Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Very impressed

I summited on 9/6/06 with someone I met on the trail and had a great time. I left the Portal at 3:30AM and meet a very nice gentlemen named Pierre. I know that it is not a race to the the top but I tend to hike pretty fast anyway. I had to make some gear adjustments after leaving the Portal and each time I did I would notice the same flashlight gaining on me. After the third stop I waited for the light and it was Pierre. Pierre was very nice and we started walking and talking together and I found out that Pierre is 72 years old. The age of the people amazed me as I am 43 and thought I would be one of the older people on the trail and that certainly was not the case. It was truly inspiring to hike with Pierre and all of the other senior hikers. We had some good conversations on the top with other hikers took some pictures and were back down at the Portal by 2:15pm. Can't wait to try again next year and hopefully see Pierre once again. Thanks for all the great info on the hike from all.

What a great story. I think Bob has posted the particulars on the oldest hiker to summit Whitney. I believe they were in their 80's. Amazing!

I was reading an article this morning about the pandemic of obesity. If more people did serious hiking and got into the activity, this pandemic would quickly vanish.

Every October I see "Grand Canyon Fritz," who is close to 80. Arizona Highway magazine has done profiles on him. He hikes from the North Rim to the South Rim in a little over 10 hours, which is truly amazing considering his age. That's 24 miles with an elevation gain of 4400 in 10 hours. for an 80 year old man!!

Your right Candace. Two years ago I weighed 260, started hiking every weekend and eating right. Within 5 months roughly I was down to 205. I'm 51 and hate gyms. I'll try some winter this year.

When I was 9 and 10 years old my Father (in the Army) took me up Mt. Fuji.
Fast forward 40yrs. My son and I, not being able to go to Japan, decide to try to summit Mt. Whitney. After training for 6 months and buying lots of gear(56 pounds in my pack) we summitted on our first try in 2002. We have summitted every year since, 5 years now. My pack for 3 days now, with food and water, weighs 36 pounds. At 56yrs young I'm hooked on backpacking and will go on a 50 mile hike to Mt. Whitney next year. Then the High Sierra Trail, then The John Muir Trail, then the PCT thru hike!!!

Candace, I don't know if hiking is the fountain of youth but it is an awesome way to spend free time. I hope to hike the rest of my life and I am constantly tyring to convince the wife and kids how enjoyable it is(That is a work in progress). I look foward to hopefully seeing many of you for years to come.

Hey Mountain Dreamer,
Your pack weight is not bad. I am 65 yrs old and had a apck weight of 25 lbs. w/food, water & bear cannister. This was for a 3 day outting on Whitney last month, made the summit no problem. Light is way better than heavy.

Hi dlhelming,
You are my Hero!!! Your pack weight is incredible. I would like to Email you, as I have several questions regarding your gear.