Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Tune up hike (Half Dome)

My hiking partener and I made the ascent on Yosemite's Half Dome Saturday June 19. We are day hiking Whitney July 2nd.

There were valuable lessons learned because this hike was long, had some altitude and nearly 5000 foot ascent. So we packed as if we were doing Whitney.

Lessons: 6 liters of water was just right per person (3ltr packed + filter), we should have brought some powder to mix for additional nutrients/energy), Trekking poles were a life saver, just a little more food especially some in the car when we returned after everyting was closed, used ibufrofin for some joint/muscle aches before descent, LED headlamps are awsome, 100% DEET!, beware the wildlife, including the bear we saw and the very unprepared hikers!, having good shoes and wicking shirts, having underwear that don't chaff, perfect hats, keeping the camera handy, and finally - pleasurable sigh - changing into fresh socks was heavenly!!!

11 days until Whitney!

Shoeless...congrats on Half Dome. You mention that you are packing 3 liters plus a filter. Mt. Whitney right now has an abundance of water, and the water is easily accessible compared to trekking to Half Dome. There are so many water crossings and passings along the Whitney trail, you should only need to lug a liter between stops; unless, of course, you just love carrying 3 liters x 2.2 pounds/liter of water. After Trail Camp is when you may want to carry extra. Even so, there is a spring (after thawing by mid-morning) between switchbacks 17 to 24, plus snow on the way to the summit. It's your back... I'll say this, though, it sure looks like you're drinking plenty of water, which is great. Also, as I'm sure you are aware, the Whitney Trail begins just a few hundred feet under where Half Dome at 8,842 feet ends! Have fun!

Thanks Wayne for the water update!

I'd rather be a little over prepared than not and just knew the Dome trail to be dry (2nd time up since '79).

I expect Whitney, by observation of this board, to have more prepared and capable hikers than the overrun Half Dome trail. i.e. Two young ladies (Brit's) asked at the 4.5 mile mark where the water fountains were ( I think someone told them there were some. Many had just a sports bottle in hand, and more than I could keep count were laying on logs & rocks, resting, overheated and dehydrated, young and old. A couple were throwing up, some looking pretty pale. It was way too silly not to have water on that dry and dusty trail.

Yeah, I'm aware it's a higher hike. The ascent rate is steepest on Half Dome at the mist trail by the two falls and the granite stairway before the cables. It was pretty hard on the legs and knees. Total ascent of ~5000' over 7 miles. Whitney is ~6000' over 11 miles at altitude. Appears like it's easier on the legs, but not the lungs.

The only thing sore right now is my quads in spite of my recent hikes and runs.

FYI: 100% DEET has been shown to be no more effective than 50% (which is almost equivalent protection to 30%). No need to overdo it.

DEET- True about the potency, but when I was buying it, the 100% bottle was in the smallest, lightest, most packable, as opposed to the cans or bigger family size pumps. After I bought the 100% I then found a small (and ~20% deet) bottle which would have been fine. I was a slave to marketing.

The question would be, Is there a need for it on the Whitney Trail? There was on a section above 6000' on Half Dome Trail.

Agree with the water. I carried one liter to trail camp (2nd bottle empty). I then topped off both bottles before heading out to trail crest. Of course, I used a filter to pump.

Maybe add a small kit for the feet to pad potential "hot spots"

The main difficulty on the Half Dome trail is the petryfing cable ascent at the end. Otherwise, the Whitney trail will produce more general wear and tear on the body.

Unfortunately, during the peak summer months, the main Whitney trail has its share of unprepared one-time hikers (especially the lower portion up to Lone Pine Lake).

Food at the end of the Half Dome hike would have been great; unfortunately we won’t be able to put a cooler in our vehicle at Mt. Whitney. Bears will have our meal devoured before we get down off the mountain and after a Bear causes hundreds of dollars damage to your vehicle just for a snack the rangers will slap a couple hundred dollar fine on your vehicle for leaving food in it. The best thing for us to do is to have a cooler waiting in our hotel room.

I don't think there's any comparison between the first-time unprepared types on Half Dome and Whitney: Half Dome wins! This is partly because on Whitney the unprepared Bozo's are weeded out (most of them, anyway) by the permit system. I did Half Dome on June 16 and I do it every year. You see TONS of people who have absolutely no business being there, people barefoot, in sandals, with no water (it was 92 degrees that day), no sunscreen, nothing.

The only way to avoid the hoards of people on the way back is to leave with headlamps at 4:00 and that's what I'm going to start doing. The log jam of humanity in the last 2/5 miles winding up to Half Dome makes it hard to descend. No one yields, they just meander up, constantly asking, "how much farther?"

I've never seen, on any trail in North America, so many non-hikers trying to do a fairly difficult hike. It's their right, I'm not knocking them, but I question their preparation. I don't know how the heck you do Half Dome with no water.

My jaw dropped when we pulled into the parking lot, full! Then again when we had first sight of the cables. Oh my!! Looked like an ant hill, so many people.

The unyielding, holding onto both cables going up, going down, basically plugged the line. Yeah it's like the freeway, you have the right to drive in any lane, but please show courtesy and respect and pull over. It was the more experienced folks who waited patiently, and offered help.

