FWIW, some relevant trip report info just posted on another thread:
Past Trail Crest, the remaining 2 miles to the summit are much more difficult than I had anticipated due to the combination of altitude and rough trail. The amazing views more than made up for the difficulty of the hike, but don't underestimate that section even though there's less elevation gain.
Despite being in good shape - currently run a couple of marathons per year and do crossfit 3-4 times per week - it took over 8 hours to reach the summit. I could have pushed and gone faster (or carried less weight), but the hike was more physically demanding than I had expected. In hindsight leaving some of my extra items in my pack at the intersection of the JMT trail would have been a good idea.
Descent back to Whitney Portal took about 6 hours - making for an almost 15-hour round trip.Full TR
here .
And another FWIW: at 14.5K' there is approximately 16% less oxygen in the air than at 10K'. That is significant, especially if you're exerting in an oxygen-indebted or barely oxygen-balanced way. Almost guaranteed to bring on AMS in most folks.
