Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Advice for the first-time Whitney day hiker

I put this in another thread, then thought it was important enough to highlight here. I haven't seen anyone else suggesting this, yet it seems so obvious to me.

When the magic day approaches, you're as ready as you can be. You've done the training and conditioning, honed the list of items to take, learned how to pace yourself, etc., etc. So the thing you are most likely worried about is how you will fare several hours up the trail: at altitude, compounded by the exertion of the climb.

The best way to find out (as well as to test and probably refine your preparations) is to ... go up Whitney! I mean, a week or so before your trip, drive up and get a day permit (not hard, or you could reserve one in advance), and strike out up the trail. You don't have to have a goal in mind, like Trail Camp or Trail Crest, but if you got to the cables (around 12,600') that would be very good. Just go as far as you feel like. Aim for maybe 5 - 6 hours up before turning around or, if you get a late start, aim for getting down before dark. Plan a leisurely day.

This is probably the best approximation to the real thing you can do, in that you will be experiencing 80% or so of the actual route. You'll see how your body responds, probably learn a thing or two about gear you should have taken or gear your shouldn't have. And probably learn a little more about how to conserve energy early for the needs later in the day.

For first-timers planning an overnight, do the same thing, but carry a somewhat heavier pack.

Think of this as your last training hike. It may be a longer drive than you had planned, and more time out of your normal schedule; you may have to even spend the night in a motel or campground. But what you will learn from this day, you will be learning from the best teacher!

I couldn't agree with you more about this. I go about it a bit differently though. I'll head over to Horseshoe Meadow, Onion Valley or White Mountain also work, and spend a couple of days backpacking about a month before the ultimate day, usually trying to make it to Cirque or Langley. Day hikers can accomplish the same thing by day hiking to various location from these trailheads or campgrounds. You will find out whether or not you have problems with AMS rather than on hike day at Mirror Lake. You will find out that hiking above 11,000' to 12,000' and staying above 10,000' for a couple of days is a bit different than that trip to Mt. Baldy for a couple of hours.

A Mt. Whitney day hike is an expensive trip for the first timer, so what is an extra couple of tanks of gas between you and your hiking friends. I believe the disappointment of not being able to make it to the summit outweighs the cost of weekend and a couple of tanks of gas.

Bill

Sounds like great advice...unless you live in Florida.

Bob,
Good advice as usual. This is exactly what my buddy and I did four years ago and it was a great learning hike. We went up a month before and relized we needed to do some additional training prior to the real deal. Also we learned about the unpredictable weather on Whitney and we were better prepared for our summit attempt. It was a Success!

That's definitely good advice. This is also especially helpful if you're planning to start you're hike before sunrise. By going up partway during daylight hours you'll be familiar with the route and be far less likely to have trouble in the dark. This is exactly the same approach I used the first time I did Whitney via the MR. Shortly before the big day I hiked up the North Fork trail, found the ledges, and hiked up well past UBSL before heading back. Then on the big day, starting out in the dark I knew where everything was and felt like I'd done this a hundred times. The ledges that had worried me, were no longer an issue. Knowing how long things took the first time, the hike went like clockwork.

The Mountain lore from the Whitney portal Store book is a great place to pick up tips to make your trip more pleasant. Lots of great info.

Bob R.'s plan to go at a moderate pace, taking time to stop once an hour for water/ food break has really helped me.

Much of the hike is a mental exercise in persistance. It can be emotionally exhausting.

Don't underestimate some time (1-2 days) near the portal to accelerate the altitude adjustment. Without that all the training and preperation may come to a crashing halt if you get altitude sickness.

good advice. I had a permit to climb Whitney with friends last June, so I went up on a scouting mission 2 weeks prior. I got a day pass, woke the next a.m. and started hiking at 7. I wanted to know if we were going to need crampons/ axes. I had a Promax bar and a 16 oz gatorade. I made the peak at 12:30. The chute was the toughest part, where I almost turned around a few times. Once I hit Trail Crest, it was smooth sailing. And coming down that chute was blast. Hit the car later, about 4:30, and drove back to LA. That was mid May last year.
Two weeks later, did it again with 4 friends. Two of us made it to the top, June 3rd.
I went up 2 weeks ago, Apr 7, and was turned around about a mile from the top. The snow was too deep, I carried too much weight, I slept like crap the night before and woke late (5am), started late (6am) and turned myself around about 2pm. Beautiful, fun, and great exercise, but the mountain won this time.
I was very happy that this time I had snowshoes, and an axe. I had crampons with me, but weren't needed. I'll be back.