Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Climbing August 4 2009 - Training and Gear Talk

Hello,

I will be attempting a single day summit on August 4th (August 4, August fourth, 8/04/09). If anyone else out there is checking the board for others climing that day, then say hello and share your preparation story.

Here is a little about my preparation efforts. I live in Kentucky (obviously...thus KentuckyCaver name) and really have no way to prepare for elevation. I train in what is called the knobs region of Kentucky, which gives me a good work out, but the max elevation is only about 1,200 feet! The only plan I have regarding elevation is to arrive a few days prior to my summit day and spend a few days "day hiking" in the Sierra's trying to get as high as I can without wearing myself out.

I don't consider myself in great physical shape, but I'm in better shape than I was a couple of months ago. I've been doing long hikes (several up to 22 miles) just to get a feel for going the distance. My feet are certainly giving me some trouble, but I think I can tape them up enough to get through ok.

Gear wise, I've decided to go ahead and update some of my outdated heavy gear and go lighter. So far:

Leki Carbon Trekking poles
Granite Gear Vapor Trail
Marmot Impulse Jacket
Marmot Precip Pants
Mountain Hardware Dome Perinon (Beanie)
North Face Long Sleeve Zip
Outdoor Reseach Sun Runner Cap
Patagonia Down Vest
CamelBak (3 litre)

I'm having a hard time figuring out if I need a warmer jacket or if I can just use the Marmot Impulse Jacket and layer underneath it.

Sounds like a good plan. Are you planning on wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt, and carrying the gear you listed? It maybe a little warm coming down in those marmot pants. Good Luck!

That all seems reasonable, KentuckyCaver.

You might want to take a filter. I usually don't filter in the Sierra, but there's a lot of poop on Whitney. Others on this board will tell you it's not necessary, and they are more experienced in the Whitney area than I am.

If you arrive several days before hand you'll be plenty acclimated. And you'll see a lot of beautiful places dayhiking the Eastern Sierra. Horseshoe Meadows and Rock Creek are easy elevation. If you are competent with axe and crampons you could dayhike Mt. Abbot and get some great acclimation.

Keep hitting those Kentucky hills! That is just half the battle of building up leg strength and stamina.

Case in point, a couple of years ago I led an ODC hike up "Mecca West." One of the members rode mountain bikes and never climbed a mountain in his life. Reaches MW summit first time, first try with no issues with altitude (one of the lucky ones, I reckon). Then he goes up 19 days later with another ODC group and ditto. Then he goes up the MR two weeks later and ditto again.

Add more weight (full Nalgene bottles, 5 or 10-lb sacks of rice, etc.) to your pack to get a good workout. Train heavy, tread light on MW.

Also, try adding a half hour or so on a stationary bike. One of the posters, WhitneyN1, rides a stationary bike for one hour a day. His claim to fame? Twice in one day and he has done a lot of "two-fers." You might even see him and his wife on the day of your hike!

You might want to add gloves, sunglasses, Nalgene bottle. Oh, camera, too! Oh, extra pair of socks! Dry feet better than wet feet.

Also, lip balm with SPF, sunscreen, insect repellent. I note water filter was mentioned. I wear long-sleeve wicking shirts to eliminate slathering myself with the sunscreen.

I wrap duct tape below the base of the handle on my trekking poles for those "just-in-case" hot spots on the feet. You don't need a whole lot of tape. I apply WD-40 to remove the tape residue on the skin after the hike. Nail polish remover works, too.

Have fun.

Hey Gary!

Explain to me the duct tape . . . where would you put that on your boots and why?

Dances with Koyotes

I can't answer for Gary's thoughts... but I know that almost everytime I go on a "big" hike I see someone's shoe that has blown out and they tape them back together with duct tape (or whatever they have avaliable to them).... Last August I saw someone summit Whitney on a taped shoe...

I also saw someone mention blisters and hotspots...

I don't go anywhere without some duct tape on my hiking poles...

Well, hey there, Dances with Koyotes!

The duct tape is not for my boots, but on my paw pads Then again, as SoCalGirl alluded to, gotta have something in case the boots split.

You and Ashley going up for another "Mecca West" try, eh? Best of everything to both of you.

