Congratulations to everyone who was able to enjoy Mount Whitney this past week.
We had an incredible experience, and a successful summit. The weather was clear (stunning stars, but strong and unforgiving sun). Temperatures were in the 80s at the Portal and 60s at Trail Camp during the day; 30s at Trail Camp when the sun went down. We hiked up 6/4 to Trail Camp (started at 10:45 AM and got to Trail Camp at 3:15 PM), camped the night, and took the chute up the next morning (started at 3 AM and summited at 7:30 AM; the chute took 2.5 hours).
Training: I had run a marathon about a month ago, and hiked or ran every weekend leading up to this trip. This definitely helped me in the altitude. My husband, Conor, ran most days and we backpacked in the John Muir Wilderness the weekend before at about 9-10K feet. I wish we had more time to be in altitude, but we live at sea level and it’s hard to get to.
Altitude: Originally, we planned on doing this as a day hike on Sunday, but because we had time constraints (we had to be off of the trail by mid afternoon on Sunday), we changed our permit to overnight on Saturday. We got to the visitor's center lottery at 8 AM. We were really lucky that there was a cancellation right when we needed this overnight permit, but I think we would've gotten it anyway even if it meant we had to wait for the 11 AM lottery. The time at Trail Cramp to acclimate was worth carrying the weight for an overnight.
We both took Diamox (acetazolamide) 125 mg twice daily starting the day before and continuing until we descended. I think this really helped, and according to my research, studies show it’s 75% effective. We saw a few people suffer from altitude sickness, and it looked awful. We also drank a lot of water and ate things we know are appetizing to us. The altitude/sun/wind gave us both mild headaches and the breathing was tough, but that was the worst of it.
Equipment: We rented mountaineering boots, crampons, and ice axes from REI. We had bought microspikes, but returned them after reading some trip reports from May. I have relatively sturdy hiking boots (North Face Storm), and was able to use the crampons on them without using mountaineering boots. Conor has military desert boots, which don’t fit crampons and are not waterproof. Because it was a long ascent to Trail Camp where there was little snow, Conor did not want to do it in rented boots that he was not used to. So he carried the rented mountaineering boots, and used his regular hiking boots for the approach. It added weight to his pack, but he was able to deal with it (I probably wouldn’t have).
If doing the chute, the ice axes were a must because it is a lifeline. I’m not sure what people do without them to arrest a fall without one. The crampons were a nice on the chute, but not necessary. We saw several people with microspikes doing fine. There was a huge variety in the equipment people chose. Some people had everything – hiking poles, crampons, ice axes, and mountaineering boots. Others had just sneakers and nothing else. I even saw some people wearing crampons with trail running shoes.
Trail Conditions: The main trail was beautifully maintained, well-worn, and easy to follow up until Trail Camp. I did not see anyone attempt the switchbacks completely, and I think I saw someone fall from the cables. The chute had many boot tracks, and the stiff snow in the early morning made for a pretty easy ascent (all things considered). The trail after Trail Crest was a mixture of gravel, stones, and snow. We didn’t use our crampons and ice axes for this part, but opted for our hiking poles. Most of it was easy to get through, with the exception of one area where you had to go around rocks shortly after the intersection with the JMT. It was doable without more equipment than hiking poles, but required a lot of care. Microspikes would’ve been nice here because of the variety of trail conditions. Several people did this section fully with crampons, but it didn't look comfortable to be on solid rock with them. Heading from the summit back to Trail Crest, the snow remained firm for us with a few patches of ice, but I can see it getting sketchier with slushier/slippery conditions. The chute was the consistency of wet cement when we got there around 10 AM. We walked down to the less steep part where we felt more comfortable. We had never glissaded before, but the snow was slow enough that even I felt confident enough to try (I was really worried about it, and pretty sure I was going to walk down). It was very efficient and so much fun! The ice axe was key; I would not recommend glissading without an ice axe.
Pictures: My facebook album is open to the public. Search “Anusha McNamara” – I think I’m the only one out there ☺. Feel free to post them on here too.
Thank you so much for everyone contributing on this forum - it was very valuable information. Good luck to everyone with future permits, and enjoy this beautiful mountain!
