Right on, Axeman! BTW, love that SBUX pic!
Hiking 22 miles in 6,300 feet of elevation gain from 8,365 to 14,497 (whatever) will be very long day.
A good "walking" pace for me is 3 mph. 22 divided by 3 equals 7 hours and 20 minutes. BTW, I have never walked 22 miles. Hiked, yes, walked, no.
My first trip up Mecca West took me 17h 12m 25.03s. I started at 1:40 a.m. and my "day" ended at 6:52 p.m. Kicked my gluteal regions. I knew what I was going up against. I just took my time while at the entrance to the Whitney Zone, Outpost, Trailside Meadows, Trail Camp, Trail Crest. I almost stopped here because the gentleman who was our leader had a fear of heights...go figure...and I, too, didn't care for that stretch of terra firma between TC and the down the backside with the wind blowing, but I maintained my composure. I was at the summit for only 30 minutes.
Some of you may argue, "Well, when I train for marathons I don't start out at 26 miles...I build up my endurance for several weeks leading up to the event."
If I am not mistaken, there are aid stations along the marathon route. Aint' none on the Whit.
Some people contend "If I can run marathons (ultra, too), I can hike to the top of Whitney!"
Wrong. I have seen those marathoners hit the wall at Trail Camp.
Gear up, get up, get out, get going and get it done.
Have fun...
