Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Hiking Whitney in one day

I'm 54 and did it in one day last year.
Yes, it's very doable. You'll be tired, but a "happy" tired!

CaT

Well, I got my permit for a day trip for June 22nd, so we'll be giving it a shot. Thanks for all of the input.

Does anyone have comments on the drop-off issue mentioned by RickK? I don't generally do so well with heights but am okay if the drop off is a sloping one as opposed to a sheer drop (strange I know). Wh

I don't do well with ledges and "drop offs". Where RickK was talking about just past the cables on the switchbacks is very steep and yes sloping but no sheer cliffs or drop offs. I personally had no problem with the exposure anywhere on the main trail.There are some hairy ledges and drop offs on the back side(western side) past Trail Crest and of course the "windows" BobR just recently posted pictures of the windows. There are a few of them that have drops off from a few hundred to thousands of feet. For some reason they didn't bother me at all. The trail is at least 4 feet wide through the windows and most people have no problem with the exposure including me,who is usually terrified of cliffs and ledges.
Link to BobR's pics of the windows page
http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/47021/page/4#Post47021

I have tried Whitney twice and the altitude got me both times. The first time, I was in good shape but was siked out by all the "you must summit before xxxx" talk. It was a perfect day and the altitude slowed us down. We turned around at noon a few hundred feet from the top of the switchbacks. The weather was perfect and I regret we didn't go on slowly and just get to the summit later. This first time we did not acclimate at all (mistake), driving up from Lone Pine at 3:30. The second time we camped at the Portal one night and then at Trail Camp. We both felt crummy the next morning so we turned around. It was also cloudy and rained late that day. We didn't feel like we wanted to be rushed. I was upset both times as I'm not a quitter. I think the day hike is a much better way to do it unless you have several days to acclimate. My plan next time is to acclimate for two days at altitude. That is the best advice that I've seen here. The other advice that I think is good is to start early. I am sure that I would have finished year one, had I started at 2:00 or so rather than at 3:30. The extra hour or so of sleep is nothing. One about camping at Trail Camp: It isn't much to look at in the day, but at night under a full moon it is one of the most amazing places that I've seen.

Good Luck.

As most of the prior posts have stated, single day summits are very doable with the proper preparation. First of all, you’ve got to be in reasonable physical condition. If you’re not currently working out 2 to 3 times a week (combination strength and CV endurance training), you need to start now. Second, plan to take practice hikes when and wherever you can. I see your from San Diego (me too). Mt Woodson trail from Lake Poway is a good starting point. Work your way up to Mt San Jacinto, starting at Humber Park in Idyllwild. Third, plan ahead to acclimate at altitude for at least 3 or 4 days before you take on Whitney. Drive up to Mammoth Lakes. Stay there for a few days, and use one day to hike up to the top of Mammoth Mt. (BTW, you can take the gondola down for free if you hike up!) Another good spot for acclimation is the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains, easily accessible from Big Pine. You can drive to the visitors’ center and hike the short trail and just hang out at altitude. Arrive in Lone Pine a couple of days before you one day Whitney adventure. Drive up to the Portal, check out the surroundings, hike up to Lone Pine Lake and back (no permit needed, and you’ll get a better view of terrain you’ll be covering in the dark on the big day) Have something eat at Doug’s (Pancake, Burger, Fries, beer… whatever, it’s all good!). Lastly, If budget allows, sleep in the hotels (Dow Villa – unofficial Whitney hiker hangout, unless Doug’s ‘Do Drop Inn’ is open). You’ll get a better rest, and have some comfort for the post trip sleep. Plan to be on the trail no later than 4am, with a goal of summiting by noon. Use a hydration pack and sip and snack (See prior posts) on a regular basis. I prefer to drink diluted Cytomax. Use ibuprofen if you’re prone to headaches. Take along plenty of the “Goo” type packets. They’re very helpful on the descend when you’re energy levels are bottoming out. Also, get some hiking poles, especially ones with springs for the downhill sections. Saves wear and tear on the knees. I also prefer a lightweight filter (Katadyn) for replenishing water supply from various spots along the trail. No need to carry all water as supply is plentiful along most of route (best water is from snow melt on switchbacks above Trail camp).
Lastly, plan to have fun. Take your camera and plenty of pictures. The scenery is spectacular.
BTW, I’m 58 and have completed 3 one day summit trips during the past 5 years.

