Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board I want to know what you guys think?

I have always wanted to hike Mt whitney in one day but always feared I was not in the right shape for it. for the past 6 years or so I have been 250lbs-305lbs but still active (scuba, short hikes, hard work, ect) this past year I have lost some weight (down to 190lbs) and have been excercising everyday for about 1-2 hours a day I hike most the time in the san bernardino mountains or I go to zion for some canyoneering a few times a year. I hike the vivian creek trail to the summit of san gorgonio in about 4 1/2 hours (8.6 miles one way 4500ft) but after that hike I feel like sleeping for a few days and I have no legs. I think I am in good shape but I am still very intimitaded by Mt Whitney. What do you guys think?

Give it a try. One will never know till the attempt is made.

Hey captain,

Pretty much what hillbasher says.I lost around 240 lbs over the last 6 years or so and have been up Mt.Whitney,among many of other trails and peaks.First time up the trail was very intimidating and harder than I imagined.It just seemed to never end.I would say you should be fine but there are so many factors you never know.Keep up the training and hiking and read what people have posted and give it a shot.Good luck.
Thor

Capt.
I've done it at 250lbs (16 hrs)- and felt that surgery was my best option afterward. I've done it at 210 in 13 hrs. and did it at 190 in 11 hrs. When I've done it at lighter weights I've been exhausted afterward just as usual but I've noticed that after my second slice of pizza at the Factory that I feel great. In fact, the time I did it at 190 I did Langley the next day and didn't feel a bit overtaxed. I'd say that you should try an alpine start, about 2am, and see how you feel when you get to trail crest and how long it's taken you to get there and decide if you want to summit that day. If you're out of gas at trail crest I'd say to call it a good training hike and try another time. As for training for this as a day hike I always like to have at least one hike of similar elevation gain and loss. Since there aren't really any single hikes to emulate this I do my usual hike (3500 ft gain) twice in a day. I don't get the altitude acclimatization from it but I get a good idea of where I am aerobically for a long haul. Best of luck to you and congratulations on your weight loss. Keep it going!

I personally feel that San G is a more grueling hike than the MMWT. On mt. whitney you have beutiful scenery to keep you going. If you have done san g, and can get past the altitude sickness on whitney, id say you can summit. Definetly get an alpine start, it makes all the difference in the world. If you only get to trail crest, you wont be dissapointed, and you will have something to reach for next year. Good Luck

If you are doing San G at about 2 MPH you are in really good shape. Not only would I give Whitney a go I would be confident that I would be stand on the summit that day.

The only wild cards are your stamina beyond 16 miles, how you will react to hiking over 11,500' for an extended period and AMS. All this can be handled by doing either Mt. Langley in the Sierra and a warm up to Whitney. The trip is 22 miles, half the trip is above 11,500' and AMS will show up if you are so inclined.

You can do it. I would work a bit on your leg strength before you go. Squats, etc. If you goto the gym and if they have a revolving step machine, use it. This is what really helped me. I was up to an hour on that machine at a very fast pace, almost jogging.

I did San Jacinto peak two weeks before Whitney and I was sore for 3 days bad. I did Whitney in one day and was sore for one day. I chalk that up to better nutrition, electrolytes and taking my time.

You can make it.

One never knows til one tries, and the trying part is half the fun! I know of people who were pictures of health, did all of the right training, and didn't summit on Whitney; yet I know of some who I thought had no business even trying, and they succeeded. My first attempt failed when my daughter got horribly ill just below Trail Camp; the next year, we both summited at the same time.
I say go for it and simply enjoy the experience. To quote a very wise friend "Getting to the top is optional; getting back down is mandatory". Good luck and I hope to read your post about your experiences soon.

You're in way better shape than a friend of mine who made the summit a few years back. Of course, he didn't try to do it in a day. Give it a whirl. You have nothing to lose.

If you want to work on the total elevation gain here in SoCal, go play on the Bear Canyon trail up Baldy. It is definitely steeper (6.4 miles and 5800ft or so) than the MMWT, if not getting quite the altitude.

