Backpacking in the Southern Sierras: Upper Boyscout Lake to Whitney Portal

The last day is always tricky, this was no exception. :-)

We are in no hurry, so we do a bit of a morning walk and aren't packed and underway until shortly past 9. The route down isn't 100% obvious (lots of cairns and potential paths) and we don't have a description, so we just pick a likely looking path and, with a comment of "I really don't feel like doing an hour of bushwhacking" from greg, start down. And thus begins an hour or so of bushwhacking... this is definitely type 2 fun for greg, but there are some funny pictures.

We eventually find our way down to Lower Boy Scout Lake and continue the route down, along a not particularly inspiring, but at least mostly easy to follow trail. Which, after a while, vanishes. Shit. Luckily Andrea remembers reading something about ledges. So we head up a bit again and re-find the path following a set of ledges in the granite walls. Luckily for us we come across a group heading up (two guides with five clients) when nearing one of the less obvious turns and get to wait a bit while the guides shuttle a couple of guests across an exposed bit. Onwards and downwards, losing the trail again at a river crossing, realizing our mistake later, coming back up, and more descending.

Down, down. Meeting the trail coming from Whitney - plenty of wiped out looking hikers on their way down after this point - down down to the portal and the shop. Cool beverages there and then along to our car (still there! still with a live battery!) for the drive down to Lone Pine and "civilization".

Track:

Stats: 6km, 110m up, 1020m down