Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board time to depart

Just a little depressing, I hope. After all, getting old really beats the only known alternative!

On the other side, I spent some time chatting with a man while on the summit in 2001. He was 79 years old and had just completed the John Muir trail in some incredible time (don't remember exactly how long, but there was a man in his twenty's who had taken three weeks, and was astonished by the older man's speed). He said he could not remember a time when he didn't hike. Okay, so he may be an exception, but there's hope!

Tucker -- These guys are a great source of inspiration.

When I was 16 (in 1968), I met a guy at a 10 mile road race who was around 75 and was planning his annual trip to Boston to run the marathon. I looked over the weather beaten old guy and thought to myself that the prospect of growing old couldn't be bad if I could age like him.

I'm trying.

thank you to all who responded for the insight.

Why I wanted to know how long it would take. As a first timer (July 2) it was important for me to respect the mountain.

I knew it would be a long time 12+ hours.
I wanted to experience the trail without camping.
I wanted to pack the right amount of food and clothing.
I wanted to take the correct equipment.
I wanted to be emotionally and physically prepared, perhaps overprepared.
I wanted to succeed.
I wanted to enjoy it.

Thus I needed to know how long it took the average person, the faster person, the experienced hiker, the younger hiker, the older hiker, the sightseeing hiker, and so on. With that knowledge I could estimate how long it would take me and how long I could take without overextending my planning.

Within those bounds I had a nice experience.

That's why this first time Whitney day hiker also asked the question, "How long does it take? When should I, or can I start."

and about the initial reference to a Full Moon...

It was full on July 2. But as it set in the west, it set behind the mountain.

It was useless for an early morning start.

I found that 3 days after the full moon (July 5) was good for an early start. (It happened that way by accident, I didn't plan it!) Two days after would probably be good, also. And of course, a couple days before the full moon if you'd rather hike in the late evening.