Anyone here climbed Mt. Whitney?

[dave 911]

It's been on my bucket list for years, and a buddy and I are thinking about it. Has anyone here done it? One day or overnight? Any advice/stories to share?

[Seahawk]

In the late 70's.

Mount Whitney has a hard and fairly soft side...Mt. Whitney Trails makes the mountain very accessible. There are numerous routes, some technical, others a hard walk in sneakers.

We did it in two days but you can do it in one. Have the right gear, prepare as always.

I am sure "things" have changed, but the views have not.

I regret hurrying the experience...I had to meet a group to take down a river so I was rushed a bit. I recommend late Spring. There is also an fine amount of other places to see within 60 miles. Enjoy.

[KNS]

I did Candlestick Peak (I think that was the name of it, it was a long time ago) which is near to Whitney. I'd love to do Mt Whitney someday... We camped on the way up and came down the next day.

[craigster59]

Camped on the way up and came out the next day. Great hike, I suggest either sleeping in the parking lot before or basecamp before summiting, you want to get a bit acclimated. Those solar toilets will singe your nosehairs, just a little warning.

[ckissick]

I've done it, but it was the start of an 18-day trip, so my backpack weighed 85 pounds. It still wasn't too hard, since we took two days to get to the top. We went up from the east and then went down to the west to the upper Kern River basin.

One day up and back would be quite difficult. It's 22 miles and could take about 18 hours.

One night at base camp will make it much more enjoyable. Be prepared for altitude effects. Bring something for headaches.

[mikester]

I did it as a teenager on a Boy Scout hgh adventure trip on the way home from a 10 day trek in Yosemite. We did it in a day because you needed a permit to camp over night. At the time those were doled out via lottery yearly. Now you need a permit just to be on the mountain as I understand it.

[5String43]

Yes. Twice. It is not easy, especially for we older gentlemen.

Plan on spending a night at Whitney Portal, the base at I think maybe 8,500 feet, to get acclimated. First day you go to Trail Camp, 12,000 feet, no shelter. Huge winds and storms possible. Be careful and plan, wind can tell hell out of a tent. Second day you go to the top, 99 (count them) switchbacks to the saddle, then past the Windows and slog to the top, 14, 495 feet, I think it is.

Third day, all the way down, burgers in Lone Pine. A beer, too, probably. If you make this trip, you deserve it.

Listen, this is very much worth doing.

[tfmcmahon]

My son did while he was at the Marine Corps survival school at Bridgeport.

[chocolatelab]

2 ways to do it.

Camp on the way or a one day assault.

I prefer one day.

Stay in town and get a good nights sleep and be on the trail at 5-6 am. That should get you off the mountain back at the car by 5-6pm. I recommend a cooler with a couple cold brews waiting.

If you do it this way you can be up and down the mountain before Altitude sickness has a chance to really kick in. If you spend the night there is a really good chance you will have some ill effects. You can wear light comfy approach shoes. Day pack with water,snacks and other necessities. Also I recommend a pair of hiking poles, this will give your knees some help on the way down.

Hauling all your crap for one night for me just to much hassle. Even on one day you have plenty of time to enjoy the summit.

Get that thing knocked out. Dont wait another day. Set a date and do it. Its a blast either way.

Last time I did it there was an ultra marathon in progress. Death valley to the summit.

A guy goes running past me and my buddy on the way up around 10 am. Turns out he had finished the ultra marathon the evening before and was doing a quick run up and down from the trailhead just to keep his training routine. Freaking crazy.

[jhc]

Did it in Sept. 2011. Got up in Lone Pine at 3:30 in the morning and didn't get on the trail until 5-5:30. I'd recommend staying at Whitney Portal and blasting off 4 or so. Not really hard just relentless walking. I did take Diamox. The last hour coming down was torture on my knees (I was 53 at the time). Here are some pics:

[chocolatelab]

Great pics!!!!!!

[jhc]

Thanks, your advice is spot on. Don't forget there is a lottery for hiking permits May through October.

[Evans, Marv]

I was the Mt. Whitney Ranger for the Park Service in the summer of '76. My ranger station was at Crabtree on the west side. I've been up & down the west side many times but only down the east side maybe four times. I could tell dozens of stories. The trail is pretty easy, but I would take my time & enjoy it. That's my recommendation now. In my 30's I would have told you to burn up the side of the mountain if you felt that way. There is no lack of people doing that. There are lots of other trails & mountains to go up that are enjoyable & have no traffic jams, but I understand wanting to do Whitney. The guys here are giving you good advice. The better shape you're in the more you will enjoy it.

[chocolatelab]

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

I was the Mt. Whitney Ranger for the Park Service in the summer of '76. My ranger station was at Crabtree on the west side. I've been up & down the west side many times but only down the east side maybe four times. I could tell dozens of stories. The trail is pretty easy, but I would take my time & enjoy it. That's my recommendation now. In my 30's I would have told you to burn up the side of the mountain if you felt that way. There is no lack of people doing that. There are lots of other trails & mountains to go up that are enjoyable & have no traffic jams, but I understand wanting to do Whitney. The guys here are giving you good advice. The better shape you're in the more you will enjoy it.

