Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Mt Whitney Main Trail trip report 6/18

I lost the lottery this year and I wasn't really planning or preparing for it, but I went to recreation.gov to check the permit situation a few days ago, and they had a day use permit available for 6/18 (Monday)... so I didn't waste any time grabbing it.

Got to the portal at 2 PM on Sunday. Conditions at the portal were very pleasant, low 70's during the day, weather forecast said the low of 44, but it felt warmer than that. It gets completely dark by 9. I did not bother setting up a tent, just rolled out the sleeping bag on the ground. The place looked surprisingly under-utilized, considering that it is supposed to be peak period and all permits are sold out.. Out of 10 walk-in campsites across the road from the trailhead, 5 stayed empty overnight. The parking lot was half-empty too.

Couldn't sleep very well, so I was on the trail shortly after 3. I put on light base layer pants, hiking pants, long-sleeve shirt, and threw a sweater into the backpack even though it was warm enough to go without. Since my previous attempt, I lost about 20 lbs of fat, did quite a bit of cardio, kept the backpack weight to a minimum, and it helped. I was moving at a very brisk pace, not even trying to push too hard.

Past the switchbacks above Mirror Lake, it was still dark and I found myself walking into nasty cold headwind. That deflated my sails somewhat, I had to put on the sweater and I started regretting that I did not bring gloves. Made it to Trail Camp in about 3:20. Fortunately, the "97 switchbacks" were sheltered from the wind. The backside was again windy and chilly (but at least it wasn't a headwind any more). It also turned to be quite a bit of a slog, much longer than I expected from the map. Above 13500 I was starting to get a headache and I was worried that it might be AMS, so I took it slow. Total time, portal to the summit, 6:48.

Lack of recent hiking experience started showing on the way back. Switchbacks were littered with scree and rocks, and the stretch from Trail Crest to the summit is basically 2+ miles of non-stop rock hopping in either direction. Halfway down switchbacks I saw a rather scary rockfall (human-sized rocks falling 500-1000 ft. and crashing into the "chute") which inspired me to get out of switchbacks ASAP. By the time I was to Trail Camp, my feet were hurting like heck, both from rock-hopping and general wear, and I had to hobble the rest of the way at a crawling pace. Got back to the trailhead at 4:30 PM.

General trail conditions: almost completely free of snow ("almost" because there's a short stretch, maybe 100-200 feet, just before the summit, with a well-traversed path through.) Way too much scree for my liking. Such nice views and you can't really look around without stopping, because you have to focus all attention on where to put your next step. There were some icy spots on switchbacks early in the morning, but they were melted by noon.

The number of people on the trail is rather low. By my rough estimate, on 6/18 the summit was reached by 45-50 people, not including those who went up Mountaineers Route and summited after 10 AM. That's compared to 100 overnight permits and 60 day use permits issued every day. I wonder if it's not an unintended consequence of the switch to the new online reservation system.

Timing:

Whitney Portal: 3:10 AM
Lone Pine Lake fork: 4:25 AM
Trail Camp: 6:30 AM
Trail Crest: 8:13 AM
Summit: 9:58 AM
Trail Crest: 11:25 AM
Trail Camp: 12:40 PM
Whitney Portal: 4:30 PM

Surveying damage done by this mad dash.

I see six blisters, including two large ones on each of the big toes. Both pinky toes hurt (looks like a mild case of runner's toe), but it looks like I'll get to keep the nails.

Maybe I just need more appropriate / better fitting shoes?

Thanks for the report, nice read and congrats.

Hurricane Alley... It is almost always windy when you get up onto that terrain.

If you find the secret to not having sore feet after ~22 miles of rough trail, please let us know... :-) If you're getting blisters, I'd look for different footwear...

Congratulations.

BTW: this is still early in the season.
The WPS was crazy every time I walked into it this past weekend... maybe you encountered a beginning of the week lull.

It was windier than usual. Weather report for Whitney Portal for last night: "Breezy, with a west wind between 18 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph."

http://timberlinetrails.net/WhitneyWeather.html

I wore these these shoes. Maybe it's a sizing issue and I need narrower shoes, or tighter lacing. Should I aim for no slippage between the foot and the sole when going downhill?

Great info-this first timer (next week) wants to hear about the water- how much did you carry and is the water running in he switchbacks? Did you change out socks at the top? What was the total weight you carried? Had you hiked this before? I can only pray my conditioning keeps altitude issues at bay which is he unknown I cant control.

Kurt Wedberg turned me on to using custom Superfeet foot beds in my boots and that has helped me a lot. Maybe if he's around I'll get him to chime in as to why since he could explain it better than I can.


Agree big time with that.

Eugene K: Thanks for posting your report. I have some friends hiking the MMWT this week. They didn't know about this board but I was able to pass links to this board and they can now view it.

