Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums Like Post

I am big on the rem sleep that few hours of deep sleep, I don't think you can get that sleeping in the dirt if you are not use to it and the Portal can be very busy at night people coming down and others going up , vehicle noise and car alarms often . I am not a fan of the 1-2 AM starts , most leave with little sleep and add those hours to the long day ahead can be a setup for problems.

So yes I think sleeping in town and starting between 4-5 AM . Also have everything ready in your packs and as soon as you reach the trail head park and hit the trail . Coming to the Portal the day before the hike to find the Trailhead and the parking lots will be helpful.

I should mention we can have a bear issue at the trailhead some years , the bears wait till you park set the packs out as you get ready and will take a pack same with the bathroom or the group photo at the trailhead sign , they are just after food and know the trick of waiting out of sight till someone leaves a pack . getting up the trail quickly solves that problem as the bears will stay in the campground area or around the Portal

On the full moon hikes we take hours to reach trailcamp there we take a power nap , do from trailcamp to trailcrest very slow another break as we check the group for any issues then pick the pace up to the summit and down to lower elevation spending a limited time at the upper elevation.

On the temperature our highest in 37 years is 83 degrees most often the range is upper 60's to mid 70's for a very warm day .


. As you travel up the mount you can use 4 degree drop for every 1000'. If the Portal is say 70 the summit would be low 50's but with the sun exposure effect of the sun/thin air and reflection off the granite it will feel warmer.

Nights can be cool and early mornings will have a slight breeze as the sun hits the upper elevation and create
a natural breeze , also late after noon the warm air will move up and can make the hike down a little warm . Layers will help to adjust .



The hike isn't that hard based on you experience maybe a little longer and the elevation element but you have months to build up to the distance . The elevation you can focus on as you come to the area .