Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Got it done! Newbie TR 7/14/2007

Here's yet another TR from a newbie. I did a solo day hike on the Main Trail yesterday.

I drove up to Whitney Portal the day before to familiarize myself with the area and the trailhead. The Portal is a cool place to hang out even if you're not there to do Whitney. The best part was watching people return from the summit. They looked exhausted but also very proud of their achievement. It was exciting to think that that could be me tomorrow!

I decided to stay in Lone Pine for the night and start my hike at 3:00 AM. I knew there would be a risk of not acclimating well enough and for me this turned out to be true (more on this later). The weather was mild enough that I just wore a shirt and pants up to about Trail Camp, but afterwards I had to put on a wind jacket and gloves. The trail was very easy to follow in the dark. As I made my way up, I kept wanting to stop not because I was tired but I just wanted to look at the sky. It was a moonless night and the heavens above were lit with nothing but billions of stars. This was like the closest I would ever be to being in outer space!

I started getting some mild headaches at around 11,500 and 12,500 ft. If I stopped and rested, they went away so I continued on. The final 2 miles along Trail Crest to the summit were the worst. I think part of it was low moral because you can see the summit the whole way and it looks so far away. But the views made up for all the headaches. Before, I was never that interested in summiting Whitney because I thought it was an ugly, rocky, featureless landscape but boy was I wrong! The views on the west side of Trail Crest were just incredible. You really have to be there to appreciate it. There are also lots of cool lakes, creeks and waterfalls below the tree line.

The worst part of the trip was the way down. I love climbing mountains, but I hate going down. All that pounding on your feet really takes a toll. By the end of the hike I was suffering so much I really questioned my sanity and even swore that I would never hike this mountain again. But you know what, now that it's one day later and my feet have recovered, I'm already thinking about doing it again. What is it about mountains that does this to you?

Congratulations Tim. Solo day hikes up MW takes preparation and determination. Photography is excellent. What did you lug up the mountain for such quality shots?

Joe

Those are some great pictures, thanks for putting them up.

Congrats, glad to hear that you were able to deal with the headache. Yea coming down bothers me as well. The part that I don't like is when you are coming down and the Whitney Portal road comes into view and an hour later it doesn't look like it is getting any closer. So if you are looking for more adventure in the Mt. Whitney region then consider the Mountaineers Route. You have already proved that you can stay on your feet and that you have the determination to succeed. It is class 3 climbing, yes there are parts that you have to hold on for your life but it is also very reasonable for an athletic person. The "final 400" will blow you away if you have never done anything like that before. I have done it 3 times this year. You will feel like a real mountain climber.

Once again congratulations and I'm happy to hear that you now "want more".

Craig.......

Thanks everyone for the kind words. My camera was just a Canon A610. Like someone here once said, it's so beautiful up there it's almost impossible not to take a good picture.

Craig, MR is now definitely on my list to do. It sounds fun, like the way Angels Landing in Zion is fun!

I find it bizarre to recommend someone start their class III experience on a route such as this - (especially to someone you do not know)- where accidents have been known to kill.
I would strongly recommend a basics mountaineering class and some class II and easy class III before they take on the MR.
this is not a sport/recreation to go from level 1 to level 3 without experience and learning - the cost of a mistake can be deadly.

(sorry to cause a stink - a matter I feel strongly about)

Tomcat is giving the better advice here. One time up the main trail carrying only a daypack, and having headaches by ones own admission, does not qualify him for the MR. Get more experience first, as the saying goes, "the peak will always be there".Better to be "more than quallified, then not qualified enough". Like Tomcat brings up, people die up there.Before going up the MR, make sure you are going to make it back.

Bravo Tomcat. I've been reading this forum for quite awhile now and have been amazed at how cavalierly people have talked about doing the MR as the obvious "what's next" after completing the Main Trail. It's called Mountaineer's Route for a reason - it isn't a hike!

Reminds me of the Cactus-to-Clouds route where people seem to think it is no problem to do such difficult routes during the summer (10,000' vertical in 100+ temps) with minimal experience and no regard for their own and their partner's (and their rescuers') safety.

It is great to keep challenging yourself, but do it smartly.

BTW, congrats on getting it done. Great pictures too.

