View Full Version : Mt Whitney Advice Needed
The Solemates
07-11-2005, 16:38
Call me ignorant, but I did not realize that you had to make reservations to day hike Whitney some 6 months in advance. As a last minute decision to visit San Diego on an extended business/leisure trip this September, we decided we were going to hike to the top of the continental US. That is until we found out no more reservations are being taken. Our two options are to 1) call back every day to see if someone cancelled or 2) show up the day of the hike and hope someone cancelled. Both options suck in my opinion. The reservations are for the Main Whitney Trail out of Whitney Portal.
My questions are:
1) Is there any way around this? Do you really need reservations? How much is it enforced? We really want to hike it Sept 10th weekend.
2) Are there alternate trails up? We only have the weekend, but are very strong hikers and can probably cover 1.5x miles more (if not 2x) than the average hiker. However, we havent done much hiking in the West other than Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Alaska.
3) What is the likelihood of getting 2 spots if we show up the day of the hike?
Anyone with experience with all this....advice much appreciated. :datz
1) Is there any way around this? Do you really need reservations? How much is it enforced? We really want to hike it Sept 10th weekend.
2) Are there alternate trails up?
You could approach it from the the west via the PCT.
Start at Horseshoe Meadows campground, hike 4 miles to Cottonwood Pass, another 16.7 on the PCT to the Mt Whitney lateral at Crabtree Meadows, about 8 miles to the top and another 8 down to Whitney Portal.
You'll still need a permit, but it should be much easier to get.
BTW, there's good camping at Crabtree Meadows or another 4 miles will bring you to Guitar Lake. Another mile will bring you to a tarn (small lake) with great camping nestled in granite with awesome views.
It'll be well worth the overnighter compared to an up and down.
BTW two, I'll be starting the JMT September 10th in Yosemite Valley heading to Mt Whitney. :banana
Footslogger
07-11-2005, 18:41
BTW, there's good camping at Crabtree Meadows or another 4 miles will bring you to Guitar Lake. Another mile will bring you to a tarn (small lake) with great camping nestled in granite with awesome views.
It'll be well worth the overnighter compared to an up and down.==========================================
I'm in ...where's the sign-up list
'Slogger
==========================================
I'm in ...where's the sign-up list
'Slogger
Well, I did add another, un-named hiker to my permit! You're welcome to it.
Starting Saturday the 10th, we plan on finishing Thursday the 29th in time to make it to the ALDHA-West Gathering that weekend near Lake Tahoe.
Footslogger
07-11-2005, 18:49
Well, I did add another, un-named hiker to my permit! You're welcome to it.
Starting Saturday the 10th, we plan on finishing Thursday the 29th in time to make it to the ALDHA-West Gathering that weekend near Lake Tahoe.==============================
Aw fooey ...can't make it. Sure sounds like a sweet hike !!
'Slogger
==============================
Sure sounds like a sweet hike !!
A quote from the PCT guidebook for the section that shares the JMT...
The Pacific Crest Trail from the Mt Whitney junction to Toulemne Meadows passes through what many backpackers agree is the finest mountain scenery in the United States. Some hikers may give first prize to some other place, but none will deny the great attractiveness of the High Sierra.
Footslogger
07-11-2005, 19:05
A quote from the PCT guidebook for the section that shares the JMT...
The Pacific Crest Trail from the Mt Whitney junction to Toulemne Meadows passes through what many backpackers agree is the finest mountain scenery in the United States. Some hikers may give first prize to some other place, but none will deny the great attractiveness of the High Sierra.==================================
Oh thanks ...rub it in why don't ya !!
'Slogger
I have an invite to join a couple of folks along the JMT in August '06. I am definitely considering it!
==================================
Oh thanks ...rub it in why don't ya !!
Sorry! Hey, you're close the the Winds which has to be a very close second!
I have an invite to join a couple of folks along the JMT in August '06. I am definitely considering it!
Do it!!!! :) If you need any help with planning or a thru-permit, just let me know.
permit:-? i was out their last yr and must confess they have many costly permits that i didnt know of:confused: and didnt ask i just got lost in the kings canyon lands by far :datz and sequoia nat forest man what a hike a:dance ky
Footslogger
07-11-2005, 21:24
[QUOTE=Sly]Sorry! Hey, you're close the the Winds which has to be a very close second!
