Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Anyone done a double Whitney?

This is going to sound absurd, but I really am serious.....

I did Whitney last September in just under 12 hours with no trouble and plan to kick it up a notch this year by hiking to the top and down on a Tuesday, sleeping at the Portal and doing it again the next day. Any of you guys ever try this...any advice? Also, I submitted 2 seperate applications for the lottery and they actually called me and told me I couldn't get day hike permits for 2 consecutive days. They said it would be "cheating". I guess they assume I'm trying to get around the overnight permit by getting 2 day hike permits. They couldn't understand what I was trying to do. I have no intention of spending the night on the mountain and since I'm getting midweek permits in Sept. I could probably get an overnight without much trouble anyway. Any thoughts on how to get my 2 permits????

Thanks
See you at the summit...

P.s. next year I'm planning on back to back dayhikes on the same day...that's right 44 miles in 24 hours...anyone want to come along...

ouchmyfeet,

This could start a very interesting thread about different / odd goals for climbing Mount Whitney. Fastest summit / amount of times summited in 24/48 hrs. / craziest summit stories etc... Some stories to kick off the hiking season. As far as your goals I hope they work out for you. The 2 day hike permit rule is strange but I am sure It has been tested on the mountain before.

I inquired about back to back day hike permits last year and was told the same thing.
I'm assuming you didn't get an overnight permit, if you did you wouldn't need two day hike permits.
Why not just get an advance permit for day one and then when you go to pick up your reserved day one permit pick up one for day two, that way you may be able to get around their rules.Doing it this way, unless you are going to try your ultra hike in the middle of July and August, you shouldn't have any trouble getting two day hike permits.

Here's another idea, instead of doing the main trail two days in a row, why not do the main trail on day one and the MR on day two? Then you definately wouldn't have any troubles getting two day hike permits and your quest would be much more interesting.

Prior to the current board format, back a couple of years ago, there was a claim by someone who had done both the main route and N. Fork route on the same day in a pretty fast time. It may have been a troll but it sounded doable to me. Bob R. will probably know the answer when he gets back from his trip this weekend or someone else. It may have well been Bob who did the deed. Ouchmyfeet, I think two trips in a day is quite doable with either both on the main trail or one of each as Sierra Stryder suggests. Doing both trips in one day skirts the permit issue since the permit is good for a day. Keep me posted with your 2005 plans.

You know It never occured to me to just get an overnight permit and just come down the first night and back up the second day. Good idea!
I also like the idea of doing the MR the next day. I've never done it though...I know there have been hundreds of postings on this board about it, but without looking it up...how much climbing gear if any would I need for the MR? I heard it was just class 3, but I saw lots of ropes and biners and helmets on packs last time I was there.

In September you probably won't need any special climbing gear or formal climbing background to go up some variations of the North Fork/MR. If the snow is gone, which it should be by then, a helmet might be the one thing to consider taking. You see lots of climbing gear on top since the North Fork is used for many of the more demanding routes on the mountain but there are variations that require nothing but your energy, route finding ability, common sense, etc.

It all depends on what time of the year you go and what the snow pack has been like for the year. I don't know about the Southern Sierra's snow pack but, up here in the Northern Sierra we are at about 77% of normal, if this continues there will be a very early start to the hiking season. Like early May!

If you go later in the season you can get up the MR later in the day with only an ice axe and a helmet. Early in the morning you will run into ice in parts along the route, later in the day the snow and ice will be in the metling stage. I believe Bob R has some pictures on his website of a MR hike in August, basically, very little snow. But, if you do go in August you run into the problem of possibly not being able to get a Main Trail day hike permit.
Then you could do the MR twice and have the mountain almost to yourself.
And, yes, you can just come down the mountain after day hike #1 and get a permit for day hike #2. Good Luck

HI Double trips on Whitney happen several times a month during the summer. Last year my freind did the double trip in about 17 hours Jack Notthingham see his post and other about Aug last summer. Thanks Doug I have heard a nice day hike is up the North fork into Tuleinyo lake area then catch the JMT and over trailcrest and back to the portal,

It may be tough to get a walk in permit since 100% are reservable now.

In 1999, my brother and I day-hiked Mt. Langley on Saturday, and then hiked Whitney the next day on the main trail. The year before that was White Mtn. - Whitney on back-to-back days. Our longest day hike was the Cactus-to-Clouds variation of San Jacinto Peak near Palm Springs. 41 miles, 22 hours, and nearly 20,000 ft. of elevation gain/loss.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/52605063/57328938yShkwy

Calhiker...you rule!
The poster you made of the Cactus to Clouds hike is awesome....as is the Outside mag cover with snownymph. You clearly have some skills with the computer. What was the exact route you took for the Cactus to clouds hike? I'm planning on doing that one when the snow melts and would love to try your variation.
As a side note...how can I get one of my Whitney self photos on an Outside mag cover? Maybe a side business for you here on the board..

calhiker -- awesome photos. that one on the diving board at half-dome was really good for the 'ol pucker factor!! I was scared just looking at it, and I used to jump out of airplanes. I guess those days are long gone.

but i'm motivated to take my own photos, starting with whitney this summer/fall. thanks for the post.

