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Team Kedge Whitney Adventure & 4 mo. training plan
#27396 08/31/12 01:21 PM
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Team Kedge conquered Mt. Whitney, via the Mt. Whitney Trail, in one day on 24 July 2012. All ten team members made it to the summit and I attribute this success to the Team Kedge four-month training plan.

Check out the Team Kedge webpage and do not forget to click LIKE: Team Kedge

Whitney pace card and water sources: Pace card and water sources

Pace card use instructions: Pace card use instructions

Re: Team Kedge Whitney Adventure & 4 mo. training plan
Doug Arent #27398 08/31/12 02:39 PM
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Welcome to WhitneyZone, Doug! And thanks for the Pace Card info. I am sure others will appreciate having this info.

I pulled the image of your card, so I could post it here for people to see:




Did you interpolate / extrapolate times to develop the chart, or are they actual times of hikers in your group?

Re: Team Kedge Whitney Adventure & 4 mo. training plan
Steve C #27410 09/01/12 08:42 AM
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Hi Steve,

Yes, another group had posted their seven-hour-pace times and I just did the calculations to create this pace card. Here's the value of this chart. First time day hikers may feel that they are behind schedule and push the pace too hard to trail camp. Then they may experience trouble on the switchbacks because they went too hard in the beginning. My group of 10, Team Kedge, started out way too fast. According to the pace card, we were on a 6-7 hour pace, so I instructed them to slow the pace to an 8-9 hour pace. This awareness helped the team greatly. We started at 3am from the Portal with the goal of getting the slowest team member to the summit by noon. The last team member reached the summit by 12:30pm. So even if the pace card is off by and hour or two, it still keeps you on a predetermined pace and keeps hikers from becoming overanxious. The pace card is a great tool to maintain some sort of certainty along the trail. Hope this helps.

Last edited by Doug Arent; 09/01/12 06:33 PM.
Re: Team Kedge Whitney Adventure & 4 mo. training plan
Doug Arent #27429 09/01/12 10:46 PM
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I think that the pace card is a great idea. I am curious what definition of "switchback" was used. Some people count "sections" while other people count "turns." I am a turn person so I count 24 major turns in the trail between North Fork and the log crossing. The 25 in the pace card must mean sections. Nonetheless the switchbacks above Trail Camp are more interesting. The odd turns are right and the even turns are left, with one exception. Major turn #10 is really two smaller left turns in succession. When we say "97 switchbacks," we include those two turns as switchback #10. That would mean that there are 98 sections, but the pace card only lists 96.

Re: Team Kedge Whitney Adventure & 4 mo. training plan
VersatileFred #27432 09/02/12 08:23 AM
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I am referring the the 97 switchbacks between Trail Camp and Trail Crest, which are the most challenging switchbacks on the Whitney Trail. With some altitude training, most hikers are able to reach Trail Camp without many problems. However, the 97 switchbacks take hikers through the 13,000+ elevation level, where they are more prone AMS and simple altitude sickness. These 97 switchbacks are also a psychological challenge because you can see Trail Crest from Trail Camp and realize the switchbacks are going to be a real pain in the ass. Conversely, reaching Trail Crest is a psychological boost as the trail from that point, even though more technically challenging, is less steep and you know you are closer to the summit. The pace card allowed my team to really take time to enjoy the mountain as we knew we were on pace to summit by noon and begin our descent before any afternoon storms claim the mountain. I began counting switchbacks out loud and my team quickly told me to shut up. I think most hikers find counting switchbacks counterproductive.

Re: Team Kedge Whitney Adventure & 4 mo. training plan
Steve C #27439 09/02/12 11:42 AM
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Originally Posted By: Steve C
Thank you Doug for this post.
I believe that your pace card is a great idea.

Do you mind sharing this card in a table format (EXCEL, Google Docs, .csv etc.) with us as well?
It would simplify printing.


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