Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Mount Whitney Trail: Hiking in the Dark? Snow?

Hi,

I am planning on hiking up Mount Whitney via Mount Whitney Trail in end of May with one of my friends. We are both first-time Mount Whitney hiker (though we have both been to Half Dome in Yosemite) and we are planning on completing the 22-mile (15 hours) hike in one day. We plan on starting at Whitney Portal trailhead at 2am, summit at 10am, and be back at the trailhead at 5pm. Would someone please help me with the following questions?

- How hard is it to follow the trail in the dark? (We will be hiking in the dark for 4 hours from 2am to 6am until sunrise) A bright flashlight should be sufficient?

- Do we need snow axe? (I have never used one before. I am not sure if we need this due to the low level of snowfall this year, and we are going in late May which is almost summer time.)

- We will be driving from San Francisco, via 108 East toward Bridgepoint, then 398 South down to Lone Pine. We will be driving a Camry. Do you think we will need snow chain on the tires at any point?

- What is the chance that we will get high altitude sickness? Is there any medicine we should bring? (Both my friend and I hiked Half Dome before and didn't get sick. But again Half Dome is only 9000 feet, while Mount Whitney is 14000 feet.)

- What is the difficulty hiking Mount Whitney, comparing to Half Dome? (From what I heard: Half Dome is 17 miles / 10 hours with some climbing on steel cables at the end, while Mount Whitney is 22 miles / 15 hours class 1 no climbing... Does this sound about right?)

- We are planning on bringing 2-way radios so that we can talk to each other in case we get separated (though we try to stick together the whole time). Is that a good idea, or is there any other suggestion?

Thanks!

Flashlight? Got headlamps? New moon 05-20-12. First quarter 05-28-12.

Ice axe? If you have to go up the chute, yes, definitely (hope you know how to self-arrest or glissade). The cables section is covered in snow making that section treacherous. Keep in mind that once the sun no longer hits the chute, it freezes making glissading "hazardous to one's safety."

Snow chains? No.

Altitude sickness? Sea-level devils are prone to AMS. Ask Dr. for Rx for diamox. If not, acclimate!

Harder? Whitney.

Two-ways? Up to you. Best advice: Start together, stay together. No "Saturday Night Specials."

Have fun.

There is a risk of losing a trail. I lost the trail the first time I was there in early May
You need to have either a map and a compass and a good understanding of the logic of this trail or a GPS with a preloaded trail map

You do not need an ice axe in case you never used it. You can hurt yourself.

Nobody knows in advance.
How many days do you plan for you acclimatization?

What was your Half Dome time?
For me Half Dome hike (with cables down) was easy. However twice I turned back from the Whitney Crest.

I am not sure whether FRS/GMRS radios would work over the crest.
Bring them (they do not weight a lot) but do not trust your life to them.
A better suggestion is to hike together as a group (in case you have similar endurance).

Answering briefly:

Sonora Pass will be open and dry. Nice drive, quite scenic.

Altitude issues depend on your luck and acclimatization plan. How much time are you spending at altitude before you hike?

Two-way radios are line-of-sight. If one is waiting on the west side while the second is going to the summit, there will only be contact from the summit (maybe), and from the "windows", where you can see the Trail Camp area from the trail.

I think +@ti2d's "Saturday night special" is referring to one hiker coming down, and then alerting authorities that the other is missing. It is YOUR responsibility to be safe. If you separate, you are pretty much changing the plan to be two solo hikers. It is quite easy to never see each other again unless you make very concrete plans and decisions between the two of you. DO NOT leave a slower hiker behind on the way out!!! When someone is hiking slow, it is a symptom of worse things to come.

...adding more: I think the trail will be clear enough to hike without ice axe by mid May. (But that is only a guess.)

If the trail is clear of snow, I think it is very easy to follow, even in the dark. The one exception would be a short section of the trail above Mirror Lake. I'd leave the flashlight at home. Get an LED headlamp. It will be well worth the $50.

If you have never used an ice axe, you should probably turn around if they are needed. You won't know the trail conditions until it gets closer to your hike date. If the switcbacks are open, no ice axe necessary.

While not an absolute, I doubt you will need chains.

I got altitude sickness the first time I was on the whitney trail. It kicked in around 12,500' and it was debilitating. You really need to acclimate if you want to be assured that you won't get it. But then again, some people are more susceptible than others. Diamox can provide some relief.

Personally, I'd leave the radios at home.

" There is a risk of losing a trail. I lost the trail the first time I was there in early May
You need to have either a map and a compass and a good understanding of the logic of this trail or a GPS with a preloaded trail map"

Q: I got a map from Google but that is not a detailed map. Where do I go about getting a detailed trail map?

" Nobody knows in advance.
How many days do you plan for you acclimatization?"

Q: So far we do not have plan for acclimatization yet. We plan on driving from San Francisco to Lone Pine the day before, get some sleep at the hotel, then go out and start hiking at 2am...

