(I originally posted this on
whitneyportalstore.com and was encouraged to post it here as well. Lots of
pictures here.)
On June 20, 2011, I successfully summited Mt. Whitney solo in a single day via the Main Trail. Last year I failed to secure a spot in the trail lottery, partly because my group was too large and too limited on dates, and because of demand (only 50% of the people who applied won). This year I was successful probably because I took the opposite tack - 2 people on any day. My 17 year old son had planned to join me, but the night before we agreed it was best he stay home. An unmotivated teenager at 14,000' might not be a good thing.
I didn't quite know how much lingering winter to expect due to the recent Spring storms and relatively early permit date. The Ranger at the Station in Lone Pine ("Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center") confirmed some places had as much as 200% of normal snow pack. So I came prepared for lots of snow.
I camped at the Whitney Portal the evening before and after my single-day climb. The entire area is "Bear Aware" and a neighboring camper told me a resident bear traveled through the campground the night after my summit. I slept through the episode and didn't have any bear issues but was careful to put anything scented in the locker.
After 6 hours of sleep, I woke at 1am and started my climb up at 2:30am. When I reached this first water crossing, I realized I had left my trekking poles behind at the trailhead when I weighed my pack. (I weighed in at 22 lbs, including 3 liters of water, food, crampons, ice axe, cameras, too much fleece, etc.) Back down I ran and started over at 3:00am. The creek had heavy flow and required careful navigating, especially at night.
I entered the John Muir Wilderness at 3:30am by headlamp. I did have a half a moon of light to help, and after a while I could see other headlamps on the trail below me. Still, I had a great sense of isolation, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Eventually, as I climbed up, the sky lightened and treated me to perhaps the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. Up to this point several hours in, I hadn't passed a soul. Yet the Ranger Station had told me 100 permits had been issued for this day. I would later see evidence of fellow climbers with tents tucked away among the rocks and trees. I was also treated to my first Alpenglow. Now I know why they have a special name for this phenomenon, which I found extraordinary.
I had read online, and had confirmed at the Ranger Station, that I would want to climb up "The Chute", which bypassed the 97 Switchbacks currently covered in snow and ice. I had come prepared with snowshoes, but was told by the Ranger I probably would not need them. While you could get away without them, It turned out that as the snow softened in the heat of the day, snowshoes would have prevented postholing (sinking deep into the snow).
Between Mirror and Consolation Lakes, about 5 miles in, the route I followed left the actual Main Trail and traveled almost exclusively over snow until I reached Trail Crest. Up to that point short snowy patches were not uncommon. Most of the snow was well-tracked like this and passable in just boots.
After stopping for an hour at Trail Camp to fill my Camelback with filtered water and my belly with Trail Mix, I put away my trekking poles and pulled out my crampons and ice axe. It was 7:30am when I left Trail Camp and I was early enough in the day where the snow was still firm. I had read and heard from several people that an early start was a very good idea. It did get warm, easily in the high 70s or low 80s, and remained so the rest of the day.
At around 12,000 feet I could feel the altitude slow me and force frequent (but brief) rests. I later met multiple people who could not summit due to the altitude. I remembered in college feeling strong effects of altitude while climbing Mt Hood and was a little wary but pressed on without incident. The Chute took me about 2 hours.
Upon reaching the top of The Chute at Trail Crest, a breathtaking view of the Sequoia National Park awaited. Elevation: 13,777′, time: 9:30am. And still almost 3 more miles to the summit. Past Trail Crest on the West side of the ridge line the trail was free of snow due to its sunny exposure, requiring crampons only while previously ascending The Chute. But still there were patches of snow and ice, one of which put me on my backside when I slipped. Careful! Up until this point I still hadn't passed anyone. After 7 hours I finally did.
I reached the top of Mt. Whitney, with dozens of climbers at or near the summit, at 12:00pm. I tried to make a check-in call, but couldn't get cell phone service. I rested, drank, and eat for a half-hour and then headed back down. As they remind you at the trailhead, the Summit is only half way. Eleven miles back down. Ugh.
The valley around Outpost Camp was dark during my ascent, so I got another visual treat on the way back down. My watch said the descent went much quicker, but it felt sooo much slower. Ascent: 9 hours, including 2 hours of total rest. Descent: 5.5 hours, no rest. Roundtrip: 14.5 hours covering some 22 miles and over 6000′ of elevation gain.
After a $3 shower and a 10-hour night of sleep, I headed back down Whitney Portal Rd to Lone Pine for a fitting end: blueberry pancakes at the Alabama Hills Cafe.
Read more of the detailed Trail Report with many pictures at:
http://www.bigbeartrails.com/solo-summit-of-mt-whitney/ 