ME:

I quit, you win, best job ever.

[aigel]

Resurrection! I did this over the holiday weekend. It is a very stiff day hike that an estimated 2/3 of the people who attempt aren't able to compete. It is right there with the Death Ride in my book: It is an endurance event that you don't want to hike for time.

It was perfect weather, all the snow practically gone. That said, you look at the same drainage for a very long time, spend hours on switchbacks before you finally get over Trail Crest at 13600 feet where you are rewarded with beautiful views. If this wasn't the highest peak in the contiguous US, it would not be this popular. There are much prettier / more entertaining hikes in the Sierra.

The permit system works well, there is enough parking etc. and I liked the store at the Portal which serves wagon wheel size pancakes. Still, this will be my first and last in one day. I want to do it again as part of the John Muir Trail - someday ...

G

[gary1101]

I have done it twice.
The first time I was 62yo and we did it as a day hike from the Portal. Started at 4am. it took 14 hours. The second time it took 17 hours. I use a lot of water so I brought a filter to refill on the way up before Trial Camp and again on the way down. After Trail Camp there are legitimately 99 switchbacks that rise over 1700 feet in elevation change. On the way down it feels like there are 999 switchbacks, they seem to never end.

At the John Muir Trail junction on the backside you only have 1.9 miles to go. Who cannot walk 1.9 miles you tell yourself. It is the longest 1.9 miles I ever did. It can take 2 plus hours to complete. Very rocky, and you can see the summit but it seems that you never get closer. I am slow above 11,000 feet and cannot keep up to my hiking partners going up or down so I just go at my own pace and that works for me.

Bring more food than you think you need and eat it, even if you don't have the appetite to. Bring electrolytes of some type. Bring a headlamp. Listen to your body, mountain sickness is no joke. A headache, lightheadedness or nausea might mean you are not drinking or eating enough but it could also be altitude sickness. I have tried Diamox but it doesn't seem to make a difference for me.

I am now 66 and getting ready for a 55-60 mile hike on the John Muir Trail at the end of September. The Southern Sierra's are an amazing place.

[aigel]

Gary - very good description and advice. We followed a lot of this, including eating 4000+ calories and drinking a lot of water.

So true on the last stretch. The mountain looks so close and it looks flat (it still is 800+ feet climbing!) There were people at the intersection with the JMT that said "it is only 1.9 miles, let's drop our day packs and finish without supplies!!!" - those guys never made it to the summit. As a matter of fact, 90% of the people that we started with never made it. Unfortunately there are a lot of non-hikers thinking they can bag this peak because they saw someone grinning in a selfie up top on instagram.

G

[Evans, Marv]

When I was the Whitney Ranger, I'd walk up to the summit from the Crabtree Ranger Station reasonably often. One of the things I had to do was check on the toilets (don't know what's up there now). These were galvanized trash cans with thrones on top. When they were pretty full I radioed to Park Headquarters for a helicopter to come up with empty cans, hook up the full ones for them to take down to Owens Valley. In the old days, the trail crew emptied them. They'd come up on their horses wearing t-shirts that said "The Brown Bombers" on them. One time I asked them what they did with the full cans. Their answer was they took them over to the mountaineering route and dumped them down it. I was always glad I never did the mountaineering route.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I’ve done it twice - both one day assaults since it’s virtually impossible to get overnight permits (they usually put a few one-day ones out at the ranger station for people showing up the day before however) and there will be rangers to stop people and turn them back if they don’t have the proper permit. Maybe they fine people too, no idea but it wouldn’t surprise me these days.

One day is hard. Start at 4-5 AM and hike up, up, up forever, deal with the worst pounding headache of your life. Then get to the top and enjoy a short stay and head down. The descent (as has been mentioned) is very hard on the joints and your knees will kill for a good week afterwards if you’re not careful. I packed three Sierra Nevadas up with me (appropriate) and after one I was pretty giddy from the workout and altitude. I gave the other two away and definitely didn’t need them. It’s a hoot. Bad weather would seriously be bad up there. Check weather carefully and pack accordingly. It gets mighty cold before the sun comes up too - even in summer.

There are no... umm... facilities the whole way past the switchbacks (there is or was a solar toilet at the bottom IIRC which creates quite a pungent aroma, but nothing after that, so if you need to go #2 you’ve got a problem...)

It is VERY exposed on the switchbacks above the treeline, be sure to be prepared and check your weather! Good luck!

[tcar]

Originally Posted by gary1101

At the John Muir Trail junction on the backside you only have 1.9 miles to go. Who cannot walk 1.9 miles you tell yourself. It is the longest 1.9 miles I ever did. It can take 2 plus hours to complete. Very rocky, and you can see the summit but it seems that you never get closer....

Is that the route known as "The Scramble"?