Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board First timers

Hi Every year we try to get the first time hikers to post reports, These reports have the very details other first time hikers need.

If someone has been up the mountains say 15 times the information is bent on looking for tee - pee paper, how people are dreesed and the lack of training "those other people seem to have" , this is just the nature of the beast, be it the beach, a ski area or a crag . When you look at the numbers those other people far outnumber the few that have summited often.

So the first time reports contain the view from a fresh set of eyes , your experience has that certain twist that can only be captured on the first summit attempt, the Who what where and went details that will be faced by others on that first trip.


So don't worry about the the time, the mistakes and the I should of... this is the real value you can share. Oh the others well they were just like you a few years ago. Thanks Doug

Hi all,

First of all thank you to all those who post invaluable information for first timers planning a whitney climb (especially Doug Sr)

I first came across Mt Whitney in May 2008 when I was in transit from Yosemite to Las Vegas and stayed a night at Lone Pine. I woke up to a beautiful and graceful mountain right in front of me. I had only arrived in Lone Pine late the night before so didn't even know there was a mountain range there. So I drove closer to check it out and decided then and there that I wanted to come back to this mountain and climb to the top. Didn't even know the name of it then, nor the significance of it .At this time, though, I knew my 5th open heart surgery was coming up soon so I decided to use the desire/goal of climbing that mountain to help me focus on getting through the operation and recovering to a good fitness level - enough to get me up 'that Mountain'.

Well I survived the operation and have had a remarkable recovery. I am leaving Sydney, Australia this Sunday to head for the US for a 6 week adventure vacation, focusing on climbing Mt Whitney. I have been anxiously watching the Mt Whitney weather forecasts and snow levels for the past few months. I have a permit for July 15 (day hike) and hope that my non-existent snow skills won't cause any grief.... any tips here ?

I also have a day permit for June 22 and was hoping to perhaps solo to Trail Camp and return to the Portal the same day. This would be for the purpose of getting to know the portal area and the trail and seeing how I cope with the altitude.

My question is, will i have any difficulty following the trail to Trail Camp as a solo first timer on June 22, or should I somehow try to team up with some other hikers that may be hanging around the portal that day. ...... or if anyone reading this is heading up the main trail on June 22 would they mind some good Aussie company?

Thanks,
Bullet777

Hey Bullet,

All I can say is congratulations on your recovery and what a great way to celebrate getting back to good heatlh. I am certain you will have the opportunity to meet some great people while experiencing the beauty of the Whitney area. Good luck on your endeavor and have a fantastic time and be sure post back on your experience.

Have fun, be safe.

K

Hi Bullet777....I was a first timer last year and will be at the Portal with Bulldog34 the day you are there. In fact, I will be up there a couple of days before the 15th to acclimate. Please PM me as I would love to get in touch with you. I am a cancer survivor and also had a total hip replacement less than a year before my summit. And yes, Mt Whitney was a HUGE inspiration to me and has been an inspiration for many over the years, including DocRodneyDog. I would love to see you at the summit......and it would make my YEAR!

As a hiker who did not make it on the first try, one month before attaining my goal at the summit, I may have some "newbie" knowlege to help you on your quest. My thoughts and prayers are with you and am excited to hear from you.
Joe Q

Both goals should be doable, particularly the climb in July.

Do you use hiking poles? I believe them to be a major asset to those of us in the "senior group". Particularly if you get into a little minor snow, they really help the balance.

You should have no problem finding the trail, or finding an obvious boot track in any snow, in June, barring a snowstorm the day before.

Best of luck!

This past weekend (June 5 and 6) I climbed Mt. Whitney for the first time with 4 other guys. 3 of the 5 of us had previous mountaineering experience, including climbing Mt. Rainier. Despite that, none of us are in any way qualified as expert mountaineers.

