First off, let me extend more thanks than possible to the good folks at the Portal Store, and all who post here, as the combined info helped me prepare properly and have a great time!
For the sake of brevity, I will dispense with the blow-by-blow. If I get started recalling the hike, I'm likely not to stop, as my friends can now attest. Instead, I'd just like to throw a few things out there for other first-timers who may be checking the board as I did.
The most important things I brought with me were:
Determiation: backed up by preparation, and common sense, this was the best fuel to complete the trip.
Respect: to account for the myriad of contingencies the mountain can throw out at you, and especially to leave it in better condition than I found it!
Appreciation: for the beauty and grandness of the place, and for all those who's tireless work allows us all the chance to enjoy it.
Note To All: remember to take the time to offer genuine thanks to park staff and anyone you see doing something to help preserve the area. Not only will you feel good, but, so will the person you thank. knowing their efforts are appreciated!
Some other things that really helped me out:
Acclimating! We spent 1 day/night at Horseshoe Meadows Campground. It was a shorter drive off Whitney Portal Road than I thought, and the facilities and warmup hiking options were great!
Whitney Portal Campground: We spent the night before our hike at the backpackers campground, which was a great idea. To be right at the trailhead, and the Store allowed for good rest before setting out. I put high priority on tent-to-trail convenience, and staging from WPC was perfect. I was not bothered by activity/noise in the area but maybe that's because we were there mid-week. We hit the sac at 8pm, got up at 2am, and hit the trail at 3:15am. If any newbies are wondering about time, it took us 7 1/2 hours up, and 5 hrs down. (I'm in decent shape from cycling and working 50-60 hrs/week on my feet.)
Early start: We were day-hiking it, and I found the pre-dawn start a must, and not just to avoid coming down in the dark. It was cooler in the AM, and the hours hiked before sunrise are soon forgotten after sunrise, effectively shortening the hike psychologically. I'd have started at 2am even!
Trekking Poles: Really helped lessen fatigue, especially on the way down. On the innumerable deep "steps" on the way down, planting the poles and letting them take my weight on the downstep really saved my legs. Works the same on the way up to help boost yourself up the steps too.
Food: "Bring more food than you think you need" is a lesson I brough with me from cycling, and it helped. I would really not want to "bonk" on a hike this long. AND, I always like to have extra in case I get stuck, or someone else needs some. I also made sure to bring a wide varitey so I wouldn't loose interest in eating. I highly reccomend bringing something with GINGER. If your stomach gets a little urpy, as mine did, nibbling on something with ginger really helps. (Almond Ginger WHA GURU CHEWS, my favorite).
Oh, plenty of water too! I drank about 6+ liters for the whole day hike. We filtered on the way up and down, slightly off trail on the first few switchbacks above Trail Camp. Best. Water. Ever!
Good Fitting Equipment: There are as many combinations of equipment as there are hikers, so I didn't worry too much about having the right stuff, so much as making sure it was tested and fit right. I never thought about my feet, nor my backpack all day, which meant I could focus on keeping tabs on how my body was doing. Without resorting to product plugs, I can now heartily reccomend Superfeet insoles, and any of the multiple brands of pack that have a suspension system that keep the bulk of the pack about 2-3 inches away from your back. (mine was the REI Venturi 40. Set up right, it moved with me and kept my back cool and dry).
That's about it save for outing my newbie-bonehead mistake for other newbies. At camp:
!!Don't turn your back on your food!!
I was 20 ft away from my food (on top of the bear lockers) for literally 1 minute, when a bear got off with the danish I left up there with my other stuff. Very preventable mistake. I should have known better, and I felt stupid for reinforcing the scavenging behavior.
I hope this helps other first timers. I know it's probably pretty redundant to the vets.
Thanks again!
-Jim
