White Mountain (14,246) by Brian Schultz Friday July 4, 2003
Despite the 14 mile roundtrip, White Mtn is probably the easiest California fourteener because a four wheel drive road goes all the way to the summit and gains only 2,200 feet in elevation. I planned this one last so I could climb the peak and then get to Las Vegas in the evening for an early morning flight home, something I doubt I could've done on any of the other fourteeners with all their elevation gain and mileage.
The approach to the trailhead is over 35 miles (from the town of Big Pine) and much of it is on a gravel road. It took me an hour and twenty minutes to reach the trailhead from Big Pine at full bore and I didn't see a single vehicle until passing a small but completely loaded up pickup truck slowly grinding along near the end of the road. It had a bicycle on top of the heap. As I pulled in and was getting ready at the parking area, the pickup soon arrived and its two occupants asked if I saw a cooler on the road. The bumpy road pitched it overboard but I didn't see it. They also asked if my car was a rental, figuring anybody driving the road that fast wouldn't be driving their own car. Well....
I left the gated road at 6:30 just ahead of several others who were milling around. As I started up the road I wondered if the marmots were going to be a problem because I read that the voracious critters chewed on tires. It was suggested to wrap chicken coop wire around the lower half of the vehicle, which I obviously didn't have with the rental. I didn't know if it was all a joke or not but I was uneasy when I began.
Once again, the weather was perfect- not a single cloud in the sky. At 7:25, I passed a number of buildings and a sheep pen, all part of the Barcroft research facility, and a few minutes later came upon a small observatory at the crest of the hill. I sat there for a break and enjoyed the first view of Mt White's summit in the distance. After a few minutes, the first of the two guys from the pickup truck quickly shuffled past and was followed shortly by the other riding his bicycle.
At 7:50 I began again, picking up my pace, and caught up to those two fellows when the road started switchbacking up to the summit. I passed them and triumphantly stepped on the summit at 10:00. As it was, someone else had already summited and descended but I had the top to myself for a half hour before the bicyclist and his friend showed up. I went behind the research building and tagged the highest boulder to make sure I hit the summit highpoint.
Chet, the bicyclist, and Dick were from Delta, Utah and provided good company. Others began arriving, including a guy from San Jose who offered insight into which California fourteeners mere mortals could climb, and I determined perhaps another five were in my realm. I thoroughly enjoyed this summit for an hour. On the descent, I passed lots of still ascending hikers before Chet zipped by on his bike, and continued non-stop until taking a 20 minute rest break at the observatory again. I got back to the trailhead at 1:48. Chet was resting in the shade under his truck while waiting for Dick, and kept the marmots at bay by throwing rocks at them. Fortunately, my tires were intact.
On the drive out, I stopped to view the bristlecone pines and then spent some fitful moments wondering whether I'd run out of gas in the Nevada desert. The towns listed in the atlas weren't really towns- one was a ranch, another was a run-down remnant of a town, and another was just a road junction, but relief came when I reached Beatty. This was a fun day, a memorable 4th of July, and a great finish to a week of climbing in California.
Trailhead to summit- 3 hours 30 minutes
Summit back to trailhead- 2 hours 48 minutes
Total day- 7 hours 18 minutes including all breaks