We started out from Whitney Portal at about 9am on Saturday with packs loaded and hearts high. We set a very methodical and deliberate pace along the trail. We did not deviate much from the trail since none of us knew where we were going outside of our trail map. There were a few places along the way to lose the trail, but we managed to pick it back up with not too much difficulty. We kept a pretty good schedule and would stop every hour for a 10-15 minute break. We stopped at Lone Pine Lake after about 2 hours of hiking and had lunch there. From there, the hike started to be more in the snow than not and the trail was a bit easier to lose. We hit the major points along the trail - Mirror Lake, Trailside Meadow, Outpost Camp - and then got out above the tree line. Once above the tree line you could see where you were going rather easily and just pursue the path of least resistance. The snow was a little soft in places, but the boot path was pretty well established and not too much postholing. We pulled in to Trail Camp at 4pm and there were plenty of places left that were free of snow. We camped in the rocks to the left, which was nice for a little privacy, but a pain in terms of getting water. This was made especially worse by the snow condition and the postholing between our set of rocks and the rocks next to the water source. Regardless, we got set up and had a nice dinner and then turned in around 7:30.

We set our alarms for 3:15 to try to get on the trail at 4:00. We were a little slower in the morning than anticipated (retrieving water being one of the causes) and did not set out until 4:30. From Trail Camp we put on our crampons and grabbed our ice axes and headed for the Chute. The climb to the Chute was steep, but nothing too intimidating about it. Once on the Chute, we began to make switchbacks up to the top of Trail Crest. The snow was pretty crusty and a little hard in places, making footing very important. The Chute was very steep and a bit intimidating at times, but everyone of us made up without incident. About 3/4 of the way to the top we quit making switchbacks and got into a nice bootpath straight to the top. This was tiring, but much quicker. Also, we climbed on the right side of the rocks - not sure if this was the best route or not, but it seemed more direct. Once at Trail Crest, we rested and took off our crampons (this was a very good move). It took us about 2 hours and 10 minutes to get to Trail Crest from Trail Camp. From Trail Crest the trail was in pretty good shape. You really don't encounter much snow or ice for the first 1/3 of the trail. The second 1/3 of the trail had a decent amount of snow on it, but during the ascent the snow was in great shape with very good footing. We got to the base of the summit and put our crampons back on to climb up to the final scramble to the summit. It was probably not necessary to wear the crampons, but we were erring on the side of safety. We took our crampons off once we got to the rocks (we were off trail at this point) and scrambled over rocks until finding the trail. From this point it was about 10-15 minutes of walking to the summit. It took us about 2 hours from Trail Crest to the Summit.

On the summit it was perfect weather, with views as far as you could see. We all shed some clothing at the summit to prepare for the descent. We were some of the first people on the summit that day and largely enjoyed it to ourselves. After a while we welcomed 10-15 people. Once the summit started getting crowded we headed down - maybe a little too soon since apparently someone got engaged shortly after we left.

Our trip down from the summit to trail crest was a little more dicey than going up. Much of the snowy sections had turned to hard ice and were quite slick. We did not use crampons, but were moving very slowly through these patches, as one slip would be your last. Nobody had trouble, but care was a necessity. We got to Trail Crest after a little more than 1 hour after leaving the summit (the last bit of the trail is straight up hill and brutal!). At Trail Crest, we donned our crampons and tried to figure out how to attack the Chute. We all started out a little differently, but ended up plunge stepping down once we got a little comfortable. The snow at this point was pretty soft, but in a good way, as our plunge steps creating some very solid steps. About 1/2 way down we saw people glissading from the top and realized that the snow was so soft that it was nearly impossible to get out of control. So we sat down, took off our crampons, and glissaded the rest of the way. This was awesome!! Wish we had done it from the top.

We got back to Trail Camp a little less than 2 hours after leaving the summit and were greeted with postholing snow conditions and thousands of flies. We packed camp as fast as possible because Trail Camp was not a fun place to be at that time of day (hot, flies and the smell of many of our group's wag bags - gross!). We headed out on the boot path and had pretty good snow. It was soft and slushy, but not much postholing. We pretty much stayed with the path and did not try any of the shortcuts we saw boot paths leading towards. This probably slowed us down, but at least we knew where we were. We pushed pretty hard from Trail Camp and made it down at 5:30 (about 3.5 hours after we left Trail Camp).

At the Whitney Portal we all showered and enjoyed one of their much lauded hamburgers. We were all very tired, but very satisfied with the journey.

