Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Overnighter Whitney main trail hike 7/2-3

Hi All,

My hiking buddy and I just hiked up the main trail to Whitney summit yesterday (7/3) on a gorgeous day. We went up at a leisurely pace Monday (7/2) starting at a portal at 9 am and got to Trail Camp at 2 pm. There were plenty of nice camping sites available. We camped close to the trail south of the lake at Trail Camp. Tried to get some sleep when night fell, but kept turning and tossing through the night. We did acclimate the previous 2 nights at Onion Valley and had day hiked to Kearsarge Pass the day before (did manage to sleep at night at Onion Valley). Started the summit hike at 5 in the morning. We met a day hiker (Tim) who joined us on the way up. Watched a beautiful sunrise as we were heading up the switchbacks. Got to Trail Crest around 6:50 am. It was not cold in the morning, only a soft shell jacket was enough to be comfortable. The hike from Trail Crest to the summit seemed to take forever. Got to the summit around 8:40 am. There was only one more person at the summit at that time (he seemed to have spent the night at the summit). After spending 1/2 an hour at the summit, headed down, packed up camp, got some water at Trailside Meadows, and got back to the portal at 3:40 pm. This was my second time to the summit, the last time was a day hike 3 years ago. Enjoyed the hike much better this time. It was much more leisurely, and lot more fun. The photos are posted (http://picasaweb.google.com/caljoyjeet), the most recent albums. Any comments from you knowledgable folks on the locations/subjects of the photos on Whitney trail and Kearsarge Pass trail are welcome. Thanks.

Happy Independence Day!

-Joyjeet (Bobby) Bhowmik

Bobby, I have an odd question for you. I looked at your pictures (very nice) and would like to know about your tent. It appears to be one I've seen on ebay; a High Peak Hyperlight 2 Person. If I'm correct, I'd like to get your opinion of the tent. Very nice trip report. It looks hot at the lower elevations.

Thanks.

Meckers

Hi Meckers,

The tent is a 2-person REI Coupe http://tinyurl.com/2ghle4. I had bought it a couple of years ago on one of the sales at REI. It is about 4 lbs in weight, just about enough room for a coupel of 6 footers, and setting up is not too bad (though I prefer the 2 pole design like Quarter Dome http://www.rei.com/product/705525 which are ultra-easy to put up, but they are expensive and almost never on sale). It is a 3-season tent, but I have only used it between June and September and in no rain, so can't vouch for how it handles moisture. Overall, I would recommend it if you can get a good deal.

Bobby