Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board TRIP REPORT - Sunday, Sept 1

I hiked MW on Sunday, Sept 1st and here are a few highlights and notes:

I have hiked the trail many times in the past, this was to be my 13th summit - over the past 12 consecutive years. I always look forward to this trip every August.

Two weekends ago I headed up with my son, and we had planned to hike it for his first time. We acclimated at Kearsarge Pass and did some great day-hikes up there, then headed down to hike MW. We got there only to find there was way too much smoke from the Fish Fire. It was a bummer to drive home, unfulfilled.

I returned this past weekend by myself to keep my streak going (he was not available). I spent Friday night at Horseshoe Meadows, then Saturday and Saturday night at the Portal campground. It rained all day on Saturday and it didn't look good for Sunday. I went to bed early, figuring I would decide in the am after I saw how the sky looked. I woke up at 2:30 and saw a clear sky and made for the trail - starting at 3:31 am.

It was easy hiking and clear skies all the way to the top. I pumped water at Trail Camp and then moved on to the switchbacks. I arrived on the summit at 9:01. There were about 5 people on the summit and the sky was perfectly clear on the summit, with some brown smoke on the horizon to the northwest. I only stayed on top for 20 minutes - just long enough to eat a sandwich and say hello to some fellow hikers that I met from Ohio that had come up the Mountaineers Route.

I headed down and as I got about a mile down the trail I could see clouds forming and rolling in. The summit was now in a cloud, with more clouds forming nearby. I picked up the pace. When I got to Trail Crest the sky had turned darker and there were more and more clouds rolling in. This of course did not stop the many people that were still coming up the switchbacks (some of whom were woefully unprepared).

I hustled down the rest of the trail, encountering sprinkles for the last 2 miles or so. It felt great - a nice break from the normal heat that I am used to suffering through on this section of the trail. I finished at 1:35 and I was surprised at how good I felt. I marked it up to fresh legs and the Friday night acclimation at HM.

It was a GREAT hike. I will be back next year.

Thanks for your post , I will be going for my third Whitney Summit on Sept 17 with a group of around 16, from Las Vegas 10 of us on the main Trail and I think 6 on the Mountaineers route .
I like that you contribute your success on fresh legs and an altitude hike a few days before , that makes since , in past hikes I just came into the Whitney hike burnt out because of fear of altitude sickness . Makes more since to acclimate a few days before the hike then rest !!!

Thanks for the report. I won't be going up until the 23rd, but it's nice to hear from a fellow hiker who has a streak to keep going. Congrats!

BTW, 10 hours RT is one heck of a pace. I'm sure you'll be going for many more years after this. Have fun!