================================
Excellent point Sly ...I may just have to take a walk in the Winds afterall !!
'Slogger
The Solemates
07-12-2005, 09:39
You could approach it from the the west via the PCT.
Start at Horseshoe Meadows campground, hike 4 miles to Cottonwood Pass, another 16.7 on the PCT to the Mt Whitney lateral at Crabtree Meadows, about 8 miles to the top and another 8 down to Whitney Portal.
You'll still need a permit, but it should be much easier to get.
that sounds like a great alternative, and it will help us acclimatize better. do you know of any shuttles available that could take us back to our car at Horshoe Meadows? And do you know of any free maps found online with all this on it? I have a much better grasp on things if I can see it.
The Solemates
07-12-2005, 09:40
and how far of a drive is it from the portal back to the meadows campground?
I can't find any maps online, let me see if I can copy what's needed and email you.
From Lone Pine to Horseshoe Meadows is about 23 miles, from Whitney Portal back down to Lone Pine it's about 8. If I'm not mistaken these two roads folk off one leading out of town.
In the meantime, from what I understand, you can get a very reasonable shuttle from this guy...
http://www.wilderhouse.com/
Footslogger
07-12-2005, 10:53
Man ..I'm not even going on this trip but I sure am impressed at the resources here at Whiteblaze. Is this a cool website or what !!
'Slogger
The Solemates
07-12-2005, 10:56
Man ..I'm not even going on this trip but I sure am impressed at the resources here at Whiteblaze. Is this a cool website or what !!
'Slogger
heck yea man...its my first stop for any question I have for planning my adventures...and I always get a good detailed and informative answer.
Solemate, I need your email.
I have 5 full page scans, three of 5 maps (four needed) from Horseshoe Meadows to Cottonwood Pass and on to Mt Whitney and Whitney Portal, and two of 4 pages of text from the PCT guidebook. From Crabtree Meadows to Whitney, textwise, you're on you own but it's pretty straighforward trail.
It's all of trail and doesn't show much beyond Horseshoe Meadows or Whitney Portal. You can probably try using Yahoo! Maps or Mapquest for those, although they're not likely to show Horseshoe Meadows.
I'm going to try and put all the scans in a single zip file, then I'll mail it off.
The Solemates
07-12-2005, 11:37
Solemate, I need your email.
I have 5 full page scans, three of 5 maps (four needed) from Horseshoe Meadows to Cottonwood Pass and on to Mt Whitney and Whitney Portal, and two of 4 pages of text from the PCT guidebook. From Crabtree Meadows to Whitney, textwise, you're on you own but it's pretty straighforward trail.
It's all of trail and doesn't show much beyond Horseshoe Meadows or Whitney Portal. You can probably try using Yahoo! Maps or Mapquest for those, although they're not likely to show Horseshoe Meadows.
I'm going to try and put all the scans in a single zip file, then I'll mail it off.
dude, youre awesome. thanks so much for your help. our first try is gonna be to try to get a cancellation the day of because we will be pressed for time (and because my wife may not be able to take Friday off...the conference doesnt start til Monday afternoon), but plan B is certainly the PCT if she can get Friday off. but shes already taking the friday before off (labor day) because we are going to the Whites.
[email protected]
I have an invite to join a couple of folks along the JMT in August '06. I am definitely considering it!
Mile for mile, the JMT is (in my opinion) the most scenic stetch of hiking you can do in the lower 48. And I live in Colorado! I did all but 30 miles of the JMT when I did the PCT...I would not mind doing the JMT again.
PS. you should receive the CD by today or tomorrow. Enjoy it!
dude, youre awesome. thanks so much for your help. our first try is gonna be to try to get a cancellation the day of because we will be pressed for time (and because my wife may not be able to take Friday off...the conference doesnt start til Monday afternoon), but plan B is certainly the PCT if she can get Friday off. but shes already taking the friday before off (labor day) because we are going to the Whites.
[email protected]
No problem, being uploaded as we speak.
Have your wife do what she has to do to get that Friday off. It's an outstanding short hike, much better than doing the 99 switchbacks up and then down with all those people!
Oops, I made a mistake. The PCT guidebook does have the text (and a couple awesome pics) from Crabtree Meadows to Mt Whitney.
I have to run out a sec, but will send them your way once I return.