"What was your Half Dome time?"

Q: My Half Dome time was 10 hours.

REI has maps...


The most important question from us to you is this:

Do you have a permit to hike the Mt. Whitney Trail?



I remember those beer commercial ads:

Know when to say when.

You can find online Mt Whitney maps in our Links to important Whitney information

Yes we got the permits already. Thanks.

Trails Illustrated, National Geographic, Internet.

In case you have limited time, I would recommend to start Friday afternoon and spend the first time near Tioga Pass for the sake of acclimatization.

You are reasonably fit and have a rather good chance of reaching the Mt.Whitney summit.
Just spend some time on this site researching acclimatization and learning the trail.

Hiking in the dark can be a beautiful experience or a disaster. You've received good advice from others, but let me tell you some of the benefits from my perspective.

After midnight, fewer mosquitoes. (I know I'll got differing opinions on this...)

You are forced to walk much more slowing, thereby enabling you to more fully enjoy the experience. Zen, anyone?

Cooler temperatures.

Fewer people on the trail; just the brave and/or foolish. More solitude, if you like that; fewer hello's and hi's to which to respond, and not many anti-social-thru-hikers, running to keep on their tight schedules.

More animals are around that tend to hide from people during the daylight hours...for instance:

Deer tend to browse at night during the Summer months; you might see two glowing yellow eyes about level with your face...don't worry...it's not a tall mountain lion...it's Bambi's clan having a nice feed in the nearby meadow.

At lower elevations, Mr. and Mrs. Racoon and family will be up an about; they scamper up into trees on the approach of humans.

Snakes: Nada; too cold...they've gone underground to stay warm.

Mountain lions and Bobcats: You'd be lucky to see one..especially the one watching you...eeek.

Rabbits and their hunter, the Coyote. If you camp on snow, you might see tracks of both near your tent in the morning.

Their is one creature you probably won't see at night in the mountains: most rangers go to bed after dark. So...if you don't have a wilderness use permit...hike at night! (Sorry, George...)

In one esteemed study of 1800 whitney attempters a few summers back, about 75% of all asked had symptoms of altitude illness. Inasmuch as that included the people who had acclimatized a bit, the odds for someone who has not, is probably over 90%.

If I were doing what you are doing, I'd take Diamox 125 mg or so at bedtime only starting two days before you leave, and the nite you spend in Lone Pine.

You're odds otherwise are probably 50-50. The Diamox probably increases it to 80%.

Hike together, get a good map, use headlamps.

Altitude will be your biggest issue on this hike. If you can, get to Tioga Pass the weekend before (or even closer to the hike), and climb Mt Dana. That will put you up at 13k for a short time, and might help with the acclimatization.

On the hike, drink LOTS of water -- something like a pint an hour. When people hike at altitude, they often don't feel thirsty and don't drink. The dehydration will cause Altitude sickness to set in a lot sooner. Bring electrolyte powder to add to the water - many people suggest half strength. Last water is at switchback #22 above Trail camp. Take three liters from there: one for the switchbacks, one for after Trail Crest, and one for the trip back. And read up on water filters -- old timers dip and drink -- no filter or anything, which saves weight, time and energy.

Bring snacks -- granola bars, trail mix, candy bars. Eat often, and keep in mind that altitude kills the appetite, so eat more early into the hike, since you may not be able higher up.

To answer your questions....

Trail...it's not to hard to follow since you will be joined good slug of like minded headlight wearing hikers. The problem comes during the descent when you are whooped and not concentrating. The section between Trailside Meadow and Mirror Lake can cause some geographic ambiguity.

Ice Pick and Clampons...It's May, and even though it is May and the trail may have been forced through cables this year. You should be planning on bringing and using this gear. At the very least you should have will most likely use Microspikes. Never go higher than you can safely descend.

Chains...The passes are open or closed. If they are open, they are clear and you will not need chains.

Half Dome/Whitney...Half Dome is cake compared to Whitney. I do the comparable to Half Dome most weekends during the summer. Whitney 22-miles RT, starting at the elevation Half Dome finishes.

Radios...I hate radios. They are annoying but they do work.

Questions part deux...

Map...I've never pulled it out while on the trail. For someone using the trail, the best security blanket maps are produced by Whitney Portal Store, followed by Tom Harrison Cartography.

Acclimatization...Depends on the individual. Wifey can go up the same day, me, without drugs, more than two days.

Time...It will be more than your think in the best conditions and longer than that in May, if there is any snow at all around.

Thanks. Where do I get Diamox 125mg? Do they sell it at regular drug store like Walgreens? Is there any side effect? How effective is it?

Why am I starting to doubt the seriousness of this post?

diamox requires a prescription.

if you google "diamox side effects" you'll get tons of information.

Took you long enough.

You know what? My girl found the thread where I was pretend-flirting with you, and then got pretend-mad. It was awesome.

Actually, it was annoying.

Take that good flashlight!