Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Mt Whitney Hiking Dates Calendar

ejsurfs wrote:
> We recently decided to scratch the 5/21 hike and go white water rafting in Three Rivers instead.

Sounds fun, ej. There should be LOTS of water coming through when you go. If you get any pictures on that trip, we'd love to see them.


andeo2L wrote:
> Group of 4, Day Hike Summit on June 23. So excited!!!

You're on the calendar, andeo. Good luck!

My other 3 guys bailed on me this morning (it was always a possibility, even though they really wanted to do this). So I deleted my own entry in the calendar, and will be working on trying to put together a "Plan B group" of people I know from out here who might be interested, but later in the summer (my preferred time to do Whitney), and then trying to get the permits switched.

CaT

Re: Dates for the Mt. Whitney Calendar

Steve C.,

Lynn-a-roo and the other Angels' dates are:

Mt. Whitney Main Trail
Portal Store for Pancakes and Coffee: 9/17 early am
Enter Main Trail: 9/17
Exit Main Trail: 9/19
Portal Store: 9/19 for Burgers, Fries and Beer

Oh, I guess I forgot some info in my last email.

Steve,

Party of 4 Angels

Friday, September 16th, Lone Pine - Dow Villa (sweet dreams)

I like the Portal Store Yo-Yo, very fitting.

2 for Main Trail overnight enter on July 25th exit on July 29th

Our lottery dates are June 17-19. We have 4 dads and 8 kids, ages 12 to 16. We're a little overwhelmed about facing the snow challenge. My 12 year-old son plowed up Half Dome last summer, and he has the stamina for a big hike, but none of us has any experience with hiking in snow, and I understand there is going to be a lot of it. I've gotten different advice from different people, but it seems dicey to think about having our first experience with snow shoes or crampons and ice axe be on the trail. Should we just concede that we'll go until we can't go anymore and turn around?

raynrunner, there will definitely be snow above Trailcamp. And there may be a boot track through it going via the switchbacks. If that is the case, then hiking poles may be all you need. Watch the reports and see when the first people start using the switchbacks.

If the cables section of the switchbacks is still impassable, then the alternative is to climb the snow slope just to the west. In that section, crampons would be helpful, but may not be mandatory. Like I said, watch for conditions.

With that many people, you should expect that some will not be in condition to go above Trail Camp anyway. Altitude affects some people more severely, and those more affected will not want to continue. So do have a plan for some to hang back and wait for others to go farther and return.

Be sure to read the Orientation Notes (above on the left), especially about the altitude.

Good luck!

We did have a great time whitewater rafting this weekend on the Kaweah near Sequoia. During the week the weather cooled off though so that slowed the snow melt thus lowering the river levels and making our rafting trip less thrilling. I was hoping for levels 2000+ but got more like 1500-. They say by mid June the water level will be raging.

Had a great time in Sequoia though, snow still hanging out starting at 4500 feet. Saw a momma bear and two cubs, lots of mule deer, a small fox, and a mountain lion!!! The park was deserted by the time we left it around 9pm.

Looking forward to my first attempt at Whitney on 6/18. My husband has wised up and decided not to go with me on the Whitney trip. Any suggestions on how to find a partner? Or is it better to go it alone? since I'm not really alone thanks to everyone else on the mountain hiking.

Hey everyone! I don't know how to post on here properly yet so sorry if I'm doing this wrong! : )

My dates for Whitney are: July 9th and 10th
I have 2 permits, I'm hoping my friend is going to go with me but he is not 100% on it yet. So maybe there other people I can meet up there as well?? This will be my first major hike and I'm a little anxious but confident about it.

Welcome, Rochelle! Looks like your posting is ok.

I've put you into the calendar. I take it you're doing an overnighter.

Make sure you read up on altitude issues. Good place to start is the Orientation Notes (above on the left).

If your friend doesn't go, go by yourself! You will NOT be alone, since there will be at least 200 others hiking the trail that day.

I had a last minute cancellation for my Saturday (tomorrow) plans. I'm going to head up in the morning and get a quick hike in. Since I don't have a permit I'll either go to LPL, LBSL or perhaps even scout out the meysan trail.

I'm canceling my 6/4 trip due to the current forecast. Pushing it back a week to the 11th (and hoping weather will be good). Going solo and will give a report.

Hi Steve,
Thanks so much for doing this! I love the calendar idea. If the trail is sketchy (recent snows) I will be looking for others who have done the trail before to go with us. We have a couple of open slots on our permit. We are planning to head out between 4 and 5 AM, 6/11, for a day hike on the Main Trail and will be camping 6/10 at Whitney Portal Trailhead. We have four committed hikers and six slots that keep filling up and emptying out as people realize they haven't really trained enough to feel comfortable with a day hike. We are pretty well seasoned (mostly greying) avid mountain hikers with no serious snow and ice climbing experience whatever. We've been practicing smallish (2-3,000 foot) ascents with crampons and ice axes, but none of us has done Mt. Whitney before. I am concerned about losing the track and about AMS. We have a couple of people who haven't been over 12,633 feet and I understand that many people aren't affected by AMS until they hit 13,000 feet. If somebody is usually fine at 12,500 feet, can they be reasonably sure of being ok at 14,500 feet? Thanks for your help!
Annette

Welcome Annette! Maybe 2600F.A. will join you, since he's going the same day now. I hope we get some reports from people after this weekend.