Calihawk I am sorry you were so close on a perfect day and turned around. I think the turn around time is a good guide line but not as critical as a turn around time on Everest.I don't think it should be cast in concrete.
If there are no puffy billowing clouds and thunderstorms forming and you are within a couple hundred feet or yards you can exercise good judgment and summit safely. I was way slower than the average climber and didn't summit until 3:00 PM June 08.Much later than the 12;00-1:00 PM turn around times I have read about. The day was perfect and there was no reason to turn around before summiting. I did have to descend in the dark the last hour but it was worth it.
I don't think a hard rigid turn around time is essential on Whitney. There can be bad weather and safety reasons to turn around early in the morning too. The key is to be watchful and use good judgment and make moment by moment decisions. If the weather is clear and you are close, feeling good, then you should certainly summit whenyou are that close IMO.

I see I'm the same age and live in the same city as corazon525, but my recommendations differ somewhat from his--and from those of some other contributors to this thread.

1. It is true that you should aim to be on the peak by noon. Thunderstorms do not arrive every day, but it would be a pity, after all your planning, if you found yourself nearing the summit an hour or two too late.

2. Take two one-liter Platypus containers. Fill only one at the trailhead. Put the other one, empty, in your day pack. There are many water sources along the trail, until you get to the switchbacks. There is no need to lug more than one liter until you get there. By the time you drain the Platypus, you will arrive at another water source. Refill, repeat. You should begin using the second Platypus when you get to switchback 23, which is the last place to find water, or you can fill it a bit earlier, at Trail Camp.

3. Do not bring a filter. It's needless weight (as is the second liter of water, for the first six miles). The water all along the trail is wonderfully pure. But, if you harbor doubts, use Aqua Mira. If its two liquids are placed in mini-dropper bottles, the weight of your purification system will be around half an ounce--far lighter than any filter.

4. The two things that will work against you (and that will tend to induce altitude sickness) are lack of hydration and wearing yourself out by pushing too hard. If you drink so that you have to step off the trail every hour or so, you will avoid the first problem. The second is avoided by giving yourself lots of time.

5. This brings me back to the issue of getting to the top by noon. To accomplish that, many people leave the trailhead at 3:30 or 4:00 a.m.--but many of them still arrive too late, and many others push themselves so hard that they use up all their energy stores or, worse, quit because they feel nauseated. There is a way to get around this ...

6. Leave as early as 10:30 p.m. Yes, you can do that. Here's why. A day permit allows you to be within the Whitney Zone between midnight and midnight. The Whitney Zone demarcation begins at the junction to Lone Pine Lake, which is 2.5 miles in from the trailhead. You can leave the trailhead around 10:30 (or earlier) and take your time getting to that junction. At midnight, cross the invisible line and proceed upward. You will have about 8 miles to go--and 12 hours to get to the summit, which allows you to lollygag.

7. Take lots of breaks, and walk more slowly than you think you could. Conserve your energy. Keep drinking. Who cares if it takes you 14 hours instead of 9 to get to the top--if you get there feeling fine? And if it turns out that you're moving along at a good pace, without feeling that you're having to push yourself, then you may have the wonderful experience of seeing the sunrise while you're high on the switchbacks or even near the summit.

8. To depart from Whitney Portal before midnight, I recommend setting up at the campground by mid afternoon, getting into your tent, and taking a couple of Tylenol PMs, with perhaps a pair of earplugs to help you get to sleep faster. Then get up around 10:00.

9. One more thing, which you can check out before you hit the hay. You can save nearly a third of a mile if you use the old trailhead instead of the current one. To find the old trailhead, walk past the store on the paved road. Just where it begins to loop around to the left, you will see, on your right, a very large boulder, behind which is the old (but unmarked) trailhead. While the trail that leads from it is not maintained, it's in very good condition and is easy to follow in the dark. To verify, in the daylight hike up to where the old trail meets the main trail. Where they join, you will turn left. (There are other shortcuts, but they are too hard for first-timers to locate in the dark. This one is trouble-free.)

