Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board what to do the weeks befor a summit

I have about 3 weeks 6/4 before my first summit on the big Whitney. We are doing a 1 day summit. I got some final question that i could use the boards help.

When should i start hydrating

Should i slow down my normal workout routine

What shouild my diet be

where should i stay(hotel) in lone pine

any help would be great. I would also like to say thyat this board is so good and helpful i check it every day.

Tahnks
Leorux

As has been recently mentioned...you can't store up water really. But you can drink more water so that you are hydrated. Most people don't drink enough water during the day. 80 ounces of water per day for a 150 lb adult.

I don't slow down my workout routine in the weeks before I go, but I am carefull not to overdo it and hurt myself. A few days before you go up you have to be carefull. You don't want to start your hike with sore muscles.

It seems like a well balance nutricious diet would be the best. Some start taking Ginco suppliments a few weeks before but you would have to search privious posts to find out about stuff like that.

The hotel would depend on where you come from. If you come from sea level, you can argue which is best...a sleepless night at the portal or a good sleep night a lower elevation in a hotel in town.

I usually stay at the Best Western Frontier Motel,
1008 South Main Street, its clean and they have a small continental breakfast

I concur with Stephen...level off your conditioning. Minimize the chances of injury, but keep the intensity high enough to maintain fitness.

There are several hydration debates on the board already...read through them for advice and anecdotes about hydration.

If at all possible, plan more than one night's acclimation if you're coming from sea level (or thereabouts). When my son and I did Whitney in July, 2001, we spent two nights at Mammoth Lakes, about 8,000', with a dayhike to 11,000' in between. Then drove down to Whitney Portal and hiked up to Trail Camp (12,000') before summitting the next day. No problems with altitude sickness.

As far as diet, I don't change much, although I may do a carb-loading dinner the night before hitting the trail...pasta or something like that.

I haven't bothered with Ginko or any of the prescription meds for altitude sickness (Diamox). I take some Advil for sore muscles and the occasional sun/altitude headache, but that's usually it.

Take your time, stay hydrated while hiking, take an extra day at intermediate altitude if you can manage, and you'll do fine...

The two weeks prior to a trip I slow down my training to avoid the chance or injury, but still keep it intense enough to maintain my level of fitness. I also spend a little extra time on stretching and mental preparation (visualizing the trail and me on the summit). I'm not a big fan of taking medicine if it is not trully needed, but if you are taking Diamox of one some other form of altitude sickness preventative you may want to see how they react prior to hitting the trail. Good luck on your trip.

Leroux,

I'm going up my 1st time the week after you and have been doing a lot of socal hikes,all over Mt.San Jacinto.Just did Marion Mtn.trail Saturday and it was tough but I made it.Other than keep working on your cardio and don't hurt anything between now and than,take your time and give it your best shot.
I'm going up to the Sierra this Thursday night for 3 days at high elevation and a little fishing.Yesterday while getting my gear together,I tripped on my stairs and broke my left big toe.I'm still going though,it should stop throbbing by then.

What is the highest elevation you have been to? I know you hav a 40% chance of getting AMS going from sea level to anything over 8,000'. If you don't know how you are going to perform in the rarified air why are you taking a chance not acclimatizing by staying at 3,600' the night before going to 14,500' after putting in all that effort getting ready for this trip?

I have friends who would love nothing more than to stay in a motel in Lone Pine before a day hike but they have problems with this elevation even after two days of acclimatization.

If you are going to stay in Lone Pine the most convenient motel is the Dow Villa, it's in the center of town right across the street from The Pizza Factory.

Bill

You will be much better off sleeping the night(s) before at 8000' or above than sleeping in Lone Pine . If you don't want to stay in the Portal campground, there are places just north along 395, like Mammoth or June Lake, that you can stay in a hotel or motel at altitude. Prehydrating more than a few hours before the climb is useless. Carbo loading the night before works OK. For training, I generally recommend keeping up a high level until about a week before, then taper down. I usually take it easy the day before I start. I take Ginko starting a day or two before I start climbing and find that it makes a big difference - YMMV.

so far this year i have hike Baldy twice (once in the snow mid march and the other 2 weeks ago), San g once and jacinto once. I try to walk with a heavey pack on the beach to get used to the weight. I lift weight 3 times a weeks and30-60 min cardio 4 times a week.

Diet, ok not great but im fit.

after my trip to Napa im cutting the boose out and strick diet

leroux

While staying at altitude before your hike would really be best, yet if you do end up staying in Lone Pine (either before or after your Whitney hike), we've always enjoyed the Best Western Frontier -- consistently a good place since I was a kid through the present (I'm now 50).

Relative to its proximity to Whitney, there's no such thing as an inconvenient place to lodge in all of Lone Pine, given the small size of the town.

CaT

I'd push for 200 minutes a week of fairly high-level cardio workouts. That will give you the maximum cardio benefit. Running and the stair stepper are my preference. Your last workout should be 5 days before your departure. Then rest, sleep, and stretch.

Sleep in the hotel the day after your summit, get up to altitude and acclimate as early as possible. Do your carbo-loading and hydration the day before.

This has been a very successful formula for me.

BJ

Baldy, San G and San Jac aren't 14,000'ers. The fun begins at Whitney at about 11,500'.

By staying in Lone Pine you are asking your body to go up 11,000'+ and above 11,500' for the first time.

BTW, how much time and treasure have you spent getting ready for this trip? To me is sounds like you have spend a lot of time, based on your posting here; I sure you have spent a few dollars on gear and will be spending a fortune on gas. However, you don't want to spend some time in the thinner air before attempting to summit. Personally, I don't understand this philosophy and never have.

Bill

Although it is true the Southern California peaks of San Gorgoino, San Jacinto and San Antonio (Baldy) are not really that high, they are a great place to start. We often train on those before we go to Whitney.

I also agree a night or two up at the portal (8000 feet) or Horseshoe meadows (10000 feet) really helps. Unfortunately we often train on the big three in Southern California weeks or months before the big one, so maybe the alititude adjustment doesn't help that much once we get to the Sierras.

But half of hiking is really mental anyway....and these three are worthy hikes to get you ready.

It sounds like you have prepared yourself well. You don't really need to overdo it. Just keep in shape until you are ready to go. I am so busy I don't usually train the few days before I go. But by then I know I am ready. Enjoy the mountain.

Hey, lose some weight if you are heavy. Do some good hikes beforehand, but don't hurt your feet or legs. If you have the time, camp at Tioga Pass, and maybe do Mt. Dana.

Two days before your climb, eat well (carbo-loading). Don't try to starve yourself, and drink plenty of water. A night at elevation might help some. A good breakfast and plenty of coffee helps me immensely.

Get organized so you have the bugs worked out before the big hike. Inspect your gear, make sure your flashlights work, and your camera has film or memory, etc. Get current conditions from this board, and maybe even make out a will (many do this before a big trip).

It should all go fine, don't worry about it. If you don't make it, fine, try it again next year.