Mineral King to Mt. Whitney

The biggest thing to manage on this trip is afternoon convection. Today (Friday) and Sunday both carry a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon — the 24% and 17% precip probabilities aren't high, but at elevation between Mineral King and Whitney, even a slight chance means you want to be well below the ridge or in the trees before noon on those days. Saturday is clean and sunny, so that's your window for big mileage or exposed travel. Winds are light throughout (5–15 mph SSW Saturday and Sunday), so no additional storm-loading concern.

Snowpack is the other real factor. The SNOTEL picture from nearby stations is a bit scattered and the gauges listed don't perfectly match your corridor, but 31 inches of depth reported for this zone is consistent with a May Sierra snowpack above roughly 10,000 ft. Mineral King trailheads start around 7,800 ft and Whitney Portal is at 8,365 ft, but most of this route crosses passes in the 11,000–12,000 ft range (Sawtooth, Forester, Trail Crest). Expect consolidated, often icy snow in the mornings on north-facing slopes and passes, softening to post-hole conditions by midday. The warm days (55°F) followed by cold nights (39°F) are actually a good freeze-thaw cycle — you'll get firmer travel if you move early, before the sun hits steep aspects.

Stream crossings are not a concern. The available USGS gauges are all at or below median flow and trending stable or falling — snowmelt is progressing normally for late May. Creek crossings in the Mineral King drainage and along the Kern will be running but not at dangerous levels. Midday flows will be slightly higher than morning due to daytime melt, but nothing that changes your crossing strategy.

No active fires within 50 miles and no smoke impacts. With 14+ hours of daylight and sunrise at 5:43 AM, you have a wide morning window — use it on Friday and Sunday to clear exposed terrain before the afternoon builds. Saturday is wide open. This is a solid late-May Sierra window; just respect the convection timing and move efficiently on the passes.