This was a great climb and we all had a great experience. I look forward to my next climb, wherever it may be.

I will keep it short. My two times up the trail were both overnight at Trail Camp trips; no experience with the one-day hike.

Best things to be aware of: Haul as much water from Trail Camp to the summit as you can! I took 3 quarts. At minimum, you should have one quart of water left when you reach the summit for the trip back to Trail Camp.

When you are on the last 1.5 miles on the trail crest, take time to stop and look around!! Take lots of photos!! It was easy for me to start trudging along feeling a little queasy from the altitude, just listening to the endless trail crunch and wind (this was a clear day, too) with my head down. Both trips were worth the pain!

My husband and I made our first hike up the main trail last August. I read everything I could on the subject and here is the best advise I gathered.
1. Be in good (not perfect) shape. We hiked locally, worked out every day or so through walks, hides and visits to the gym.
2. Have a reasonable plan. I thought we could make it in 9 hours to the top and we did it in 9 hours exactly. Go at your pace. We met many people who turned around because they underestimated their ability and the demands of the mountain.
3. Eat! When you reach a certain altitude (for me 13,000 ft.) you will not be hungry or may feel poorly. Stop at Trail Camp. Fill up on water and eat something. Not eating leads to low blood sugar and a whole host of problems. Eat even if you don't feel like eating.
4. Drink! You are using the liquid as fast as it goes in. Just keep sipping.
5. Your mind will play very bad tricks on you. About 2/3rds. of the way up the switchbacks, I was getting pretty tired and wanted to take a break. The trail made a left turn, but off to the right was a very large granite cliff face. In my mind, I thought the cliff face looked like a flat rock I could step off on and let the others behind me pass. Luckily, I realized my mistake before I stepped off to my death. Pay attention and know that being exhausted and at such a high altitude is very dangerous.
6. Be prepared for the hike down. Nothing I read fully prepared me for how hard it would be to get down that mountain. It took longer than I thought it would and hurt much more than I thought it would. I couldn't believe it when I took off my shoes and didn't see bloody stumps where my toes were. We were very careful going down because we are both 50 and didn't want to do something stupid and have to crawl down the trail. Without the excitement of making it to the top, it is much harder to just keep trudging down the mountain.
7. Have fun. Hiking this mountain was a wonderful experience we can't wait to share with our family. We're planning a trip for next summer as our son, son-in-law and myself have all had knee surgeries this winter. It will be our family trip to celebrate having new knee ligaments. Maybe the hike down will be easier this time.
8. Don't underestimate yourself. We hit trail crest with a gentleman who looked so out of shape that I truly started mentally preparing for CPR. When we started down from the top, we met him as he was just getting to the top. You never know what a person is capable of accomplishing. Just try your best.
9. Leave early: We left at 2:00 A.M. It was perfect timing. We made it back to Whitney Portal at dusk. I can't imaging hiking down in the dark feeling as poorly as we did. Just have a reasonable plan and stick to it.
Have fun and good luck.

I made it to the summit on Tues. June 8th. This was my first attempt. I was fortunate to be on the summit alone for nearly an hour before other hikers arrived.

I started up the Whitney Trail at 11 am Monday the 7th and encountered the following conditions: From the Portal to Lone Pine Lake the trail is clearly defined. Due to snow melt a couple of stream crossings were dicey. Waterproof boots a must. Past Lone Pine Lake trail was sketchy in areas due to snow. I found the descent far easier because looking down the grade you can see the switchbacks of the trail. Looking up on the ascent, the trail is lost in the snow, trees and rocks. Also there were several spur trails that were merely shortcuts. I found them more labor intensive than sticking to the main trail.

Above Outpost I encountered lots of snow and more spur trails. Not too difficult if you pay attention and follow the boot paths. From there to Trail Camp pretty straight forward. Snow was soft, lots of postholing and running water.
Trail Camp temperature was mid to lower 30's and wind was blowing steady 15knots with gusts of 25+ knots. Additionally, I found the noise from passing jets to be excessive throughout the night.

