Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Cell Phones or walkie talkies

Last September we hiked the High Sierra Trail. We are an older group, all 60ish, and some in the group and some at home were concerned about being out of touch for so long. We rented a sat phone for the trip, which was fairly reasonable. They aren't huge any more. We checked, and we did have service wherever we had a good view of sky. We never needed to use the phone.

Sorry, I just don't consider the Whitney MT to be a "wilderness experience" any more than I do Half Dome. When I did the JMT last summer my wilderness experience began when I left trail crest for Guitar Lake and it ended when I reached the Half Dome trail junction in Yosemite.

But to get back OT, I don't have a problem seeing cell phones or walkie talkies if they are used on a need basis and not want basis. If members of a big party need quick status checks for their own safety, fine.

But I would be offended having to hear mindless chatter. But even then I have to keep in mind that my idea of what is appropriate up there may not be the same as everyone else's.

If cell phone or radio noise is really a problem for anyone, just hike faster. In high altitude, someone that's wasting all their air talking probably can't keep up with you.

Remember when every restaurant had one or two who sat there endlessly yelling into their cell phones? This sounds a little like "if you don't want to hear their conversation, move to a distant table or eat at home."

Really though, if people want to gab endlessly, whether on a radio or cell phone, they shouldn't waste a trip to Mt. Whitney; let someone who will appreciate their surroundings go to Mt. Whitney instead, and just do what everyone else does...go to the grocery store or Target and walk dazedly down the aisles gabbing on your phone about nothing, running into people with your shopping cart. THAT (apparently) is what cell phones are for...
8^)

I agree it's annoying to hear people yapping away on their phones in any situation. I was just trying to make a joke about the fact that they are probably going to be moving slowly.