What a great collection of suggestions. They're all opinions, of course, so you will read dueling ones. Everyone here has their own experiences they are drawing from, so there is wisdom even in ones that seem far out. Pick through, sift, figure out which ones make the most sense, ones that match your inclinations, and develop a plan. You can't really go wrong.

I am different from most hikers in that I prefer to hit the trail at dawn or perhaps a half hour before, although twice last summer I didn't start up until 9 AM or so. If you want to search through my past posts, you'll learn my reasoning. And as you can tell from my pictures, I have a bunch of friends who also like this protocol. But clearly, most hikers prefer an earlier start.

The recommendation to summit by noon is usually based on getting down before thunderstorms occur. It's wise advice in the Rockies, where several people are killed every year. Lightning can kill on Mt. Whitney, too: It has occurred exactly twice, once in 1904 and once in 1990.

The Sierra Nevada is not the Rockies, and lightning is of far less concern here. The thunderstorm season in the Sierra is short: typically late July to late August, and June 22 is well before that. So unless there is an unseasonable weather pattern it's a non-issue for you. Just watch the weather reports starting a few days before. And if one builds while you are up there, stay alert and turn around if it seems prudent.

I like to get down in time for a WPS hamburger and fries. That means departing the summit by 3 or 4 PM; earlier if I want to do Mt. Muir on the way.

By the way, you cannot leave before midnight if you have a permit for the following day. There is confusion over this, but a permit is a contract to start up from the trailhead on a particular day, not for passing a particular spot on that day. Search past posts to get the full story; there has been a lot written about it. This, for example.

If you want to keep your options open -- and get a spectacular view of the sunrise -- I recommend starting the hike (lawfully) at the portal just before midnight (10:30 or 11 PM) with a headlamp and the right food/gear to meet the conditions that you might encounter.

That was sort of my approach last August 27th for a successful day-hike summit -- a start under moonlight ... adrenalized pace for the first six-seven miles ... then thunder and drizzle ... then pouring rain/lighting and waiting/wondering ... then daybreak at Trail Camp ... then snow! and cold and a slushy slog on the switchbacks ... then opening skies/sunshine (and an inspirational F-16 fly over) ... then in the clouds on the snow-covered summit ... then light rain on the switchbacks ... then sunshine for the somewhat tedious trek from Trail Camp down to the portal. I say "sort of" my approach because I didn't have the right gear (I was in shorts and trail-running shoes and not geared up for August snow); and I brought way too much water -- had three full bottles (of six total) left.

You'll have the advantage of extended daylight in June-July. And I doubt you will see any snow.

In my view, the climb is more about not giving up/giving in to fatigue and spurious thoughts of imagined danger than it is about being perfectly conditioned.

Be reasonable with yourself. Take breaks as needed along the way, take in the scenery, eat properly (no junky, salty/sugary food that you ordinarily wouldn't eat), keep yourself hydrated, focus on your breathing as you gain altitude, but don't quit. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

With the midnight start you and your wife may have the summit more or less to yourselves -- just you two and God. If you appreciate solitude, as I do, that could be an added bonus.

Good luck.

Bob and Walter have very good advice. I wish I had been given that advice before my first attempt. Live and learn.

These 2 quotes sum it up IMO

Bob R
The recommendation by others to summit by noon is based on getting down before thunderstorms occur. It's highly recommended in the Rockies. Yes, lightning can kill: Exactly two people have been struck and have died on Mt. Whitney, one in 1904 and one in 1990. This is the Sierra, not the Rockies where several people are killed every year. June 22 is well before thunderstorm season in the Sierra (typically late July to late August), so unless there is an unseasonable weather pattern they will be a non-issue. Just watch the weather reports starting a few days before. And if one builds while you are up there, stay alert and turn around if it seems prudent.

