Hi 2600FromAtari!
Thanks for the info! I am pretty sure I can get a prescription for diamox from my doc but I might just try and see how I do. I am a little worried about my son: he used to get pretty sick at elevations under 13,000 feet but now seems pretty much the same as I am (mostly unaffected). I will hike with him, so if he is having problems with the altitude, we'll have to turn back until he recovers. I don't like the idea of taking meds unless we really need them to be safe. We'll be fast at first, mostly because we like hiking that way. When we get to the switchbacks, we'll be down to 2 mph if all goes well and after that I we might be down to 1 mph. I figure if we leave at 5, get to Trail Camp in 3 hours, get up the switchbacks to Trail Crest by 4.5 hours, get to to the Summit by 7.5 hours, I think we'll be doing really well. If we can't summit by 3PM, we'll turn around.
Another topic: boots. I hate them but one can't very well NOT wear them on Mt. Whitney in snow. I live in a desert and usually hike and run in sandals but I am not so completely insane as to try Mt. Whitney in them. Unfortunately, I just killed the one pair of boots I've hated less than most. Twice up Piestewa Peak two Sundays ago in the 103+ heat and the soles of both were flapping in the breeze. They were a Vasque model no longer made. Got new Gore-Tex Vasques (the kind my kids swear by), and got blisters (one superficial, one super deep) on their maiden vogage. Now I REALLY hate these boots. I don't blister much usually. Debating taking these back to REI and getting something less beefy, vs. getting Superfeet insoles vs. just wearing multiple cushioned layers of socks. I did get a wide boot because I heard concerns about feet swelling; the wide boot may have contributed to the blisters.
Thanks for any suggestions you might have!
Best regards,
Annette