Climbed the right side of the chute to Trail Crest on Tues the 8th. Started at 6:30 am. Took 2.5 hours to reach Trail Crest. Snow conditions were good, sun and glare were strong, very little wind. I would recommend crampons for the chute ascent. I saw other hikers without crampons and they appeared to be having difficulty with the footing. The section from Trail Camp to Trail Crest was the only area I donned the crampons.

Trail Crest to the Summit was not difficult. Lot's of deviation of the trail because of snow and boulders. Use of an ice ax for balance was helpful. Should be easier as snow melts during late June and July. The last 100 yards of Trail Crest were covered with snow. Trail forked at that point. Stay to the right. Trail to the Summit was sketchy in areas with a bit of rock scrambling.

Summit was sunny with light wind, a great view all around. I was the only human there. An interesting feeling being at the highest point in the lower 48 by yourself. Sign in box at the stone house consisted of a single sheet of paper with many pens. Took about 2 hrs from Trail Crest to the Summit, about an hour 15 going back due to fatigue.

Descent to the Portal was incident free, made it back by 7:30 pm.

Re:Lon

We must have been just ahead of you! We camped at Trail camp on Monday night and headed up the chute at 5 AM. Took my PCT thru-hiking partners about 1 hour, 30 minutes (took me a good 2 hours) to get to Trail Crest. We were on the summit around 9 AM or so. I agree, there were a few spots on the backside that were a bit dicey, mainly due to my oxygen-starved brain. I also only wore crampons for the climb to TC. Took me a while to get down, as the glissading kind of had me on edge and I took it pretty slow. Also, the postholing on the descent was tiring and annoying.
We broke camp and cruised down the trail on the return, getting back to Whitney Portal around 4 PM.
I agree about the airplanes overhead, pretty loud.
The windy night keep me awake as well, but getting out of my tent to see the stars around midnight was well worth it. Amazing!

All in all, a great trip and we were happy to back it to the summit. Thanks to all on this board for all of the updates and intel. It made for much better preparation on our end. Good luck to all going up this summer.

Hi All!
It was my first time up the Whitney trail today, and although i did not summit, it was a blast. I believe I ran into you Doug, My friend and I were chatting with you for about 5 min! Im excited to see the shots from the camera you are putting up!
Anyway, the climb up was hard, but doable. As we got higher we had to stop because we were not prepared for the snowy conditions ahead. we had crampons but we felt that poles and better clothing were needed to go on. Not to mention we were trying to get as far as we could get in one day.
Now that we know a little bit more about this mountain, we will be better prepared next time and we will definitely take more than one day to try and reach the summit.
all in all though, it was a very rewarding experience, i was proud of us! and for you other first timers who didnt make it or who wont make it, great job trying!!! you can only go up from there, literally!!

Start and end date: 06 10 2010, Thursday, Day hike
Start time: 1:15 a.m.
Finish time: 7:15 p.m.
Total time: 16 hours
Variation, Went up the snow chute above trail camp rather than switchbacks
Friends along the way. Allen, Scott, Erik

-I started from the portal at 1:15 and am glad I started that early.
-Trail finding in the morning was pretty straight forward.
-At about 3:00 Allen from Minnesota caught up with me and we hiked much of the day together and finished together.
-Be careful crossing the streams. There was ice on the rocks.
-The 1st sign of daylight was a little after 4.
-The snow into Trail Camp had just the right consistency that we didn't need crampons.
-Not much break at Trail Camp just enough time to put on crampons. We met Scott from SD, CA and Erik from LA, CA. They gave us very good information about how to use the steps to go up the chute to Trail Crest.
-It took about 2.5 hours on the chute. Tiring. The hard part is not knowing where it ends.
-Once on top of the chute we took off our crampons and took approximately 2 hours to reach the summit. Rather than cross the snow field we did some bouldering at the end. Safer but very tired at this point.
-Stayed just a few minutes at the summit to take pictures and then headed back to Trail Crest.
-I had glissaded before but this looked very intimidating. I know it isn't advisable but I put back on my crampons. It took me a few hundred feet to realize I wasn't going to slide out of control. Once I figured this out I was back down the chute in a matter of minutes and hiking back to Trail Camp. We hit it just at the right time that we didn't post hole much.
Once back to Trail Camp we headed back to the portal. Rested a couple of times and got water.
-We arrived back at the portal at 7:15.

