When I first submitted our application for permits for a day hike of Mt. Whitney, I began my training. I’ve always been in good shape and worked out a lot but knew I still needed to do some work. Living in San Francisco does not provide opportunities to hike to altitude, plain and simple. Mt. Tam 2,500 ft and Mt. Diablo 3,900 ft are the closest/highest places to the city to hike. We had hiked those places plenty of times in the past few years that we have lived in SF so we only hiked them a couple times prior to Whitney. We did go to Tahoe with some friends last weekend and was able to hike above 10,000 ft. The week prior to Tahoe, Matt went home to Colorado to visit family and hiked up Mt. Antero (14,269). What was most helpful for me was walking up and down the steep streets in SF with a pack and the Lyon Street Stairs for those of you who know SF. Also, some friends of ours hiked Whitney two years ago who are our age (40) and they felt the toughest part of the hike was the distance. Taking that into consideration, we figured if we have to put one foot in front of the other for 22 miles at altitude, then we better be able to walk that and more at sea level. Prior to leaving for Whitney, about 5 times over the last couple months on Sundays, we walked with packs, 25 miles around SF which included walking over the GG Bridge into Sausalito and back. Admittedly, the last few miles were always tiring but we felt this got us used to being on our feet for a long distance. Those walks took about 8 hours. I am also involved in a running club and had been doing 10-12 mile runs on Saturdays for the last 3 months. Matt worked out at the gym and did the stair master for at least 90 minutes at a time. Having done all that, we felt physically ready for Whitney.
Our plan was to drive out Thursday, do an acclimatization hike on Friday and then Whitney on Saturday. We left San Francisco at 5 AM Thursday (to beat Bay area traffic) and headed out for Lone Pine. We drove through Yosemite which was really beautiful. I had been to Yosemite Valley (for the Half Dome hike) but never drove Tioga Road. There were hardly any cars at 8AM – which was a really nice way to drive through the park. We stopped several times along the way and took amazing pictures. Once we approached the town of Bishop, we stopped there for lunch and then eventually got to Lone Pine where we picked up our permits. Next was a drive up to the Portal to see the lay of the land as we didn’t want to try and figure out the parking situation in the dark. We spoke with a couple of nice guys for a while who had both done day hikes of Whitney and hiked the JMT. Matt hiked 1,300 miles of the AT last year and has an interest in hiking the JMT at some point. These guys were of the same mindset as him – hike ultra light so they had lots to chat about. I will not be on that trip with him since I don’t even camp – which I know I will have to overcome eventually given some of the places we want to go. Needless to say, we stayed at a motel in Lone Pine where we were able to sleep in a real bed. We were going to start our hike at 3:30AM but the one guy who climbed Whitney 4 or 5 times recommended leaving earlier as it was a Saturday and there would be a lot of people starting at that time. Matt hates crowds and is a very strong, fast hiker so to have the hike be quiet and not have to worry about trying to pass tons of people – he was sold on that idea. Even though it would not be 100 degrees on the mountain like it was in Lone Pine, I wanted to avoid feeling too warm going up the switchbacks – another reason to go really early. Maybe that’s not for everyone but in the end it was a great decision for us.
On Friday, Kearsarge Pass (13 miles from Independence) was the choice for our acclimatization hike. The trail begins at about 9,200 feet and the pass is at 11,760. The hike started at 8:30AM. We only saw a few people on the trail on the way up but a lot more were headed up when we were coming down a few hours later. Overall, this was easy hike. There were a handful of lakes and the scenery was beautiful. After the hike, most of the day was spent relaxing in the hotel because our new plan was to wake up at 1AM and start hike at 2:00. Getting everything together the night before was also helpful. We grabbed some dinner about 5:00 and headed to bed about 8:00 but found it really difficult to fall asleep that early. I probably did not fall asleep till around 9:30.
Since our packs were all organized the night before, all we had to do is put our water in there and we were out the door eating and drinking water/Gatorade on the way to the trail. The parking lots were very full but we were able to find a spot pretty easily. The portal was very quiet and there were only a couple guys heading up the trail when we pulled in. Matt and I had previously discussed what we were going to do as far as staying together or separating on the trail. His pace is faster than mine and we know that everyone should hike at the pace most comfortable for them. I was completely ok with him going ahead. We agreed that once it became light out, he would go out on his own. We hit the trail at 2:10 and passed about 10 people within the first hour but then didn’t really see anyone until Trail Camp. With 2 headlamps, the trail was very easy to follow in the dark. Everywhere we turned, we heard water so there was plenty of it for the taking. We carried more than we needed to but that was ok. I think our packs weighed approx 15 lbs each – mostly water, food, rain gear and some first aid stuff. We got to Trail Camp and began the switchbacks at 5:30. For some reason, Matt decided to hang with me instead of going ahead which I know was hard for him but I think he just wanted to share the experience with me. The sunrise was absolutely spectacular and the air was cool and comfortable. By 7:00, Trail Crest came into view. The next two miles to the summit were rockier than I anticipated but I was still doing ok wearing my light hiking shoes as opposed to my bigger boots. I just really paid attention to my foot placement in this section of the trail. At 9:00, I reached the summit – Matt had reached it 15 minutes before me. He had asked me if I minded if he just went up and I told him to go ahead. There were about 15 people on the summit including ourselves. People were trying to make phone calls but most had trouble getting a signal. A few (with verizon) were able to do so. The views from every side were amazing. I had a little bit of a headache that had started about 30 minutes prior to reaching the summit otherwise I felt great. I took a couple Advil when I woke up, then again at 5:00 and 9:00. We had done everything we could to acclimatize and if that little headache was all I got, then I think I did ok. Unfortunately, there were a couple guys who got pretty sick to their stomach up there. We spent about 30 minutes on the summit eating, talking with folks, taking pictures and signing the registry. At that point, I didn’t want to risk my headache getting any worse so it was time to head down.
Given that we were in no rush, going slow on the descent was the plan. It was really nice admiring the scenery below Trail Camp since we didn’t see any of it walking up there in the dark. In my opinion, the last couple miles down were the hardest for me due to being tired from 3 hours sleep and the actual hike. We were able to see the parking lot but it seemed like it never got any closer. We finally reached the car at 3:30 and were ready for dinner and sleep. It took 6 hrs 50 min to get to the summit, a 30 minute break up there and 6 hours exactly to get down. After eating and showers, Matt told me I was out cold shortly before 7:00. Overall, it was a fantastic and challenging hike. I have my eyes on a few 14ers in Colorado next summer. As for now, we train for the California International Marathon in Sacramento on 12/6. After spending the first 20 years of his life living in the mountains of CO, Matt has always dreamed of running the Pikes Peak Marathon and is seriously looking at that for next August. I will wait and see how I feel after running 26 miles on the flat streets of Sacramento before I decide if I’m insane enough to run up to 14,110 feet and back down.
One side note – Was everyone on Whitney on Saturday from MA?? I had my New York Yankees hat on and I caught a lot of crap from Red Sox fans - at least 7 or 8! I guess the rivalry exists even in the mountains of California.
Also, I put my Whitney pics on Facebook. Can someone tell me if I could attach pictures here from FB?
Leigh-Ann
Last edited by LeighAnnSF; 07/29/09 02:37 PM.
