Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board A bit intimidated - should I be?

Hi. I'm new to the board. I have climbed Mt. Whitney twice and have the itch to do it again this summer. Problem is that I would have to do a day hike rather than overnight due to the permit thing.

A day hike sounds intimidating. When I climbed twice before, it was over 20 years ago. I don't recall weather I did day hikes or overnight. In any event, as I recall it was not too hard. I am now 45 yrs old and it is a different ballgame! I'm in fairly good "sea level" shape (running, basketball, etc.) but am concerned about what is require for a day hike to the summit and back.

How long does it take? What time is best to start?
Other tips would be helpful........and ultimately should I try? The little voice inside says I can do it if I prepare correctly, but it does still seem intimidating.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Intimidated? No. Just be smart.

I did Whitney in 1971 and 1973. The first time was with almost zero hiking or altitude experience. No problem. But, I was young and in great shape. I did it again in 2001 and 2003. I'm well over 45 and in decent sea level shape. I took it more seriously! If you want to do Whitney and you're not a kid in great shape, you want to be prepared. That means some reasonably serious hiking. The good news is, it's fun!

There are many threads on this board about "training hikes." I don't use that term, personally. I just like to hike. But, if you want Whitney fo go smoothly and to know you can do it, make some of your hikes some combination of (1) reasonably long, (2) reasonably elevation gainers, and (3) at a reasonably high altitude.

In Southern CA, that means hiking up peaks like San Antonio (Baldy, 10000'), San Gorgonio (11500'), and San Jacinto (10,800'). The standard here is probably the Vivian Creek Trail up San Gorgonio. The Mt. Baldy thread on this board mentions all three peaks and more.

If you're not from Southern CA, either find a thread or start one.

Good luck. You don't really need it though. At 45, you're younger than my kid sister.

I'm 42 and completed my first and only hike on Whitney in August 2001. I'm in fairly good shape, but I'm no athlete and sit at a desk most of my life (a lawyer). My hike in 2001 was a day hike. I was successful but, to be frank, it was the most difficult thing I'd ever done, and I include within that comparison the LA Marathon, which I did in 2000. Nevertheless, I'm going to do Whitney again in a day hike this Saturday (August 9). It gets in your blood. I had a permit to do it last July, but the fires in Sequoia cast a nuclear-winter type pall over the entire Owens Valley, so I decided not to go.

My training in 2001 included doing Baldy twice and multiple lower mountains in Southern California. I went up to Lone Pine the day before and hiked up to Lone Pine Lake (the farthest you can go without a permit). I just stayed there most of the day. Then I went back down to Lone Pine and stayed a motel. The true hikers on this board will point out that by doing so I probably defeated most of the altitude adjustment I was trying to achieve, but I didn't have the means or the permit to camp at altitude.

My times on Whitney in 2001 were roughly as follows. I was on the trail by 3:50 a.m. I was at Trail Crest by about 10 and on top by 11:30. I stayed 20 minutes at the top and was back to my car at 5. I'm not a fast hiker by any means. The hike past Trail Camp was a killer. But the key is not to be intimidated by others who may be going faster. Just go your own pace. When I was struggling to get up the switchbacks, a young blonde girl (probably no more than about 20) trotted up ahead of me like a mountain goat, apparently unaffected by the altitude, while I struggled to catch my breath. But the fact is that I made it and that's all that matters.

This year I'm relatively less prepared, and, like you, a little worried. I did Baldy up the Ski Hut trail a month ago and each weekend since I've been doing one mountain. I did San Jacinto up the Marion Mountain trail (a very good warm up for Whitney), and San Gorgonio on Vivian Creek. But that's about all.

I plan to go up to Little Lakes Valley on Thursday and hike up there (the highest trailheads in the Sierras, starting at about 10,300). Friday I'll go up to Lone Pine Lake. And then Sat. morning I'll be on the Whitney trail.

If I can do it, anybody can.

JohnJohn, Only you are in the position to know whether you're physically ready to summit Whitney in a day. I think for most people, the first time you attempt Whitney in one day, it's a little intimidating. You spend time worrying about the altitude, AMS, you don't know the trail conditions, etc. Once you do it, it gets in your blood and you want to do it again and again, even if it was difficult and you were cursing the last 3 miles back to the car saying, "I will never do this @#!*$! trail again!"

