Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Food

I'm a first-timer doing the Whitney-in-a-day this Sunday and I'm wondering how much food I need to bring. I'm planning on bringing Gu, dried fruit, Cytomax, and nuts. I have a total of about 4,000 calories and am wondering how much to pack. I've read you may need as much as 6,000 calories and then I've seen guys say they go up and back with one power bar. Any suggestions?

Are you camping on Sat? I also would like to climb Whitney soon. Looking for a partner?

Everybody's different. You should already have a pretty good idea from one of your previous 20 mile hikes.

As for food, may I suggest an alternative to Gu, dried fruit, and Cytomax. Go into town and have a good sandwitch made for you. Take some fresh fruit. Try to eat what you normally do. Remember, it's a day hike and there's really no reason to eat the expensive and unpleasant forms of sugar you plan to take, unless of course this is your normal diet.

SurferTurnedClimber - It's unlikely that you will feel like eating 6000 calories. Most folks have some degree of appetite loss at altitude. So, the most important thing is to bring foods that you find personally appealing. What you are taking is good. You might add some energy bars if you like them.

Just make sure that you have a variety of food tastes. What sounds good at the altitude you live might not cut it at Whitney altitude. Most classic hiking foods tend to be sweet, goo, power bars, etc as well as the drinks. Every year I do the mountain and the sweet stuff I have just seems to turn my stomach and its the other stuff that tastes good, crackers, chips, cheese, gold fish etc. Just pack differant tastes so you can eat what your body craves.

Good Luck
Grinder

Your body will tell you what it wants. Ritz Bitz with the crackers cheese and a little bit of peanut butter( all included, read the label) are great. Snickers is good, too. I plan on toting a Subway sandwich as well! Won't spoil this time of year...

These people who over-analyze their diet are a little obsessed and irrevelant.

Have fun!

Best thing to do is to stop and eat something about once an hour along with drinking some water. Make sure you do it on the way down even when you don't feel like it. Bring lots of different things, things you like eating. Then when you loose your appetite you might have the strength to keep eating. I never count calories.

Eat low as much as you can. Consciously push the food in all morning long. Eventually, if you're like most you'll hit a point where you don't feel like eating much. Save your gatorade/hard candy for that point and above. On the way down, as soon as you can push it in, start eating again.

Or, you can just eat one powerbar. If you're like most of us you've got plenty of fat to burn.

P.S. The worst thing I ever ate in the mountains was a Subway sandwich 6 hours after it was made. As hungry as I was, I couldn't finish it. Uggghhh. That first bite made me promise myself never to leave a stove behind again. Cold food ain't worth it.

Hey STC...I just did my first Whitney climb as well last Tuesday. I packed 2 sandwiches, 3 balance bars and a couple of cliff bars. Only ended up eating about half of a pbj sandwich, balance bar and the cliff bar. Just never felt that hungry. Did drink lots of Cytomax..about 1/2 gallon over the 13 hours on the trail. That stuff is awesome. Recommend it highly. I think you'll be surprised at how unhungry you are, but be prepared just in case. I think your food list sounds right on....Good luck...start early...bring warm stuff...it was about 30 degrees on the summit for me last tuesday with 30-40 mph winds..

You will chew up about 500 to 900 calories an hour hiking up the mountain based on pack weight and in you use poles or not. You will never be able to replace the calories you expend. Take a couple of sandwichs, a few bars, gorp, ****y, etc. I figure I usually take about 4,000 calories and end of eating about 2,500.

The best thing I can tell is to stop and eat on the way up so that you do replace some of those calories. I have had problems eating over 12,000' when not totally acclimatized. If can't eat it will catch up to somewhere on the mountain.

Bill

You didn't ask, and perhaps you already know this, but I thought I'd throw this into the mix, if you don't mind: I would recommend chugging a few quarts of water (3 to 4 quarts, actually) at the trailhead and then continue drinking all the way up and down (and eating every hour, as someone suggested). Starting up the mountain already hydrated and staying hydrated is muy importante.

Have a great hike.

Lost of good advice, thanks!

Not everyone loses their appetite! I had a Starbucks mocha frappucino and leftover lasagna for breakfast and I was starving by the time I reached Trail Camp. There, I ate Italian salami, crackers and cheese. Hmm-Hmm good! At Trail Crest I ate a Clif Shot. Never thought those things would taste good but this one did. On top, we were kinda rushed so I only ate crackers and cheese. The cheese was especially good. On the way down, I realized I forgot to drink my strawberry-kiwi Capri drink so I downed that. I also carried a water bag and drank continously while hiking. I'm a slim-to-normal-sized gal, and I don't lose my appetite in altitude, that's for sure. Good luck!

Me too, goody2shz, although I did lose my appetite for sweet stuff, which I packed too much of, but I couldn't get enough salty foods, which I didn't pack enough of. I am assuming this has to do with electrolite balances or inbalances, I did bring gookinade ERG, but also drank just water. Next time more cheese and crackers less gummie bears! Sodium, yeah!