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

I'm might have 2 or 3 open for June 15th (Friday).

Let me know...

I have 3 overnight permits available for joining our group (15 total). We will spend the night on Sunday, June 10th and aim for the Summit the next day. If interested, please contact me at sharif.shakhshir@gmail.com

okay thanks

All, I have been actively reading the message board for last few months, after I decided to hike Whitney for the first time, this year. Learning a lot from everyone sharing their field experiences. Great forum and Thanks Doug for all your contribution!

I'm looking for some advice on base layer for hike up in mid July time frame, Planning on overnight camping at HSM, trail camp and summit the following day.

BTW, if anyone has cancellation coming up for mid July, just holler. I will be there to take it

Thanks,
Stalin

All,
looks like I'll be heading down to Whitney by myself, as the rest of my group has canceled out on me. My permit is for a party of 5, so I'll have 4 spaces left on my permit for Friday, June 15th.

Good luck...

Benrie

btsan,

I will be heading up to Whitney for my first climb and solo at that, too, for Friday, June 15th. Hope to see you up there.

Looks like the weather might be playing against us though. "Friday: A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly sunny, with a high near 44."


ralphy

Sweet!
i think I have a buddy joining me now, but I didn't think the weather would be a problem as it will be nice and sunny here in SF bay area. Let me check the weather reports now.

See you there ralphy; we're probably going to do a day hike (probably start at 2 am).

Bernie

The weather was fantastic! We started our hike at 1:30 am, and to trail camp by 6:15, and then summit at 8:20 and back know to the portal at 2:15 pm. Complete trip took amount 13 hours and this was not an easy hike, and I'm glad I did it!

Absolutely!

Summited 6/20, overnight at Trail Camp. 10 essentials, bear canister, food, 3L/H2O, etc = 32 lbs. Regretted nothing but bivy/summer bag, as it was cold/windy at trail camp. I'd carry thicker bag, go lighter on water, which can be filtered at numerous locations all the way to Trail Camp. But take 3L from TC to peak. Day 2 from TC, 6 a.m.: base, vest, shell; stripped to light base after cables, donned shell for windy trail crest. By Mt. Muir/needles, down to shorts/T-shirts for the rest of day. Don't underestimate the cold of TC night or heat/dry of the return to TC! Many posters go ultralight, but are unprepared for contingencies and end the day dehydrated or worse. We treated one hypothermia case (other party) in TC, had one member w/altitude sickness at 13,000, descending. Neither was pretty. That was WITH IDEAL WEATHER. Better heavy than dead.

question for those who have been up the trail:
is there any cell phone service? not that I want to be connected, but curious if my GPS app will work on the trail to monitor distances?

Intermittent at the very best. Complete blackout at the very worst. Depends on your carrier, your phone, the weather, etc. AT&T seems to have the worst reputation for a signal on Whitney in recent years. In other words, don't count on it.

If landmark distances on the main trail are your interest, very simply:

0.7 mi - North Fork crossing
2.8 mi - Lone Pine Lake
3.5 mi - Big Horn Park
3.8 mi - Outpost Camp
4.3 mi - Mirror Lake
5.3 mi - Trailside Meadow
5.8 mi - Consultation Lake
6.3 mi - Trail Camp
8.7 mi - Trail Crest
11.2 mi - Summit Hut

These are approximate distances, but you get the general idea.

thanks bulldog
heading up in August for virgin hike
we did 2 years time in ATL... miss the Flying Biscuit

Freddy, I haven't been to one of the FBs yet. I'll have to make a point of it. Bet you don't miss the traffic, though. I spent an hour the other day going less than a quarter mile near Perimeter Mall. No lie, scout's honor.

Good luck on your first time up Whitney. Day hike or overnight?

Yes, my friends had AT&T and Verizon and were able to get some texts out here & there. Since GPS runs off the sattelites then you should have no issue. Below the timberline the forest is not very thick so I had service.

Tips for fist timers by first timers:

1. Thoroughly portion out your food for all members of the group. Lucky me brought up the bearcan and it was rediculously heavy and we didn't eat half the food.

2. The night before you head out avoid pizza at the Pizza Factory. Yeah it was good but probably the greasiest pie I have ever eaten. Next time I'll get the spaghetti.

3. Know your group members strengths & weaknesses. For overnight Whitney hikes I found that many noobs are not prepared to haul a backpack that distance. People will say that they did this hike or that hike to train but it's not enough! Fortunately I hiked every weekend this summer sometimes with a loaded pack but unfortunately some team members did not.

4 For Fall hikes go to the portal the day before and talk to A LOT of people about the trail conditions. It's subjective based on peoples own skill level but if you talk to plenty of hikers then you get a complete picture. I left the crampons & snowshoes in the car and did very well with microspikes due to snow & ice from trail camp to summit.

5 Force yourself to drink & eat or you will die at the end of the hike.

6 Don't eat snow instead of packing water since your body will burn much needed calories to turn that snow into water.

7 Guys don't piss ON THE TRAIL! Since there was snow I counted at least 6 pissers ON THE TRAIL.

8 Always pack your essentials. We helped a lost day hiker who asked us to call 911 at trail camp. He was not prepared for a night out much less he didn't even have a headlamp.

That is all.

Cy posted this on Facebook but it's a reminder that bears do go after smells in your car so put everything in the bear boxes and don't risk it - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22407417

Just a friendly reminder

[b][/b][i][/i]Do you still have those spots open ? I think I have a small group that can use them ??

A very basic tip: clean out your car BEFORE leaving home! It was such a time-sucker to scour the car looking for every last Altoids tin and lip balm, then looking for a bag to stick them in before stowing them in the bear locker! (And remember to label your belongings in the locker.)

Another tip that I think allowed us to rest easier when acclimatizing: we took full car-camping gear. At home, we packed up our backpacks with our backpacking gear, then had a totally separate set-up for our 2 nights of car-camping: full stove with propane, big tent, air mattress & regular sleeping bags, etc. We slept so much more comfortably while acclimatizing, and it made prepping our stuff the night before our hike so much easier. Then in the morning before starting our hike, we just had to break down our car camping set-up & stash it in the car & bear locker, but our backpacks were already ready to go.

We car-camped for 2 nights: the first at Horseshoe Meadows and the 2nd at the Portal. The first night was a big difficult with the elevation, but we took 600mg ibuprofen at the first sign of a headache, walked slowly and drank lots of water.

Talk to your dr about Diamox. I got a prescription, and took my first dose the morning after we arrived at Horseshoe Meadows. It can possibly mess with your ability to drive, so I didn't want to take it before driving up to the mountains. Then I took one pill a day (vs the recommended dosage of 2), and was fine. I intermittently had mild headaches, but no other symptoms of altitude sickness. I also drank water like crazy.

I hope these tips help and that your climb is successful!

This site is fantastic, but I've been sore tempted to try to create a new thread for folks looking to join with others when their friends let them down - on long and short notice - for planning a Whitney ascent. In the mean time, this thread looks like the best
I am looking to join a group between July 4th and 14th, or between about August 14th and 20th, or in September. It would be my first time on Whitney, and while I'd love to get with a group going via the Portal, I've been thrilled with the prospect of the approach from Cottonwood Lakes via New Army/cross-country/Sky Blue Lake and Upper Crabtree Lake, possibly returning the same way, but also via Whitney Portal. Any interest? Thanks,
Andy