If you are going to Whitney via Horseshoe Meadows/Cottonwood pass then you probably aren't going to have a lot of acclimation problems since you will probably camp at 10,000 plus feet for the first two nights on the trail before going up to the top of Whitney. Reno is at 4200 feet and a step up from Ontario in elevation. I would suggest camping along the Walker river before Bridgeport at about 6000 feet and calling it good enough. If you camp at Rock Creek and Crabtree before going up to the top of Whitney you should be fine. I took 2 family members from Michigan and Indiana last year and they had no problems. My wife couldn't do Whitney as a day hike in 1999 but had no problems in 2008 and 2009 coming in from Cottonwood pass. A couple of nights sleep above 10,000 feet makes all the difference.
