been built. The chute gained 1500' in a half mile, but somehow went class 2. From the top of the chute, I was still 600' below the peak. I found a use trail and followed it toward the first of two false summits. More scrambling on large, solid granite got me over the false summits. I could have saved some energy if I had stayed lower and gone around false summits. Finally, I reached the the summit: a large boulder on the precipice of a 2000' drop to the lakes below. I was psyched and relieved.






Summit ahoy




Summit boulder


Peanut Lake and Grass Lake below

The views were incredible. Lone Pine Peak lives between Mount Langley and Mount Whitney. Other visible 14ers included Russell and Williamson. Next door was Mallory and Irvine. To the east, Owens Valley stretched out 10000' below and the Inyo and White Mountains were visible through some haze. There were multiple registers in the ammo box under the summit boulder. The newest was placed in 2023. Several entries said things like "Never again" or "One and done". The chute was discouraging, but I can't say never. I rested a while on top in perfect weather and slathered on another layer of sunscreen. On the way back, the large cairns were helpful in deciding where to drop into the chute. It was easier than expected going down. A combination of scree skiing, plunge stepping, and using the available boulders. It still took a long time, but gravity was my friend. I picked up my water cache, then made no attempt to find dry passage back over the streams. I plodded clumsily through a wide, shallow part. Wet feet and shins were a welcome way to cool off. Descending the trail was pleasant, but the endless switchbacks seemed to eat up the rest of the afternoon. Satisfied with the days events, I loaded up the truck for the drive back to the OC. Tough hike for an old dude.


Langley


Mount Whitney, Russell (distant center), Williamson (right)


North ridge


Descending the chute, Meysan Lake in the background




Parting shot

[JeffH]

That looks really steep and even the big rocks look like they would move if stepped on. That peak is such an iconic view when driving past that area.

[Uncle Rico]

The view down that chute is gnar.

Well done old man.

[tekewin]

That looks really steep and even the big rocks look like they would move if stepped on. That peak is such an iconic view when driving past that area.

Yes, even some of the big rocks got dislodged. Helmets and different ascent lines might be a good idea if there are multiple people in your party. I read some older reports of random rock fall along the right side. People driving through Lone Pine sometimes mistake it for Whitney since it looks so much bigger being 4 miles closer.