Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board failed summit - July 22nd

I made my first attempt to summit Mt. Whitney on Saturday and am very disappointed I didn't make it to the top. About 20 yards from Trail Crest I started throwing up from altitude sickness and decided to head back.

What can I do to prevent altitude sickness for my next attempt? We got to Lone Pine campground Thurs (6000 ft) and did a short hike to Lone Pine Lake (10,000 ft). On Fri we hiked to Kearsarge Pass (11,800 ft). What else can I do to better acclimate myself for a day hike to Mt Whitney?

Also, does anyone have an idea on the success rate of summit attempts?

This from Bob R. last year:

"Paul Richins, Jr., in his Mt. Whitney guidebook, uses USFS and NPS data (permits issued, summit logs, etc.) to make the statement that "Each year, approximately 30,000 hikers receive a wilderness permit to hike the peak, but less than one third reach the summit." This is for all trails and was as of 2000.

For example, in the year 2000, about 32,790 permits were issued (13,570 by the main trail), and 10,240 signed the summit register (all routes). Certainly there are people who summit but don't sign their names (e.g., Doug Thompson).

For the main trail I have guessed that approximately half the people who try, make it. More than half of the overnighters, and less than half of the day climbers. But these are just plucked out of the air, and I am likewise curious to get some firmer data."

Getting to Trail Crest is no mean achievement. I'm no expert but I understand altitude sickness can hit anyone, regardless of age or fitness. I prepared by getting in as much high altitude hiking as possible (c 10,000 feet) during the four weeks preceding the hike - this worked for me.

There are a lot of things that you can do to avoid altitude sickness, and there are a lot of threads posted on this board discussing the subject (check out the search function ). One thing you could have done differently that would have helped out a lot would have been to stay overnight at Horseshoe Meadow up at 10,000 feet. Another thing you could have done is sleep several nights above 8,000 feet.

Remember that 8,000 feet is nothing compared with the rest of the trip. Most people can handle 8,000 feet elevation, which is why that is the pressurization standard for most jet airliners. Lone Pine Campground is well below that.

Sleep higher, if you dayhike somewhere your only at the high point for usually a few hours max. Go drive out to Horseshoe Meadows and camp there at 10,000 feet.

Next time try to camp at Horseshoe Meadow for Day 1, Day 2 Hike up to Trail Camp and overnight there at 12,000. Day 3 Summit and back down.

We had a friend who used to hike with us, before he went off to college and got married. He and most of his family has a very difficult time with altitude sickness.

After one night at Whitney portal campground, he maxed out at 11,000 feet at camp lake in the Meysan lake canyon and had to return to Whitney portal. The third day, after two nights at the portal campground, he totally lost it at 12600 foot Iceberg Lake, and had to go down.

Of all the people with have hiked with, he seemed to have the most trouble.

On another trip we started at Horseshoe meadows and backpacked into the Miter basin area.

1 night Horseshoe Meadows 10000 feet
1 night Soldier Lake 10570
1 night Sky Blue Lake 11545

After that much time we climbed together to the top of Mt. Mallory, which is 13850 feet. He was doing fine and had no altitude sickness on the summit of Mt. Mallory.

I am convinced he could make it to the summit of Mt. Whitney if he wanted to, but he would need more time to acclimate then just a night or two.

Horseshoe meadows and the Cottonwood lake area would be a great start. Camp at 10000 foot Horseshoe meadows one night and then backpack 6 easy miles into the Cottonwood lakes, which are a little above 11,000 feet. Camp a night or two there and perhaps climb 12900 Cirque peak. Return to the car, drive to the portal and then off for the one day Whitney hike. It seems like it would work. Three nights camping and hiking above 10000 feet really really helps.

Jwoods, I would say you didn't do enough in terms of acclimating in advance. You didn't say how many training hikes you went on before attempting Whitney and whether you had problems with altitude on any of those hikes.

The very least I would suggest in acclimating prior to Whitney would be to sleep at altitude for 3 nights prior to the hike. Mammoth Lakes is perfect, it's at 8900 feet. Sleeping at Cottonwood Lakes is even better. I would also do hikes like Mt. Dana in Yosemite which go up to 13,000 feet. That would give you an excellent idea whether you're suseptible to AMS.

It also may be that you are just one of the unlucky people who will always have problems with altitude. Some people can live at sea level and drive to the Portal, do Whitney as a day hike and have no symptoms of altitude sickness at all. Others do everything by the book and still get sick.

