Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Failed Summit Attempt 9/8 w/pics

I set off on 9/8 from Cottonwood lakes trailhead. A tip for all the newbies, prepare for the elevation. The hike itself is not all that bad. The elevation gain is slow, but the elevation eventually takes its toll. I started the trail at 9am on Monday. By 1:30pm I was setting up camp at high lake. I had a pounding headache and felt completely drained. I tried to eat and could not even put down peanuts. It rained on and off and I sat in my tent pretty much from 2pm until 630am the next day. I felt horrible the entire time. I could only sleep in 2-3 hours spurts. On Tuesday I had to head back down. I couldn't see myself trying to go over new army pass in this condition. The entire time on the trail I only ate 1 power bar and 3-4 peanuts. It was a beautiful hike, but it was dissapointing that I had to turn back. If I would have camped out at the trailhead the night before, I probably would have been fine. Lesson learned. Next time I will spend more time at a higher elevation. I guess failure is what drives us to keep trying. Check out the pics.
Langley over lake #1

Langley in the clouds

Long Lake

New Army Pass from Long Lake

Sunrise at High Lake

Beautiful photos. As they say "nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Something similar happened to me last year. I learned from it. Afterward, I assessed everything from my pack weight to physical condition. One thing I learned as you did is that driving up to the trailhead from sea level and then heading out with a pack can have negative consequences. Add to that other factors that may be present i.e. fatigue, illness, weather (humidity, heat, etc.) and things may not work out. Learn from it and the next time it will be all the sweeter.