Yes definitely, I could feel it in my body that I needed to learn to slow down to pace myself. These training hikes aren't just to get my cardio/muscles/tendons/ligaments ready, it's to teach myself how to handle things. And to shake-down my equipment.

I'm a tortoise then, because it's probably slower than a turtle. laugh

You guys brought up something else I'm worried about.

"Hike your hike, don't worry about the hares you hike with and you will do just fine" and "Go you own pace...it is not a race"

I must admit I'm frightened to be left alone on the trail. Last year I was trail running on a remote local mountain trail by myself, two separate sets of rangers warned me that I should not be out there alone (one while getting directions, another on horseback entering the trail). I told them I was only going out and back 5 miles, they were still disapproving. It felt very foreshadowing, I should have listened to that weird feeling. I fell and hurt my ankle badly, and barely made it back to my car. Now I'm afraid to do that kind of stuff alone. I'm not experienced, so I don't know if I should be afraid or if I'm just being a baby.

I brought up to my hiking partner that I wanted to understand what the philosophy was going to be on the trail. He got irate with me, not sure if it's because I'm being a baby or if he felt I was making him feel bad. Essentially, found out on Saturday that if I cannot continue on the trail, he would leave me there. The only exception to this is if I got AMS, then he would help me back down. My philosophy is more of a "got your back no matter what" buddy system of hiking.

I'm not worried so much about me not physically being able to do the 22 miles based on physical fitness because I'm committed to training (I've always used disciplined training schedules), I'm more worried that I'll be left to make it back down to the Portal alone if I hurt my ankle or my hip or something. I sense he would be angry if me in that situation. I don't know what would be worse, him being angry and hiking back down with me, or being alone and hiking back down. He did say I could just hike down with other people we might run into. I told him I would be uncomfortable relying on help from strangers if I couldn't rely on it from a hiking partner.

So, I could really use your guys' advice on this, too. Am I being a big baby? Do lots of people hike Whitney and as hiking partners drop off and can't continue, then they go back down by to the Portal by themselves? What do people usually do prior to the big hike? Do they talk and agree ahead of time on what the strategy is if someone is not doing well for any reason other than AMS?

My hiking partner doesn't want to commit to training hikes, so should I maybe use my training hikes as a way to get over my fear of hiking by myself? Is it normal to be afraid to hike by myself? (I'm talking like 14+ mile hikes on San Jacinto and San Gorgonio)

Thanks a lot for your input you guys,
G

P.S. I like that FOCUS, I will add that to my mantras!!!