I did not bring any water with me from the trailhead. There is water in multiple places along the trail, including the switchbacks, there's even some above the cables. I had a 24 oz water bottle and I refilled it when it ran out. I brought the basic necessities (first aid kit, flashlight, batteries, knife, etc), cookies, gels, and some electrolyte powder. I recommend bringing at least a couple of gels (GU or Clif), they are cheap, lightweight, and many people don't have much of an appetite for solid food at high altitude. At departure, my backpack weighed 6 lbs.

This was my third attempt. First time I tried to do it as a 2-day, I was carrying a tent, sleeping bags, a lot of water, it took me 7.5 hours just to get to Trail Camp and I was completely exhausted by that point. The second time was a day-hike attempt after a snowstorm, it was slow-going and I made it as far as the cables. Last summer I successfully day-hiked Mt Langley and had a few shorter day hikes in the Horseshoe Meadow area.



I see that they have trim-to-fit and custom-fit insoles. I can easily get trim-to-fit versions, but the closest place that sells custom-fit insoles is 6 hours away by car. Are trim-to-fit versions worth trying too?

Superfeet, along with Montrail and a number of other brands, are over-the-counter footbeds which offer more support than the liners that are placed in most shoes nowadays. They are not for everyone, and, like the boots themselves, they need to be tried on and walked on to determine if they are the right fit. Since each foot, and skeletal, structural alignment is different, the footbeds will alter your positioning and gait differently.

Unless you are already wearing inserts of some sort, it is also best, once you find the best fit for you, to "break in" the inserts: wear them one hour the first day, two hours the second day, and so on. The shift in alignment can affect structures all the way up the chain, and can, occasionally, be problematic to those with other issues such as low back pain.

I might also suggest that dehydration could play a role in your foot pain, as hands and feet can swell from that condition. You mentioned a headache, which could be anything, really, from mild AMS to dehydration to fatigue (you also mentioned lack of sleep).

Lastly, you mentioned the "lack of recent hiking experience", where your feet may just not have been accustomed to such a beating.

I only mention the last two considerations since I never recommend to my patients that they immediately go out and buy a bunch of stuff. Looking at all angles, there may be something else that contributed to your discomfort.

Congratulations on a great day!

-L

Eugene,

I am almost certain that my party ran into you several times during our hike on the same day. We were also coming down the switchbacks during the rock fall. Your timetable is very close to my group of 4. I was wearing a blue jacket. Anyway, congrats on a successful climb. It was my second day hike, my first being 5 years ago. Two people in my group had mild headaches and taking an asprin seemed to help. My feet took a beating as well, but fortunately no blisters. My boots were broken in and I use the same inserts recommended by Moosetracks. It is a strenous hike, so I don't think feeling a bit beaten up is unusual.

You saw me on the way back just past trail camp and I asked you if you saw the rock fall. Right? I had a light brown shirt, white framed sunglasses and a bucket hat.

I've been told that some of the reason we get foot fatigue is because as we walk our feet elongate every time they're weighted. this constant elongation causes fatigue. Having a foot bed molded to my feet seems to prevent the elongation and my feet get a lot less fatigued. I've only used the custom Superfeet footbeds. I've never tried the cut to fit versions so I can't speak for how well they work.

I think Laura (Moosetracks) above explained some things about insoles pretty well. I use custom Superfeet. I get them done at Adventure 16 in West LA, which is a 4+ hour drive from me. I just plan on doing it when I'm in the area for other things giving slideshows or flying out of LAX.

I'm enjoying reading all the reports of the Whitney area. Conditions up there are great right now and the Sierra weather has been spectacular lately!

Yep, that as us. Glad you made it. Hope your soreness subsides! All four in my group work together and our manager had a great time watching us walking around a little slower today.

I'm feeling much better already. Have a 20 mile bike ride in mind for tomorrow morning. I'll need to check out Adventure 16, there's a couple nearby, they weren't showing as custom-fit retailers on the Superfeet web site, must be an oversight.

Yeah they've been doing custom Superfeet for a long time. I don't know if every location does them though. Unless you're going to the West LA location (who I know does them) I suggest calling first. If you go to West LA ask for a sales guy named Alia. He does all of mine.

I want to check out the store anyway, never been there.

ddmansprty, did you see the guy who was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail? I saw him near the summit and I think he said that he was headed for Lone Pine to pick up something. I was wondering what happened to him.

We saw him at the store. He told me he had completed about 800 miles on the PCT. I'm sure he found a ride down to Lone Pine.

Kurt

What is the price diference between the custom Superfeet and the ones you have to trim?

Thanks!

Kurt, this question is off topic but are you going to give a lecture on your latest Everest experience?
I am very interested in up happened up there.

-Mark

I'm not sure the current costs on both of these. I'd call Adventure 16 and ask them: (310) 473-4574


Yes we will! Look for shows at Adventure 16 stores sometime in October. I usually do one at all 5 stores. At the West LA store my client Fred will be giving the show with me too. We just did one in Manhattan Beach and we had a great time with it. I'll do another Baldy hike before the show too. All of it will be posted on this board with details, dates, times, and locations.