Notes
-I am 47. Once a powerlifter. 225 lbs. A few less pounds would have made me quicker.
-I carried way to much weight. 25 lbs. Most was Gatorade and food. Should of stuck with electrolytes and filtered water.
-I acclimated on Sunday in Las Vegas on Mt Charleston. This really helped although I didn't summit. Met 3 guys from Vegas there.
-3 hours of sleep the night before was enough. You are so pumped up you don't even notice it.


NOW HERE IS THE AMAZING THING. Remember I mentioned Allen, come to find out he was 71. 71 and did this as a day hike. He has been consistently hiking for 30 years AND he did it in microspikes.

Thanks to all along the way especially Allen, Scott, and Erik. I would not have made it without their encouragement.

Congrats on the summit Mark. We'll have to get training hikes together here in KY.

Allen, Scott and Erik, they are what I call trail angels. Gentle proding and encouragment goes a long way.

This previous Saturday (6/12) myself and three other Whitney novices were fortunate to enjoy a grueling round trip to the summit. With no small debt of gratitude to those who came before us with postings on this forum, I wanted to share a few of our learnings and things I thought we did well. I searched 2-3 time s a week for trip summaries; I hope this is useful to folks.

The team consisted of 4 gents, all currently living at sea level all with moderate levels of mountaineering experience. (I have the most experience with Kilimanjaro as my most memorable experience) No technical experience in the group. Would rate fitness level of each of us as very good.

By way of itinerary, we arrived Friday mid-day to the Portal with a 2 night reservation in the Campground. We did an acclimatization hike to Outpost Camp Friday afternoon, returning to camp and a slightly later bedtime than expected as we had to go back to Lone Pine to pick up our crampons from Elevation. We choose not to buy ice axes, each of us used trekking poles which in my mind are essential.

The decision to do a day hike was driven by a lack of desire to lug gear up the mountain, uncertain weather outlook for Friday and Saturday, and a complete comfort with not making it to the top. I should also note that we all took diamox starting Friday due to quick push and coming from sea level and none of us were impacted throughout the climb.

We left Whitney Portal at 4:10am; nothing to speak of through Trail Camp which we arrived around 8:30. The biggest mistake we made of the trip here was not taking enough water with us from camp. We each had around 2 liters leaving Trail Camp, and 3 if not 4 would have served us better. To do over again, I would have filled at the running water at the Meadows (just prior to the snowline) as the water pools at Trail Camp just didn’t feel right even with iodine.

Left Trail Camp at 9am – reached Trail Crest 10:50. The key to this section was to find the boot tracks of those who had come before and just keep your head down. I actually found the first part traversing across harder than the steeper vertical section.
Left Trail Crest at 11:15 and we struggled as a team for the first 2 miles before the final summit push.

We had prepared for the climb to Trail Crest, but the ruggedness of the terrain as well as fatigue made this section hard both coming and going. We were heartened by a number of successful teams who had come from Trail Camp and were coming back down.

The trail improved substantively and the final half mile or so was the easiest section since Trail Camp. We arrived at summit at 1:50 that was cloudy but wind free. We celebrated with 2 other teams who had made the day trip and were there 15 min. Key mistake was that we forgot to sign summit log…

The return to Trail Crest was no better than the trip up. We arrived at 3:45 and were concerned about trip down the snow. This was actually very easy for us using swooping “S” turns down the hill as the snow was perfect to plant the trekking poles in to ensure balance. Our approach was faster than the glissaders coming down. 45 minutes coming down.

Trail Camp to Base took 3 hours – off trail at 8:20 before dark and in good form.

As an aside, the next day we left Whitney Portal Sunday morning and drove to Death Valley. Kind of neat to hit the highest and lowest points in the continental in less than 24 hours if you are looking for some additional experiences.

Key takeways –

Advance preparation (books, web research and this forum was substainal and worthwhie)

Our acclimatization day hike on Friday was key to learning the trail during the day, getting used to altitude, and understanding stream crossings, etc.

