Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Lessons Learned - July 26 Summit

This is a report of our successful summit attempt on July 26. We made a few minor mistakes and learned a few things along the way. I hope this post helps others.

There were eight people in our group and we spent several months doing various hikes in Southern California including the trifecta – Baldy, San Gorgonio, and San Jacinto. These hikes were invaluable as a means of understanding how our bodies functioned at altitude, determining a hiking pace, figuring equipment needs, and getting used to hiking steep trails. Hiking San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek in one day or Baldy from Manker Flat are pretty good indicators if you are ready for Whitney in one day.

Lesson 1: Do as many conditioning hikes at higher elevations as possible using the same equipment and clothing you plan to use on Whitney.

Three of our group of eight decided they had not been able devote adequate time to conditioning hikes and decided before the trip that their goal would not be the summit. They enjoyed a shorter hike and allowed the five to better focus on a summit hike. At the end of the day everyone had a more enjoyable hike.

Lesson 2: Know your limits and set realistic targets, you’ll have more fun.

We spent the evening at the Whitney Portal campground so that we could be better acclimated to the altitude. To ease our camping chores we decided that we would eat at the Whitney Portal Store the evening before the big hike.

Lesson 3: Even before a hike the food at the Store tastes great.

Our planned departure time was 4:00 AM. Because we had our packs ready the evening before we could break down our camp and get up to the trail head parking lot in about 30 minutes. It took as much longer than anticipated to get everything ready and we did not hit the trail until slightly after 5:00 AM.

Lesson 4: It takes longer to break camp then we realized.

The first thing I noticed when we started up the trail is how easy it is to follow. The trail is one of the nicest I’ve hiked and is in great condition. There was only a sliver of the moon, but that coupled with starlight was enough to illuminate most of the early trail sections. A lightweight LED headlamp was more than adequate to follow the trail in the lower sections.

Lesson 5: The trail is easy to follow and is in great condition.

We broke up into two groups at the trailhead. Five of us headed for the summit and three for a lower target. Based on some kind and wise advice from Doug at the Whitney Portal Store the summit group of five began at a pace just below a level that would have caused us to sweat or breathe heavily. This was a slightly slower pace than we had used on other hikes, but Doug said it would greatly increase our chances of reaching the summit if we went slowly up and quickly down. The slower pace really helped. I felt much better at trail crest than I had on the summit of San Gorgonio and the hike to trail crest is longer and a few thousand feet higher.

Lesson 6: If you are breathing heavily or sweating profusely slow your pace.

The following table approximates our pace had we started at 3:00 AM. There may be some that hike the trail faster and some that may take more time. This is only a rough guide. Please keep in mind that the trail is not a race, but an experience to be enjoyed. The start time shown here is earlier than our 4:00 AM start time and in hindsight we see that an early starts work better. We had some weather to deal with including rain, cold, a few snow flakes, and hail. People who started earlier did not have these problems.

3:00 AM - 0.0 miles - 8,361 feet - Trailhead
3:25 AM - 0.5 miles - 8,800 feet - John Muir Wilderness Sign
5:10 AM - 2.5 miles - 9,960 feet - Lone Pine Lake
5:45 AM - 3.8 miles - 10,365 feet - Outpost Camp
6:50 AM - 5.0 miles - 11,359 feet - Trailside Meadows
7:45 AM - 6.3 miles - 12,039 feet - Trail Camp – long break, get water
10:45 PM - 8.5 miles - 13,777 feet - Trail Crest
12:30 PM - 10.8 miles - 14,496 feet - Mt. Whitney Summit

Lesson 7: Start early and take your time.

The day before the hike we drove down from Mammoth and saw several electrical storms on the Eastern Sierra. It rained fairly hard in the afternoon and again in the evening at Whitney Portal. We went to bed with clouds in the sky. By 3:30 AM the sky was clear and the stars were providing plenty of light. By 10:00 AM that morning the first clouds started to appear. By the time we hit trail crest there were a few dark clouds, but there was little vertical activity. The clouds continued to build and by the time we were coming down the switchbacks around 4:00 PM we had rain and hail. We kept adding and taking off layers of clothing as the weather changed throughout the day. I hiked some portions in a cool max shirt and shorts and in other sections I also wore Polartec pants and pullover, and a Gore-Tex jacket.

Lesson 8: Be prepared for all types of weather.

I drank about 11 liters of water and Gatorade (made from powder) on the trail, four to trail camp, four from trail camp to summit and back, and three from trail camp to my car. Fully loaded I carried about 8 pounds of water. I figure that I carried an average of four pounds of water over the entire trail. In hindsight I could have carried less water and used my water filter more often as there are so many sources of water on the trail. However, there are no water sources about switchback number twenty and the summit. Of the five people in our group, I drank the most water. I also seemed to be the least affected by the altitude and the least sore the next day.

