Whitney 2013

[adventureduo]

I love to set new personal goals and always keep busy pushing myself. It keeps me feeling alive, instead of sitting on a couch watching tv and eating cheetos. I've always had this monster on my bucket list. With that said, I've committed to summit Whitney in 2013 (if we get our permits from the lottery).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Whitney

At this early stage I don't know if we'll do the back country 40 mile West to east backside climb, a day hike or a 2-3 day trip, but what i do know is when i set a goal i go full out and give it my all. Im very excited to accomplish this and will begin my training in the new year climbing, local mountains here in SoCal such as Mt. Baldy and San G. I have a SAR friend (Gabe Pari) that is doing it with me that has completed the trek numerous times, including multi-day and up and down day hikes. I know i'll be in good company and he'll keep my ego in check. :ylsmoke:

Im not a huge hiker, i've done Panamint City in Death Valley, small hikes here and there and made an attempt at the Goat Canyon Trestle a few years ago. With my background in mtn biking, recent fat trimming and agro gym habit as of late for our insane Trail90 moto tour, i know i have the capability to complete this. It will just take time and determination. If we don't get permits for this coming year, i'll make the next attempt in 2014 if i have too.

I cannot wait to see the hut when the day comes..

Anyhow, if you have any tips or guidance i would love to hear it.

 

[adventureduo]

Some pointers and early info from Gabe..

Permit lottery applications start Feb 1st... So, we are not hosed yet. We may be hosed if we don't get permits. It's $6 (non-refundable) fee per lottery application, so we can submit as many as we feel like affording to make our chances of getting a date more favorable. If we "win" the lottery, then they charge your card for $15 per person in your group. It's a sticky process, as you try to get dates on the fringe of the busy season, while still trying to get dates that won't have too much snow... It's definitely a dance

Training... Baldy is THE BEST place to train for Whitney. I would use Baldy as my sole location for training, if possible. There are multiple routes up, all of varying degrees of difficulty, so you can ramp up your training while reaching the summit every time for altitude training. Only problem is that the Whitney hike essentially starts at the TOP of Baldy elevation wise But, Baldy provides the most realistic elevation gain and trail difficulty to get you ready for Whitney. Most important aspect of the Whitney trip is staying hydrated and eating, it's a tough one.

Day trip vs. overnight?? Personally, I preferred the day trip. It was physically harder, but mentally easier. The overnight experience is cool, but altitude really ****s with you. Contrary to what most people will say, you need to be on the mountain for 4-6 days to really acclimate. The day trip was nice because you had the end in sight, less exposure to weather and less pressure to summit. You spend two to three days on the mountain and you feel like you MUST summit to make it worth it. One day on the mountain, you run into weather and you don't feel as bad about aborting the mission. Overnight trip is nice, obviously because it breaks the mileage up and gives you an earlier start for the switchbacks. More time for photos and to "take in" the trip. But if you are feeling ****ty, more time at altitude is not fun.

Weather is a SERIOUS thing, you need to make very serious decisions up there and not let pride or machismo make your decision for you. People die every year up there, mostly from poor choices. Choose wisely and don't die Being that I am from the SAR background, I tend to choose wisely

I'm game for either way. We submit permits for both and let that make our choice.

Obviously we'll talk more, but that should give you something to chew on for a while

 

[Scott B.]

I have summitted Whitney twice, both times in the early '90s. (Wow, that was long time ago...)

Each time we camped, going camp to summit to camp. Makes for a longer trip, but more relaxing. You can spend more time at the summit since you don't have as far to go at the end of the day.

We always had good weather - very fortunate in that regard. Camping may allow you to wait out bad weather, too, if necessary.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[kellymoe]

Congrats on choosing to take on Whitney. I have a long relationship with the mountain starting at age 11 when I first summited, it was a trip with the Boy Scouts and we started at Mineral King and crossed the Sierra's over the course of 9 days and 70 miles give or take. Since then I have skied it and climbed it 11 more times, the last being this past Summer when we did the East Buttress route just before my 46th birthday. The East Face routes are among my favorite climbs in the Sierra's and love the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek trail due to it's relative lack of crowds. It's also pretty easy to get walk in permits if you go mid week. You may want to consider doing the Mountaineers Route, it sounds like your in pretty good shape and it is well within your ability. You can easily do it in two days, make the short hike into Upper Boy Scout Lake and camp, get up early the next morning and hit the summit and you could be back in camp by afternoon relishing your summit conquest. Like I said we did Whitney this summer and also did an attempt of Russell, just to the north of Whitney, both times we walked in the day before and picked up permits without a problem. You will have a great experience anyway you choose to do it, enjoy the journey.

 

[kellymoe]

Oh, I almost forgot, altitude messes with me big time and has since I turned 40 for some reason, bad headaches and nausea, no fun at all. I got a Rx for Diamox and it has been a game changer for me. I start taking it a few days before heading up and continue while at altitude. Diamox for me at least has made my trips to elevation much more enjoyable.

 

[Lostmanifesto]

I am interested in the training and/or possibly going up Whitney. This has also been on my bucket list for the past few years. Keep me posted please!

 

[cnynrat]

We summitted Whitney in 2001. The same year we also backpacked down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Kind of an up and down year for us.

We did Whitney as a 3 day trip. I recommend that approach rather than the long slog as a day hike. Much more enjoyable that way IMO.

We also spent two nights camping at Whitney Portal beforehand to try to help acclimate to the altitude. The couple we did the trip with had attempted it the prior year and had bad enough altitude sickness that they turned back, so we planed the trip with an abundance of caution. It worked out well as nobody had any complaints of altitude sickness.

It's a good experience and a very worthwhile objective, but don't go expecting a wilderness experience. I estimated there were 50 other people on the summit with us. Day hikers were trudging past our tent in camp at 5:00 AM on their way to the summit. Alternate routes would help, and a mid-week summit day might help with the crowds on top of the mountain.