Kerosene
07-12-2005, 14:27
Mile for mile, the JMT is (in my opinion) the most scenic stetch of hiking you can do in the lower 48.One of the main reasons that I'll do the JMT as my first long-distance trail once I finish the AT.
I tried to upload the zip file containing 6 scans (3 of maps, 3 of text) from the PCT guidebook and a Harrison map of the trail between Horseshoe Meadows to Mt Whitney and Whitney Portal, that I emailed Solemate, but my compter wasn't cooperating and crashed, twice.
This 37 or so mile section of trail has to be one of the best out there. Although a little off the beaten path, so to speak, one could fly into Reno and take public transportation to Lone Pine. With a couple hitches or using the shuttle provider nearby, there's no excuse not to hike it!!
If anyone else wants the zip file, send me an email and I'll shoot it off. :banana
Rain Man
07-12-2005, 23:36
Call me ignorant, but I did not realize that you had to make reservations to day hike Whitney some 6 months in advance. .... We really want to hike it Sept 10th weekend. ....
Grass (my daughter) is doing Whitney over 6 days, August 24 - 30. If you like, I'll ask her to pick up maps and mail them to you, plus any advice she has from her hike. Let me know.
I suppose you've spoken with the Rangers already?
Rain:sunMan
.
The Solemates
07-13-2005, 09:18
yea we've spoken to the rangers. we may end up trying to tackle the mountaineer's route because evidently you dont need reservations for that. its more difficult, with some bouldering, etc. but I think we can handle it based on what Ive read and the pictures Ive seen online.
dont worry about the maps...i think we will be set with what we have, and we can pick some up when we get there.
oliander
08-19-2005, 01:49
Personally, I would not suggest the mountaineer's trail unless you are prepared for some very serious knee pounding. We are talking 6000 feet down a very steep and rugged route. The normal Whitney trail is bad enough - I would not even do that in one day. (And yes - the rangers do hang out on the main trail and check for your day permit.)
A great alternative, if you have 2 days, is to climb neighboring Mt. Langley. See photo:
http://www.summitpost.org/mountains/photo_link.pl/p/photo_id__30326__object_id__64__type__mountain__mo untain_id__64__route_id____user_id____order_by____ limit__
You go in from Horseshoe Meadow and camp at Cottonwood Lakes right below Langley. Then summit the next morning.
In some ways the way up Langley is nicer than up Whitney anyway. The same scenery, but more lakes and much more solitude! Whitney is overcrowded and a little trashed.
(And, next time you're in California, skip the Whitney area and go directly to Kings Canyon National Park. That has the most stunning scenery in the High Sierra, and is not far north of Whitney. Set aside a whole week. From Independence, go in Kearsarge Pass and out Baxter Pass, through the Rae Lakes area. A friend who has section-hiked around the Sierra every summer for 15 years says that is the top loop he has ever done. Alternatively, from Bishop, go to either North Lake or South Lake and from there do a loop through Evolution Valley. Either of these trips will "wow" you more than Whitney.)
Oliander
oliander
08-19-2005, 02:08
P.S. If you decide to do the 4-day loop trip (Horseshoe Meadows to Crabtree and up Whitney from the west side), don't camp at Guitar Lake. I saw it twice, once in 1991 (still good condition) and again in 1999 (trashed, and smelled of urine). Instead, continue uphill about 10 min. past Guitar Lake till you see an obvious medium-sized tarn off to your right. Camp there. Water is fine.
It was such a disappointment to see how much the Whitney area had been trampled and degraded over the 8 year period between my first and second visit. As I mentioned in my earlier post, there are more stunning areas in the Sierras anyway. Chief among them are: (1) The eastern half of Kings Canyon Park. (2) The east side of Ansel Adams Wilderness - the Ritter Range. (3) The Silver Divide area, just south of Mammoth, again entered from the east (lots of choice of trailheads). (4) The hike up Half Dome in Yosemite is maybe not as scenic as the above 3 hikes, but is still a hike you can't miss. Two waterfalls and then the excitement of climbing the final cable up 45-degree open granite. Be prepared for a highway of people though. (5) Matterhorn Peak and Benson Lake areas of northern Yosemite - this is a little visited area of Yosemite and the best part of the park.
All of these areas, except Half Dome, are approached from highway 395, which is a straight shot up from Los Angeles. The John Muir Trail takes you on a tour of 4 out of 5 of these places (not including Matterhorn).
