Mt Whitney Zone Forums Trip Reports Whitney on June 12

no ice/snow equipment needed. Just be careful by the cables on the switchbacks, it still could be kind of a narrow trail, blocked partially by the snow.

For day hikers make sure to climb other challenging mountains of at least 10,000 feet, like San Jacinto, a minimum of three times within three month of climbing Whitney, like once a month. After that try Whitney. We took 22 hours to complete the hike to the top and back to Whitney Portal. This hike was very, extremely difficult, life threatening for me and my wife. We thought we were prepared for the challenge but we weren't. On our way up we met many hikers that did not make it to the top and returned defeated, but after the switchbacks we met other hikers coming back that had climbed Whitney many times , all different ages. We met a nine year old that climbed it on his second attempt and an old couple, I am guessing 70 years old....age is not a factor, but your resistance to thin air.

Make sure not to eat any food the day of the climb, a friend of mine recommended a few teaspoons of MCT oil along the way. I had some oatmeal before the switchback, and after that I had repeated heartburn after that. I could feel the oatmeal burning stomach/esophagus all my way up the switchback and beyond, intermittently. Same thing happen to my wife after eating half an apple before the switchback. The switchback is not the only challenging sections but also Whitney itself, when climbing up the last part to reach the top, at 14,000, it is dreadful. Climb San Jacinto at least twice before Whitney withing a couple of month of your climb ....that is my best recommendation

I'm sure you'll get many an argument on this point. Steady small amounts of food (and hydration) is seen as key to success.

The Whitney dayhike will burn 5 to 10 thousand calories.

That's the first time I've ever heard anyone recommend that! Based on the recommendations in
this book, as well as members of this forum, I try to consume 2-3k calories on a Whitney dayhike.

jc9922: It sounds like you and your wife got a pretty good case of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). I don't know why they stuck "Acute" in front of it -- it is just plain Mountain Sickness. Many people start feeling the effects on the switchbacks, which is where your issues seem to have begun.

Most people need to spend two nights above 8000' elevation to help acclimate. Staying at 10,000' is even better.

Eating small amounts and often, especially lower on the trail (before AMS kills the appetite) is the best way to hike Whitney.

Never heard anyone say "not" to eat. Your body is going to need all the energy it can get to make it up that mountain.

Actually Steve there are several disorders
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)
Subacute Mountain Sickness- not official name,several variants
Chronic Mountain Sickness (CMS) - especially in Andeans
Brisket Disease - Bovine equivalent of one human altitude illness (sort of like 2nd and 3rd one above)

MCT oil is not on the radar

Seriously. I was doing great on day hike this weekend, but had real trouble keeping my pace once I hit Trail Crest. I'm pretty sure I bonked when my body just ran out of energy. I had only had 400 calories all day long and had been burning them like a steam engine. When I got to trail crest I had a Cliff bar, but it was too little too late. My pace dropped off and I was sluggish in every step. Those last two miles at half the pace were harder than the first nine moving quickly.

My plan was to fuel with gels every hour or so on the way up, but now I see that wasn't nearly enough.

The moral of this story?

Eat more, not less!

Thanks, Harvey.

Googling the sub acute mountain sickness turns up information about people dying of congestive heart failure due to prolonged exposure to high altitudes. You would think that would be described more as the "acute" version.

"MCT" turns up "Medium-Chain Triglycerids," a category of oils manufactured from palm and cocoanut oils. They are said to help with treating food absorption disorders. I wonder if it would help people with AMS after they lose their appetite.

Mastiff: Many people hit the AMS threshold after Trail Camp. Eating more earlier would help. But acclimatization might help more.

I also went up June 12. While I didn't stick to my original meal plan, it wasn't due to a lack of appetite or heart burn, I was just behind schedule and didn't want to stop long enough to unpack the food I still had. Lol. I still consumed 800 calories of GORP, two granola and nut bars, and 60 ounces of sweetened green tea (Sobe). I had planned to have more GORP at summit and Trail Camp. I credit my lack of AMS symptoms to much more liquid (176 ounces) and more food than I have consumed on past hikes above 8000 feet elevation. If I do it again, and I do plan to, I'm going to take less water and have a fanny pack up front full of GORP to make frequent snacking easier.

I also met the older couple both on Tuesday, hiking up to Lone Pine Lake, and again near the summit on Thursday. Great people. They have summited Mt Shasta ad well 3 times, and this was the guy's 2nd time up Whitney.

+1

I would have eaten more on my hike if it was easily accessible.

Sorta cart before the horse in both instances, Steve.
Congestive Heart Failure of high altitude may sound acute, but is a chronic condition. Takes months or years to develop. Key word you quoted = "Prolonged exposure"

AMS pts have no absorption problem, just nausea (and sometimes vomiting). That is not a malabsorption problem (that is for describing things that do or do not happen "downstream" ie usually small bowel, and also not just a day or two. Again, a much more prolonged timeframe. AMS pts get over their nausea (either by acclimatization, or descent)

I consume MCTs (usually in the form of coconut milk) during the low carb portion of my days. The theory is that consuming it encourages your body to use fat as a fuel source.

I've heard of marathon runners that don't want to consume carbs using MCT during a race, as well as runners not consuming anything during a marathon, but they're not going 12, 15, 20 hours without food.

Harvey, I'm working on a post re the long-term consequence of multiple AMS occurrences from a personal perspective. In the next few days, I should have a definite diagnosis.

Will be a new thread, because thread drift.

And most importantly, to me, chowing down a few kazillion calories in the 24-36 hours prior to the hike in the form of complex carbs that will still be with you on summit day. Pasta is my personal choice. My appetite always goes on strike above 12K', so I really load up beforehand. My last two times up Whitney my trail food was mostly one of Doug's monster pancakes broken up in baggies and GU Chomps. And, of course, Snickers . . .