Hi Steve,
Thanks so much for doing this! I love the calendar idea. If the trail is sketchy (recent snows) I will be looking for others who have done the trail before to go with us. We have a couple of open slots on our permit. We are planning to head out between 4 and 5 AM, 6/11, for a day hike on the Main Trail and will be camping 6/10 at Whitney Portal Trailhead. We have four committed hikers and six slots that keep filling up and emptying out as people realize they haven't really trained enough to feel comfortable with a day hike. We are pretty well seasoned (mostly greying) avid mountain hikers with no serious snow and ice climbing experience whatever. We've been practicing smallish (2-3,000 foot) ascents with crampons and ice axes, but none of us has done Mt. Whitney before. I am concerned about losing the track and about AMS. We have a couple of people who haven't been over 12,633 feet and I understand that many people aren't affected by AMS until they hit 13,000 feet. If somebody is usually fine at 12,500 feet, can they be reasonably sure of being ok at 14,500 feet? Thanks for your help!
Annette
