Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board 3/10 of a mile left (AKA "Only another 15 minutes"

What an excellent trip report. I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing. Great pictures too.

Jim,

We had actually originally planned for three days... one to Trail Camp, one to summit, then one to pack out... unfortunately that first day to Trail camp took way more out of us then we had anticipated (again I say... stupid granite steps)and we decided that we wouldn't be able to summit without totally wasting ourselves and that the most prudent course of action was to just call it the summit and pack out.

Enjoy your burger and fries... I know I most certainly did!!!

~Chris

Ever since I started backpacking at age 13 one thing has been constant- the first two days of a trip are hell. Starting with day three it gets better and better.

So for next time I suggest four days. Two days to trail camp, one summit day, one out. Pack lighter too!

For my JMT hike my daily average needs to be 15 miles, but I plan only 7 the first two days with the lightest pack of the trip (20 pounds).

This is actually what we discussed for next time. I'm not sure who I will be with when I go for my second go-round next year... but this will more then likely be the plan... if we had had another day I'm pretty sure we would have been able to do it... however both of us had to get back to work today (blah)!

As for the pack weight... I will definitely work on getting that pack weight down!!!

~Chris

SoCalGirl is the Erma Bombeck of the WPS board. Great TR.I loved the humorous writing style. A very enjoyable read. Keep going with mom and you'll be telling us summit stories soon.

*LOL* Thats right.. just call me Erma!!! Thats great!!!!

I have every intention of keeping on keeping on.. and this time next year you'll be getting a summit TR from me..

Sounds like this was just the first chapter in an ongoing book. We will look forward to a completion next summer, when you tell us about the summit portion. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Chris,
Thanks for the report. The Orientation Notes probably now have a new meaning for you when you see references to Outpost Camp saving you the grueling section between Mirror Lake and Trail Camp and using hiking poles to make the trip less work. Have fun planning next year.

Fred

Your report--of a "failed" hike--was more engaging than almost all the reports of successful hikes up Whitney, and what you wrote will be of more help to first-timers than any ten reports by people who are able to gain the summit in six hours or less.

You mentioned that on the way out of San Diego you stopped by REI. Whenever I'm in that store (I pass by it daily going to work) and find myself in the backpack department, I cringe when I see the mis-advice being given to new hikers. Maybe you got some mis-advice there too.

People who are new to hiking, who probably never will do much hiking, and who are planning to try Whitney (a trail that is as gentle to gear as is a sidewalk) simply don't need a 7-pound, tough-as-nails bag. Nor, for a summer hike in the Sierra, do they need a double-walled tent or a high-loft sleeping bag.

At 43 pounds, your pack was twice what it should have been. I'm not an ultralight hiker, but next week, on a four-day, 28-mile circumambulation of Whitney, my pack will be under 20 pounds, food and water counted. That includes extra safety gear, such as a PLB, because I'll be far off trail much of the time. My pack will be about 1/9 of my weight; your pack was 1/3 of yours. Ouch!

If you had been carrying 23 pounds, you probably would have summited without much problem. While an extra four or five ounces won't make any noticeable difference in this kind of hike, an extra 20 pounds certainly will. I notice I slow down immensely when my pack grows from 20 pounds to 30, and I never have carried more than 35 on any trail. If I had to lug 43 pounds, I'd probably find myself a different sport.

When you say that next year you'll lighten up your pack, resolve that it will be a drastic lightning, not just a token one. You did great in losing 30 pounds of your own, so now aim to lose two-thirds as much from your pack. That will do more for you than any amount of training .... And then you'll be able to write another great trip report for us!

KKeating... REI is entirely to close to my work as well. It's only a couple of blocks from my office (way to much temptation).

Pack wise I ended up with a Kelty Coyote.. but I just don't think it fits the right way. Or maybe it just wasn't designed to carry as much weight as it was. I don't know. What I do know is that the pack was less then comfortable for the majority of my 10 hour stroll up the mountain. I did speak with a young man at REI who helped me pick a pack and fit it to me... he said that it was the female equivilant to something he used. While I'm not new to dayhiking (camelbaks only need apply)... this was my first excursion into backpacking. I do, however, plan on doing this kind of activity more often. Even though I was so wiped out I don't remember Monday night.. I enjoyed the rest of the time I spent out there!

Both Mom and I agree that had our packs been lighter we probably would have been able to summit as planned. We're taking this first foray as a "learn your lesson and get on with it" kind of thing.

I am hoping the next time I throw that fully loaded pack onto my back it will be at most 30 lbs.. hopefully less. Most of our gear was borrowed and older, with the exception of my new pack (5 lbs, a few oz)... Maybe I should flag you down as you traverse the 52 and get -you- to help me fit my pack!!

Very nice trail report. I also failed my first summit attempt, but was able to use the experience to help me in my recent success. I was able to use what I learned on the trail to be prepared for my next trip. I agree with you in that you can look at all the pictures available and watch all the videos, but you don't quite get the prespective on what to expect. Yes those steps are horrible and also my most dislike of the whole hike, this year my upper legs were the sorest, and I blamed it on those steps. You took great pictures!!

