Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Trip report 6/30 - 7/2

We are four newbies in our 40s and 50s who hiked Mt. Whitney for the first time this past week, summiting on July 1. We hiked the Main Trail starting at the Portal, and camped two nights at Trail Camp.

Here are the pictures:

http://www.pbase.com/scotsrider/mt_whitney_hike_july_2004

There was very little snow; some above Mirror Lake, some just past the cables and a snowfield about 300' long just below the summit. We summited about 12:45pm, and had a few snowflakes with clouds rolling in. It was probably in the mid-40s. By the time we returned to Trail Camp at 4:45pm it was snowing fairly hard, and continued for a half hour or so. Trail Camp was very cold; probably in the low 20s, and there was a skim of ice on the lake both mornings.

Some observations. The trail from Mirror Lake to Trail Camp is extremely rough. The switchbacks aren't near as hard as I expected. The windows are way, way over-rated, even if (like me) you have a phobia about heights. Reaching the summit is exhilarating.

Finally, there appeared to be many dayhikers who were un/underprepared. They were traveling so light that they appeared to not have room for adequate clothing, enough water and any emergency supplies. Just my 2 cents.

It was a great trip, and thanks for all the information on this board as I've monitored it daily for the past couple of months. You guys have been a wealth of information

Congratulations on your summit.

This year will be our third consecutive trip (past two were successful) and we will also be spending two nights at Trail Camp.

I agree with your observations and would add that the second hardest part is the last two miles before exiting the trail at the Portal (those 45-50 pound packs are so heavy at the end of the hike).

Our trip is July 19-21 and there will be six of us going up.

Thanks for your trip report and information on the trail conditions.