A very early start day trip was right decision for us. Too many folks posted about trying to get moving early but not being successful that this was a non-negotiable for us.

The decision not to take enough water from Trail Camp almost cost us the summit

The ruggedness of the section between Trail Crest and just before summit was underappreciated.

We had a firm turn-around of 3pm and were very prepared to stop earlier if it became clear we weren’t going to make it before then and/or any weather or illness slowed us down. We strongly considered this after Trail Crest but made the right call to keep moving.

The summit register wasn’t on our minds when we got to the top.

We got fortunate with weather and otherwise fit team members who fared well in the altitude.

Thanks again to all who shared their learnings. Best of luck.

I just posted a trip report from my first crack at Whitney on my blog:

http://www.backcountrybliss.net/2010/06/mt-whitney-main-trail-inyo-national.html

I learned a lot from the trip, including that you probably shouldn't glissade early in the morning, what posthole'n really means, the importance of getting an early start and the importance of having a companion to push you on (and split gear weight with).

I just read your trip report and I think we went up the same day (or the day after you??). We stayed at Trail Camp the night of 6/7 and went up the chute at 5 AM on 6/8. The girl (Brooke) who left her tent poles in the car was cowboy camping right next to our tent. We (and some other folks) offered up tent space for her, but she decided to stay outside. I was definitely thinking about her when the wind was howling in the middle of the night.

Glad you had a good trip. Sounds like your experience was very similiar to ours. There were a lot of climbers that we met that seemed to over-exaggerate the conditions. Yes, sloppy at times, but never too dangerous (in my mind). I know everyone has different comfort levels, but I think people need to take what they read and hear lightly. I appreciated all the advice from people on the board and that we met the night before in Lone Pine, but you really can't tell what things will be like until you get on the mountain.....

Looks like I went up the day before you, but I must have passed you heading down. We probably chatted even, I made sure to pass the conditions on to as many people as I could.

See if ya recognize me: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8Oj3UCT39rBV8DU6JR6eXZ8_Om46rXAi_w7GQ1COHLs?feat=directlink

Brooke actually took that photo of me on the way up. I can't believe she did two nights up there with no tent!

My wife and I have first time permits for August 11 and yesterday, June 18, we hiked the trail from the Portal to just beyond Lone Pine Lake. Had no problem getting a couple permits to go into the Whitney Zone. We ran into snow on the trail at the top of the granite steps and since I am 60 and she is 56 and we didn't have gear for snow we decided to turn around rather than risk an injury. Pictures from the trail do not do it justice. We hope to get in at least one more hike on the trail before our August date, with an earlier start so that we can maybe get as far as Trail Camp.

Just one gripe about the experience. Most everyone we met on the trail was friendly and courtious, with one glaring exception. While we were navigating across the stream that crosses the trail by the John Muir Wilderness sign a trail runner ran through the stream without any warning to us. A simple shout as he was approaching us would have been nice as his sudden appearance, splashing through the water, startled both of us, nearly causing my wife to loose her footing on the rocks. If that had happened she could have been injured. We both understand that everyone has a right to be on that trail but a little courtesy goes a long way. We both wonder what this person would do if/when he came up behind someone on one of the narrower parts of the trail. Rant off.

We are looking forward to our attempt on Mt. Whitney this year and wish everyone luck on their attempts.

I am hiking Whitney for the first time July 10. Two in our group have done this before. We are, however, going up the mountaineers route and down the regular route. Can anyone offer some advise on the mountaineers route please? I get such different opinions about it that I am a bit freaked out.

Are there technical skills involved on the mountaineers route, roping etc.?

Thanks a million.

Stacyh,

Are you familiar with Class 3 rock climbing? Technically, no rope is required, but...

What is your comfort level at heights? At the Notch, you are up 14,000 feet, with 1,000 to 1,500 feet below you, and you would be faced with rock climbing the last 400 feet. Hand- and foot-holds are great, but if you are not comfortable with the exposure, you may want to be roped. But your two friends need to be skilled in handling a rope for that to work.

If you are used to Class-3 rock climbing, and you are comfortable with heights, the last 400 feet can be a lot of fun! No rope is required. Just be sure you hold on to the rock.

Be safe!