I considered going up on the out side, but was afraid the mob would push me off for "cutting" the line. It was better to be on good terms with them; the dry, the tired, the sick, the annoyed.

It took us over an hour to push up the cables, 10 minutes, if that, to "fly" down.

I did that hike 25 years ago, and it was much more pleasant, even seemed shorter Definitely fewer people.

Shoeless, I may be interpreting your previous post wrong, but I think you asked if you will need DEET on the Whitney Trail. If so, the answer is a resounding YES! Unless you love the miserable itch of hundreds of mosquito bites! He he. When I was up there last week Whitney Portal all the way to just above Lone Pine Lake was filled with mosquitos. I forgot to bring some DEET & ended up being a mosquito's paradise. They must love my blood...I got bit up everywhere! Made for an itchy night in my tent at Trail Camp. Oh well, my fault, I was wandering in their territory. Luckily a fellow hiker let me use some of his on the way down. Good luck at Whitney!

Shoeless - Please don't underestimate the effect altitude will have on you for this hike. Half Dome is a great hike - you should be proud, but it is truly nothing compared to Whitney. Sure, the granite staircase before the cables was hard, and the Mist Trail steps on the way down are murder on the knees (note to self: take JMT next time!), but you can't imagine how the lack of oxygen will effect you, because it's different for everyone. I can assure you, that when you are going up the swicthbacks above Trail camp at over 12,000 feet, and see your goal directly above you (still 2500 away!), you will get a greater appreciation of the will it takes to complete this hike in one day.

Good luck - and have a great time!

Thanks darylrose,

There is no underestimating here, as the HD hike was used for the time, mileage, and equipment practice more than the altitude challenge. I fully respect the challenge of hikes at and above 12,000', but eagerly look forward to it.

BTW, JMT was the downhill trail of choice.

If you want to avoid the crowds on Half Dome (and like a little extra excitement) go before they put the cables up (or after they take them down). I went up this year a week before the cables went up (they're still there, just the posts are gone) and just about had the trail (above Nevada Falls) and dome all to myself. There was only one other person on top when I got there. This was so much more enjoyable than dealing with the crowds.

Definitely bring the DEET for Whitney (at least right now anyway). Although not on the Whitney Trail, I hiked up the Meysan Lakes trail and on up to LeConte on Sunday. The mosquites around and below the lakes were very aggressive. I didn't bring any DEET and am surprised I have any blood left at all. I think the afternoon rain and hail stirred them up or something. Everytime I stopped I got swarmed.

When do they take the cables down? I want to do HD this year, but would love to avoid the crowds as much as possible.

The cables normally come down Columbus Day Weekend before the first winter storms roll in

Something to be said for a late start on a day hike of Half Dome as well as an early one; I didn't hit the JMT till 10 a.m., dilly-dallied my way to Half Dome summit at 5:30 p.m. June 14th. Only 18 minutes up the cables, zero traffic, less than 10 down with lightning threat crackling my heels. Prior to that, I shared the entire summit with a marmot and no one else. Cell phone signal meter through the roof, marmot crossed his front paws and watched me phone home.

I found the stairs on the east hump, especially at the top where there aren't any stairs per se, just a slick rock, a little more intimidating than the cables, in retrospect (though it took a while of staring at the cables before I decided to finish what I started).

The skeeters at the backpacker's camp just before sundown were monsters but 100 percent DEET sent them to bed hungry.

I took five liters of water on the trip but only needed 2 and a filter. I plan on only two liters for most of my Whitney attempt in August, topping off to probably four or maybe five at Trail Camp. Can't wait! I'm thinking about a just-for-fun Cirque Peak session in mid-July to fill in the void.

Spring,fall and the middle of the week in the summer are best times to hike Halfdome. I was up on the rock June 19th and the line for the cables reminded me of a ride at Disneyland. (I went up and down on the outside of the cables.) I've been using Halfdome the last couple of years for training hikes. Went up a dozen times last summer(twice in one day last Aug.) and have been up 7 times since Apr this year. It is always sad to see people unprepared for their journey. I find myself taking extra Gatorade (up to 10 bottles) to hand out. My trips up never seem to be without some excitement. Two years ago I was on top at dusk when 2 basejumpers dove off. Last year on one of my trips a lady slip off the cables fracture both her ankles and wrist. She had to be Lifeflighted off Subdome. I've sure SARS and the park service stay very busy in YNP.

Fastpack,

I'm curious how many times you have summitted Half Dome. I live and Modesto and also use HD to train for other peaks. I've only been up 5 times in my two years in CA, including one with the cables down. I recently found Fathers Day to have light crowds. I find by starting early I am up and down the cables before the crowds have built. I have spent an hour on the summit alone two times. I generally head down when people start ariving on the summit so I don't have to deal with them on the cables. They are hard enough to pass on the 10' wide trail were they hike 4 across and won't move. I'm guess these are the same ones who leave trash on the summit. Last weekend I filled my camel bak with Gatorade Bottles and other trash. Let me know if you are looking for someone to climb HD with. I like to climb fast 2hrs 14min last weekend.

Bill Strand
williamstrand@yahoo.com