Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Newbie looking to conquer Whitney

I'm faxing in my app for the lottery Feb 1 and hopefully we'll do our overnight hike on a weekend around late August time frame.

What do I put for my 1st Camp Location on the app?

Is staying in Lone Pine on Friday and camping at the 1st Camp Location enough for acclimatization?

I did Half-Dome two times fairly easily and felt on both occasions the worse part was coming down. What can I do to prepare better for Whitney and avoid painful feet?

I have a similar question. I will also be faxing in early February, but I'll be doing a day hike... Since I won't be sleeping on the trail at all, do I leave the camp location blank?

Thanks in advance for any help!

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Trail camp. You want to get as high as you can. If you don't get that high, there is no harm.

Feet. Lightweight, lightweight, lightweight.
Good fitting, broken in boots. Hiking poles.

W.R. - If by "painful feet", you mean blisters, I would also carry at least one extra pair of hiking socks. Moisture can bring on blisters more quickly, and nothing beats airing your feet out for 5 minutes mid-hike and putting on a nice dry pair of fresh socks!

>>Is staying in Lone Pine on Friday and camping at the 1st Camp Location enough for acclimatization?<<

Depends on how you handle altitude. If you don't handle it well, your suggested minimal acclimatization may not be enough. Unfortunately, you won't really know until you do it the first time.

End - For a dayhike, put the same date in Entry Date and Exit Date, and "Mt Whitney Trail" for both Entry Trail and Exit Trail. Leave Campsite blank [or put "N/A" if you want to fill in all the blanks].

Most important, when the big day comes, have fun!

CaT

I would spend a night at Whitney Portal rather than in Lone Pine in order to help you acclimatize; Whitney Portal, at 8,365 feet, is much higher than Lone Pine. And then go to Trail Camp as your "1st Camp" location, if you can.

Don't try to shortcut acclimation. When we did Whitney in 2001 (we being my then-12-year-old son and myself), we flew from St. Louis (500') to Reno and drove down to Mammoth Lakes (8,000'). Spent the night there, did a dayhike up Glass Mountain (11,000') the next day, spent a second night at Mammoth, then drove to Portal and hiked up to Trail Camp (12,000') the third day. Next day, up at 0430, on the trail at first light about 0530 (July 3) and to the summit by 1045 or so. Back to Trail Camp, then out the next morning.

No problems with altitude sickness.

As for footwear, it's a rocky trail, so if your feet get tender, a bit stiffer boots may be better than really lightweight ones.

Finding time to spend an extra day or two acclimating will pay for itself in greater comfort on the trail and less likelihood of missing the summit because of altitude sickness.

Trip report on my <a href="http://www.mtritter.org">WWW site</a> under the "highpointing" pulldown.

Stay at the Portal the last night before you head up to acclimate. While there, talk to Doug (He is the man!) and enjoy a burger- both items are essential for total enjoyment and preparation. Reserve a camp site early at the Portal, some are better than others. Make sure your boots are broken in well. Use trekking poles to help the legs on the way down. Carry water above trail camp. Dress in layers and be prepared for quick changes in temperature. Prepare for freezing temperatures at night. Realize that strong winds can come up and if you are using a tent(recommended), make sure it can stand up to a gale. Do not be afraid to turn around if problems arise. You can always come back and do it again. Know your limitations and enjoy it.

First thing that you should know is that you don't 'conquer' Whitney or any other mountain. As one poetic climber friend of mine said, think of her as a beautiful lady and you get to make love to her for several hours (ladies can reverse that to keep this politically correct). As for acclimitization, you should try to sleep at 8,000 feet or so the first night and 11-12,000 the second night. If you have problems with altitude sickness, you can search this board for information on the only two things shown in real clinical trials to help: gingko biloba and diamox (requires a prescription).

Thanks for all the responses. A couple more for y'all:

If I win the lottery for the dates I want to do the hike, do I have to independently reserve a campsite also?

..at the portal and at Trail Camp?

..are there additional fees for camp?

Yes at Portal-see campground regulations at first Whitney Portal screen window. fee
No trailcamp

Ro****,
You're right, coming down will be much harder and can be taxing on your knees. Either use trekking poles or cho-pat straps around your knees... use something to spare the constant pounding on them.

Half Dome is a much nicer trail and not rocky in hardly any spots, except the shoulder near the top. Whitney has many rocky sections in the middle portions and on the backside after Trail Crest.

Best of luck to you in your preparation!

Don't be greedy on your request. Faxing on Sunday will not help your chances and if the greedy people requesting 15 for 3 nights at Trail Camp up back and sideways might ace you out.

