Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board new goal?

I forgot to tack onto my trip report that now I need to fill the void left after my Whitney hike. I'll probably do it again next summer, but in the meantime, are there other hikes that rival Mt Whitney in terms of beauty and challenge that you recommend? Or, put another way, once you do the highest peak in the land, what's next?

There are so many places around Mt Whitney that are just as beautiful, and probably more challenging. You could set a goal of trying to climb Whitney from all directions. Or see how many mountains you could climb where you can see Mt. Whitney. And there is the Mountaineers Route.

...so many choices, so little time!

Edit: Oh, right... I see tomcat has resurrected the Now that you've done Whitney... thread.  Good call!

pick up the california fourteeners book. every mountain is just as good or better than whitney. how about all of the sierra's.

The rub with Whitney is this: Although it's the highest it's not nearly the hardest. Not by a long shot. Whitney is the "highest peak in the land" in a physical sense only. Don't worry, there are plenty of loftier goals ahead for you.

I would like to see a map where peaks are marked not by elevation but by difficulty.

If you're going back to Whitney next year I recommend the mountaineer's route for a change of scenery. I took a friend up the MR last year who had already done the MT 5 times. He said it kicked his a$$. Same mountain, much different experience.

Do Shasta and then Rainier.

Pick any one of these lists:

California Fourteeners (12 or 15, depending on the source)

Colorado Fourteeners (54)

State Highpoints (50)

Among the state highpoints, Rainier (WA), Elbert (CO) and McKinley (AK) are the only other ones over 14k but there are lots of beautiful hikes (Kings Peak, UT, 30 miles round-trip) and interesting peaks (Wheeler Peak, NM, Humphreys Peak, AZ, Borah Peak, ID, Boundary Peak, NV, as a few examples) that are day-hikes. Of course, we can't leave out the summit of Florida, Britton Hill, 345', pass the oxygen, please, and the second-lowest and second-most-dangerous, Tower Hill, Delaware, 448', in an intersection in suburban Wilmington, DE!

So many mountains, so little time...

Funny you mention FL and DE.... I had joked with my friends that I would focus on peakbagging in NJ, my home state, and then move on to somewhere like IA or KS.

Not a map, but a list.

Now that you've done the "highest peak in the land" (or "one of the novelty peaks" as a friend of mine calls it) and the mystery is gone, what are you looking to accomplish? You might start by answering questions such as what have you done before Mt. Whitney? Are you looking for something more technical? something with a better summit view? something higher? Or some goal thats not even in the hiking/climbing genre? Decide that first before you decide what you're next move will be.

In terms of challenge, I would recommend Mt. Williamson/Mt. Tyndall to the North of Whitney. Depending on the route you take, they are not difficult. However, the approach will kick your butt. You can day trip it if you are properly trained or take a few days to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Good luck on your adventures!

Forgot to mention in my previous post: Telescope Peak in Death Valley Natl Park. Gotta be one of the best summit views anywhere (far better than Mt. Whitney IMO). Best time is spring, when the constant breezes keep the desert air clear; fall isn't too bad either. It can also be hiked in the summer, since its 11,000 ft elevation means the temps don't get as hot as the Valley.

Hey, Laura!

Sounds like you've officially been bitten. Don't worry: the cure for the itch might turn into a life-long addiction, but I can highly recommend being on the High Sierra Medical Plan.

You did Whitney as a day hike, but I don't know if you are interested in multi-day trips. While the front range has a number of huge challenges, delving deeper into the Sierra is also immensely rewarding.

You might get Secor's The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes and Trails , open it up next to the Tom Harrison Map for Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and start dreaming. Go to summitpost.org for more detailed beta on the peaks and routes. Get Morey and White's Sierra South for information on backpacking trails and places to camp.

As I cruise up and down the Owens Valley every day for work, I get the chance to gaze up and start dreaming about what to play on next. Yes, obviously I'm a little into the physical challenge of it all, but really, it's a chance for me to explore both the world around me and deep within.

The MOST IMPORTANT THING, however, is to HAVE FUN!!!

If you'd ever like some ideas, please feel free to drop me a line.

Good luck and happy hiking!

-Laura

Hi Laura,

Like you, I'm new to this, and am absolutely hooked. Got up to Trail Crest in May before getting chased down by a thunderstorm from hell, and than did the MR in June. My partner's boots fell apart, so needless to say I didn't make it to the top. But I can't tell you how cool it felt to just kick back at 13,000 ft, take off my crampons, and munch on some Trader Joe's pineapple slices. The MR is flush with incredible scenery. It's like a party of giants going on. For me, the main trail doesn't have the same feel. Did bag Thor Peak the next day; which even had better views, particularly of Mt Russell, right next to Mt Whitney. When I inquired about this peak on SummitPost I couldn't believe the positive feedback I got. "Awesome" and "the best Class 3 climb in the Sierra" were frequent. It's definitely on my list.

