Summited Whitney for the first time on Tuesday, August 21, 2018, with a day hike permit. This was an accomplishment for me since I am about half a century years young and have hiked a lot during my life but not much mountaineering. It was a great experience, (despite the fact I had a cold) hiking with a couple of awesome mountaineering friends who were a perfect encouragement to me along the trail. We camped at Whitney Portal for a couple of nights before the hike and one night after (saw a big bear in camp 2 of the 3 nights, but no interaction with it). Camping at the portal and hiking Mt. Charleston a few times during the last few months helped to climatize, so no real high elevation problems were encountered during the hike. Started at 3:45 am, summited about noon and was back at the portal for a celebration burger at about 6:30 pm. We lucked out with perfect weather on the hike, even though there are a few creek crossings on the trail, my feet were dry the entire hike. I was impressed with the great condition of the trail and that the trail was not very steep at any one place, with the many switchbacks helping to keep the trail steepness to a minimum. So happy I accomplished this goal...and the views, so beautiful...I just might try it again next year! Thanks for the comments on this website, it helps to know a bit what to expect on the trail.