Oliander
poison_ivy
08-19-2005, 07:31
Hi Solemates --
I missed this thread when it first appeared because I was out in California hiking Mt. Whitney! I would definitely say try hitting the ranger station the day before you plan to hike and check for cancellations. It worked for us!
We had a dayhike permit obtained through the lottery but wanted to overnight on the trail. We found there were four cancellations for overnight permits a day before the hike -- and I'm absolutely sure there were more the day of our hike. There are 60 overnight permits available and there were about 20 people at most in the camp sites that evening. I imagine the dayhike permits have a higher cancellation rate.
Enjoy your hike, it's awesome! :) If you want to see a few pictures from our trip, they are up
here. (http://www.shutterbook.com/albums/ivy/10679)
- Ivy
Nice work Sly, wouldn't it be easier for these folks to gat a permit from the PCTC (500 miler) and add Mt. Whitney? The permit application can be downloaded from the site and faxed in and the permit can arrive within the week. Cost: $10.00
Nice work Sly, wouldn't it be easier for these folks to gat a permit from the PCTC (500 miler) and add Mt. Whitney? The permit application can be downloaded from the site and faxed in and the permit can arrive within the week. Cost: $10.00
Hey EZ.
A PCT permit would look good coming from Cottonwood Pass, but I think it's easy enough to get a permit legitimately coming that way anyway.
I save the PCT permit advice for longer trips!!!!
The Solemates
08-19-2005, 08:49
thanks to everyone for sharing. just to let you know....i was able to get reservations about 2 days ago for 2 overnight permits to do the main trail, so thats where we will be heading. persistance pays off..
The Solemates
09-08-2005, 08:35
We leave tomorrow morning and hopefully will be on the summit sometime Saturday afternoon. Will post pictures upon our return...
The Solemates
09-20-2005, 14:17
The Solemates Reach Highest in Lower 48!
Sorry for the delay, but the pics are up for those who are interested. Click my yahoo link below and go to the Mt Whitney, CA, Sept 05 album.
I wasnt as pleased with these photos as some of my other albums, because many of them looked whitewashed. Being at the altitude on a sunny day brings in serious UV exposure (my lips literally had scabs on them afterwards..never experienced that before!), so I should have had a polarizing lense for our digital camera. Oh well. We had a great time and perfect weather on this very intense trip!
Since everyone has been asking us about what its like at altitude (for us Easterners), a brief narrative:
We left the High Sierra Valley from Lone Pine, CA (4000 feet in elevation) and the temperature was around 85F. When we reached Whitney Portal (8300 ft) it was around 50F, at around 4AM. When we reached around 10,000 ft my wife started having some effects from the altitude (7AM). She was short of breath and had a mild headache, but she took a few aspirin and went on. Around 12,000 ft we reached Base Camp and set our tent up (9AM). The temperature was around 30-35F at Base Camp and the wind was blowing steady at 20mph or so, making it feel cooler. After an hour's rest we pushed on towards the summit. Around 13,000 feet I started feeling the effects of altitude. I took some aspirin, shrugged it off, and kept going. We reached Trail Crest at 13,600 ft, and started hiking on the West side of the Range. Topping out at Trail Crest, it felt like a brick wall of wind hit us, 40-50mph wind. We had about 2 miles and 1000 vertical feet to go along Trail Crest before reaching the summit. Shortly after, I started to feel much weaker, around 70% full capacity, and I began to get more of a headache. With each vertical contour after that, my headache seemed to exponentially increase. I could feel my brain swelling inside my skull and every heartbeat was felt as a huge throbbing inside. There was so much pressure. My wife still felt the effect of altitude, but just had a moderate headache and decreased capacity. By the time we reached the summit at 14,497 ft, I was imagining this was what a migraine felt like. After getting plenty of water and food in me, I started to feel a little better. The temperature was in the teens on the summit and the wind was fierce. We stayed about 30 minutes and headed down. That night at Base Camp, it took about 2 hours for the throbbing to stop, and I was fine the rest of the trip.
As a side note, despite getting a doctor's approval, we opted not to take prescription drugs for combating AMS (acute mountain sickness) because of the many side effects that come with them. we believe my wife would have especially been affected by these side effects. We instead took ginko biloba, which is suppose to me a natural AMS treatment. We have no idea if it helped any...