Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board contrasting baldy vs. whitney

our group has been hiking weekends for the last 2 months and we all go to the gym for regular cardio workouts so we think we are in good physical condition. we went up baldy yesterday and we got our asses KICKED!

as a result, I would welcome the perspective of comparing whitney to the baldy hike because if whitney is exponentially harder, then we might be whistling dixie thinking we can take pictures of the owens valley from the top. maybe we need to make adjustments, or mentally plan on enjoying a non-summit trip.

i've gotta say, after all our prep hikes, we had NO IDEA how tough baldy would be. we were loaded with our 30+ pound packs and hiked the indian falls road up to the top of the lifts. we missed the turn-off for the ski hut route, and I think I'm glad we did because that's the way we came down and it was a bear.

from the baldy ski complex, we went up the devil's backbone route. it seemed that once we got above the top of the last chair, our steps got smaller and the rest stops more frequent. just before the final traverse, two of the party decided a summit might be unlikely and a trip down via the chair lift looked good.

Another two was well ahead of us, and I thought I would put on a burst of speed and link up. the lateral traverse section before the final ascent was easy but when I hit the first portion of the last steep incline, where the treeline ended, I hit "the wall" at the same time. from there, it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. I would take 10 steps, then sit down for two minutes, then repeat, over and over. I couldn't tell if it was altitude or that I simply wasn't in shape for such a grueling trek. maybe having gone too far too fast. I would've had no problem simply saying "too tough" and heading downhill. i saw zero shame in not making it to the top. don't know what kept me going.

finally got a burst of adrenaline as I saw a lot of heads poking over the top and gutted out the final stretch. I felt no joy of "victory" however, since I was totally spent and knew all of us didn't make it.

the three of us who did summit returned via the ski hut trail and boy was that loads of fun. if whitney is like that on the descent, and longer, I'm in trouble.

so.., if we had difficulty with baldy, do we have pipe dreams about whitney? some whitney vets we met on baldy said that since we won't have a big pack from trail camp to summit, it will make a huge difference. others said the trail crest to summit section is far more gradual, and there were additional suggestions to spend an extra night in lone pine if we can.

we've all heard baldy is a good test for whitney. now we've learned first-hand. any chance whitney might not be that much more difficult since we are doing it in two days and without packs? or is it simply the altitude and "may the force be with us." appreciate the thoughts, especially if you have done both mountains and can contrast the pain.

thanks

I don't want to discourage you, but I think Whitney will be harder than Baldy if for no other reason than from the altitude. I've been up Baldy by most of the rts and have done the 50k race on Baldy,so I am pretty familiar with it. I think you will find the weather on Whitney much better and going for 2 days should help. I would think get an early start, drink alot, stay aerobic on all the up hills, and go as light as possible. Rethink everything your going to carry and leave it if it's not completely necessary. Good luck! Bob Moses

You may have underestimated good old Baldy (Mt. San Antonio). At 10064 feet, the summit seems a lot easier then Whitney. But it can be a long, dry hike, especially in the summer when it is hot. You also had 30 pound backpacks, presumably to make the test more real. All of that may have added up to make it one killer hike.

Presumably, you would spread it out a little more on Whitney. A night or two at the Portal, followed by backpacking to Trail camp. Then the next day, take a light backpack to the top and perhaps start down.

That sounds different then strapping on a heavy pack in the hot summer and going all the way to the top of Baldy. So I wouldn't think you should fear Whitney. I would only think that you choose a killer hike to prepare on....sometimes the training hikes can be emotionally worse then the big one to Whitney.

I've never done Whitney as a two-day hike, only a day hike, but I can offer this advice.

First, doing Baldy with a 30 pound pack is pretty excessive since you said you won't be doing Whitney with such a heavy load. The pack is going to make it hard for experienced Whitney hikers to answer your questions because it throws a curve into to equation. Is it possible you could have done Baldy fairly easily w/o the pack? I can't tell whether your aerobic conditioning is inadequate because of the inclusion of the pack on the hike.

Maybe you and some of your party were gasping for breath because of the heavy loads? I would strongly suggest going back to Baldy and doing it next weekend with much lighter packs.

It's not good news that you were totally spent at the top. In my opinion, Baldy the ski hut way or backbone way is quite easy compared to Whitney (now the Blue Ridge way and church way are different matters). If you think the ski hut way is tough on the knees, Whitney is at least 3 times harder, with longer and rockier downhill stretches from Trail Camp to Mirror Lake. It's not as steep as the ski hut descent, but it's longer and much more mentally taxing. It's also above the tree line and in the direct sunlight.

You're right that Trail Crest to the summit is pretty gradual, but the trail conditions on the back side are brutal compared to Baldy. It's very rocky, uneven, narrow and unpleasant, except for the views. You're also at altitudes of 13,300+ feet. It doesn't sound like you have first hand experience how your body reacts to this type of altitude. If you noticed adverse affects of altitude on Baldy's 10,000 foot summit, again, this isn't a good sign. Were you adequately hydrating? Baldy takes me the ski hut way up and down 5 hours and I drink five 24-ounce bottles of fluid. If you weren't drinking enough, this also probably contributing to your poor experience.

If you asking whether you could do Whitney in *one day* I would humbly suggest the answer would be "no," based on what you're saying, unless you want to suffer.

