I summitted Whitney via the main trail on a very, very long day hike on Thursday 19th May.
I did a couple of acclimatizing hikes on the two days prior which I think definitely helped - I walked to Lone Pine Lake on the evening I arrived and then Kearsarge Pass the following day which is an amazing hike and definitely worth while doing if you can't get a permit for Whitney. I didn't experience any real altitude sickness (headache etc) but the altitude did destroy my ability to consume food which I will cover in a bit more detail in a bit.
The day went as follows -
I started at the trail head at 3.30am and had absolutely no problem with parking as only a few cars were parked there at that time. I'm sure that will change as the weather improves and more people are on the trail.
The trail was nearly completely snow free until the area above Lone Pine Lake. I was very relieved that I had hiked to Lone Pike Lake in the daylight two days prior as driving up Whitney Portal Road and then walking up the trail to the lake in the complete dark alone was an eerie experience. Being familiar with the layout of the trail head and the trail up to the lake eased my slight apprehension.
From Lone Pine Lake to Outpost Camp there is still a significant amount of snow and it was very icy at that early time in the morning. I found that crampons were required. The trail cannot be seen but there are footprints in the snow that can be followed. Be aware though that there are a number of places where footprints go of in different (and wrong) directions so you do need to be careful with your navigation. I did get slightly off track a number of times.
The trail is then easy to follow up to Trail Camp and is snow free until you reach that area. I refilled my water at Trailside Meadow as I was worried that the water at Trail Camp would still be frozen and I believe it still was, but I'm not completely certain.
The snow is much deeper from Trail Camp up to Trail Crest - crampons and ice axe are definitely needed to tackle the chute to the right of the switchbacks. I arrived at the chute at around 8.30am and it took me over 2 hours to ascend. The snow was soft and wet in some places and then hard and icy in others. The conditions were difficult and there was lots of postholing the whole way up. This used up a huge amount of energy and when I got to the top I was exhausted. The switchbacks were completely covered with snow but I did see some footprints in the snow. As the snow melts on the chute it might be worth considering the switchbacks but I've no idea if the condition of the snow on the switchbacks would be any better.
When I finally got to the top at Trail Crest I tried to consume some energy bars but the altitude had completely destroyed my appetite and I couldn't eat a thing. If I get the chance to do Whitney again I would definitely bring many more of those horrible energy gels as I think that would be the only thing my body would allow me to consume. As it was, I wasn't able to eat anything till I got all the way back down to Lone Pine Lake which was not good.
From Trail Crest to the summit there is even more snow and crampons and ice axe are an absolute must. The trail cannot be seen and instead there are footprints kicked into the side of the snow which are easy to follow. This path is not for the faint hearted and in most places is only about a footstep or two in width with a big drop to the left. A slip could easily be deadly so care must be taken. The amount on snow on this part of the trail does slow your progress and it took me more than an hour and a half more to reach the summit. Although this might also be due to the fact that I was really struggling for energy at this point.
I spent only a little time at the summit as I still could not eat anything and it was very cold with strong winds.
On my way back I was able to glissade down the chute safely and my ice axe was able to gain purchase in the snow when needed. I saw others do the same and didn't see anyone have any problems either.
Once I reached Trail Camp I saw a large snowfield going all the way down to Outpost Camp so I walked down it instead of taking the main trail. There was some postholing in places but was mostly okay.
I finally reached my car at the trail head at 6.30pm. It was an extremely long and exhausting day but summitting did feel wonderful.
All of the other hikers I encountered that day told me that they were doing it as a two day hike and where camping in various places on the trail overnight. I do think that climbing Whitney over two days would be a much more enjoyable experience and next time I will definitely be trying to do it that way. I was constantly pushing myself and was very aware of the time (and the lack of it!) that I couldn't really sit and appreciate the mountain and its surroundings, which I think is a massive shame as it is spectacular!
