Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Good Nights Sleep - My Experience and Suggestions

I would guess a lot of people, like myself, worry about getting a good nights sleep prior to attempting a single day Mt. Whitney summit attempt. Don’t overlook this important factor, as it would be a shame to work so hard on building up your endurance, getting acclimated to altitude, winning a lottery slot, purhcasing gear, hydration and food consumption planning ...and after all that... have a bad experience, or worst case, a failed summit, because you were wide-eyed and restless the night before the big hike.

Here is what worked for me:

1. I chose to stay in a hotel in Lone Pine for the comfort of a real bed. When making the decision to stay in Lone Pine vs. Whitney Portal camping, I had to weigh the comfort factor against acclimazation and drive time to the trailhead. Having successfully accomplished my single day summit goal, I can say without a doubt I made the right decision. Acclimazation is VERY IMPORTANT, and in my opinion improper planning has occurred if your acclimazation plan doesn't factor in a good nights sleep before the big hike!

2. A sleep mask, which is priced as low as $5.00, is a must.

3. Mp3 player with PREPLANNED sounds for sleep. Personally, I prefer a white noise background instead of music or talk. You can purchase white noise on CD or iTunes which can then be placed on your Mp3 player. Figure out how to make your Mp3 player repeat a single song (in my case a white noise track) over and over. Almost all Mp3 players have this feature.

4. Earbuds not headphones! You have to be able to sleep comfortably with these things in your ears. Try to buy some with a noise-canceling feature, but be careful as some noise canceling ear buds may not be as comfortable as others. When I was shopping for my earbuds, which I purchased specifically for my Mt. Whitney trip, I noticed the more expensive noise canceling earbuds appeared to be a little larger, which if your a side sleeper, like me, that could be a comfort problem. If on the other hand, you can sleep on your back, then purchase the best noise canceling earbuds you can afford.

5. Eat a good meal, but don't over do it. Also, I’d suggest no caffeine and no sugar drinks. My last meal was an individual sized pizza at the Pizza Factory and water. (NOTE: Pizza Factory pizza is AWESOME!)

6. OK...now for the final piece to close the deal. Get your hands on some Ambien (or something like Lunesta). My father-in-law had some, so I didn’t have to see a doctor. I had never taken Ambien before, so this was a risk as I had no idea of what the morning/day after side affects might be. I had absolutely zero side affects and got the best night's sleep I'd ever had. Over the years, I've tried Advil PM, Nyquil Night-time and other over-the-counter meds that make you sleepy and all of them have after affects that I would not want on my Whitney hike. I also frequently take melatonin, which I like, but in my opinion, taking a dose high enough to ensure you'll sleep for seven or eight hours will have some after affects. That said, forced to chose between over-the-counter meds and melatonin, I’d chose melatonin for sure. But again, Ambien was amazing. I'll never again worry about not being able to sleep before some big event. I have not personally been prescribed ambien, but I’d guess a doctor would give it out as readily as Diamox if you explained your circumstances. (I don’t’ recommend Diamox by the way)

In closing, I was hoping to be in bed sleeping by 6:00 PM and get up at 2:00 AM and feet on the trail at 3:00 AM. Here is what actually happened.

My buddy and I had a modest "Pizza Factory" pizza meal before turning in. I think we walked over to the Pizza Factory at around 6:00 PM and due to the crowd didn't get done with our meal until almost 7:00 PM. Obviously, This was a little later than we were shooting for, but it’s hard to be in bed by 6:00 PM! After eating, we walked back over to our Dow Villa Hotel room and took the Ambien around 7:00 PM and immediately laid down. We were already completely packed for the morning, The hotel curtains were tightly drawn shut, the air conditioner was set for an excellent sleeping temperature, sleep mask was on, fully charged mp3 player was pumping out white noise through my noise canceling earbuds. I was asleep in 15 minutes. The next thing I knew, the alarm was going off (yes I could hear the alarm over the white noise) and I couldn't believe it was time to get up! We bounced right up, well rested, got dressed, filled our hydration packs, grabbed our gear and headed out the door by 2:15 AM. The drive up to Whitney portal only took about 20-25 minutes, finding a parking spot took about an additional 10-15 minutes, getting "geared-up", snapping a few pictures and weighing our packs took a little time, but we were feet on the trail by 3:05 AM. August 4th, 2009. We summited around 1:30 PM and was back down before dark. All in all, about a 17-hour trip. Not bad for a couple of East-coast low-landers.

I hope this information is useful!

I have summited MW 9 times and I disagree with some of your recommendations and your opinion.

I believe it is very important to spend the evening (or better yet, evenings) at the portal. I suspect if you analyzed the top cause of "why do people not summit?", it would be lack of acclimation. Telling people to stay down in town at lower altitude is the last thing I would tell them.

