Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Going up Whitney on a whim with minimal hiking experience

It’s SO hard to say how you will fare on Whitney. I have met LOTS of people coming down the trail who just couldn’t make it. These folks may or may not have properly trained for the hike. And knowing that you really haven’t, you could end up being one of these folks. But maybe not. One of my friend’s girlfriend actually made it up last summer with pretty much no training. And that was VERY shortly after she got altitude sickness on Mauna Kea (which is a little lower than Whitney). So you just never know. You might find that you end up doing better than you thought you would.

There are a couple of things you might consider doing if you can. One would be to try a hike with a decent amount of elevation gain at a significant altitude. Consider Mount Baldy by the Baldy Bowl, San Gorgonio by Vivian Creek, or San Jacinto by Marion Mountain. Any of these would be good last minute training hikes (relatively) close to you if you can swing them.

Secondly, rather than staying Thursday night at Mammoth Lakes, camp out at a higher altitude. Mosquito Flat, Onion Valley, or Horseshoe Meadows would be good spots (Horseshoe Meadows is closest to Whitney). Maybe take a fairly short and easy hike at high altitude on Friday. These things will help better acclimate you to the altitude.

In the end, all you can do is try. You may summit. Or maybe not. But it is an AWESOME trail regardless. Enjoy your hike. And if you don’t make it, try it again at a later date after you have trained more properly.