Mt Whitney Zone Forums Trip Reports Whitney day hike - 11-2-13

Hi and thanks to all for the recent trip reports and trail condition information. I've found the info very useful and hope that yall find the info in my trip report useful as well.

It was an absolutely gorgeous, perfect day!! I hit the main trail at 4:30am. My hiking time was about 11 hrs (6 hrs up, 5 hrs down), not including stops at Trail Camp to filter water before and after the 97 switchbacks and socialize, and a long stop at the summit to enjoy the view and socialize some more.

There were patches of compacted snow and ice along the entire trail and more of both at and above Trail Camp. Much of the 97 switchbacks, including the cables, was covered in compacted snow and ice. There were only a few patches of compacted snow/ice above Trail Crest. I used microspikes starting at the 97 switchbacks and think they were totally sufficient. You could do the hike without microspikes or crampons but you'd likely be slipping like crazy. The lake at Trail Camp was frozen. Fortunately, someone opened up a water hole using a giant rock.
There was no running water above Trail Camp but lots of snow.

There weren't many other hikers on the trail (maybe 30ish?), at least that I encountered. It was a cold, clear, sunny day with only occasional windy gusts. Almost no wind at the summit! It was a truly spectacular day.