Got it! Just curious - which one of these two is more popular? When I pull up a trail map it doesn't explicitly call out the "new" vs. the "old" trail.
The new trail is the only one you'll likely see on most maps and is what most people use.
You can't miss the entrance at the portal. Clear sign and a kind of a jungle gym wood structure to go through to start/finish.
The old trial I only heard about here a couple months ago with the discussions about a shortcut. I did see the route down when I came down from Whitney, but didn't feel like experimenting at the time.
4L per person ☺️
I will note that I manged with 4 liters from Guitar lake, overnight at the Summit, and all the way down to the portal (although I should have gotten a little more at Outpost Camp). Not quite as long as a round trip from the portal though or as much elevation gain.
So maybe 4 liters each will be enough (but everyone is different). 5-6 liters would make more sense to me if you don't want to use trail water.
Being ready to use trail water would still be a good idea if you run out. Maybe having a Sawyer filter and squeeze bottle to get more water if needed is a good idea.
