Thank you fishmonger-
You point abount the AMS is really apreciated and something to think thru. Starting a hike at 11,600 is a lot different than starting at the whitney portal.
Because we had no experience on our 1st Whitney hike, we rigidly told ourselves that we would turn back at the 1st signs of trouble. We spent 1 night at portal and 1 night at trail camp but the next morning we did not even try to summit and just came back down.
On the 2nd visit, we budgeted more time and spent 1 night portal, 1 night at lone pine lake, 2 nights trail camp and had a successful summit. We felt a whole lot better than the first time.
For this trip, tenatively I'm thinking 1 or 2 nights at whitney portal camp ground with hikes to maybe lone pine lake or etc. and then 1 or 2 nights at the locked gate at White Mountain with a practise run up the 2 miles to that building that houses the sheep.
Your comment about no easy way down on White Mountain makes me know that at the 1st sign of trouble we need to turn back.