I also have taken Ambien in previous years and I love taking it one night per year, but I would not advise others to take it - unless they seek advice from a doctor. (I did not use it on this year's hike and I felt much better on my day of hiking - I felt more alert from the moment I woke up at 2:45.)

I think it is crazy to believe that you can go to bed at 10:00 pm all year, then drive up to do a hike and think that you will be able to tell your body to go to sleep at 6:00 pm. I see similar stories where people lay down at 5:00 and expect to fall asleep for the night! I would be shocked if I could fall to sleep at this time, when my body clock is not on this rhythm.

I think it would be wise to bank some good night's sleep before you arrive in the area. Stay at the portal for two nights, minimize the caffeine, skip the chocolates, then go to bed when it gets dark. Realize that you won't get 8 hours of sleep this night, and that your sleep won't be continuous. That's just part of the whole experience.

Hikerneil

If you're dayhiking Whitney and sleep is the issue, then sleeping at the Portal versus in town is only better if (1) you need to acclimate (if you know you have altitude related issues or if you haven't done Whitney before and don't know if you will encounter altitude related issues), and (2) if you are able to get the kind of sleep you know you need in a tent or in a car. For myself, from previous Whitney experience, I know I don't have altitude issues, and I sleep much better in town in a real bed. But that's just me. I think depending on your individual circumstances, sleeping at the Portal may or may not be the best thing. If you can get a good night's sleep there and you need to acclimate, then it makes sense.

CaT

Hello Hiker Neil,

Awesome accomplishment on summitting Whitney 9 times!

I just want to say that I willingly admit I am no expert on this subject and welcome other opinions and viewpoints. I would also agree with you that acclimation is the most difficult thing first timers will deal with, especially those from the East like me. Although I don't think I communicated it well in my post, my strategy for acclimation was:

1. Base camp located at Mammoth Lakes, which meant I slept at 8000+ ft each night
2. Mammoth Mountain hike first day (11,000 ft.)
3. Rock Creek area hike second day (11,000 Ft.)
4. White Mountain Summit Hike third day (14,000+ ft)
5. Rest day lounging at 10,000+ ft fourth day
6. Summited Mt. Whitney on the fifth day

So my point was, sleeping in Lone Pine (4000 ft.) was not an issue since I had spent so much time at altitude the previous days. Therefore, I could sleep in a comfortable bed at a lower altitude and not undo my acclimation gains.

Regarding recommending people take Ambien, again I agree with you. When I took it before my Whitney hike that was my first time and I haven't used it since.

I do disagree with you on your opinion that sleep deprevation is part of the experience. My advice on this still stands....get some sleep! You're gonna need it!

Howdy CaT,

In another reply, I just posted the acclimation process. I still felt some altitude affects, just not the really bad ones. When you say you don't have altitude issues, does that mean you don't have to acclimate at all?! That is wild. Have you done a single day summitt on Whitney where you came from sea level the week before? And no altitude symptoms? Amazing.

To clarify, I meant that I am fortunate to not have had any issues with AMS, etc. when I have gone high enough to trigger it, or when I have summitted Whitney. I have tried to summit Whitney before when I was more out of shape, which definitely slowed me down, and that particular time, kept me from summitting. But yes, I've done a dayhike summit of Whitney where I came from the lowlands (~800') the week before. No AMS. But again, that's just me. If I do take 2-3 days to hike around at altitude first, I don't get out of breath as quickly on summit day; but even if I don't take that time first, I don't seem to have any problems with AMS when dayhiking Whitney. I know others have different experiences. I agree with you on getting some good sleep the night before if you can do it.

CaT

I've climbed Whitney 24 times, including once when I skied from the summit to five miles below Whitney Portal. I've done it many different ways, but my favorite was in 2003.

I drove from Reno to Whitney Portal and went to bed at a normal hour in the comfortable bed I built in my Honda Civic. I got a decent night's sleep, despite waking up a couple of times to chuckle at hikers starting up in the middle of the night. I got up around 7:30, fooled around and ate a leisurely breakfast, and finally started up around 8:30. I soloed the East Face, reaching the summit in 3:29. After a half-hour break, I headed down the Mountaineer's Route and was back at the car in a total of six hours.

No expense for a hotel room. No sleep mask (since I was sleeping AT NIGHT). No drugs. No headphones. No f!@#$%^ alarm clock. And no need for a headlamp.

Everyone is differant. I can drive from my home in Pleasanton (approx 90' above sea level) camp at 7000' feet at the base of Shasta and summit the next day with no ill effects. Driving to White Mtn or Langley and doing a one-day summit, same thing, no signs of AMS or even a mild headache, as long as I don't exert myself (I monitor my pulse rate/blood pressure, a very low tech method -- I just listen to my heart).