If you're overweight, a couch potato, have physical problems and do little exercise, then aim for next year after having shaped up. A day hike of Whitney isn't something you can do unless you've done some physical preparation, unless you're a maschochist and want to truly suffer. But if you can run 4-5 miles without difficulty, and can do the training hikes we talk about here, if you've been at altitude and not been affected, then you're probably ready to try a one day Whitney trip.

I'm amazed you can't remember whether your other trips were one day affairs or overnighters. The vast majority of people who do Whitney the first time remember every milesecond of the trip for the rest of their lives. I don't mean this sarcastically, I am genuinely surprised. I certainly would put "Mt. Whitney in one day" in the Google search engine and read the many trip reports from people out there. You can get good info from other people's experiences.

It's late in the season to decide to do this, I would aim for next July or August, unless you have your permits and are in good shape already. Best of luck to you in any case!

rock on my friend...........life is short........the summer of 03 will never be here again.....do not wait........hike now..........

My advice is to start early (3a.m.) and listen to your body. Im 44 and summitted Aug. 3. It was my first time and the effects of the alt. on my body were litterally dizzying. When we were descending I was amazed at all of the seemingly unprepared people still going up. Respect the mountain and be prepared for any type of weather. Remember that water is plentiful up to trail camp. After trailcamp only water is what runs out of the trail on the switchbacks. Stay well hydrated and do lots of deep breathing.Good luck and may God bless your trip just as He did mine.

Having been on the summit multiple times, I can only say that much of it is courage and determination. It helps greatly to follow the experience on the board...when to leave, what clothes to wear, what food to eat, how to give your body time to acclimate, and how to physically prepare for your hike. That being said each time I look deep within and wonder if I have what it takes to do it again. My mind says yes but my memory reminds me of the price to be paid. It is worth it, because it really means something personally to be there and stand on the top. And I go back to share that with others, not so much to just do it one more time.

Life is short, you betcha, but breathing deeply and being hydrated ain't gonna get most people to the top of Whitney w/o proper exercise + preparation beforehand. I can't imagine giving someone the advice to do Whitney now when he's obviously not prepared [based on his questions] than to wait and get ready and do it when he is prepared. It seems poor advice to me -- just my opinion, mind you. John-John says he runs and plays basketball at sea level. If he's running marathons or 10K's then he might be ready to do it if he gets properly acclimated. But if he's running 2 miles every other day then there's more work to be done. This isn't dissing him, it's reality. I still remember that 400 pound linebacker who came here asking for advice ~he had never hiked anywhere but had 'grit' from being a football player~ and there were some people here who said, 'Go for it! You'll never get the chance! You can do it!'

I'm not trying here to compare John-John to the football guy. It's great to encourage, but it's not responsible to say anyone who has never hiked can just lace up shoes and do it because they probably can't. I bet unprepared people have to really suffer up there and some might go based on advice like, 'Oh, do it! Don't wait till next year!' I think the only people who can just do it with no prep are 18-24 year old guys who haven't been worn down by time + age. Girls that age have a better shot too. Maybe I am too rigid, but isn't it better to err on the side of caution?

johnjohn -- You've been up Whitney twice, so you have the basic idea. You know that altitude doesn't kill you and you know what the hike is like. When you say you're in good shape, you have some calibration to thge task at hand. Now you want to decide if you can do the day hike this summer.

I think the best thing you can do is to find a hike in your area that is reasonably long, steep, and high and try it. That will give you a better basis to make a decision. For example, if you can do the Vivian Creek hike up to Mt. San Gorgonio with no problems, you can do Whitney.

California Trailwalker's precautions are all excellent. But I am assuming John-John wants to complete the hike, not just attempt it and fail, and he wants to complete w/o much suffering or injury. When I said only 18-24 year old guys [or gals] can "just do it," I mean just picking a thin person off the street at random and sticking them up there with some water and then summiting and returning w/o suffering. I doubt many 40 yrs. old could do Whitney in one day w/o preparation and being fit.

I suppose anyone unprepared could do it if they take 30 hours and hobble the whole way down and have blisters the sizes of peaches, but the point is to do it and enjoy it. You have to be fit to do that. We all have climbed Whitney and we've all seen our share of suffering people up there who should never have attempted it. It's great they accomplish it but if someone asks advice, I think it's reasonable to tell them to get in shape before attempting it.

well, most all the advice here about being prepared is excellent.