No worries guys! I know with internet message boards it's hard to gauge one's experience but I've hiked quite a bit in the Socal mountains and have seen enough bad stuff to know my limits. Sadly, I was even up at Mt. Baldy the the day R.J. Secor had his accident a few years ago. I ascended the bowl with crampons and an ice axe and passed him at the top just as he was about to go down the same way. Later when I left the summit, I was not comfortable going down the same way so I decided to descend/glissade down the more moderately steep east slope. I didn't hear about R.J.'s accident until I saw the Sheriff's helicopter and spoke to some people at the Ski Hut.

Anyhow, I totally agree with the words of safety and personal responsibility. You're preaching to the choir here!

i have been up MT several times 20 years ago and did my first one day MT in June, no headaches, in about 9 hours. I run, MTB former triathlete and would like to try the MR later this summer.

i don't want to get in over my head (or head over heels), so question is.... in So Cal where is a good spot to practice and or gauge class three prior to MR. Took BMTC years ago, but limited action for past 10.

any suggestions?

I might be wrong but there isn't a lot Class 3 in SoCal that is comparable to what you would find in the Sierras. You could climb the boulders at the bottom of Baldy Bowl for fun or climb the scree field up to the summit. That's about a 1000 ft climb. There is some mild Class 3 with impressive dropoffs along a section of Pine Mountain in Wrightwood. Castle Rock in Big Bear is probably the closest to real Class 3 scrambling/bouldering. There's also Joshua Tree but I'm not a rock climber and have never been out there.

I forgot one other one. There is some mild Class 3 at Mt. San Jacinto summit if you take the hardest route up the boulders after the hut.

Hi team tiggr

Strawberry Peak. It's been over 20 years since I have been there but I remember the last section was class III and really fun.

MC

You might try going to a climbing gym first of all to get a handle on looking for hand/foot holds in a relatively safe environment. There are a number of routes at Stony Point in the Chatsworth area, J-Tree (but it's a bit varm out dat way at the moment!), and I agree on Strawberry.

If you know someone who climbs, it helps a lot if they're willing to help you pick out holds and with technique.

-L

I have been taking one or two groups of friends up to Whitney for the past 8 years. For the past three years I have always done a hike of Thor (via smiley face route) as a "warm up". I decided to do this because many of my friends began to express a desire to do the MR as well. Helping and watching them on the lower E-ledges and scrambling over the smiley face route has been a very good indicator for me on how they may or may not do on the MR. If you do not have significant experience on class 3 routes then I think guidance on route selection is imperative the first time you attempt the last chute on the MR. I can't think of anything in So Cal that approximates the experience of the last chute on the MR. The combination of exposure and altitude is pretty unique to the Sierras.

I do not know so cal area very well - but the Sierras are full of fun class II and class III peaks. there are some of us out nearly every weekend. I generally save those posts for some of the other forumns dedicated to mountaineering - trying to keep this board more Whitney related areas.

one the best investments you can make is R.J. Secor's book "The High Sierra - Peaks, Passes and Trails". it can serve as both mantra and wishlist at the same time.

another good avenue is to check with your local "sierra club" for some of their organized hikes. you will find events scheduled of various skill levels with leaders who can advise what to expect on the trip. this weekend we had the pleasure of doing a peak with Dan Richter and Asher Waxman - both great guys, long time Sierra Club members and fun to be out with.


Spinefxr - could not agree more with that approach. if I am unsure of group I am going to lead I try a Thor day before to determine if they are ready.

thanks all. i am in south Orange County and the local SC chapter seems to do mostly local stuff and rides. I will need to track down the LA or IE chapters to get closer to Baldy and San J

is the "smiley face" route obvious as a "run up for the day and practice" alternative?

I have an MR vet that I am working to coordinate the trip with but still the "before" test

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I agree with Moose Tracks; get some class V climbing indoors and you'll be much more comfortable on the class III and IV stuff. I just got my girlfriend into a beginners class at Rockreation in Santa Monica. (Tim there's a gym in Upland called Hanger 18 I think) Rockreation has the "Fight Gravity" classes which will help you from the basics of roping in to great technique and ways to conserve energy.

She has only been climbing for two weeks, I have been at it for five years, and she can already climb circles around me. (I guess it's easier when you only have move 100 pounds up the wall)

Anyway, a little time in the safety of the indoor gym makes most of this class III stuff seem pretty easy, and you learn a lot about how to find your route and how to use holds effectively.

Thanks for the suggestions conquest. I never thought to check out indoor climbing gyms. Looks like there's also a Rockreation in Costa Mesa and the Fight Gravity course is pretty reasonable. I'm more into mountaineering than rock climbing but I'm always down to learn more skills. You can never have too many skills out there on the mountain where anything can go wrong.