I just did my first 14er on july 3, Mt Shasta. Someone mentioned Shasta, and it certainly is one of the most impressive mountains I've ever seen, but it's too late in the season for most, except maybe the glacier routes. You need snow on that peak to climb it. Well, unless you want to slog through volcanic scree right out of Dante's "Inferno".

Going back to the MR with my climbing buddy. Hopefully, no crampon/boot issue this time of year. Who knows, we might skip Whitney, and try Russell.

Hey Laura

Another one of my favorites in the area is Mount Langley and Cirque Peak.

This may be a nice "next step" if you would like to add an overnight stay. You can begin at Horseshoe Meadows which is off the Whitney Portal Road- turn left instead of continuing to the portal.

The first day you would hike to Cotton Wood Lakes. Camp anywhere around the lakes but I prefer the area around Long Lake which sets you on your path to climb via New Army Pass (and has less people). From the top of New Army Pass you can continue to Langley, hike Cirque peak of both.

Another option is to climb via Old Army Pass if you are comfortable with unmaintained trails. In that case you would camp at Lake 4 or 5.

Let me know if you would like any additional information as I visit this area a lot. And if you need someone to go with you just PM me as I am always happy to introduce the area to new climbers!

Laura,
My home state is NJ as well - not much elevation happening there . I've been in San Francisco for 3+ years. I did my first 14er in CO a few years ago and my day hike of Whitney next Saturday 7/25 will be my second. I need another goal as well but we just don't have the time on wknds to get out to the Sierras. I was in Tahoe this wknd and hiked above 10,000 ft which was a nice hike. My post Whitney goal is to run the CA International Marathon on 12/6 - my first marathon. I've been training for Whitney for a few months but have been doing 10 mile runs every Sat with my running club for the last 2 months. I wish I lived closer to the mountains.....

Leigh

You could start by going back up the Mt. Whitney trail and this time climb Mt. Muir, instead of walking by it as so many do. You'll be on the way to realizing what what others here have already written, Whitney by the main trail is about the easiest peak in the High Sierra.

If you can go to Colorado, try Longs Peak. We did it last year and it was a do-able class three peak. The weather there is a lot more iffy than around Whitney. You may get to Estes Park and be shut down because of weather. Permits are not required though, so you can hang out until it clears.

Thanks everyone! This has become a great thread - lots of food for thought. Upon reflection, I think I am going to consider running the LA Marathon next year, which would be my first marathon, depending on if they change the date back from May. Need to look into some training plans for that, but can't possibly take up more time than all the hikes I did to prep for Mt Whitney.

And as far as hiking goes, it seems like I can pursue more relatively "easy" day hikes and/or push my limits further in terms of more technically demanding hikes/climbs or multi-day hikes. I am esp. interested in Mts. Elbert and Humphrey in CO and AZ respectively, and still need to hit the Tuoloumne Meadows part of Yosemite. Also, I think at this stage I'm more interested in multi-day stuff that involves backpacking rather than getting into climbing and all the gear/skills that entails. So that rules out places like Rainier and maybe Shast... for now.

I think my husband wants to do Mt Whitney now after seeing my pics, so would do that again next summer, probably just the Main Trail again because it'd be his first time and I want to do it faster than I did this last time.

Thanks again for your suggestions. I welcome more!

Laura

Mt Elbert, the highest in Colorado, is about 70' lower than Whitney in elevation, 14,433'or 14,431'. The main trail round trip is less than 10 miles as I recall and starts at 10,000' + The most popular route is rated Class I. Fairly dry as I don't recall much water at all on the route.

Years ago according to popular legend someone rode a bicycle to
the summit and delivered a Denver morning paper to a bewildered
hiker.

Laura:

For descriptions and photos of several of the peaks, check out my reports on Elbert (CO), Wheeler (NM) and Black Mesa (OK) and Humphreys (AZ).

As noted, Elbert is about a 9- or 10-mile dayhike with close to 5,000' of gain. Wheeler by the "short but steep route" that we used is about 8 miles with a very interesting (but not technical at all) scurry from Williams lake at 11k to the summit ridge at 13k in about 1/2 mile. Humphreys is about the same distance and not nearly as steep, topping out at just 12,600' or so.

Glad you're hooked...it may be incurable but it's sure a lot of fun!