Walter
In my view, the climb is more about not giving up/giving in to fatigue and spurious thoughts of imagined danger than it is about being perfectly conditioned.

Those who have no experience on the mountain, may want to "pad their chances" with an earlier start. I say this because:

1. When I was involved two years ago in interviewing over a thousand climbers who attempted Whitney, one refrain that I heard over and over and over, was: "I wish we'd started earlier!"
It got to be that I almost didn't need to ask. From that, I've taken up the refrain "earlier is better".

2. Some of the regular posters here are extraordinary climbers, bordering on world class skills. They routinely dance up the mountain in times that I cannot fathom. They are acclimatized, they know the route, they have a worked-through plan, they know their bodies and know how to use them in altitude. Very few folks are in this class, and virtually all of them live within an hour of the Portal.

Also, if you are coming from a long way, spending a lot of money on travel, most want to maximize their chances of summit success.

If there is a problem (which there often is, when novices to the mountain are concerned), you want to have significant "slack" time available to use. A tight timeline does not allow this.

So, if you have dayclimbed Whitney many times, are acclimatized, don't faint at the thought of your last marathon, start whenever.
If you don't care if you spent thousands to come try, the same.

But, if those don't apply, you might want to start early.......

Quit analyzing it to death. Shut up and start walking. Sheesh.

Just watch out for the little beady green eyes that stare back at you after sunset.

On starting time. I didn't mean that as a recommendation for others. I merely wanted to point out that there are some who prefer an other-than-dark start, because nobody had touched on it. The paragraph reads much better now.

I think an other-than-dark start is swell, but so is having time to get down, drive home to San Diego and get a normal night of sleep before going to work the next day. YMMV

Dale B. Dalrymple
http://dbdimages.com

In my opinion if you are allowed to start at midnight, you are wasting that precious time by not using it-provided you get the proper amount of sleep beforehand.

I believe anyone in reasonable shape can do Whitney in a day. I tell people who ask about my journey is that it is really a mental excercise. One step at a time. Just make sure you do all the prep before hand, proper equipment, planning, etc.

Being lucky with good weather helps too.

Whats with all the drugs?
Try spend a few days and nights going higher each day. I live at sea level so, first night I try to camp at 10,000 just getting to the mountains, day two I hike around White Mountain and try to sleep around 10,0000 or at the Portal. Day three go up Whitney. Its the old way of doing things and the right way. Also try to get good sleep each night and stay hydrated. Being in shape helps too. Listen to your body and set your pace, going too fast early sometines sets people up to fail.
Everyone will respond to altitude in their own way go slow and learn how your body reacts and what your needs are.

My experience: http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/forum/...=true#Post38752

These things have worked well for me in one day trips:


1) Get there early (36 hrs at least) and camp at the
Portals. 36 hrs at 8500' ft is much better than equal
time at 4000'.

2) Leave at midnight, or as early as you can thereafter.

3) Skip the Diamox, it makes many people feel like crap.
If your stomach can handle it, start with 2 aspirin
every 4 hrs about 24 hrs before you start the walk.
Continue with it during the walk, then switch to
Ibuprofen at completion of your descent for the
inflammation that will occur. I speak from personal
experience on the Diamox. I used it one time-and the
cure was worse than the sickness.

4) Drink a lot of fluid. But also make sure you get lots
of caloric intake. Fluid or solid, doesn't matter-but
get tons of calories. I went up with a Medical Doctor
once, and he told me that one need not worry about
eating healthy on summit days. Just take things that
you will be able to eat when your appetite is
suppressed by altitude. This is very important, a lot
of people fail because they "hit the wall".

5) Travel light, but have the essentials, including a
basic first aid kit, and some type of water
purification.

6) Avoid the temptation to rush down the mountain after
summiting. I have put so much wear on my knees by
descending too fast over the years. What does it
prove anyway. Any couch potato can walk fast downhill.

7) Use trekking poles!



I live in San Diego County, and my favorite
conditioning hike is the Skyline Trail in Palm
Springs. 8'000 ft of climb in 10 miles. Let me know
if you're interested. I'd be happy to give you the
411. Maybe even take you up.