Gary,
Yes, we are giving 14,497 another shot in August. See what ya started????

Still Dancing with Koyotes . . .

My experience on training and a day hike of Whitney (completed May 28)

I live at approximately sea level, and arrived in Lone Pine the day before my hike, so I had minimal time to acclimate. I would consider myself in reasonable shape, but with family and work did not do what I would have considered proper training for this hike. My training was basically a 2-3 mile run 4-5 days a week for about a month prior.

That said, there was a key factor that I thought led to my successful summit - pace.

I was extremely conscious of my pace for this entire hike. I started slow and kept a slow pace throughout - especially at the beginning. The trail up to trail camp is very easy and you may feel a desire to push yourself to make up time - DON'T. To me this was the key. At home, I often hike a lot faster and feel worn out throughout a hike. On Whitney, I hiked poli poli and felt good. I even feel like the time spent walking slowly helped my acclimate Because by the time I reached 12,000'+ while tougher, I didn't have any nausea, just a minor headache.

The other key was water. I drank 4L up, 3L down. Plus, I kept a bag of Gu (caffeinated energy drops) in my pocket and popped them throughout the hike.

It took me 19 hours, but I made it and felt relatively good at the end, considering.

Of course, your endurance and physical shape matter, but if nothing else hike SLOWLY and keep going, you'll make it.

Burk75: Good point! Pace, pace, pace, hydration, hydration, hydration and nibble, nibble, nibble.

My first MW summit took me 17 hours 12 minutes 25.03 seconds according to my Casio G-Force watch. I was with 2 other hikers. We were lead group (the tortoises) so we started early. We started at 1:40 a.m. The other group (the hares) started at 4:00 a.m.

My two hiking companions didn't make it past the all of the SBs. I had my doubts at Trail Crest. The time was 10:30 a.m. and I am not a fan of heights and it was windy and cold (this was August 5, 2004). My friend who was in the "hare" group and was an experienced MW hiker, did not proceed from TC.

Oh, boy, what have I gotten myself into? I decided to press on. Slowly, but surely, I reached the summit at 11:30. I counted my steps. Every 100 steps, I would stop and sit down. Sip water. Get up. Hike 100 steps. Stop. Sit down. Stayed at the summit for 1/2 hour (forgot to take picture of my name in the register) and headed down. To take my mind off the SBs I counted everyone of them going down. Yes, there are 97 but I swear to G*d there are really 99.

From the WZ to the the TH, I literally flew down the trail. I was doing the "recon shuffle" on the descent. I will say this: From LPL to the THE LONGEST TWO POINT WHATEVER MILES.

I finished at 6:52 p.m. What a day.

The next day, I thought I would be sore. After a good morning shower, I was fine. I stepped out of my Dow Villa hotel room and gazed in the direction of MW during the alpenglow. "I was up there."

Hey Kentucky - I spent 2 years in Lexington in the mid 1990's, beautiful country in the Bluegrass. I remember a hike we used to do - I think it was called Natural Bridge - I used to love that as a day hike.

Regarding Whitney, nothing will really prepare you for the altitude except spending time at altitude. Your plan to arrive early to acclimate is a good one. You may want to work in more ups and downs into your training hikes, some people who don't live by mountains even say that the stairmaster works for them.

It's usually nice weather in August, but I've also been caught in an August snowstorm.

Hi, KentucyCaver! I live in Raleigh, NC, so I live a long way from any sizable mountains. So I had the very same problem last year that you are facing now. I suggest lots of good cardio for as long as you can do it for 3-4 times a week. Running, treadmill, bike, swim, or such activities for an hour or so at least 3-4 times a week will help. As to acclimation, face it, the only way is to get there early and do some day hikes. Horseshoe Meadows and hiking to Lone Pine Lake worked well for me. And sleeping at Whitney Portal for the last two nights before my hike sure didn't hurt. Spend as much time over 8-10 thousand feet as you can right before your hike.

