Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Prefer to day hike Whitney or backpack it ?

Hello everyone

I 1st would like to thank everyone for having this message board here for all to read! I just can't get over all the wonderful information that you can get here. I have really enjoyed sitting and reading everything, thank you all so much!

I am wondering if more people day hike whitney? or do a backpack trip?
What I am gathering from reading, is that there is more day hikers then backpackers? if so is this because it is a lot easier to get a permit for a day hike than a over night trip?
I was just kind of curious about this, and what you all prefer either day hiking, or backpacking it?
My adventure to whitney was in September of 1993, we did a two night three day trip, 1st day hiked to trail camp, second day hiked to the summit, 3rd day hiked back out..it was a great trip doing it like that I thought, we all really enjoyed it. Had a beautiful clear bluebird sunshine day to get to the summit, it did lightly snow when we got back to our camp at trail camp towards the evening, by the time we left the next morning to hike out it was all melted off. I will never forget my adventure on that trip!

It has been over 10 years...do you think there is a lot more people hiking it now then 10 years ago?
I would think there is.
Thanks again everyone
Anita

I cast a vote for day hiking. I'll admit I do a lot more day hiking than backpacking in general. I've day hiked Whitney 12 times, but 0 backpack times.

My reasons:

1. I was never the lottery player type. When the time period for most of the quota trails was expanded to May-Oct. a few years ago, I kicked the backpack quota habit for good too and now only do day hikes in the High Sierra.

2. I prefer to day hike an objective unless it's really impractical. The KISS principle. (KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid.)

3. I sleep s _ _ _ _ y out of doors regardless of the technology between my back and the ground. At 12,000 feet I'd surely stay up all night, but that gets boring when you're ***er (slang word for not intoxicated), and don't have an internet connection.

4. It is enjoyable to walk past the camps and watch others doing housekeeping while I am walking.

5. It is enjoyable to walk down between Trail Camp and Mirror Lake in the afternoon, and watch the backpackers plod upward with the "how far to Trail Camp [Trailside Meadow]" look on their faces. One man confessed to portering 66 pounds.

6. I feel sorry for the studs half my age and a foot taller than me who must do it as a backpack, so I don't want to take a quota spot away from them.

7. Although I hike 52 weeks a year, conditioning for the annual Whitney hike motivates me to take other challenging day hikes in the weeks beforehand. (Unfortunately, I did not have time to do that this year, but still made it to the summit in relatively decent shape, so now I have motivation to be lazier in future years.)

8. It's a novelty to not only be out of bed, but actually outside at 3:00 in the morning. Just one day a year, anyway.

9. After doing it for a number of years, I'm afraid to stop. It could make someone think that I was getting too old for it.

10. It puts others in awe back at the office.

11. And maybe the best reason of all: I rather like doing it that way!

But I realize that others must backpack due to altitude problems and such, so whatever works for you, use it. I'm sure many more would backpack it if space were available.

The quick answer is:
Yes, it is a bit easier to obtain a day hiking permit as there are more available, so that may be a reason for the greater number of day hikers. Also, day hiking the trail is a seriously cool accomplishment.

You'll get many different answers here, but the bottom line is to do what works for you. You can get permits of both types even after the lottery has been drawn by being patient and waiting for cancellations. (I got a 2 night permit last year in early Sept., but had only 2 days notice.)

If you enjoyed the pace of your backpacking trip, then that's the way to go. (I'm in that 'camp' too.)
Peace,
...tg...

Having backpacked twice to Mt. Whitney in the last month and dayhiked once, I have to admit.

BOTH ARE GREAT!

Backpacking allows you time to hang out at the lakes and enjoy the view. There is much more time to just hang out while backpacking. It also gives your body time to adjust to the elevation.

Downside is carrying the extra weight, and I never really sleep well up on the mountain.

Day hiking allows you to go faster and carry very little, making much better time. It also frees you up to do a little climbing here and there off the trail. (which would be awkward with a full backpack)

Downside is you tend to hike straight to the top, and once there, feel like you are done....then hike straight to the car to eat real food and go home.

I would be happy with either. They both have good and bad things to consider. But then none of them were up the regular trail where all the people are.

I'll vote for backpacking on any trail other than the Main Trail. There are a lot less people, it easier to get a premit and if I play my cards right I don't have to visit the solar latrines.

I've done both and probably won't day hike the Main Trail again. However, I do have my sights on the MR this summer as a day hike.

Bill

Put it on your agenda for September 5th.

