Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Acclimation hike schedule

We're doing a day hike up the MT on Sunday and I'm trying to settle on the best plan for acclimation hikes.

We're staying in Lone Pine, and arrive Thursday. How does this sound?:

Thursday afternoon - Portal to Lone Pine Lake, 5.5mi round trip
Friday - Either Kearsage Pass or Cottonwood Lakes (both 9.5mi)
Saturday - Cottonwood Pass (7.5mi)

Does this seem like too much / too little?

For the Friday, we were thinking that should be the longest hike, but not sure which to do. Kearsage starts lower and ends higher, so I'm worried that might be overkill in terms of altitude gain (since these are not for training, they're for acclimation).

Hi Nicebloke,

Not exactly the question you asked, but have you considered spending two nights at Mammoth Lakes? It is "on the way" from Petaluma (assumes you go via hwy 120), and allows you to sleep above 8,000'. I am told that sleeping at higher altitude is as, or more, important for acclimization. There are many day hikes to choose from a short distance from town. I personally do not do anything longer than 5 miles immediately prior to a "Big Hike".

Then, drive down to Lone pine on Sat morning, and still do a short hike. I like to hike up to the E-Ledges (and above if you are comfortable with it) as a final "tune up". This also insures that you are familiar with the trail head, and initial portion of the Main Trail (if you have not done it previously)

Good luck with your hike.

John

To add to the above, I recommend spending a night at the Mammoth Mountain Inn. It's 9000 feet up and has full hotel amenities and comfortable beds. It's tough getting a good night's sleep at altitude and without a comfortable bed, but if you have one of the two (comfortable bed in this case), then you can sleep fairly good.

I value getting good sleep just as much as acclimation, and a high altitude hotel will deliver both to you. Of course the day before the hike you want to hang out at the Whitney Portal campground, and it's only a 2 1/2 hour drive from Mammoth Mountain.

The nice thing is that the Inn is almost right on your way, maybe adding 5-10 miles to your trip (but breaking it up so you don't have drive 8 hours straight through to Lone Pine).

I wouldn't do anything more strenuous than a 5-6 mile warm up hike like going up to Lone Pine lake. My wife and I just hike from the campground to the Whitney Store and that's just to kill time more than anything else. The main thing is logging hours at altitude and the longer and higher the better.

Hey 'bloke:

What's worked for me in the past is similar to what you're doing altitude-wise, but with far less mileage. I choose to "taper down" just before the big dayhike while up at the Portal and instead rest up. Here's what I'd suggest:

Thursday afternoon: Since you're coming from the Bay Area, and likely going through Hwy 120 and down Hwy 395, stop off at Mammoth, ride the gondola to the top, get a bite to eat up there, and spend a few hours up hiking around up top. Of course, this is dependent upon the time of day you drive over and how much time you have.
Friday: Hike from the Portal to Lone Pine Lake (an easy hike that familiarizes you with a portion of the trail that you'll be hiking in the dark); take a book, fish the lake, and just relax for several hours while breathing in that 10,000' air. Rest up.
Saturday: Drive down to the Inter-Agency Center, get your permit, and then continue driving over to Horseshoe Meadow; take a chair and a book, fish the small creeks, and just relax while breathing in that 10,000' air. Rest up.

Best of luck to you -- and take lots of pictures.

BruinDave

Great responses folks. I've gone ahead and booked into Mammoth Mountain Inn for tomorrow night. Means I can leave home a little later, and still have plenty of time to get a short high-altitude hike when we get to Mammoth.

Any recs for hiking around Mammoth Mountain? Sounds like we can take a ski-lift to the top and hike around up there?

I often stop at the parking lot on the left side of hwy 120 just before it exits the east end of the park (very near the Ranger kiosk). From there you can do a quick hike up to Gaylor Peak (~2 miles RT and as high as 11K'). Always feels good to get out of the car.

Many hikes around Mammoth:
From Lake George Trail Head (30 to 35 minute drive from Mammoth Mtn Inn):
- Crystal Lake - only 2+ miles, but good climb.
- Mammoth Crest - same trail head as Crystal lake but you turn right as you get close to Crystal Lake. Then you climb up to the crest. Not sure of the distance, but perhaps 5 miles RT. Depends on how far you hike along the crest.

From Duck Pass Trail Head (also 30 to 35 minute drive from Mammoth Mtn Inn):
- Emerald Lake loop. ~ 3 miles
- Duck Pass Trail. Duck pass and/or Duck Lake may be more than you want, but this is an "out and back", so you can turn around anytime you like (Barney Lake for instance).

From Mammoth Mtn. Inn:
- Hike to top of Mammoth Mountain. Trail is across the street from the Inn. You can also hike up the bike runs or ski runs, just be watchful for the bikes. They can come fast.

Drive down to Devils Post Pile National Monument. Several hikes to choose from (30 minute drive from the Inn, and there is a fee).

Many choices. Also, check out:
http://www.mammothtrails.org/

http://www.visitmammoth.com/things-to-do/summer-activities/hiking/

Enjoy,

John

John, I've not hiked around Mammoth; but next summer we will be in June Lake for a week. I hope to check out a couple of your mentioned hikes, thanks! Gina

Thanks John, this is excellent info.

Hi Gina,

Mammoth/June Lake location is also very convenient to Saddlebag Lake area and East side of Yosemite Park, so you will have many other options for your hiking.

If you could give me your "typical hike" profile (distance/time/elevation gain/etc.) I could make more specific suggestions.

John