Two friends and I hiked/summited Whitney this past weekend (June 10-12). Shout out to Sarah P's post for helping us prepare adequately, and hopefully the information we provide here helps other groups.

GEAR
- Hiking boots and crampons (not microspikes - we did not observe anyone successfully summit without crampons along the way)
- Trekking poles for getting up the snow chute and for hiking the trail in general
- Ice axes for glissading down the chute if it's slushy enough
- Gaiters for snow and stream crossings (which were not as difficult as this thread made them seem to be - water levels were high and flow was fast, but rocks and logs were placed conveniently)
- Helmets (for safety)
- Headlamps
- Sunscreen, lip balm
- Goggles, sunglasses
- Tent that is able to withstand high winds (we experienced gusts up to 50mph)
- Sleeping pad, sleeping bag (ours were rated at 20 degrees - with wearing long underwear, we felt fine)
- Layers, layers, layers as it was extra warm in the sun but terribly cold with the shade/wind/altitude
- Diamox (medication for altitude) - we took three doses total (Friday evening, Saturday morning, Saturday evening) and felt pretty good (no nausea/headaches)
- Iodine tablets or equivalent to purify water
- Ibuprofen for aches/pains/headaches
- Handwarmers... I brought two just in case and these came in clutch during our coldest moments
- We had a GPS app which helped us when the trails got confusing. Earthmate is a $30/year subscription, AllTrails is perhaps around $20/year, and there might even be a free Whitney app somewhere out there - I do remember seeing something, but not sure what that's like/if it's a solid option

SATURDAY, JUNE 11
- We stayed in Big Pine the night before at a cheap Airbnb as we weren't sure what time we'd be arriving on Friday and were skeptical about first come, first serve campsites being available
- Woke up at 4:30, picked up our permits, drove to Whitney Portal, distributed food/organized packs, and got on the trail by 7:30
- Snow coverage starts at around 10k feet a bit after Lone Pine Lake (which is gorgeous, by the way), and at that point, crampons come in handy
- We talked to several folks, who mentioned it was unbearably windy at Trail Camp (which was the campsite we intended to stay at that evening) and that Outpost Camp may be a better option (in fact, there were several hikers who got to Trail Camp and hiked back to Outpost for better camping conditions)
- Since there's not much of a trail once the snow starts (just kicked-in routes you can follow), we realized we were above Outpost Camp and decided that personally, we did not want to turn back just to hike back up in the morning
- We found a place to camp around 12pm between Outpost and Trail Camp at approximately 10.5k feet, right before it's all snow

- Did not proceed to Trail Camp due to what we knew about the wind as well as the fact that by 12pm, the snow was quite slushy and getting to Trail Camp would have been particularly difficult, especially with all of our gear
- Melted snow in the sun during the day then brought to a boil or added iodine tablets to ensure we had enough water
- Got to bed early

SUNDAY, JUNE 12
- Woke up at 3, hit the trail by 3:45
- We left most of our gear in our tent and brought water, snacks, layers, and ice axes and wore helmet, crampons, headlamps
- Took the trail in the snow that required the least down and uphill; in other words, we wanted to traverse more than climb, and so when you're looking at the chute from afar, the trail all the way to the left was the one we took
- Watched the sunrise along the way, which was unreal

- Refilled on water by Trail Camp as there are sources and the trail passes right by them
- The snow chute took quite some time, but we followed the already kicked-in trails people had made up by using our crampons and trekking poles
- Once you get to Trail Crest, it gets insanely windy and the 1.9 miles to the summit are not easy due to the cold wind chill and the strength of the gusts (and the terrain isn't the easiest as there is a bit of rock scrambling required at altitude along with small patches of snow - nothing particularly dangerous or difficult though)
- We were surprised at how many people turned around and did not summit during that 1.9 miles due to the temperatures/wind/timing
- The summit is beautiful! There's apparently service up there, but we didn't get much (though we did see a PCT hiker chatting on the phone with his friends/family)
- You're only halfway there... Once you make it back to the snow chute, make sure you check that the snow is actually slushy before trying to glissade down. That was a mistake we made - The snow was incredibly slick and icy when we were back, which made glissading very dangerous (self arresting came in handy big time). In that case, stick to crampons and trekking poles and walk down the footprints
- We planned to hike down to Whitney Portal this day, but we decided on camping another night due to our timing

MONDAY, JUNE 13
- Leisurely woke up, broke down camp, and headed back
- The stream crossings were repaired, and ice extended much further down the trail due to cold conditions

We were constantly evaluating how safe/comfortable we felt and only summited because everyone in our group was ready and felt up to it. We suggest deciding upon a turnaround time to ensure you're hiking in the best conditions and aren't putting yourself in any dangerous situations. Otherwise, enjoy and be safe out there!

Last edited by sue; 06/15/17 01:20 AM.