Problem with a day hike for me, a couple weeks ago, I took a "wrong turn" and wound up on the Mountaineer's Route. Wasn't until last night in casual browsing that I may owe the Forest Service $15 for daring to venture within the "Whitney Zone" without a permit. According to the topo map on the NFS web site, the "Whitney Zone" begins somewhere in the vicinity of Lower Boy Scout Lake.

Sorry occifer, I left my hiking license in my other backpack.

I prefer a day hike. I like the idea of spending 12-18 hours (more or less depending on your fitness level) and totally busting your tail. Then coming back to a hotel room when you're beat but filled with the joy of success to enjoy a jacuzzi, a nice glass of Pinot Noir and a fabulous meal.

Sorry, but I vote for backpacking. 21 miles and 12,000' gross vertical isn't my idea of a fun dayhike.

Besides, I enjoy staying up in the mountains and savoring the couple of times a year I actually get to be up above 10,000'. (I live in MO, where the highest "mountain" is 1,772.68' above sea level, so getting any appreciable altitude under my feet is the highlight of my year, you should pardon the pun.)

Plus, when my son and I did Whitney, he was 12 and not nearly horse enough to have made it all in one day. Now that he's 15 and 4" taller than I am, well, that's another story entirely...

I'd backpack Whitney again, but next time, it'd be via the Mountaineer's Route. (That was out of the question with a 12-year-old with zero snow climbing experience and little 3rd-class scrambling experience.)

To each his/her own...I'll be happy to step aside and let y'all that are dayhiking pass me by...I'll be the one enjoying a leisurely dinner back at camp and hiking out the next morning...

Wow, thanks everyone for your comments!
Very interesting and enjoyable reading what everyone has to say. Yeah I thought maybe more day hike permits were given out then the overnight ones. It is nice to go on a day hike and get back knowing you do have a soft bed to sleep in! there are indeed advantages thats for sure. But I do have to say I like the backpacking better, there is nothing better than waking up in camp next to a beautiful mountain lake and mountains all around you, sitting on a granite boulder drinking a cup of hot coffee with the sun shining down on you. I live in Lake Tahoe and do a lot of day hikes around here, so I think I get so many day hikes in..I miss and want to do the backpacking trips.
Both are wonderful to do, at least you are out there either as a day hike or overnight, it's great
Thanks again
Anita

I agree that backpacking on the Main Trail can be different because it is crowded...and it's unlike the less populated trails in the Sierras where you can camp at many spots without seeing another person. But then again, I expect that when I'm going to Whitney on the main trail. And at times I love the crowd camped at Trail Camp. It becomes like a little community & you get a chance to have some great conversations with some very interesting people. When I went up in June I met a Wells Fargo owner who recently had bypass surgery a month prior to his climb...and who is a strict vegetarian due to the fact that he believes America's consumption on meat is one of the great contributors to World Poverty. I met a dad (a teacher) with his six or seven year old daughter attempting the summit. I also met a German dad who was living in Chicago along with his son who is now living in Hollywood hoping to make it big in the music industry...we had a great talk about life & it's lessons. Again, nice little community up at Trail Camp. Of course there are times where I really want isolation....well, then backpacking on the Main Trail is not in my itinerary!

I like day hikes, but unless it's a really mild winter, they're very difficult after the snow starts. 2002 was one such year; I was able to do five that winter. Of course, living in Ridgecrest at the time also helped.

Backpacking had its charms--more time to enjoy the scenery, for sure. I summitted this way 3 weeks ago, with an overnight at Trail Camp. While I'm not sorry, I think I would consider doing it in one shot. The weight I carried was a major factor, and we had 50mph winds which made sleeping very difficult. I can definitely see there could be some benefits in having one Nalgene, a filter, a light jacket and some day food--a few pounds total.

I would definitely recommend that you do some high altitude prep climbs and take aspirin for a few days before you leave. Start EARLY! The sun gets hot, and it is better to be going up in the dark when you are relatively fresh, than down when you are tired.

If you decide to backpack, don't be intimidated by getting a permit. It was no big deal. It helps to have 2-3 alternative dates, and mid-week is better than weekend. Small groups of less than 4 are preferable. Fax or mail your application between Feb 1-15th. They are all batched and decided at once. If you fax, they told me to wait til the 3-4th, because their fax memory gets clogged and some apps get inadvertently lost.

Good luck and have fun! Take LOTS of film or an extra digital camera battery!
Happy summitting!

I used to be mainly a backpacker but that all changed last year when I discovered I could hike longer and better than toting my kitchen, living room and bedroom up a trail. I now like to start early, often by headlamp and enjoy my hike up and down versus laboring under the extra weight of a pack. I still carry a daypack with adequate gear but I'm now pretty much converted to dayhiking whenever I can.