On your next summit attempt, why not sleep for 3 nights before the hike at higher elevation and do hikes up to 13,000 feet for practice and to check how your body reacts to altitude.

>I made my first attempt to summit Mt. Whitney on Saturday and am very disappointed I didn't make it to the top.<

Don't be disappointed. Be glad you are okay. Some people do worse.
I am making my 6th attempt this coming week with 1.9 sucesses of 5 attempts so far. I count being chased off the last climb to the summit by a hailstorm as 0.9.
I have had problems with altitude the last 2 times.
The minimum for me seems to be 2 nights at Whitney Portal with day hikes for a day hike attempt. When spending one night in Lone Pine and only one night at the Portal we only made it to Trail camp and were too sick to continue.
I have attempted day hikes 4 times. This will be my second backpack.
To anyone planning on being on the trail July 25-28, I will see you there.

Last year I had a permit for a day hike. The day before I hiked from Onion Valley to Kearsarge Pass. That proved to be a mistake. By the time I got to Trail Camp the following day, I was tired enough that I knew I wouldn't make it to the top.

I should have done a shorter, less strenuous warm-up hike or had a free day between the Kearsarge Pass hike and the Whitney hike.

The warm-up hike depleted my energy stores. In my case, the result was lethargy. In your case it may have been an increased susceptibility to altitude sickness.

jwoods, I've taken a number of groups up Whitney, and I have a proven recipe for success. The only problem is the recipe includes permits for numerous days.

Day one, arrive at the Portal, no matter what time, look around, go talk to Doug, eat a burger or 2, camp at one of the portal campgrounds for the night.

Day two, get breakfast at the Portal Store, try and eat at least half of one of Doug's monster pancakes, then begin your hike up Whitney at a leisurly pace, at a time that suits you without rushing. Your first day destination will be Lone Pine Lake. Arrive at Lone Pine Lake, fish if you like, use the lake water to wash up, acclimate for yet a second night in a beautiful lakeside camp.

Day three, hike to Trail Camp. This will probably be your hardest grind, especially since you will be carrying your full backpack. But it is definitely doable for most people. By now you will be somewhat acclimated, and even though it is always tough to get a good night sleep at Trail Camp, the acclimation you have done so far will definitely help.

Day four, start out at a leisurly hour, the switchbacks will be easier after a good night's sleep, summit, and go back down to Trail Camp to camp for the night and enjoy your triumph.

Day five, no rush, eat a hearty breakfast - it will be the last of the food in your bear cannister - and hike down the hill at a leisurly pace, leaving enough time to enjoy a cheeseburger (actually I prefer the awesome chicken sandwich) and possibly an adult beverage at the Portal Store.

You won't be breaking any speed records which some people feel are important, but you will have a successful summit, enjoy the area and views, and want to come back.

I definitely don't buy the opinion that you might be one of the people who will always have problems with altitude. Start out with slower, longer hikes up Whitney, even though they will involve more investment in time, and you will see that you will work up to a Day Hike within a relatively short time.

I summited Whitney last Tuesday and did not experience any altitude sickness what so ever. In my 25+ years of hiking (I'm 47) I have found that the better I train the lesser the possibilty I have to suffer altitude sickness. The other part of the equation has to do with the quality of sleep I get. Every time I have experienced siginicant altitude sickness it has come on the heels of a lousy sleepless night that snowballed into a miserable day and a fast retreat off the mountain. I have found that a small dose of a mild prescription sleeping aid allows me to get that 5 to 6 hours of needed sleep. Also, start on a regiment of asperin or tylenol. Don't wait for the head banging headache to start before taking something. Follow this plan and I think you'll do fine.

Take Diamox. The side effects to most people are far less than the pain of hypoxia on a tough hike.

I haven't found that sleeping down at Lone Pine Campground helps me that much adjust to the elevation. At around 6000 feet I think it is just not high enough. Whitney Portal Campground or Horseshoe meadows are a lot better. The campground west of Independence is also quite high, like around 9000+ feet.

I tried to summit in October 2005 and stopped at trail camp due to altitude sickness. I had great difficulty breathing at night and was terribly cold as the wind tried to blow me and my tent off the mountain. I never had any effects of altitude illness prior to that time and even hiked Mt. Dana with no problem.

