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

Dean at Globe,

I recently encountered the harsh reality of emptying my camelbak and still have several, very hot, miles to go. Not a good position to find oneself in. Therefore, I will be adding some additional water above and beyond what I'll have in my hydration unit.

On some of the harder caving trips I've done, I've also experienced just how bad one can feel when the electrolytes are messed up....I could take a couple of swigs of gatorade and literally feel more energetic....well for a little while at least.

KentuckyCaver,

That would be me. You must have run into George and Paula on the Millenium trail. I met them hiking in the Swiss Alps in 2006. What a small world. They are great people. They provided me with a lot of tips about Whitney before my first attempt last year (got turned around by weather).

The Millennium trail is a good test for sure. I may hike there this weekend. I hiked it last back in May when it was still closed due to the ice storm damage. It was more of a cross country hike then. Pretty tough. We are backpacking Whitney July 23-26 so my training now usually includes a 45lb pack. 13 miles is a long way with a 45lb pack. I train mainly in Jefferson Memorial Forest on the Siltstone and Mitch McConnell trails. Both offer about 2000 up and 2000 down over 6.2 and 5.4 miles respectively.

If you have not hiked the Sierras yet you are going to love it. The high country in Yosemite is one of my favorite places on earth.

JMT is on my "to do" list over the next 5 years. I am considering the trip offfered by Mountain Travel Sobek. They offer a northbound trip and a southbound trip allowing hikers to split the trail over two years. They also carry your gear via pack train. The downside? Expensive.

Good luck with the training. Keep reading as much as you can from this message board. The people are great and the information is good.

Maybe we will run into each other out on the KY trails.

Sierra Dreamer

Yes, it is "positive attitude!"

And to think all this training is going to come to fruition for just one day. It's like planning for a Thxgiving dinner...making sure you have everything and are prepared for that Thxgiving Day.

I have taken a Marine Corps flag to the summit, a penny from a dying boy, and I have taken my wife to the top to celebrate our first anniversary (thanks, again BruinDave and BruinJane) and other things. It either brought joy or closure.

There are some good points on this thread. Read and heed.

WHEN you reach the summit and sign your name in the register (don't forget to take a picture), you can look forward to a lifetime of memories while chowing down on a Portal Burger and Fries that evening. If you are camping at the Portal, reward yourself with a Portal Pancake the next morning (you might want to double-up on this pancake and share). I better stop...my stomach is grumbling.

One more thing, buy the book by Doug Thompson, "Mount Whitney: Mountain Lore from the Portal Store" and read it. Bring it with you to the Store and have the proprietor autograph it! They do sell the book at the Portal Store. Yes, it is none other than the author himself, Doug Thompson, who may have made your burger and/or your pancake.

Have fun.

Kandy...

It was not what I started, but was in your heart and soul all along.

You better email me a summit picture!

Have fun.

That's easy: Mt. Muir. That will be the highlight of the trip.

Are hiking boots a must and if so go with lighter boots? I have done quite a bit of hiking including Yosemite--Half Dome and Clouds Rest, Bryce Canyon, Zion including Angel's Landing, the Subway, the Narrows, and backpacking and have only worn my boots on one hike to "break them in"..yeah...I would rather just wear my trusty sneakers unless that is a really bad plan?!?!?! Looking for the advice of the experienced ones :0

cld5n, if you have done all those hikes in sneakers, there's no need to change for Whitney. It's a trail, man. The Narrows would be a lot tougher in sneakers.

Day hiked Whitney 3 July and it was absolutely perfect so here is a short review for further info. The cables area does still have snow and ice but is definitely passable. After the sun has risen and had a few hours to melt the thinner portions of ice it is much easier for the descent. The final switchback and a small final portion to the summit has snow covered trail. In the morning again it is a little slick and frozen but once the sun comes out it melts but be careful because it can make it even more dangerous then. Otherwise as far as our trip, we started at 2am and took tons of breaks. I was coming from sea level to do the hike but ended up with not a single altitude issue due to the breaks so take it slow and acclimate as you go and there should be no problem.

As for training, I would recommend hill climbing hikes, elliptical with incline & resistance, and stairclimber. Really work your hamstrings and hip flexors. Endurance, Endurance, Endurance!!! Get in some long workouts so you are ready for the extended day.

Gear: the lists all look great...my suggestions include:
-Warm clothing for the summit---gloves, hoodie, sweatshirt or -underamor--it is definitely windy on top
-Bandana or something to cover your face/mouth with when the wind is blowing
-Rain jacket in case
-Shorts & t-shirt for the descent
-Water-plenty of sources on the way up if you don't want to pack it all
-Food
-Emergency blanket/first-aid kit with bandaids, moleskin, ibuprofen
-Headlamp & extra batteries
-Sunscreen & bug repellant
-Sunglass and/or hat
-Map & compass (not really necessary as I don't know how you can get lost unless you can't read)
-Toilet paper
-lip balm
-Camping gear if you are camping
-Camera
-Shoes---you can wear boots if you like, we saw one couple with crampons which they said made it easier but totally not necessary. I wore tennis shoes as I always do for hiking and was perfectly fine. There were a few slick spots on the switchbacks with all the ice in the morning and a few week spots on the swtichbacks on the descent with the snow melt but they were comfortable and perfect for me. If you want waterproof then you would want some boots but the sun comes out and dries everything so just preference
-Trekking poles- I didn't have them. I would recommend at least one for the comfort of knowing you have it to help with balance on the short stream crossing and snow/ice areas (just makes balance easier). Obviously if you use them all the time perfect. Two can always be good I've heard especially to help the knees with the descent.

That's about it...if you have any questions you can message me!11

Your list and ideas sound good except for this one "Map & compass (not really necessary as I don't know how you can get lost unless you can't read)"

IMHO and having climbed many a mountain in Colorado a Map and compass are a MUST even on easy mountains such as Whitney. Having a map and compass AND the skills to use them can save your life and your trip. Circumstances can change in an instant on any mountain and visibility can become nothing in a manner of minutes. I have seen this happen first hand where someone was hiking an "easy 14er" in Colorado and conditions were great. Then on the way down it became bilzzard conditions with visibility dropping to 40 feet and no distingushing landmarks any where to be seen and we come upon this guy right at tree line who seems frantic and disoriented so we stop and ask if he is ok. He explains he has been looking fot the snow covered trail for 30 minutes and has no idea where it is or where he is. We of course know where the trail is and have our GPS units AND our compasses AND mapps just in case. We all make it back together and explain to the younger gentlemen about the dangers of not having a compass and map even on "EASY" mountains.

There is an old wise saying " it's better to have something you may never need than to need something you don't have"

IMHO a map and compass along with an understanding of the route you are taking is always on my essentials list and won't be caught on any mountain without them.

PEACE,
Gabriel