Welcome John!
Good for you getting the permit. Others can help with the So Cal training. But I just wanted to tell you to be sure to read up some on the issues with altitude. Lots of people who are in shape get wiped by AMS (altitude sickness) and have to turn around before they get to the top of Whitney.
If you check the Orientation notes (link in the Feature Topics box to the left), you will find the "
Learn more about altitude sickness" section. Hope it helps.
