Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board First time up the "hill".

We are a group of eight people that are going to stay at the Lone Pine Camp for several days prior to going up the hill in a one day hike. Six of the eight are under the age of twenty and the other two are 70 and 52. We old guys have been running and attempting to get into acceptable shape for the hike. Our plan is to start to hike from Whitney Portal at 5:00 am and summit at around 12:00 noon. With a return time to Whitney Portal at 6:00 pm. My greatest concern is water. How much to carry and can the water along the way be used; given the use of the newer filter systems, etc. Any other suggestions for the first timers. I have read the book and the staying together thing is something that is really important. Looking for more tips.

We have a group of 5 on 7-3-04. We are 50 and under. Our plan is to start at 2AM. We would be very happy if we can summit at 12PM.
I have a group of friend hiked in mid-June. The young man could not made it because of the high altitute sickness which affact the young more often than the old (50 and beyond0.
We will carry a little bid more than 3 liter of water and we will bring a water filter so that we can refil the water on the way and on Trail Camp before we go up the 97 switchback.
Good Luck.
See you on the summit.

Welcome to the Club.
If you have any filter system you don't need to carry more then 1L per person if is the weight the issue. There is a plenty of water on the trail. The last water is by Trail Camp (around 12000ft) you may need to fill your water reserves fo the summit. 3 L water and 1 bottle of Gatorade wil be enough for the Summit and back to TC (per person).
There is some water on the switchbacks but is frozen early in the morning.
I have some images of <a href=http://homepage.mac.com/artomis/PhotoAlbum32.html>Main Traill</a> , the main trail <a href=http://homepage.mac.com/artomis/.Pictures/Mt.%20Whitney%2006%2028%2003/Whitney-Trail-Map-051404.jpg>map</a> and Trail Camp on my website, or you can use "search" on this board for more information.
Take care.

Go slow, and don't rush if you aren't on the summit by the time you thought you would be. We left at 3:00AM and made it to the summit by 11:00AM. We did have a man, who was in his late 40's come down with a case of AMS and was rather disoriented (took him 1/2 an hour to figure out how to put his boots back on). You'll hear tales about marathon runners getting altitude sickness etc, but a lot of that is because they are so fit that they race up the mountain and don't take the time to get acclimated. My advice for dealing with the altitude is pay attention to your heart rate. Your breathing will be heavier, even at rest, as your lungs attempt to compensate for thinner air. You can be breathing heavily, but if your heart rate is low, you're fine. Then simply drink plenty of fluids and eat plenty of food both up and down so that you don't "bonk". As others have pointed out, the summit is only 1/2 way. Ya still have to get down. I've heard people use the phrase: Turtle up, rabbit down (meaning go slow on the way up and fast on the way down). I say do what feels good to you. But remember the typical time for a day hike up Whitney is 12-20 hours.

First, I envious if you really are a P51 driver, one of the greatest aircraft ever built.

A few ideas for your trip up Whitney:

- train by hiking with a pack (heavier than what you will actually use) and going up and down slopes. Running is great cardiovascular conditioning, but hiking with a pack uses some different muscles that you should also get in shape.

- spend 2-3 days doing some light hiking at altitude (at least 10,000 feet), since you biggest issue will likely be altitude acclimitization on the climb.

- consider taking Ginkgo Biloba if you have trouble with AMS. I suggest trying it for a day or two at home to be sure that you don't have any side effects.

- For water, 2 1 liter bottles (or a cammelback) per person should be sufficient. The trick is to adjust your pace so that you don't sweat too much while climbing.

Most of the above advice should prove helpful. A few remarks from one who has gone 11-for-11 (10 years solo, 1 as leader):

Early to bed
Early to rise
Walk like hell
Fuel with burger and fries

Actually, hold off on the burgers until you finish the hike – grilling those on the trail will slow you down. But I do recommend taking some of your favorite energy snack foods and drink, even something that you might normally avoid for fear of pigging out. You may lose your appetite and thirst at high elevation, and that will make it easier to eat and drink more, which will help fight off altitude problems. I usually include Gatorade and jelly beans myself. Also pack a bit of fresh fruit – you might get a craving for it.

Often taken for granted and un-mentioned on these advice threads: your feet. Do you have boots or shoes + socks that will fit comfortably (well, tolerably), for 14-16 hours? You will be ascending and then descending 6600 feet and your paltry 2 feet will take a long pounding. Have you broken in your footwear and tested such on at least medium-length hikes?

I strongly suggest having a motel room pre-arranged at Lone Pine or nearby for the evening after, so you can flop right down without worry if it turns out that you are really beat.