As for losing the track: There are several routes from Outpost Camp to Trail Camp: The main trail, or over snow. If the snow is melting out, use the trail. Once you get to Trail Camp, you won't have any trouble.

As for the altitude: You cannot be reasonably sure of being ok at the summit, if you felt ok at 12,500. That is the zone where it really affects many people. I take a little Diamox myself starting the day before. If there is any way you can, spend two nights at the Portal before you start up. Those two nights make a big difference over a single night.

Thanks, Steve! I'll look for 2600FromAtari.
I am kind of scared of Diamox, too... I don't react well to stuff generally and I've heard you should practice with it, too, but I haven't done so. What's someone so fearful doing planning this sort of thing, I wonder? And, of course, we can't really manage another day off work, sad though that is. All of us have managed a 3,300 feet elevation climb (Mt Humphrey) on top of a 7,500 ft elevation gain drive in a single day within the last week or two without ill effect. I hope that bodes well. Again, thanks for your kindness. I will post to the first-timers thread when we return.

We have a couple of open slots for June 11th day hike, camping at Whitney Portal. We're starting between 4 and 5AM. (Probably more like 5AM). We're pretty fast on the flats, 3.5 mph or better but at least one of the four committed in our group will probably get a whole lot slower once we hit the switchbacks at Trail Camp. Hard to say what will happen after that. I am interested in hiking with someone who has done this before. You interested in joining us?

Annette,
1) I started using Diamox this year. For me, it is not a magic bullet but does help with the altitude. If I take two pills the day before, I can go up San Gorgonio here in Southern California with little effect besides an Ibuprofen halfway up. I'm coming directly from sea level to 11,500 for this hike though.
2) I've been up Whitney twice. Both times, I felt no effect until Trail Crest. At that time, it hit me almost instantly like a sledge hammer.
3) I would be happy to help out, but there are some complications, maybe we'll meet on the trail. First, I'm planning on starting at 2 AM. That was when I started last November with snow and I did not get back until past 10 PM!!! The snow level right now looks the same like it did last time, so I'm not taking any chances by leaving later. I met a fellow poster (dolbybear) there, and I think we were two of only three people up on the summit that day. Second, you're going too fast for me. I average less than 2 mph on the trail. I cannot, and will not go any faster. My muscles are fine, my quads can handle Whitney back to back, but my cardio and head are not up to the task. Last time I powered up San Jacinto and passed everyone like they were standing still. Problem was, when I reached the summit, I got AMS so bad, my speech slurred, and I was walking like a drunk. I'm very susceptible to AMS and any pace beyond "conversation pace" will kill my head.
4) If you're doing 3.5 mph, you'll catch up to me. I have a GPS so even if we lose the trail on the way back and it's dark, we can find our way back. I have the main trail's track and waypoints already saved.
5) Again, I'll be happy to answer any questions or help, but keep in mind that I'm not an experienced mountaineer by any stretch of the imagination. I'll be staying at the Horseshoe Meadows campground to acclimate...

2600: Is the Main Trail GPS track from your own hike, or did you pull it from someplace on the web? I'd like to post a link to it someplace here.

Also, if you folks would like, I can provide you with some flagging tape so you can recognize each other. Here's the thread: Let Our Freak Flag Fly

...or you could meet someplace at the Portal the evening before the hike.

Update on my trip. Now have plane tickets requiring slight acceleration of the pace. We will go for the summit on the 20th or 21st to make a flight out of San Jose on the 23d. Acclimating at Durst Creek and environs for two days, hitting the HST at Crescent Meadow on Monday the 11th. This will still allow a couple of layovers, peaks, or a flyer to Lake South America.

BTW I now have a party of five and permit for 8. I think that means I can offer safe passage through the Whitney Zone via JMT to 3 folks, if you can to join up at Crabtree around the 19th.

Steve,
It's funny that I've recorded almost all of my hikes, but have accidentally deleted them all. The GPS file is from this site, but you'll have to create an account.

http://www.everytrail.com/ http://www.everytrail.com/

You'll love the site. It has tracks for hikes from around the country. In case people don't want to sign up, I've uploaded one of the tracks to RapidShare here:

https://rapidshare.com/files/1534502120/Whitney_MT_Use.gpx https://rapidshare.com/files/1534502120/Whitney_MT_Use.gpx