But I think the 30 pound packs are a big contributing factor to the tough day. I think you should be able to manage Whitney in 2 days, but be prepared for a long, hot, tough descent. Take no pack from Trail Camp to the summit and back, except a fanny pack or light backpack, filled with 3-4 bottles of fluid.

What other training hikes did you do prior to Whitney?

Here is my advice: do Baldy again next week w/o heavy packs, that will increase your confidence because I have a hunch the packs wrecked your hike. Do Mt. Wilson and San G. without heavy packs. Doing Whitney for the first time is at least half mental IMO. You will have the necessary confidence if you've done these other hikes and finished them with something left in your tank.

I hope this helps. Best of luck!

I agree with the previous posters. Carrying a lot of weight plus the heat we've had in Southern CA recently would make Baldy a tougher hike than the equivalent jaunt starting at 8000' in the Sierra. On the other hand, 10,000' is a lot less than 14,500 and the backbone trail from the ski area is the easiest way up Baldy -- much easier than Whitney.

Candace makes a good suggestion. Do it again with a lighter pack (and get an early start to avoid the heat, if that was indeed a problem). Then try San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek with a minimal pack. If you can do that one without problems, you can do Whitney.

Up through the Notch is a bit easier than the Ski Hut and a lot easier than day hiking Whitney but I don't see which of day hike or backpack it will be for you.

If you are day hiking, what's the deal with the 30 pound packs? If you are backpacking The Main Trail and want to get something closer to the Portal to Trail Camp experience this isn't the place, Angelus Oaks to Limber Bench would be better or even Badden-Powell. This portion of the trip is constant grind not a lot of steep, steep stuff like Baldy from saddle to the summit via the Backbone.

Bill

I was thinking day hike when I made my comments. I agree with wbtravis that Southern CA has better places than Baldy for multi-day trips. Actually, Vivian Creek is not bad as a two day trip. You can also do San Jacinto from Idyllwild that way.

thanks for the kind comments and perspectives, and the advice and insights are truly appreciated. i hope we can return the favor after our whitney experience.

just a quick note to add that we are spending a night at trail camp and that's why we've been taking semi-loaded backpacks on all our prelim hikes, including baldy. i've heard from many that the last mile before trail camp is pretty tough, so we didn't want to underestimate the effort to get from portal to trail camp. at that point, we will dump packs and tents, and just use light packs going further.

i felt a lot better yesterday than I thought I would. in fact, all of us feel pretty good and have gotten over some of the mental anguish of having baldy teach us a thing or two. one thing for sure, we decided to go a day earlier, booking a room in lone pine at the fabulous Dow, and then heading up to portal for breakfast and casually hanging until our campsite opens.

I would not be too discouraged that you found Baldy difficult. The summit is over 10,000, there is little or no water on most routes, the heat can cause trouble, and the trails are not very friendly. While there is little doubt that reaching the summit of Whitney is easier than reaching the summit of Baldy, there are a few things to consider. It was very hot this weekend, you were carrying 30 pounds, and you were not accustomed to the altitude. Each of these factors may be less for you on Whitney.

With the start of the summer monsoon you may have to deal with an increased chance of rain on Whitney, but you will probably also find the ambient temperature more conducive to hiking. If you do Baldy again, I suggest you try to hit the trail by 6:30 AM to avoid the hottest part of the day. I live in the South Bay and can get to the summit and back home by noon without too much trouble.

Thrity pounds is a good sized load for an overnight trip. I can get my pack weight for a mutltiple night trip in the Whitney zone including all food and water to less than 30 pounds and I do not consider myself an ultra-light fanatic. If you have trouble getting your pack weight down then I suggest your get a postal scale and start weighing items and paring down the excess weight. When you summit from trail camp, try to keep your pack weight to 15 pounds or less.

Climbing at altitude is something that gets easier the more you do it. Before your hike I suggest that you spend as much time at higher elevation as possible. Do more practice hikes at higher elevation. The trail to the top of San Jacinto from the tram station is easy and gives you an opportunity to get used to hiking at higher elevations. I'd also suggest climbing San G. The Vivian Creek trail is a good prep hike for Whitney. Be sure to spend as much time at altitude before your hike as possible. Consider spending the nights immediately before your hike in Mammoth, Whitney Portal, or any of the other high altitude campgrounds.

The trails on Baldy are not maintained as well as the main trail on Whitney. I think you find the walking much easier on Whitney. When you do start your Whitney hike I suggest that you get early starts and to take your time. If you find it difficult to carry on a normal conversation while hiking or your are sweating profusely then slow your pace. Remember to tortoise up and hare down.

I agree with Spanky Bob... I especially like the line that the Mt. Baldy trails 'are not friendly.' Well said.

I do think you need to go into Whitney with a success under your belt. I wouldn't hike it with just this unpleasant Baldy hike fresh in your mind because it very likely will wreck havoc with your psyche. Baldy in the summer heat with a 30 pound pack will be tough no matter what, why not try it at 5:15 am with headlamps? I think starting it any time after 6:00 am is folly in the summer.

If you try it with an early start and packs under 15 pounds, I bet you can do it fairly easily and then leave with more confidence in approaching Whitney.

norweejunwood - Yes, Whitney is higher and the main trail is longer than your Baldy hike. However, Baldy is steeper. The average grade on your Baldy route is 14% compared to 10% for the main trail. The final push to Baldy's summit is 27%!! It's the steepness factor that is the killer. That's what kicked your behinds. The best thing to do is head back up next weekend and repeat that hike. It will get easier the more you do it. Good luck!