1. First night. I am traveling from Venice Beach, so it’s 0 feet elevation and I wanted to get sleep somewhere at high altitude. The question is where to stay?
- Is is allowed to park in Whitney Portal and sleep in the car?
- Is it allowed to camp near the car? Whitney Portal is about 8k feet and I definitely wanted to get acclimate there before my first day hike.
- Or should I go to 4k feet and sleep at hotel in Lon Pine? For example Whitney portal hostel? 4k feet - will it be enough to acclimate first day? I am planning to hike up to 12k feet and camp there.
You should sleep as high as possible for acclimatization. Drive up to Horseshoe Meadows and spend the night at 10,000'. There are plenty of spaces near the parking area -- it's wide open and flat, camping one night only.
For your information, there are plenty of walk-in sites at Whitney Portal, just below the trail head, above the overflow parking lot.
Other questions:
#2: You're going to need them on Denali, so take them and try them out.
#3. I just dip and drink -- no filtering, no treating. It has always worked just fine.
* Be sure to carry ~3 L from Trail Camp, finish one at Trail Crest, #2 at summit, #3 is for the hike down.
#4: Absolutely!
#5: It takes you back to Trail Camp. Don't glissade on ice!!! Don't glissade with crampons! Use ice axe for a brake.
#6: Leave it.
#7: Check again--don't they open at 8? Or... call wilderness permit office number and ask that they leave it in the overnight box. (but you don't need a super early start if you're camping at Trail Camp.)