I successfully made the summit on July 14, 2006 with no altitude problems. Proper acclimatization depends on how high you sleep. This time I camped out two nights beforehand at the fabulous Mammoth Mountain Inn. We backpacked with the same 4 day scenario- portal to outpost camp, outpost to trail camp, summit, trail camp to portal. I also used plenty of sudafed to keep the sinuses clear in order to maximize every breath at altitude. I took long, deep breaths and was always well hydrated.

Our group of four all made it. We took it very slow and easy. A huge part of our success was the gracious encouragement we shared. No one was left behind, and we all stayed together. My sincerest appreciation for the patience and perseverence of my beautiful and brave hiking partners goes to Jenny, Michelle, and Kelly, all from San Diego. I could not have done it without them.

Hi Jwoods,
I summitted for the 5th time in 5 years on July 13th. I experienced no altitude issues.

We had a camp at the Portal campground, arriving at 2pm Monday and only went to Lone Pine once to get the permits, then back to the Portal. We started the hike at 6am Wednesday morning. We have always camped at Trail Camp (12,000 feet) and I think this has helped us. I took two Excedrins on summit morning and nothing else for the whole trip. I did, however, drink lots of water/gatorade before and during the hike and tried to eat snacks along the way, with lots of breaks.

I trained very hard during the year with hikes almost every weekend for six months before the big day.

I have heard that the older you are, the less problem you have with altitude, I am 56 years, but this could be an urban myth.

Good luck and good weather on your next trip. Don't give up...you will make it.

See my pics at community.webshots.com/user/mtndreamer

The one thing I'm surprised nobody mentioned on here and maybe this is just a personal mindset of mine, but what you eat and your hydration level makes a huge difference in your altitude sickness susceptibility.

I myself avoid eating any difficult to digests foods (such as anything containing dairy in it) because your digestive system doesnt work nearly as well at altitude. Easy to digest foods like fruits, power bars, etc will sit alot better on your stomach. This applies to eating within a couple hours of the hike as well.

Also you dehydrate alot faster at altitude so hydration is critical as well. Don't wait till you're thirsty to drink. Similar to what I've seen some people do before with eating, drink more often but in shorter amounts is better on you than drinknig large amounts on fewer stops. So this is something to keep in mind.

Like the last post I agree that the amount of water you drink has an important effect on how well you hike, especially at high altitudes. the rule of thumb i go by is every 1,000ft= drinking 1 liter of water. But that is not just hiking, start before you even get to the mountain. If you live at a low elevation then start drinking alot of water a few days before your trip so that your body is well hydrated.

Another thing to consider about hydration is to avoid drinking beverages containing diuretics, such as alcohol and caffeine, before your trip. They cause you body to lose water and promote dehydration.

Hydration is important and can be increased by carbohydrate consumption as reported by Backpacker Mag. Also, your body can only assimilate ONE LITER of water per hour, else you tempt the evils of overconsumption of water which can be lethal...

I am happy that the posts above urge adequate hydration but avoid tying hydration level to the syndrome called Acute Mountain Sickness. This topic was discussed thoroughly on the message board a couple of years ago (<a href=http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=002252>Hydration and AMS</a>), and my reading of the research at the time concluded that overhydration does not prevent AMS and underhydration does not cause it.

However, there is little doubt that if you are underhydrated on a climb of Whitney you will feel poorly, and you don't really care what the condition is called. Many of us will agree that inadequate hydration prevents quite a few people from making the summit—quite a few who would have otherwise made it had they consumed more water. A good goal is 1 liter every thousand feet, as Mountain Man suggests; or 1 liter an hour as I do; or a few liters to Trail Camp and a few liters from there to the summit as others have mentioned. Of course, it also depends on how hot the day is and how much you are perspiring.

Forcing yourself to eat enough is also important, especially since altitude seems to dull the appetite. I choose the foods that appeal to me most down low because I am more apt to eat them up high—and proper nutrition be damned for the day. It helps to nibble often rather than stopping for a large meal or two.

I also believe in proper pacing, and resting periodically: once every hour for 10 or 15 minutes.

Bob:
You are right! Proper hydration also prevents cramps. Early July I took my camel (bike) hydration pack in my backpack and surprised to see that I consumed 4 litres on first day from Symmes Creek (6000 ft) to Anvil camp (10000 ft)in a distance of 9 miles. Two of us had a little haziness by evening. A hearty salty soup and veggy noodles made the symptoms disappear by next morning.