Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board How much water do you use?

Going to try Whitney-one day-this week and realized in my training hikes I drink about 2x as much water as my partners. I average about .75-1.0L per hour. Thats at 60-80F and 2mph or so pace.

Curious as to what you have used on a one day trip and also, how bad is the water source at trail camp. Thanks.

Read this thread: Water/Weight dilemma to Summit, especially the post by GiantMan on 7/17 at 07:17 PM, about drinking just to keep his mouth moist and peeing every hour. If you are like him, you might hike lighter by drinking a little less.

Thanks for the thread. Good info. How reliable is the water source on the switchbacks?

It depends on when you go to Mt. Whitney. May into September it is a good source in a good water year if pass through those Switchbacks on a warm morning, where the water doesn't freeze at it source.

It is best to get water at Trailside Meadow or Trail Camp during the ascent and utilize this source while descending.

I did a 1 day hike on 7/10 when it was cloudy but nice. I took (and drank) 5 liters of water & energy drink. I peed only once the whole trip (which isn't very good); and I didn't really need to, I just wanted to see if the plumbing still worked. I didn't sweat hardly at all; so I wondered where all the water went. My theory is that it evaporated from my mouth/nose from the heavy breathing. Also, I didn't eat much because I didn't have an appetite.

Dave

on my last trip up the mountaineers route I took 2 quarts of gatorade and 2 quarts of water and guess what - I ran out coming down on the main route. I arrived back at the parking lot like a thirsty dog with my tongue hanging out. The good news is that I had a full quarte of gatorade in the jeep waiting for me till I got to a mini mart back in lone pine. You will not consume too much water on your trip.......

Another strategy is to take a pump and refill at one of the lakes (ie, Consultation). At 14oz or so, a pump is a lot lighter than a liter of water.

If you want to go minimalist, you can also just take iodine tablets, or drink the water untreated (not recommended in this area).

Andy

How much you drink really depends ambient temperature and how hard you are working your body.

I have gone from Trail Camp to the summit and back using 3 L to 5 L of water. I used 5 L going up the Chute in mid May this year, moderate temperature, very high exertion.

Experience means so much when deciding what to take with you from TC to the summit. As much as we try to help, we can't give you that.

I recommend the pump stratgey as well. After several successful day hike summits on MWMT, this is what works for me. I use a camelback type hydration pack and carry a Katadyn Hiker Pro filter. I mix Cytomax about 1/2 recommended dilution (same thing works for gatorade and other powder drink mixes). I sip on the tube regularly, and typically refill from water flowing on the lower part on switchbacks, both going up and coming down, and again on the descent at Lone Pine lake. Seems to keep me well hydrated (and maintains electroye levels), and still leaves plenty of room for a cold beer (or 2) at the Portal Store at the end of the hike.

Have a great hike.

I did not plan on carrying all of my water from the beginning. I am bringing a pump and plan on having my 3 liter camelbak full most of the hike, then filling up a extra 2L bladder at trail camp or the switchback source.

Does the water on the switch backs trickle out of the rocks? Do you filter this? Thanks again for all the info.

I last did the Main Trail a couple of times in August of 2006. I carried less than a liter from the Portal but filled up below Trail Camp to carry 2 liters to the summit and back. Both times, that was enough to get back to the Portal. I do not filter, but I also don't fill up from the lakes on that route. I do like the stream a bit before Trail Camp.

The amount of water you require depends on you, the weather conditions, and your speed. The longer you'll be out there, the more you'll want to carry.

Hydration bladders came along after my time and I have never adjusted to them. I'm sure they're a great thing, though!

I made a little water mistake two days ago while dayhiking the main trail. Poor planning and inexperience account for my stupidity. I had only a 70 oz. hydration pack, meant to fill it at Trail Camp, thought I had plenty so I didn't and ran out of water 1/2 way up the switchbacks. I figured I was close enough to the summit to go for it. I was really thirsty not much past Trail Crest. I was solo so no bumming water from friends and I didn't dare ask someone I didn't know who had lugged their own water all that way. There were two puddles in the trail on the way to the summit, very small and a bit muddy. I was semi desperate, you see. I got down on my stomach and slurped them up, getting about 6 ozs each puddle. It got me to the summit. The switchback spring sure was nice on the way back. Gulped freely, no filter, no treatment. Not sick yet, so I figure I got away with it. Please nobody say they whizz on the trail! -I just reread the previous and didn't want anyone to think I was too irresponsible. If life threatening dehydration seemed in the cards I would surely have turned back. Summit isn't worth risking health, but I guess I risked a bad belly. Be prepared, make good decisions and don't take this hike as lightly as I did.

I would definitely advise anyone lacking the experience to make a solid decision to err on the side of carrying too much rather than too little.

I've seen the water on the switchbacks in various states, frozen to none, roaring to a trickle. It all depends on the prior winter precipitation, which was not all that much, heat and how late in quota season you are heading up the trail.

Do not keep your 3 L Camelbak full. 3 liters will be more than enough to most day hikers to Trail Camp. You should be filter water no more than twice on this trip...once if you utilize the water on the Switchbacks when you return.

Hi, some friends and I did whitney in one day in july in 12hrs 20min and I drank roughly 10L of water/noone.

I forgot to answer the question. How much water did I use? About 82oz WP to summit in 7 hrs. Started at 11:30 pm, walked all night under full moon. It was nice, just missed sunrise on the summit. But a little thirsty. Gulped a lot when I got back to the spring, filled the bag(easily done mid-morning 2 days ago).Take more water than I did. But go, it is an amazing experience.

Thanks. I am only going to keep the 2L bladder full most of the time filtering when empty. I will load up the 2L and 3L at trail camp for the summit. If my math is right, it won't be enough for me. From trail camp to summit and back to trail camp will take me much longer than 5 hours I presume. At least coming down I won't need the same 1L/hour I have calculated. Kind of a dilemma. Weight Vs. Thirst.

We've had this discussion many times before... and I'm going to repeat myself again...

If you think you need that much water for the trip up, carry it in bottles. That way, if you find out that you don't need it, you can cache it on the way up and pick it up on the way down. You can't do that with a bladder. (And don't give me the "it's only nn pounds." When you're up there, you going to want to jettison every last ounce of unnecessary weight.)

It is difficult to figure time for the Trail Camp round trip if you have not hiked over 12,000' before...it always gets back to experience.

I would figure between 1 MPH and 1 1/2 MPH on the ascent and 1 1/2 to 2 MPH on the way down. I go a bit faster on way up and closer to 2 MPH on the way down, a lot that has to do with trail traffic. A pace entirely in the aerobic zone is the key to a successful day hike at Mt. Whitney...YMMV

It is REALLY important to pre-hydrate yourself.That means start as soon as you can to increase your water intake as LEAST 2-3 days prior to hiking.It is especially important to start your continous sipping of water beginning at the portal.It has been recommended by many here that continual sipping even while not thirsty is a much better way to keep hydrated than to wait until you feel the thirst urge and gulp. I know it worked well for me well after I ran out of water on the late evening decent between TC and Outpost.I arrived back at Outpost at 10 PM thirsty as I did not want to take a chance filling up with water in the dark along the slippery and rocky running creeks.I was well hydrated due to continous sipping and able to decend the last 2 hours only a little thirsty.