As for your gear, your list looks pretty good, with some additions as recommended by others before me. Be SURE to take layers. It may be very hot, or very cold, or very wet, or all 3 depending on the time of day. Convertible nylon pants are great. A synthetic tee with fleece and a hard shell jacket work well so that you can add or strip off layers as you go. Don't even think about taking cotton. Use very light hiking boots, not the mega leather boots -- they are too heavy and sap your strength. Do take lots of high carb snacks and lots of water. Snack as you go and drink lots of water. The Steri-pen is a great gizmo for purifying water, and it is much lighter than a filter. Waterproof first aid tape or moleskin are both great for blisters. Some prefer duct tape for blisters, but it never did much for me.

That's all for now. Good luck 2 U!

Oh, and one more thing to bring...

Unless you have something better...

Bring the Kentucky State flag!

Now, there's your motivation...

Your gear list looks good, But make sure you have a cooler option . I live here in california at about 120 feet above sea level so I can relate to the altitude training concept. About five years ago I did the Mountaineers route. we spent a good day at about 7000 feet and then headed up ( my partener is also a flat lander) We had no alititude issues. One thing I found helpful was to use the stair stepper relentlessly. Now don't laugh like my family did but I started at about thirty minutes set at rolling hills and worked up to ninty minutes with a thirty five pound pack and mounatianeering boots . I've also been known to go on it in telemark boots. I can say from experience that this absolutely helps prepare ypur legs, If your legs aren't tired you'll need less oxygen. Well atleast thats my theory. Good luck and have a great climb

Hey KentuckyCaver,

I am also from Kentucky (Louisville Area) and am planning to hike the MT on July 23-26. As for training in the flatland, I do cardio on an elliptical trainer for an hour most days with training hikes 2-3 times per week with a 45lb pack. The distance is usually between 5-10 miles and we look for places where we can log the most vertical. It is not uncommon on the knobby hills around here to get 2,000+ ft. up and 2,000+ feet down in a 6-7 mile 2.5 hour training hike. I wear a Garmin Forerunner to track the elevation gain and loss.

Outside of good physical preparation, I think the key for us is acclimation, acclimation, acclimation. I will be spending the week before Whitney on the Yosemite High Sierra Loop so hopefully acclimation should not be an issue for me this year. A few warm up hikes in the Sierra's should help you get ready.

Good to see that there are other people in Kentucky thinking about Mt. Whitney.

Wifey has trouble with her feet and used enough moleskin for an army of feet. She switched to SmartWool socks and Ultimax liners and the problem was minimized.

The temperatures can be from single digits to 85* F throughout the day of your trip. You should plan to bring some extras just in case it is warmer or colder than you expect.

You have a good plan showing up a few days early to get use to the elevation.

You might want to add a Nalgene bottle to mix dry electrolytes. They do really help with fatigue and cramping. Depending on the ambient temperature the day of your hike you most likely will need a 4th liter of water.

I second the recommendation for a second bottle for mixing the dry electrolytes. On my way down last year I got so focused on making it down I stopped eating after trail camp. I crashed hard just below lone pine lake and felt awful! Retching, weak etc. Then my Dad mixed me some gatorade and I felt pretty good within about 10 minutes.

Also once you pass the spring on the switchbacks it is nice to have that extra litre of water not in your bladder. Especially if you have a fair bit of gear in your pack, it is difficult to tell how much water you have in your bladder. It is nice to know that you won't accidentally run yourself dry too early by having an extra litre.

Dean

I wonder how accurate the stated distance is? I did Whitney on Sunday, and it took about 45 minutes to hike downhill from LPL to the 1 mile marker. I was traveling at a steady pace and didn't stop.

According to Versatile Fred's notes, the distance from TH to LPL fork is 2.8 miles.

KevinR: If you hike downhill 1 mile per 20 minutes, that's a pretty good pace considering the other 20 miles or so you endured.

Well, that makes more sense. For some reason I thought the distance was 2.1, which would have made it 1.1 miles. But, being nearly 2 makes more sense. When I got to the old trail I debated going down it, but opted for a smooth trail so took the "new" one. Decided risking a face plant wasn't worth a few saved minutes.

And yes - I wasn't steaming along, but the bottoms of my feet weren't too sore so I was able to maintain a steady plod.

'Twas a beautiful, blue-bird kind of day. It was a father/son hike for two in our group, and another was able to bag Muir. Good times all around.