Hi I am a very experienced east coast hiker with some out west experience as well. I am considering a Whitney hike in a year or two and liked the idea of going in late April right before permit season. I by no means take that task lightly, and wanted to ask from those of you with experience what it would take to seriously prepare for that. Below is the points I have considered, as well as some I have not fully fleshed out.
- Fitness and Hiking Experience: I am an avid hiker and have done multiple 35 plus mile days on fairly hard terrain. I of course would train to prepare for this hike as well.
- Winter Experience: I have done some (very) basic ice axe and crampon training. I would of course get more. Curious how much training you recommend. I imagine it’s different depending on what I do (I.e, walking up the main route vs glissading down mr).
- Route: I would like to camp the first night to adjust to the climate, and summit on day 2. Is the main route even feasible that time of year? I have seen some say yes but others say the mountaineers route is the only way to go. I thought perhaps seeing if that year is a low / high snowpack year may affect that. I am in no rush so I could wait for the winter and see if it looks wise that year. Or wait for the next.
- Finally, I am attempting find a hiking partner for the day who has this type of experience (as much as I’d like going alone I’d admit that seems foolish here). Is that a common practice on this site? My east coast hiking partner is a T1D and while very capable, the cold can put him in a dangerous position and I wouldn’t risk that.
Thank you again!
