Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Mt. Whitney - Main Trail - May 6-8

Like Steve said, go for it. It only gets sketch at the Chute. Up until that point, you're still gonna be in 'Whitney Canyon' (my name), which in itself is a very beautiful hike. You don't hear much about it, because everyone is intent on either getting up, or getting down. But if you have a chance to really look around think about where you are, it's one of the more incredible sections of the range.

If you drive up Friday night, I wouldn't bother with a night drop. I've done it before myself, but in this case you're going to have all day Saturday just to make base camp (ie Trail camp). If you arrive in Lone Pine after 9pm, I would just drive up to Tuttle creek and crash. Any earlier, drive a little further to Whitney portal. Sat morning, no rush, go down and get your permit, get a big breakfast, and then leisurely head up the trail around noon. (Of course, this schedule might get screwed up with the road work - figure that out, and adjust accordingly.)

Even if you go really slow, you'll probably make Trail camp before 5-6pm. So ... now you gots nothin' to do. Well, go over to the Chute and practice a little bit on self-arrest, maybe kick-stepping with crampons. No need for an early bedtime, because you're right there, so there's not gonna be an "alpine start" ie pre-dawn start to get where you want to be at the right time for optimal snow/ice conditions. Maybe get up around 5:30am, boil some water, have some tea, maybe some broth.

Check out the situation. Keep an eye on weather and poke around the snow/ice a bit. When the sun begins (That is, if it's out - if there's a storm around, you might already begin to plan on bailing. After all, this ain't a summer situation, where even then you gotta keep a weather eye.) to warm up the snow/ice surface, put on your gear and get ready to go.

Once you're up, just make sure to get back to Trail crest as early as you can, maybe no later than 1pm. This is generally good advice even in summer, but an early season hike like this, don't plan on spending more than 10-20 minutes at the summit.

Once you're safely back down to Trail camp, it's a pretty straightforward return. There's gonna still be snow/ice, but there will be tracks to follow. Every step you take back is a step further down in elevation ie warmer, less snow, closer to your car.