Lesson 9: Drink plenty of water.

After trail crest I slowed down a bit and started to bonk. I was hungry, but I did not want to stop to take off my pack to get at my food. I really began to lose steam as I began the last slope to the summit. Had I listened to my body I should have had more to eat along the section from trail crest to the summit. I made sure I had plenty to eat as I enjoyed the summit panorama and I was soon again feeling spry.

Lesson 10: Don’t let your engine run low; eat plenty of food.

A couple people in our group took the prescription drug Diamox. We all left trail crest at the same time, but they reached the summit about 30 minutes before the rest of us. Before the trip we all felt that we were in roughly equal physical condition and we had hiked about the same. Maybe it is just my ego and I’m not willing to accept that they performed better than me, but it appears that Diamox really helped these two perform better at higher altitude. However, they both reported some interesting side effects and I’m not sure I will consider taking the drug on future hikes.

Lesson 11: Diamox seems to work.

Many people ask where the half way point is. Is it at Consultation Lake? Trail camp? On the switchbacks? The half way point of your Whitney hike is on the summit. Once you hit the summit you have another 10.8 miles to your car. Do not underestimate the difficulty of this part of the trip. Although the return trip is all downhill, the pounding on your feet, knees and other body parts takes a toll. The return trip should take you roughly 2/3 the time it took to go up. It will take even longer if you are favoring a bad knee or ankle. Doug at the store pointed this tidbit out to us and I certainly learned it on our hike.

Lesson 12: The summit is the half way point.

We learned that trekking poles can be useful during our conditioning hikes, but we did not truly appreciate how key they were to making the trip less painful than on the way down from the summit. Some people may still not be trekking pole converts and I hope this testimonial will convince them otherwise. Trekking poles can help you lessen the impact as you step down hill. On such a long hike the benefit of trekking poles cannot be overlooked. I would not consider doing a hike without them.

Lesson 13: Trekking poles are necessary equipment.

If you’ve never done the trail before, listen to the advice of others who have made it. This site has been an invaluable resource. Doug Thompson gave us some great last minute advice. We learned a lot from books like “How to Climb Mount Whitney in One Day” and “Mount Whitney: Mountain Lore from the Whitney Store.” We also learned from our own experiences.

Lesson 14: Learn from experience.

In summary we had a great trip. We made the summit and we did it at a good pace. We could have shaved some weight from our packs, but had we been caught in worse weather we would have been glad for the extra items we were carrying. The most important things we learned were to go slow, drink lots of water, eat lots of food, and enjoy yourself.

Congratulatons! Great trip report. Other than the bad weather, your experience sounds very much like mine. The lessons learned are right on the nose!

Kind regards,

Mark A. Patton

I thought I knew the Whitney area and what to do. Your post provides valuable insight I had not yet thought about.

> Lesson 4: It takes longer to break camp then we realized.

If you had to pack up an entire campsite before the hike, then two hours is about right. You would think people could get ready in a shorter time, but stuffing bags, rolling tents and folding ground cloths takes up lots of time. Then if you use a stove to heat anything, add even more time.

what were the interesting side effects from the diamox?

i echo the last question........what were the interesting side effects? great trip report!

Great trip report, and I really enjoyed the "lessons learned." It sounds like you did it well prepared and quite sensibly, and this maximized your ability to reach your goal.
I am also interested in the side effects of Diamox as one who has never taken any pharmaceuticals of any kind on any of my 4 summit hikes.(and I'm an ER nurse!) Fortunately I have had little to none of the AMS symptoms, although I live a sea level. I do try to get plenty of training hikes and as much at altitude as possible. That and water, water, gatorade, food & water seem to do the trick.
I wil keep your post to share with first timers that we take along on future hikes.
Thanks for sharing this.
S

I don't care about Diamox, I think it's unnecessary, but I will ask a question about powdered Gatorade.

I suspect it's not much more than water flavoring, which I'm all in favor of, but I was surprised to find that Gatorade will provide little more than sodium and a few (very few) sugars. Potassium almost non-existent.

I guess flavor to taste? Comments appreciated.

Thanks

Hike of your Life - Instead of Gatorade, try Cytomax. I have tried both and find Cytomax to be clearly better. Of course, your mileage may vary. Cytomax is popular with bicycle riders. I've found it for sale in bike shops.

Hike:

Your question is best answered by telling the history of Gatorade: it was developed when the football coach of the Florida 'gators called the medical school because he was worried about his players practicing hard on hot, humid days. A scientist put some absorbant pads on the players, collected their sweat and analyzed it. Gatorade was the result: it is the main consituents of sweat in an attempt to replace what you are losing through sweating, plus some sugar to give you a few carbos .

spanky let me know about the interesting side effects using diamox even though hike doesn't think it is necessary,,,,pleease!