However, some of the advice about what it takes to be in shape to summit is andecedotal and ambigious at best. My advice is no different in this regard.

I'm 43 and in fair shape. I can't jog more than 2-3 miles. I've never hiked above 11.5k (though I spent a fair amount of time flying at high altitude) I had knee problems hiking down baden Powell (though I did it in 2h 40m)

Despite the above, I summited Whitney on July 28th, had no joint pain, and less sore than Baden Powel hike (I think using poles on Whitney was key factor here) Althought it was 2 two day trip, I did 15.4 mile in less than 10 hrs, and I'm sure I would have been able to handle a day hike. My time to summit and back from trail camp was 5 hrs, the same time it took from portal to trail camp with a 37 lb pack!

Read all you can, acclimate at portal or Horseshoe, do at least one hike prior (Baldy?) and you should be fine. If you don't make it all the way, just relax and enjoy the nice areas below trailside meadow.

BTW, USE HIKING POLES!!

Obviously hiking is the best preperation for doing Whitney and knowing how your body handles the endurance thing. However I haven't always gotten away to do much hiking before I head up to Whitney. I have noticed though, that you can not really over prepare, especially since the elevation can be the biggest challenge, and adds onto the outright hard work just being there. Some days you feel like you are hiking strong, other days not so much so. I certainly wouldn't want to wait for a whole year, but then I wouldn't go before I am ready. Some times I have trained for 6 months, other times a month or so. Kind of depends on where you start, and what is reasonable shape for you. Only lately have I favored longer training sessions less often to build up endurance. Before that running a few miles often was all I ever did. The recommendations so far have been good and reasonable. Best wishes

In preparing for whitney I did one hike 2 weeks prior. Manger Flats to Baldy summit. Completed it quite easily. If you have any problems with this hike you are not ready for whitney. One more note on my training is that I typically do long training runs as well as weekly shorter runs in preparing to run marathons. Iwould consider any run between 15 and 20 miles a long run. If you are in similar condition, theonly problem will be the altitude. Aclimate' Hydrate, Eat and breathe deep.

Thank you all for your great responses. This message board is awesome.

Okay, I have gone from 'intimidated" to "inspired" after reading your messages. Skyscraper said it best. "Life is short and the Summer of 2003 will never be here again."

On that note, I plan to start getting into shape and take the training hikes as a prep. I expect I will be fine on those, as I have lots of hiking experience. If I conquer those hikes I will try Whitney, with the intention of getting to the top (and back), but if I don't make it up that will be okay too. Better to have tried than not. When I do make it to the top, no doubt it will be the highlight of my summerr.

Thanks for all the tips, I plan to incorporate them and will return to the board and report back after I've climbed Mt. Whitney.

Thanks to all of you and happy hiking!

aerodyne: I am surprised you can do Baden-P in such a good time and also Whitney in good time, albeit 2 days, without much training. You have to be doing something in order to get in good times such as these. Are you sure you can't run more than 2-3 miles? Then please explain how you put up these good hiking times. I'd like to know in order to incorporate this into my regimen. Seriously.

Advice for JohnJohn: I agree with erring on the side of caution. If you're not fit, don't try it. Yeah, you can get to Trail Camp, but if your goal is to summit in under 14 hours, run, stairmaster, lift weights and don't be fat. Best'a luck!

california trailwalker -

You can count on it. I will post after my hike. Thanks for your good words!

John John
This is my first time on this message board and it's great. You certainly are getting a lot of good advice. I'm not good at giving advice but I can tell you of our experience.

I'm 55 and my hiking buddy is 64 and we did our day hike on the 22nd of July. We started at 2:15 in the morning and reached the summit at 9:30. It was great to do a lot of it in the cool morning.

Our preparation consisted of hiking fourteeners here in Colorado, the last being Pike's Peak which approximates the distance pretty well.

Since we cannot just run out to Mt Whitney any old time we want (wish we could) we made sure we did as much preparation as possible. We also knew that the more prepared we were the more fun it would be.

The day before our hike, we stopped in on Doug at the Whitney Portal Store and got some good advice and encouragement along with our breakfast. Good luck and hope to hear all about your hike.