Day hiked the Mount Whitney Trail 10/20/12. Couldn't have asked for much better October weather. (Note the temperatures are forecasted to drop and the wind expected to pick up in the coming days) There are some very slick icy portions of trail. I highly recommend carrying a good pair of microspikes. Microspikes combined with trekking poles make ascending the 97 switchbacks and beyond a breeze, but they really shine on the way back down. The icy portions of the trail can be done with only microspikes or only trekking poles, but utilizing both will afford the most safety. I would like to thank everyone for their recent posts. This forum was an immense help in planning my hike.