Do the advice they give you on the web site and ask for a range of dates and let them figure out the puzzle and keep your vacation plans open, it's six months from now, after all.

For me, I'm going via Cottonwood Pass starting around June 25, and a day hike somewhere in August, and as usual, ask for a permit "anywhere between late June and late September."

And yes, trekking poles, and acclimate! The trekking poles at the Portal Store are cheap(just over $30) and absolutely necessary, and so are the campsites at 10,000 feet (and plentiful) at Horseshoe Meadow just a few miles southwest (and way way up there) from Lone Pine.

I missed mentioning it in my previous post, but I agree with making your first nite at the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead to the south. No reservations needed, $5. 10,000 feet elevation.

The more the better.

Keeping with the scope of this thread, I was wondering if there were any maps ONLINE showing the main Whitney trail and all the options in campsites up to the peak...

If not, do you guys think a Sports Chalet or local sporting goods store carry Whitney maps?

Look at www.tomharrisonmaps.com for good maps of the area, as well as many other hiking/exploring destinations. They have two that specifically cover Whitney; The Mount Whitney High Country, and The Mount Whitney Zone -- the site will give you a thumbnail to get an idea of what they cover. The maps are very thorough and durable. They're available at most of the REI and Sport Chalet locations here in Southern Calif; online too. The USGS Mt. Whitney, CA 7.5 minute topo is another option. Good luck.

Cottonwood Lakes trailhead, or Horseshoe Meadows, has some plusses and minusses. It is at 10,000 ft. and that is great for acclimitization but, it takes 45 minutes to get up there and it is a barren place. The Portal has beauty, character and some very fine vittles to be had. It is over 8,000 ft. so why make the long drive to get used to altitude, the Portal will do fine. If going up the main trail, the information you get will be first hand and current. Just stop in the store and talk to Doug. He is very accessable and willing to share his abundant knowledge with all who venture in. The camp sites there are close and the $14.00 price for a private site is very reasonable for all the convenience. There is a backpacker site too- cheaper even still. It is a different story if going up the back way to Whitney but, I still advocate staying at the Portal and getting a ride up to Horseshoe from a local. It cost us $75.00 for two but after the hike the car was waiting when we came off. They also sell beer there at the store. Can't beat that.

Thanks for all the information! This will be a return trip for me. I did the day hike back in 1997 with a friend and enjoyed it a great deal. Since that time I have dreamed (literally) repeatedly of going back and doing it again. It really was a wonderful experience. This time I'll be going with my brother if all our plans work out.

I'll repeat what others have said: coming back down the mountain can be VERY hard on your knees. I think I seriously damaged mine last time as they hurt sporatically for as much as a year afterward. I'm hoping that being in better shape this time and using hiking poles will help to alleviate this problem.

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Horseshoe meadows camp is fine...a little out of the way (45 minutes to 1 hour from the portal) and last time I went up there ...full.

Camp at the portal if you can. Much more convenient.

Once on the trail you can camp at Lone Pine lake, Outpost Camp, Consultation lake (a little out of the way) or Trail camp.

Most people camp as high as they can on the trail the first night (trail camp) to make their summit day shorter. I have come to believe a summit day from Outpost camp is certainly just as good. The campground is nicer (river and trees) and you don't have to carry your backpack as high on the mountain. Just add an extra half day to come out, leaving 1 full day to summit and get back to outpost camp. Get an early start and you will have plenty of time.

The best map I ever bought of the Whitney area came from the portal store...a smaller laminated version of just the Whitney area.

"It is over 8,000 ft. so why make the long drive to get used to altitude."

It depends upon the level of committment. If I lived in Lone Pine, and I don't make it, who cares?
If I'm flying in from Maine, and this is my entire vacation for the year, I'd sure want to not fail for an avoidable reason.

When you talk about such reasons, you have gear, you have dehydration, fairly easy to learn about and prepare beforehand. But the acclimatization issue is the great unknown. Even if a person has done well in the past, they can get hit with major AMS, and the trip is bagged. Bummer. After a 3,000 mile flight, I'd say an hour drive to give insurance is worth it.

Your milage may vary.

I live at sea level, have summitted three times and I always sleep down at Lone Pine the night before. I think that all the talk about AMS is overblown. Most people never know if the symptoms they are experiencing are truly altitude related, or simply not being well enough conditioned. My approach has always been to hike at an even pace (about 6 hours to summit), drink and eat even if I don't feel like it, and let my body adjust as it goes. If you are out of shape and you run out of steam, people tend to always blame the altitude.