Thanks for the suggestions! We are definitely "in" for camping out in the Trail Camp area. No reverting to a day hike, no staying at Outpost Camp instead. The group I'm with weighed the pros and cons of Outpost Camp vs Trail Camp and the latter won out for providing greater acclimatization benefits as well as a good place to watch the weather on day 2 if there is a stormy forecast.
I appreciate the inside tips to make the best of staying at Trail Camp.I'm going with a group of veterans, including several who summited Whitney last year with me for their first time. We did the day hike then, and many of them wished for more time on the mountain. That, and my desire to change things up a bit, led me to opt for backpacking Whitney this summer.