Then again, I can't go more than 8-10 feet underwater without crushing pain in my eardrums and sinus passages. Scuba diving is totally impossible. Flying in a pressurized aircraft is difficult, and painful. I can't hike much at all when there is any pine pollen in the air... I just wheeze and cough, wishing I were dead.

We are all built just a bit differant... A good nights sleep would be nice for me, but it is really not a show-stopper. That being said, I know I have a much better experience after a good nights sleep.

KentuckyCaver,
You may come from the caves, but I think your acclimatization and sleep techniques were brilliant!
Unforetunately I have had too much experience with ambien through a bout with chemo therapy and another with acute anxiety. I was able to keep working my desk job through both and could not have done it without ambien. Never mess around with drugs when you don't have to, but with a Dr.'s OK I would definately use this drug to ensure rest.

Hello Bobpickering,

I don't want to brag, but I once climbed Whitney (via the Whitney Trail) in 17 hours. (...I'm just messing with you)

Seriously though, my intentions on this post was to provide some suggestions for the inexperienced or worst case, those like myself, who are non-climbers, sits at a desk all day, never walked a distance more than 10 miles, never hiked at an altitude higher than say 5,000 ft and will have to travel a distance of a over 2000 miles, spending around $3,000 + dollars...all to summit Mt. Whitney.

A good nights rest could have easily made the difference in a successful or failed summit for me.

So for the sake of humor, I think you should find someone who fits the description I wrote above and then take them along with you on the type of ascent you describe in your reply and see if they make a successful summit. If they do....on my next Whitney summit attempt I'll swim around every lake along the way to the top!

Do we got a wager? (BIG GRIN)

Hello ClimbStrong,

I certainly agree with you on never messing around with drugs when you don't have to, especially these days when in the news we learn that even over-the-counter pain relievers can cause damage!

With the number of posts discussing Diamox, I guess I didn't think discussing Ambien was too over-the-top. After researching Diamox, I decided it wasn't worth the risk and especiailly not worth the side-effects.

So to concur with your advice ClimbStrong...getting a Dr.'s OK would be the best advice.

PS. I like your user name!

If you need drugs to do it.....It's not real in my book........
CHEATER......All natural sleep, food, water thats real...... The real climbers/hikers do it (did it) natural.....It drives me nuts that everyone needs drugs to do anything.......very sad.....

With more trips to high elevation it does become easier to sleep soundly. My own experience: From Northern California whenever possible, I would drive through the Tioga Pass, and try to sleep there at nearly 9,000 ft to acclimate. Even when being very tire after hours of driving it was difficult to sleep with lots turning in the sleeping bag. After someone mention to drink a bottle of regular coke, it sure help to sleep soundly. Now with so many trips into the high peaks it has gotten easier to sleep in higher elevation without taking anything. The body seems to compensate over time.

There's a video on YouTube of a guy who summited in bare feet. Are boots or shoes cheating? Hmm.........

"Cheating" seems to suggest that climbing Whitney, or just climbing, is a competition. I do it for the my personal enjoyment without a referee.

Oh, and since I am alive because of chemo therapy I guess any climb I do now is cheating.

KentuckyCaver:

No, you don't have a wager. I doubt that I could still do it that fast by myself, let alone take somebody with me. However, I once took a 49-year-old woman up Starlight Peak as a day trip less than three months after she climbed her first peak. (Big grin)

AreteJoe:

You're being a little judgmental. I'm no fan of sleep aids, but I don't care if someone else uses them. Thanks to conditioning and good genes, I don't even notice the altitude until I get to about 12,000 feet. I've only used Diamox to sleep on Denali above 15,000 feet. People shouldn't substitute Diamox for conditioning and acclimatization, but some people just have altitude trouble no matter what they do. I can't criticize someone for using Diamox when the only alternatives are to get really sick or give up climbing.

As far as I am concerned, there are only three basic rules of climbing:
1. Be safe.
2. Don't trash the environment.
3. Don't lie about your accomplishments.

and 4. Have Fun.
one of the reasons (the other being age) that I got out of class5 climbing, and back into mountaineering. Everything was about decimal points and numbers and ratings. I always have fun these days.

Amen brother!

We have become a country of drugies, Caffeine is a drug, ETOH is a drug, Drug to sleep, drug to wake up, The only CHEATING is with your self. If you need drugs to live your normal life then why not in the mountains, go for it. I do not use caffeine or anything else in my normal life and I feel that the mountains are a place to be pure.

Next issue: Ambien, It was not perscribed to you, there is no diffrence in my opinion between this and a street drug dealers drugs.

When I worked as a medic I had several frequent flyers that were abuseing perscribtion drugs.
My mother who died at 37 was a prescription drug abuseing nurse.
I have worked way to many 911 "drug" calls. I guess I am anti drug. I have strong feelings about drugs. Sorry guys.

Your strong feelings now make much more sense in the context of the background and experiences you just shared. Thanks for sharing them.

CaT