We also used Baldy as a training exercise before the trip. For a real challenge you can try the back route up Baldy which starts near the Blue Ridge campground and leads you over Pine Mountain and then Dawson Peak before summiting Baldy. You then get to climb back over Dawson Peak and Pine Mt on the way back.

 

[chickadee]

My husband and I summited Whitney last October. We decided to do a two day hike this time since we both failed due to altitude sickness during a one day attempt almost a decade before. We are both sensitive to altitude and have discovered that Diamox works well for us. We also figured that spending more time on the mountain would give us a better chance at summiting. It worked for us.

I will say that our night of the mountain was quite miserable. Very cold and windy. It did snow / sleet at times. We stayed at the upper camp and there was very little shelter from the wind. Also, people do not abide by the WAG bag rule and you will find a lot of human waste at the upper camp.

We were part of a group of 11 people. 3 people did a day hike, 5 did a 2 day hike (staying at the upper camp) and 3 did a 3 day hike (stayed at the lower camp which had more shelter from wind). All 11 of us summited and all groups had completely different experiences. The consensus was that the 3 day hike was the way to go. At least for the weather conditions we encountered on the mountain.

My advice is to take your time, drink fluids (I like to bring pedialyte powder), eat and listen to your body. If you have a head ache, feel nauseated, are unbalanced, don't ignore it and go back down. My first time on Whitney, I couldn't walk in a straight line at the upper camp. I knew I shouldn't continue, so I turned around. That year, of the four of us, only one summited.

For training, Baldy, San Gorgonio, San Bernardino, San Jacinto, White Mountain.

You can also look at whitneyzone.com for more information.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[BretEdge]

I've summitted Whitney twice, both times as a day hike, in back to back years in the late 90's. The first year, "the switchbacks" were covered in snow. The next year, they were snow free. I thought it would be harder going straight up the snow instead of switchbacking but it turns out I much preferred the snow climb. Primarily, it was because no matter how hard I tried not to count the damn switchbacks I still counted them and it was nothing short of demoralizing when you're only at 15 and you've got 80'ish to go! Also, on the way down, we cut off a huge chunk of time by glissading on our butts down the snow instead of hiking back down the switchbacks.

Advice for a day hike: Weather rolls in fast. Be mentally prepared to bail if the weather Gods aren't smiling on you. Think about starting early and then start a little bit earlier than that. Eat. Constantly. Seriously, keep snack food easily accessible so you can munch on it while you're hiking. Don't stop for too long or lactic acid and nagging doubts about your sanity will set in. Bring a camera and use it often. The marmots at Trail Camp are aggressive little bastards. Train hard and practice suffering because it'll make it easier to deal with on the trail. And yes, you will suffer, but it's SO worth it. The mileage signs on the way back down to the trailhead are not accurate, or at least they weren't back in the 90's.

I'm dying to go back and do it again but if I do, I'll do it as a multi-day trip. I'm older and fatter now but most importantly, now that I'm a professional photographer I'd love to document the adventure and the jaw-dropping landscapes. Back in the day I was an endurance athlete and my life revolved around traveling as far through the wilderness as I could in the shortest amount of time possible while collecting milestones (summits, entire trails, etc.). Now I'd rather just enjoy the experience.

Most of all, have fun. It's an iconic, classic hike. You'll never forget the experience and adventure!

 

[plainjaneFJC]

I have never been there. But at my climbing pace that would make for a very long day. Looks like a lot of fun. I hope you post pictures if you get to hike it.

 

[adventureduo]

A little update. Since i last posted this thread i've dropped about 15 more pounds, a total of around 30-35 lbs since August. All while adding lean muscle. Im at 219 right now and my goal is 185 and 11% body fat.

Anyhow, the lottery opened up Feb 1st at midnight.. but i received a tip from a veteran Whitney hiker. The website that you make the lottery application on is based out the East coast, so i got i got my application in a few hours before midnight here on the West coast. I applied for 15 spots in the lottery system for July and over flowed a bit into the first week of August. Some make call is nuts, or some may call it easier because you pack less, but i chose "day hike" out and back.

The results will be announced March 23. That's my birthday so it would be a great present to get the permit.

Anyhow, full steam ahead and time to get these feet out on trails.

 

[crismateski]

Training... Baldy is THE BEST place to train for Whitney. I would use Baldy as my sole location for training, if possible. There are multiple routes up, all of varying degrees of difficulty, so you can ramp up your training while reaching the summit every time for altitude training. Only problem is that the Whitney hike essentially starts at the TOP of Baldy elevation wise But, Baldy provides the most realistic elevation gain and trail difficulty to get you ready for Whitney. Most important aspect of the Whitney trip is staying hydrated and eating, it's a tough one.

the best part of training on baldy is stopping at the Mt Baldy lodge on the way down. It is my second home

 

[FishPOET]

You can't beat San Gorgonio from Vivian Creek as a prep for Mt. Whitney. 8 miles and over 5000' elevation gain. And the trailhead is not far from your weekend retreat in Forest Falls

 

[Joash]

I would hit most of the major SoCal peaks as practice. I haven't done Whitney yet, but I recommend San Gorgonio, San Jacinto, Wilson for training and of course Baldy which has been mentioned.

 

[Dark Stranger]

I did Whitney in 2011 and made some huge mistakes (this was before I knew anything). It ended up still being full of snow the last few miles up (this was in July). My friends and I thought we could 'tough it out' being underlayered (I had 2) and we didn't have crampons nor ice picks (or anything else that would help us up the sleep climb at the end). As a result, we didn't summit. I'm not sure what I can really advise outside of the obvious (plenty of layers, a bear canister, etc).