Thank you for sharing your trip report. Sounds like you and your mom have great memories to laugh about in the future. I just got home from hiking Mt. Whitney in a day yesterday, July 31st. Have you ever given any thought to doing it in a day? I'm positive you and your mom would of made it without those heavy packs in a day. I did it last year for my 40th birthday and took a friend this year for her 40th birthday. Both of us just started hiking last year. We met through the OCHBC.org hiking club. I live in South Orange County not far from you. If you and your mom want to give it another try next year and are willing to do it in a day I'd love to join you. Plus I've been very lucky when it comes to the permit lottery. Congratulations on all your other awesome achievements. You are an inspiration.

OOhikerOO: I only took some of those pics, the real photographer (and the best shots) are by my Mom. Thank you though!!!

ADVKitty... Wow.. thank you so much. We had originally planned on doing it in a single day and then changed our plans. As we begin to plan for next year we will see what we are going to do. Without the packs, we most likely would have been able to make it in a single day... but then you miss half the scenery in the dark!!! Thats sad

We really didn't miss anything in the dark. The best part was starting at 1:30 a.m. and watching the sun rise at Trail Camp. It was awesome. We got to see everything in the day time on the way back down. I said this would probably be my last time up there but now I'm already thinking about next year. The best part of this experience is meeting so many wonderful and interesting people. Maybe I'll happen to meet you and your mom on the trail next year. Keep up your good health for next year's Mt. Whitney trip.

ADVKitty: Who knows.. maybe we will see each other around! We saw sunrise from Trail Camp too... in the warmth of our sleeping bags (Mom woke me up special for all the pretty colors!)...

And if not Whitney.. maybe one of the other piles of dirt in SoCal... ... I'm always looking for a good, fairly close hiking partner!

A few folks--you know, those who can run the whole trail--manage to do a day hike without any pack at all. The rest of us, being slower and older and not so athletic, need to accommodate a different metabolism and the greater likelihood of weather problems (since we'll be on the trail longer). Thus, even on a day hike, we carry packs.

My first hike of Whitney was a day hike, and I lugged 15 pounds. When I next do a day hike, in early September, I expect to carry about a third of that--still too much to stuff in my pockets or to hang from my belt, so I'll have to use a pack (9 ounces).

Apropos your other comment, maybe when you and your mother are planning your next foray, we could have a "throwing out" party, to see how much of this year's gear can be switched out or left behind. It even could be at REI () as one of its evening presentations! (Or at A16, which seems more amenable to the leave-the-kitchen-sink-behind philosophy.)

I was Scout trained. I always carry at least my camelbak with me when I'm out and abouting... and it always has the "10 Essentials" in it. Even if I'm not -planning- on spending the night on a mountain somewhere, I know I have to be prepared to for just in case the unthinkable happens.



Oh thats funny!!! REI does seem to think that you need have half the household to survive an overnight on the mountain...

SoCalGirl,

Excellent trip report! I was looking forward to your trip report after reading your many posts. Congratulatons on a wonderful experience and successful trip. If you have not already, you will soon remember every minute of your trip with a smile and laughter.

Whether a day hike or overnight trip, you will someday make it to the summit.

I just returned from my third attempt and first "successful" summit yesterday. My first attempt was in July of 2006 with my ex-wife and we were turned around about an hour from the summit due to lightning and hail. My second attempt was in September of 2007 with my ex-wife, her sister and husband, and a friend. I suffered from AMS and rather than put other people, and myself, in danger, I decided to head down just before reaching the second window. My ex-wife could have made it, but she walked with me down to trail camp to wait for the others, who summitted. This time it was just the three guys.

My pack got lighter each time, as I learned from each attempt and from numerous training hikes.

I am now planning on an overnight hike next year. My hiking partners said that they will never do another day hike of Mt. Whitney, in the nicest possible way under the circumstances.

Gary

GaryT~



I remember it already in those terms... as a matter of fact, other then that last hour or so towards Trail Camp Monday night (which I have issues remembering at all)... there isn't a part of the trip that doesn't bring a smile to my face.



Sooner, rather then later, I would hope. It is beginning to look like time isn't going to permit this year... but I will be back next year.. and by then my pack will be MUCH lighter .



Congrats!!! Determination, persistance, and just down right stubborness eventually pay off!!!!



I hope to spend at least one night on the mountain next time I attempt this. Of the entire trip, I can honestly say the only I truly regret is not being able to see the stars above Trail Camp Monday night. I had been waiting eagerly for this and when I woke up Tuesday morning and realized I had missed it I was sad. Of course... sunrise, the "fairy lights" and a beautiful day spent with Mom very quickly made the sadness go away!



This basically means that they threatened to show you the "shortcut" from the summit if you made them do that again? Something about a boot in the bottom and a nice tuck and roll?


Thanks, Gary, for the kind words!!

~Chris

Okay Chris. You now have a link in the Orientation Notes where I amplify the difficulty of the trail between Mirror Lake and Trail Camp. You have a good message on what the first timers need to consider.