Personally, I like the idea of hiking up Mt Dana if you are in Yosemite anyway. I did that 3 days before Whitney, but not for acclamation, just to see how I would react to the elevation, 13k feet. I also recommend very limited hiking the day before. Though a hike up to Lone Pine Lake to familiarize yourself with a portion of the trail you will be travelling in the dark is a good idea, I did that two days ahead. It's a pretty easy hike though (and nice views). You might consider it for the day before.
