Mt. Whitney From Cottonwood Lakes

The steep section of the Old Army Pass switchbacks. For scale, see the inset: it is a big wall indeed.

Down the Pass Wall

Mt. Whitney Trip from Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead. June 2000.

There were more snowfields and steep sections to negotiate, but nothing as bad as that first section on the cliffs. The Old Army Pass trail is perfectly usable except that dicey section near the top, but it is easy to tell it has not been maintained for a long time. It is narrow, steep in places, infested with rocks and boulders, and at times it seems you are just edging along a sleep slope. The switchbacks sometimes are small and tight and other times the trail sweeps downward in broad strokes. When the surrounding rocks turn from gray to red you know you have reached the easier or more defined section of the trail. After yet another snowfield the trail became a mere meander along and above the lake, and near the end of the lake I dropped my pack on grass and convenient rocks to sit and wait for Dave.