Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board guidelines for Turnaround times?

This question is for a day hike on the main trail. Can anyone share any guidelines about turn around time? I understand that later in day there is increased chance of storms, especially electrical storms. And I recognize the issue of descending in the dark. But if the weather continues to be favorable what is the latest folks are comfortable with getting off the summit? I'm thinking that as long as you can get down the switchbacks before dark (again assuming the weather continues to hold) you should be OK. Is this crazy?

thanks!

I have not experienced this myself, but I know that in Doug's book (which I am now reading), he recommends getting to Lone Pine Lake by dark, since the trail from there down to the Portal is very forgiving, and there's enough ambient light bouncing around the canyon.

G27, I guess it depends on your comfort level descending in the dark, but the trail is very rugged in long stretches between Trail Camp and Lone Pine Lake. See the recent thread on this board about a couple who lost the trail in the dark at night and wound up spending an unplanned night on the mountain.

I did the MMWT 3 days ago, and the thought of trying to get from Trail Camp to Big Horn Sheep Meadow by headlamp scares the pee outta me. Whitney pros, sure. First-timers? Not recommended. As mentioned, the trail is very negotiable by headlamp below Lone Pine Lake.

Bear in mind also that you WILL be more fatigued than you're thinking right now - guaranteed. You're also assuming no one in your group will have AMS, which is common and will slow things down considerably (I'm a poster child). Add the inherently greater danger of descent with the unfamiliar, unforgiving trail and this has the potential to be a "Saturday Night Special", as Doug calls it in his book.

My opinion, better to start earlier than plan for a later return. Just be safe and enjoy the experience - it's very, very special. Best of luck!

Thanks. This is helpful. I've done this section before in the dark on a day trip where someone did get AMS. Turned into a 22 hour affair. It was doable mainly because we had no choice. But I'm still suprised no one broke an ankle.

I have some experience climbing (whitney main trail, mountaineers route in winter, shasta avy gulch many times, shasta west face, rainier, denali west buttress) so I understand the danger/difficulty in coming down fatigued.

The reason for my question is because we have to have a late start for this trip because we are cycling from badwater the day/night before. I'm hoping to arrive at the portal around 3-5am and get a couple hours sleep and then head out by 7am.

That's why I'm interested in opinions about turnaround times or at least the highest point you want to be at nightfall.

thanks!

very rough guidelines ("your mileage may vary"), in my experience, NOON is a great turnaround time. Any large peak I've done, I am rarely worried, or in trouble later if I am off the summit by noon. Summer, Winter, MW, Shasta, etc. 3pm is generally a very bad turnaround time. Thunderstorms in the summer, rockfall in spring, ice in the fall, darkness in the winter. Whenever I have done that, I have regretted it. Again, this is a very general guideline, but hopefully will give you a starting point.

I think this is a difficult question to answer, because of the variables. During the peak hiking season, people are coming down ALL NIGHT. I remember sleeping at Trail Camp, getting up at 11pm, and seeing a bunch of lights on the way down the switchbacks.

So, if you are comfortable hiking in the dark, the weather is good, you know the trail, no medical issues, don't really see the reason for an arbitrary limit. Any of those things out of place, there should be one.