Thanks Steve C. Knowing the days will be getting shorter in September is what prompted me to shoot for dates close to the full moon. I know I'll be up early and hiking long before the sun rises.
As far as the acclimation, that does concern me. I'll be spending almost a week in the upper meadows and peaks of Yosemite before finally camping at the Portal. Hopefully that helps because I live in Ohio at 1175 feet above sea level.
The only other concern I have is the bears. I've read what I can on dealing with bears, but haven't seen much about aggressive bears at Whitney. Do people carry bear spray? What are the odds that I'll be eaten at any point on the trail? I would have to rank that as a highly undesirable outcome.