I myself lost over 60 lbs over the past few years, which I also feel has helped with endurance. (Funny side note, that's why I laugh about my heavy pack. I just remember when that sort of weight was attached to my body!! Now I can take it on/off whenever I want!) I think the best approach is what WhitRat mentioned above: use your attempt as another 'training hike' with no concrete expectations as to your turnaround point (while keeping to your turn-around time, for sure!). See how you feel. Listen to your body.

Just being out there is usually enough for me. Although, those who know of my competitive nature might argue that point for a while!

Good luck!
-L

Hi Captain. I'm down here in the same area as you, and I do Vivian, South Fork, San Bernardino . . . the same trails you probably do. I did Whitney last September, and it only takes maybe an hour or two more than Vivian each way. If you allow the extra time, you'll have a great experience. The altitude really does slow you down above Trail Crest, so plan on that, but no worries, you've done the hard work (weight loss, physical conditioning) already. Now's the time to have fun with it!

z

Interesting!, as I had the same expeience. I had sore legs after San Jacinto, though two weeks before I did Baden-Powell without any leg problems. I was less sore on Vivian Creek, though I only went up to 10K.

Hi Captain!

I agree with the others: Go For It!

From what you have written, I would think you have a good chance to reach the summit (and back!).

I was in a similar situation: I dropped over 75 pounds to reach the 190's and hiked every weekend 15-22 miles (besides walking around the neighborhood quite a bit). I hiked San Gorgonio from the South Fork Trailhead, San Jacinto from the Idyllwild side, Baldy and Mt. Wilson from Sierra Madre.

My hike was August 24th. I summited in 7.5 hours and found that all my training hikes paid off. I felt that the hike was actually not as bad as I had anticipated, although the high elevation and long miles took their toll.

So once again, GO FOR IT! And be sure to update us!

I think that you should go for it, but have a "Plan B" in your back pocket. Try to have a fun experience, and be prepared to turn back at Trail Camp if you are not 100% when you get there.

There are a lot of things to experience on the trail, and the second time up is usually easier since you have a lot of things ingrained in you from the first trip. For me, the altitude effects start kicking in big time on the switchbacks. Between Trail Camp and Trail Crest there really is not that much to see. The lower part of the trail has the nicest scenery and a 12-mile hike to Trail Camp can be done entirely in daylight. A warm-up day hike to Trail Camp would be a great way to prepare you for the big one.

Do IT !!!!According to Doug at the Portal store people in far worse shape with little to no experience do it all the time.As several have pointed out if it is not going well you can always turn back.You never know your capacity to perform at the extreme level until you push yourself to that extreme.

If you can go up Vivian Creek in 4.5 hours, you can do Whitney in a day. If that Vivian Creek hike makes you tired, back off on the pace a bit when you do Whitney.

I say give it a shot. Even if you don't make it all the way you will gain a great deal of experience. The experiece you gain from doing it cannot be gained from reading a book or even this site (which has tons of info). Good luck and have fun!

Captain, go ahead and hike Whitney. In my opinion, San G. is harder than Whitney, or least it's more mentally fatiguing, especially in the heat. Lots of other hikers have said similar things when comparing the two trails. Assuming you don't have problems with altitude, Whitney should not be that hard if you can do San G.

Captain: Yes, 4.5 hours up Vivian is good time. One time I did Vivian in a little less than 5 hours, but most of the time it takes me longer than 5 hour to get from the trailhead to the summit of San Gorgonio and I can get my stubby legs up the Whitney Mule Trail in about 8 hours. The altitude really slows me down by the time I get to the top of the switchbacks on Whitney and I start to crawl.

The first time I did Whitney I just went because someone had an extra permit - I didn't think I could make it, but I found out it wasn't as bad as I imagined (at least when I was back down I felt that way).

You should give it a try - if you don't succeed just go back and try again.

You should be able to make it if you are down to 190.
I am 50 years old now and weigh about 215 (6'1" tall) so I am slightly overweight. I was not able to train as well as I should have, very little running, but I made it in 15.75 hours, as well as my wife, daughter and daughter's BF. Aug. 29, 2007

So if you keep training, maybe run some bleachers AND stay at altitude a couple days before you start your hike, barring any blisters, you should make it to the top of Whitney.

Secret237@Verizon.net