Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board training for kilimanjaro

My wife and I are leaving for Africa July 11th and have been training rigorously but would like to do a good day hike up Whitney. however - we don't have permits. We did a 4 day machu picchu trek last year, have done half dome and I think are ready for the big ones If anyone has a couple of extra permits that we could use for any day from now until July 4th please send me an email with a day or so notice. We would be very grateful!

thanks !!!!

KW, MC, or any of the peope who have actually been there could probably provide better advice...

Why not head up to Lone Pine and try for a cancellation permit? If you don't happen to get one, you can still head up to Horseshoe Meadows and wander around at 10K+.

There's also the easy walk up to Kearsarge Pass, out of Onion Valley that will get you up near 12K.

Many others if you head farther north: Mosquito Flat, Mammoth,

The best way, in my opinion, to train for Kili is to do multiple hikes of 10 miles or so,and 2,500-3,500 feet of gain, at whatever elevation, while carrying a 20 lb pack. Of course, more aggressive work outs won't hurt! Getting to altitude is great, but to me, the key was to train the muscles at whatever elevation is available.

While I hike the Eastern Sierras in summer, they are not so accessible to me after that time. Therefore, from the time I booked Kili in October 2011, to January 2012 when I went, I did almost exclusively Bay Area hikes of the above profile, meaning altitudes below 4,500 feet. Once or twice, I got to Carson Pass a higher elevation hike (14 miles RT to Fourth of July Lake, very wonderful hike), or Yosemite (North Dome). I felt very prepared for the trip and had a great time.

Getting to altitude is an excellent idea -- I am certainly not saying don't do it. And if you don't have experience with Diamox and are thinking about using it, it may be a good idea to experiment with it and see how it affects you, and maybe even tinker with the dosage (I use a very reduced dosage after much experimentation, but I do need it because of sleep apnea, and on Kili, it actually helped me deal with a more significant situation).

But the key is to get your hiking muscles used to the type of pattern that you will experience in Kili. I did not find Kili that hard physically, and while I am a regular hiker, I am by no means a dynamo.

That said, a hike up Whitney is a blast and would be great training. Walk in permit! Walk in permit! And I echo re Kearsarge -- great hike! And White Mountain if you want to get to 14,000!

Good luck and have fun!

Hi Cameron,

Congratulations on your upcoming Kilimanjaro climb. You're in for an amazing trip of a lifetime. What route are you planning to take on Kilimanjaro?

I think you have the right idea in your thinking on getting ready for Kilimanjaro. A day hike up the Main Mt. Whitney Trail is a good exercise in endurance, which is helpful for summit day on Kilimanjaro. Depending on the route you take on Kili each day will be between 4-7 hours of hiking until summit day. Summit day usually takes people 10-15 hours round trip. If you can get a couple permits for Whitney go for it! It is also a very social hike just like you'll see on Kilimanjaro in July.

If you can't get a permit for the MMWT there are many other hikes you can do though that would be equally as beneficial. Climbing Mt. Langley in one day is a great hike. The route is straight forward and it will get you to 14,026'/4275m. White Mtn Peak is another good one. Onion Valley is a beautiful area. Mt. Gould is a right turn off of Kearsarge Pass. It gets you to 13,005'/3964m, is very pretty, and makes for a great day hike.

Locally you have some great options too. San Gorgonio via the Vivian Creek trail is 18 miles route trip and gets you to 11,499'. The Cactus to Clouds hike on San Jacinto is excellent. You'll want to start early because it'll be hot (I start at midnight for this one), which will simulate your summit day on Kili. Some people like the Bear Creek Trail on Mt. Baldy too. These are three good endurance hikes that would be very helpful for Kilimanjaro.

Something else you should keep in mind since you're leaving in 20 days is to be a bit careful with your training this close to the start of your trip. A small number of good hikes would be beneficial but keep in mind you're close enough to leaving now that it'll be difficult to recover from an injury such as a twisted ankle or knee. Be safe, have fun, and enjoy the process of preparing to go.

I go to Kilimanjaro 2-3 times each year. If there's any questions you have feel free to ask. You can do so here on this board or at the email address below.

Cameron, I just wanted to stress what Kurt said about Cactus to the Clouds. If you attempt this now, you should start early like he suggested. This hike is very different from the rest because you start at the desert floor. It is extremely hot right now and a few have died within the last month or two from heat exhaustion/stroke. Temperature is triple digits during the day and the LOW for the night is in the 70s-80s. Make sure you have enough strength to make it to the tram. Trying to head back down can be disastrous. It's a great hike, but the fine print is important here. There is no water on the trail for 8,000 ft so you'll have a weight penalty to consider versus the other ones, etc, etc.

Cameron:

I agree with Kurt as far as training hikes.

In Southern California, the Cactus to Clouds hike out of Palm Springs will really test you. I have done this one three times, and I believe it is somewhat tougher than Whitney in a day. You start at about 475 feet behind a museum in downtown Palm Springs (cactus), and end up on the summit of San Jacinto at 10,834 feet (clouds). You will gain just over 10,000 vertical feet in elevation in about 16 miles. Then it is six miles back down to the Palm Springs tram for the return trip to Palm Springs. As has been mentioned before, start early (I always start at about midnight), and take plenty of water (at least a gallon per person). You will climb about 8,000 feet in the first 10 miles, and there is NO water anywhere along the way. Mile nine, above what is known as Flat Rock, will really test you. In this mile you gain almost 1,700 feet in one mile. You definitely do not want to hike back down this, but at least make it to Long Valley where the upper tram station is.

San Gorgonio via the Vivian Creek trail is another good one.

If you cannot get walk-in permits for Whitney, may I suggest hiking to Meysan Lake instead. If you do this one as a dayhike, no permit is required. The trailhead is located at the lower family campgrounds at Whitney, and climbs about 3,500 feet in four miles, so it is a stepp ascent. I have done this one both as a dayhike and an overnighter. Staying at Meysan Lake (11,500 feet) is awesome, but if you want to stay at the lake, you will need to get a permit, which costs $5.00 a person. If you stay at Meysan Lake, you can always do the class 2-3 scrambles up to Mt. Irvine and Mt. Mallory (both over 13,000 feet).

Anyway, good luck with Kili. It is on my list of mountains to climb sometime soon.

Whitney Mike