I find this strategy to be good for acclimation: spend the first night at around 5-6,000 (Tuttle, Lone Pine, or Grays Meadow Campgrounds), do a leisurely but steadily uphill hike to a point above 10,000 feet the next day, and then sleep at the Portal the night before. A walk to Lone Pine Lake the day before is a perfect day-before acclimation hike – you’ll probably be passing this section in the dark on hike day, and will be too busy and tired to enjoy the lake on that day. If you have a history of acclimation problems or don’t know yet where you stand, an extra day or two of such is recommended.

A 5:00 start is considered late for the fit and experienced, and very late for first timers; I personally like to start around 4:15, first hour on headlamp, and many start earlier than that. Even if you summit by noon (and don’t plan on any half hour meal stops with that timetable), you’re already be running into the riskiest part of the day, weather-wise. And if you start early and hike hard, you will have the pleasure of passing the campers at Outpost and Trail Camps who are working on getting organized, while you are already walking. And something to look forward to: the joy of watching the backpackers struggle uphill with their heavy loads between Mirror Lake and Trail Camp on your way down in the afternoon.

10-year olds and 70-year olds certainly do make the summit on day hikes. But a summit attempt is simply not suitable for hiking novices (if that is the case here), for a number of reasons, not the least of which is enjoyment of experience. A better objective for the conditioned novice is Trail Camp, a very beautiful and worthwhile objective; for intermediates, Trail Crest, the highest trail pass west of the Rockies with its spectacular view of the Great Western Divide.

Togetherness for 8 people on a Whitney day hike? Maybe if you all served together on the same Army Ranger team, or you all plan to stop short of the summit. Some of you will fall behind, despite your best efforts, and will need to detach to let the stronger ones have the summit. With all due respects, and straight up: If you can’t hike back down this trail by yourself in pleasant summer weather, you’re not qualified to be up there.

I don’t play lotteries, so when I get too old to do it in one day I will just retire from the mountain. This Monday will be my 12th annual.

Most of the above advice should prove helpful. A few remarks from one who has gone 11-for-11 (10 years solo, 1 as leader):

Early to bed
Early to rise
Walk like hell
Fuel with burger and fries

Actually, hold off on the burgers until you finish the hike – grilling those on the trail will slow you down. But I do recommend taking some of your favorite energy snack foods and drink, even something that you might normally avoid for fear of pigging out. You may lose your appetite and thirst at high elevation, and that will make it easier to eat and drink more, which will help fight off altitude problems. I usually include Gatorade and jelly beans myself. Also pack a bit of fresh fruit – you might get a craving for it.

Often taken for granted and un-mentioned on these advice threads: your feet. Do you have boots or shoes + socks that will fit comfortably (well, tolerably), for 14-16 hours? You will be ascending and then descending 6600 feet and your paltry 2 feet will take a long pounding. Have you broken in your footwear and tested such on at least medium-length hikes?

I strongly suggest having a motel room pre-arranged at Lone Pine or nearby for the evening after, so you can flop right down without worry if it turns out that you are really beat.

I find this strategy to be good for acclimation: spend the first night at around 5-6,000 (Tuttle, Lone Pine, or Grays Meadow Campgrounds), do a leisurely but steadily uphill hike to a point above 10,000 feet the next day, and then sleep at the Portal the night before. A walk to Lone Pine Lake the day before is a perfect day-before acclimation hike – you’ll probably be passing this section in the dark on hike day, and will be too busy and tired to enjoy the lake on that day. If you have a history of acclimation problems or don’t know yet where you stand, an extra day or two of such is recommended.

A 5:00 start is considered late for the fit and experienced, and very late for first timers; I personally like to start around 4:15, first hour on headlamp, and many start earlier than that. Even if you summit by noon (and don’t plan on any half hour meal stops with that timetable), you’re already be running into the riskiest part of the day, weather-wise. And if you start early and hike hard, you will have the pleasure of passing the campers at Outpost and Trail Camps who are working on getting organized, while you are already walking. And something to look forward to: the joy of watching the backpackers struggle uphill with their heavy loads between Mirror Lake and Trail Camp on your way down in the afternoon.

10-year olds and 70-year olds certainly do make the summit on day hikes. But a summit attempt is simply not suitable for hiking novices (if that is the case here), for a number of reasons, not the least of which is enjoyment of experience. A better objective for the conditioned novice is Trail Camp, a very beautiful and worthwhile objective; for intermediates, Trail Crest, the highest trail pass west of the Rockies with its spectacular view of the Great Western Divide.

Togetherness for 8 people on a Whitney day hike? Maybe if you all served together on the same Army Ranger team, or you all plan to stop short of the summit. Some of you will fall behind, despite your best efforts, and will need to detach to let the stronger ones have the summit. With all due respects, and straight up: If you can’t hike back down this trail by yourself in pleasant summer weather, you’re not qualified to be up there.

I don’t play lotteries, so when I get too old to do it in one day I will just retire from the mountain. This Monday will be my 12th annual.

Tom: Excellent post and excellent advice. Well said!