Mt Whitney Zone Forums Trip Reports TR: Mt Whitney Day Hike / Tuesday 8/14

Hello, this here is my trip report for my Whitney ascent.

I arrived in Lone Pine on Saturday.

I had initially booked a stay at the Best Western but they had "overbooked" (whatever that means) and I had no room (expletive deleted). Thankfully, the Comfort Inn down the road had plenty of vacancy.

On Sunday, I drove up to Horseshoe meadow (thanks SteveC for the tip) for a little acclimatization hike. Started at 6:30 and went up Mulkey pass, then Trail pass and finally Cottonwood. Weather started acting up so I headed down to my car. Made it back at Noon sharp.

On Monday, I drove up to HM again. Started at 5am and went up Cottonwood pass to Cirque. Exactly as I was told on the BBoard, pretty easy hike as long as you don't mind the scrambling part near the top. Was wearing my trail runners so yes, I rolled my ankle. Twice. Glad I brought my boots. Made it back to my car around 1pm.

Monday night went to bed at 6pm and woke up at 1am.

Tuesday. Started at 2am at the portal with 3 liters of water, one quart of Gatorade, a bag of salted almonds, poncho and wag bag.

Starry night and a moon sliver was beautiful. Uneventful climb until Trailside Meadow. Got there just in time for sunrise. Made the mistake of looking up...and saw the tiny dots heading up the 97 switchbacks. Yikes.

Made it to Trail Crest at 9am. The view was amazing. That part of the trail coming down was nasty. Silt and rain had made it slippery as heck. Breathing got really hard at that point but no headache or nausea. Met two idiots near the first needle, one sprawled across the trail puking and the other one egging him one to keep going. Told that guy if he cared about his buddy, they should head down now. They ignored me.

I pushed on past the 2nd and 3rd needle and made it to the top at 11:30am. Took a few pics, ate a snack and headed down at 11:45am.

Weather got bad quick. Neared Trail Crest in the clouds. Headed down the switchbacks with hail, wind, thunder and lightning. Trail became a river of mud. I seeked shelter behind a boulder but got cold quick so I decided to keep pushing til I reached the treeline.

By the time I got to Lone Pine lake, weather had cleared up. I kept going. I got back to my car at 5:10pm.

Ate a massive bacon cheeseburger at the Portal store. Felt darn good.

Water strategy: drank 3 sips from Camel back every 5 minutes. Worked for me.
Food strategy: ate little during the ascent. From Sunday to Monday, ate like pig. Chips, cookies, bread, beer, burgers, pasta, you name it.
Footwear: wear boots. You'll be glad you did.
Exercise plan: I run 5K three times a week.

There you have it.

Ps: Nature called at 14,000 feet. Boy, it was cold.

Nice report, Chris.

Did you carry all your water from the trailhead or did you add more along the way?

Don't you love the crazies pushing on in spite of puking on the way up?

Thanks Steve

I had all my water with me. 3 liters Camel back and quart of Gatorade. IMHO more than that is overkill. Worst case, bring one of those fancy filters, water was flowing everywhere!!

As far as the idiots, I think it is a topic in its own. I really sorry for them if they got caught in that weather. But hey, we are all adults.

Hey thanks for the post CinLB. Very helpful as my friends & I are going up next week. I particularly cued in on the pigging out part 2 days prior, & boots over trail runners. I wore my trail runners up White the other day. They weren't very useful on the rocks on/near the summit. I wished I had worn my boots.....

-cat b.

> I had all my water with me. .... Worst case, bring one of those fancy filters

Those options are certainly ok, but just so you know, some people just dip and drink. I stopped filtering after reading enough about the issues. Links in the "Important Info" post in the Reference forum.

Hi Chris, nice report -- short and to the point (in fact, you didn't say what you did all day Monday; guess it wasn't worth mentioning).

Was this your first ascent? I get the feeling it was, but sounds like you did your homework, and got yourself conditioned for the hike. Nice to see a plan come off without a hitch (except for the hotel; not your fault). And you made good time!

As a Scoutmaster, I can't recommend doing this solo (gotta set a good example for the boys). Yes, some will say that the Whitney Trail is so crowded that you're never alone, but if you got hurt bad enough, it would require strangers to alter their plans to help you. Better to bring a buddy.

Anyway, I'm not here to judge, and I haven't been on the MWT for a few years now, and I'm envious of everybody who goes up there. Glad you had a good time with no incidents.

-- Rich in Los Al

CatB-

As far as food, I did some reading on ultra runners.

Few days prior to a race, these guys eat up to 15,000 calories a day. I did the same (not to that level though) and it seemed to work out.

Besides, if you do a day hike, it is highly likely you will lose weight. I lost 5 pounds.

Regarding runners over boots debate, IMHO, your ankles will thank you for protecting them with boots.

Chris.

Thanks Rich!

I spend Sunday & Monday afternoon parked at HM eating lunch, listening to my book on tape and taking a little nap. I guess it paid off to stay at that elevation a little longer.

First ascent indeed. I did prepare myself since last September actually. Reading up on the area, learning about weather ("Freedom of The Hills"), acclimatization hikes mapping and physical fitness (dropped 22 pounds in the process).

As far as solo hiking, I am old enough to know when I am out my league. My Dad took me to Mt Blanc (French Alps - 15,404 ft) when I was 16. The experience turned me from a numbskulled teen into a young man. Most importantly, it taught me that ego & pride have no place in this case of kind of environment: it can get you killed.

I was within my comfort zone this past Tuesday, even when weather got bad. Then again, what worked for me may not work for anybody else...

Chris.

That's funny you mentioned ultrarunners as one of the guys I'm going up with is one. But we've never had a discussion about 'loading' before a race. He's run up/down the Whitney trail in the past & he's already talking about doing it twice next week. Not the same day but subsequent days. We will be camping on the trail. I suppose if I'm feeling good enough I might try it a second time also....

-cat

Google 'Dean Karnazes Pizza' for example or read this Wired.com article . On the other hand, you have a guy like Scott Jurek who's fully vegan.

Whatever works for you.