I think the lack of sugars in sports drinks that HOYL is writing about is for a very important reason. Most sport drinks try to keep sugars down to a point where they don't interfer with fluid absorption. It is no fun to have that stuff sloshing in your stomach and not being absorbed to where you need it. This is why pure fruit juices and sodas don't absorb as well as your favorite sports drink. Liz Applegate, PH.D. suggests in her writings (Runner's World) that small amounts of elctrolyte are added to sports drinks to boost absorption. As the day becomes hotter you may also tolerate a less concentrated version than that which is specified in the mixing instructions. Personally I find Cytomax to be way too concentrated, Gatorade is OK, but I prefer the GU mix. I carry one bottle of straight water and one bottle of sports drink and switch between the two of them as the day progresses. Like a pair of shoes I think you should try these out before your big hike. Don't experiment with new stuff at Outpost Camp. One final thought about sports drinks is that I have often seen people rely on them as their sole nutritional source. If you need more sodium and potassium and don't feel you are getting enough from other food sources try something like SUCEED! buffered electrolyte caps. We use them in ultra runs all the time taking one or two per hour depending on heat. No big secret about what is in them - 341 mg sodium and 21 mg potassium.

SpankyBob,

An excellent trail report. I will be printing it out and carrying it with me when I try for the summit this weekend.

cindy,

After effects of Diamox are usually, tingling in the extremities, change in sensation of taste and thanks to Diamox being a diuretic, frequent stops to water the plants.

I fixed the clearing camp problem after my first trip. If you have it, bring an extra tent and sleeping bag. Pack your bag the night before and leave it alone. Wake-up, throw the extra tent and bag in the trunk, grab your pack and get going.

I'm glad my earlier post was well regarded. I've learned a lot from this board and I wanted to give something back. I will post a new topic on Diamox since so many people had questions about its effectiveness.

Gatorade is one of several electrolyte replacement drinks available in powdered form. I've stuck with Gatorade because it is easy to find and I know it won't cause me trouble. I've found some sports drinks are easier on my stomach than others and Gatorade is by far the easist for me and I like the taste. I generally try to drink one liter of Gatorade for every two to three liters of water. I use a water filter when topping off my water load so taste is generally not an issue compared to using iodine tablets.

I have found that the First Need water filter is very quick and easy to use. It seemed to be much easier than my friends who were using other filter brands. To make things even easier the newer model is threaded on the bottom to mate with Nalgene water bottles and bladders. I simply screwed the filter onto my bottle or bladder and started pumping. It was very convenient and left no iodine taste.

not to mention a flaver is always a nice change to plan water.........but the salt
is the answer to leg cramps. One package {T} to a liter or I just read in Backpacker O.R.S. oral rehdration salts work as well. All the suger will sooner or later work on your stomach and also make you sweat more. All and all HYDRATE.

Good report, but I have a few comments!

Lesson 2: Know your limits and set realistic targets, you’ll have more fun.
Lesson 4: It takes longer to break camp then we realized.

Ironically my first trip to the summit was nine years ago on July 26. We had a mixed coalition of people and one person could have turned back at Trail Camp but decided to continue on to the summit after we arrived at Trail Camp. That person ended up with sore legs on the way down and I ended up escorting her down in the dark after the rest of our mixed party split. We also were the only people staying at Whitney Portal the night after the hike.

For me I have always reserved Whitney Portal for an extra night and each time there have been people in the group who came down late. Obviously I would reword Lesson 4: “Don’t be in a rush to break camp at 3 in the morning when you can reserve a campsite an extra night.” It may cost more money, but at least you get on the trail earlier and you have a place to stay if something unexpected happens.

One other lesson learned nine years ago:
I was glad that I hiked up to Lone Pine Lake the day before and counted the 24 switchbacks between the John Muir Wilderness sign and the traverse over to the lake. It gave me a rough idea of where we were on the way down

One comment on sports drinks and iodine tablets - citric acid is what is used in the neutralizer tablets. Many sports drinks contain citric acid. Therefore, if you mix sport drink concentrate with your freshly iodinated water, you will neutralize the iodine before it gets a chance to work. Read the label, but I believe that you are supposed to wait 30 minutes before neutralizing.

Spanky Bob,

Congratulations on your accomplishment and for posting such a great, detailed trip report. You have been posting here for quite awhile and that in itself showed preparation and a desire to succeed. You also did the necessary hikes prior to attempting Whitney and gathered information from experienced people. Thanks for such a great trip report, it should help all other first-timers on Whitney. It was really well-written, well-organized and informative.