Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Two Firsts in One Trip

The odor bags would be useful for containing the odors of your WAG bag.

Yes, take the canister. (it's not the bears, it's the marmots!) Unless you want to worry about the critters getting into your food, you will take a canister. They chew through anything and everything (except a canister) to get the last crumbs!

I've never had a bear bother my food but I have had the elfin bears do damage. Most problems with food are from user error.

I have left food out and walked away to do something and a Trail Camp Marmot, a different breed as far as I'm concerned, walked away with all my breakfast foods.

You don't need a canister above the tree line. However, your food has to be hung so the little non-climbing varmints can't get to it.

Ahhh... irony... how I love thee...

So I went out a got a Garcia bear canister and some other stuff. I swear, for trying to do this on the cheap, this is turning out to be quite an expensive trip.

You can rent the canisters from the Visitor Center where you pick up your permit, and also from the Whitney Portal Store (and maybe the W.P. Hostel).

Had you just made time to meet, young padawan, I would have steered you away from unnecessary gear purchases, etc. You'll learn eventually. By then, it will beeee tooooo late......

you guys crack me up!

Burchey, I think I speak for all of us in expressing gratitude for your girlfriend's taming influence. If this is the tamer, more sensitive you, I'm not sure we could handle the beast fully unleashed ;-)

Brent

Bring it on. I'm bored.

Situation is this:

I spend all day in an office, battling the politics, dearth of logic, and rampant stupidity that comes with such a gig.

I often spend my free time trying to reason with a seemingly unreasonable creature - my woman.

On top of that, I subject myself to (and have been thrown off of) online mountaineering forums that offer 5% useful information, about 80% garbage, and 15% someone getting their feelings hurt.

Why do I do it to myself?

In light of this information, it's a wonder that I'm as kind and understanding as I come across in my responses to often "poorly crafted posts" on the forum. My patience does have its limits.

I think this new habit of putting my favorites in my signature will help with the pain. This thread has become toxic!

Not sure how the "seemingly unreasonable creature" is going to take that one, but your posts amuse and inform. Keep them coming.

Brent

Made it. Wasn't that hard, more mental than physical.

By the way, didn't really get any related altitude sicknesses. I was breathing pretty hard after trail crest though. I think if I had spent two days at trail camp may have helped.

But, for you experienced people, I did have a bit of blood in my snot, is this common or cause for concern?

Probably not. The air is pretty dry up there, and it can wreak havoc with the membranes in your nose.

Nice work! I knew you could do it!

Congratulations! Nice picture, too.

> By the way, didn't really get any related altitude sicknesses.
20-25% of Whitney hikers don't. You must be in that group.

> I was breathing pretty hard after trail crest though.
That's not AMS. Everyone sucks wind!

> I think if I had spent two days at trail camp may have helped.
It helps. But I'd need to spend 2 nights at 10k.

> But, for you experienced people, I did have a bit of blood in my snot, is this common or cause for concern?
My nostrils have scabs for a few days after a climb.

Nice job getting up, were you able to stick to your plan? You should throw up a trip report if you don't plan to already.

Also, you can't go around posting up pictures with you holding the American flag. We know what that REALLY means...you don't like Mexicans. You racist.

Congratulations.

My May trip up the MMWT remains my favorite trip up that trail.

Steve sums it it up pretty well but let me add, when I do a three day trip in the Sierra, I feel best the last day. I'm starting to handle the higher elevations better and sleeping a bit better...although sleep never comes easy above 11,000' for me.

Why do you think I'm leaving CA for North Carolina?


It was funny because I'd say every other person I passed would ask "Are you by yourself!!!" and I say "yeah" then they would follow it up with "How much weight you carrying" and I say "About 55lbs" and they just had this priceless look on their face. To be honest though, I pretty much had a need for everything I took, except made some food and a thermal fleece. Which would have dropped my weight by 5lbs at most I'm guessing.

I ended up just going up the mountain once. I realized carrying that large of a load up the chute probably had a high chance for disaster.

Day 1 (Sun) - Went to trail camp, left at 915, arrived around 3
Day 2 (Mon) - Went up the chute to the summit, left at 7, got back to trail camp around 330. Ended up staying there for the night
Day 3 (Tues) - Left trail camp at 7, got back to the portal around 11

By the way, from what I gathered, using the switchbacks at this point is conceivable, I saw a few people using them coming down. I would say that it would take more time than the chute do to snow patches on it, but overall doable if you don't want crampons or an ice axe.

I checked my pictures from May 2007, the last light snow year. The two of them look like they were taken at the same time. However, the switchbacks were blocked at the cables in 2007.

If people were going down that way, they most likely came up the same way. If not, they were in for a big surprise when they reached them. I have twice watched people try to get through there when they were blocked...it's not pretty.

Haha, you're heading for NC as well? I'll most likely be living near Asheville next year this time. No es porque no me gustan los mexicanos, sin embargo. Quiero vivir cerca de la familia. Way to set a goal and attain it. The mountains in NC will prove to be much less of a challenge I'm sure.