Why not just hike from lone pine to the summit and back in one day.I believe John muir did this,or he started from near where the town is now.I have done the summit from lone Pine Campground adds another 2700 ft gain and 4 miles each way.

The trail starts at the end of Ramon Rd. 3 blocks west of downtown Palm Springs. You literally start at the very bottom of the mountain. It climbs to the tram station on an easy to follow, but extremely steep trail. From the tram station you're back on a main trail to the summit, then descend the west side until you hook up with the PCT, and continue down to Snow Creek Village on the north side. The last 5-10 miles are very gradual and they seem to go on forever, it's tough mentally at that point.

E-mail me the photo and I'll see what I can do for you.

Speaking of Half Dome, I remember seeing a photo on summitpost.com that makes my hands sweat...

<a href="http://www.summitpost.com/mountains/photo_link.pl/p/photo_id__7486__object_id__1008__type__user__mountain_id____route_id____user_id____order_by____limit__">Here it is</a>.

Though somewhat tilted here's a photo I took of the same spot from a different perspective:

<a href="http://66.27.227.86/ViewerPlus/viewphoto.asp?ID=12582">here</a>

Ouchmyfeet:

I have done back to back Whitney hikes twice and it's one of the most memorable hikes of my life, right up there with Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to -rim (48 miles). Definitely plan on doing it if you have it in your mind.

I first did back to back Whitney hikes, both on the main trail, before they required permits, so it was no problem. It's also NO problem doing it now, I did it 3 years ago and I have friends who did it last year.

First, you secure your permit for a weekday in July, that's a less popular month by far than August. Secure the permit either in the Feb. lottery or the May 1 one. Second, go in person to the Lone Pine Ranger station and secure the second permit for the next day. If you're going with a friend, have them use their name. The rangers thus have no idea you're doing back to back attempts.

In 2001, I did the first day in 10 hrs. 59 minutes on a Tuesday and did the second day in 13 hours, 19 mins. You're sore, but exhilerated. Obviously don't attempt this unless you've hiked all summer and in good shape (duh, you already know that).

The only problem is hydrating. I made sure to drink enormous amounts of Gatorade and water after the first Whitney day hike. You're not only replenishing the fluids lost that day, you have to start preparing for the day hike the next day.

The hardest part for me on the second hike was the first 3 miles to Lone Pine Lake. You'll probably be stiff and out of sorts. But after that, you should feel pretty good and when you're finished on the second day... WOW! It's Michelob time!

Good luck, you'll never forget it.

Since reading about Goran Kropp's (R.I.P.) 7000+ mile journey to Everest by bicycle, I've been interested in doing something similar (on a much, much smaller scale) involving Whitney. Cycling is my other outdoor passion, so it would tie together two of my favorite pastimes.

It's awesome reading these stories. One thing I'd like to know: has anyone ever done a double up the MR, down the Main Trail, up the MR, down the Main Trail?

Wow Candace...you might be my new hiking idol. I've been wanting to do the Rim-rim-rim since I first heard about it on Adventurehiking.com
I'm definately going to do the double Whitney this year. I don't officially have my permit yet, but I already got my spot at the portal reserved for 5 days in Sept. I'm thinking of doing a double Vivian Creek (San Gorgonio)sometime in the spring and then again maybe in August for preparation. Vivian is shorter, but very similar to Whitney in my opinion.
Have you ever tried Cytomax for hydration. The stuff is awesome. Less sugary than gatorade and taste way better than water after 15 or 16 hours on the trail. Thanks for the advice Candace...very helpful

Ouchmyfeet,

I encourage you to do Rim to Rim to Rim! The only problem is, every other hike you do you will pale in comparison. Let me clarify, though: nowadays, I take 2 days to do Rim to Rim to Rim. It's just too much to do in one day, I did that once and never again. I got North to South one day, sleep over at the Thunderbird Lodge and then so South to North the next day. Why not do it in October, the North Rim lodge closes October 15, the weather is not as hot, you will do it every year after you do it once, you'll get hooked!

I've never done a back to back San G. in one day. I think that would be tougher than a double Whitney, San G. is harder for me than Whitney for some reason.

I like Cytomax but tend to get an upset stomach with it, unfortunately. :-( I agree, it's better than Gatorade, but it doesn't agree with me. Let me know what your plans on for your double Whitney and Rim to Rim!

Last year I hiked solo, Mt. Whitney and White Mt. in around 19 hrs total (that includes travel time). I did Whitney first in 10hrs. I then drove directly to White, which I think took about three hours. I started on White about 6 pm, and got back down sometime around midnight. It was a great experience and I would definitely recommend it.