This is a bit delayed, but I wanted to share my experiences nonetheless - first Mt. Whitney Summit, and the first 14er. I get excited to this day when I think about the summit.
Background: Mt. Whitney was actually my backup plan after I was not able to find any lodging in Grand Canyon for the Rim-to-Rim run/hike I was planning with a few friends. Bummed, I turned to Mt. Whitney and I am so happy things lined up - this is a better option than R2R
I'll try to visit the Grand Canyon next year perhaps.
Planning and Acclimatization: I convinced a few other friends to join me for this incredible trip and 3 out of 4 actually made it to the trip and one had to bail last minute. We were only able to get a day pass for Mt. Whitney zone and that worked perfect since my goal was to run/hike the total trip. My friends and I have a running background so I was positive we could manage the trip in a single day if we were smart with carrying the 10 essentials (the lightest of the stuff), good amount of water, and food and pacing ourselves.
We got a camping permit at the Whitney Portal which was a great way to get ready for the summit attempt. We arrive at the portal ~2PM on Monday 9/27 after a quick stop at the visitor center to pickup the permits - the nice folks there said the weather for the next few days would be "balmy" and we were thrilled to hear that.
It was about 90F when we were done setting up our tents after arriving at the portal. We decided to head up Mt. Whitney trail for a short acclimatization hike and see how the lungs and legs would feel. Starting from the campground and walking up to the trailhead about a half mile away, we were feeling the breathing was heavy, but that was expected given we're at ~8300ft at the trailhead. We decided to go up to Lone Pine Lake (~3.8 miles one way) and back since we were carrying only a handheld bottle of water each. A good first training conditioning run with about 2000ft gain and just short of 8 miles round trip. It was time for some delicious freeze-dried food for dinner and we passed out as soon as it got dark.
On Tuesday, 9/28 - our plan was to head out for another trip to Lone Pine lake (8 miles and 2000ft gain) to get the body used to the altitude, but not so much that we'd be tired for the long day the next day. We were back in time for lunch and just hung out for a while at the portal and then back at the campsite.
Summit:
Our neighbors, and everyone else we talked to at the portal that was planning the summit on 9/30 was planning on leaving at 2AM or 3AM, but our plan called out for a 4AM departure from the trailhead. We thought about leaving early and then just decided to play it by ear based on when we'd wake up. By the time we were ready to leave, it was almost 4AM so not too far off the plan and we started our trip a few minutes before 4AM. Our goal was to arrive at the summit no later than 11AM by power hiking, or running (where possible). In addition to the wind protection layers, gloves, headlamp and basic safety gear, I was carrying 3L of water, 8 Clif bars, 5-6 gels and salt tablets for nutrition. Estimated sunrise was at 6:45AM so a good 2 hours or so before twilight - good, because we weren't shocked by the ascent and the terrain
We noticed we were passing many people on the way up and caught up to a lot of people who left a few hours before us - all in all - a steady clip with frequent short stops to regroup and eat/drink. An hour in, I recall putting the gloves on to save my fingers from the wind and I believe I put my light wind shell on right before the 99 switchbacks.
BTW, as soon as we got up to the Trail Crest after the switchbacks - that's got to be one of the best views on this entire trip. Just pure bliss. There was a few others at trail crest so we exchanged greetings and kept moving - the summit is still ~2 miles or so away from this point. We finally made it to the summit (14,508 ft!) just before 10AM and i was the 2nd one on top that day
- the last section is a ton of rocks and very technical so you've got to watch your step. But the sight of the hut - insane! It was windy, but clear and sunny at the top - we hung out inside the hut for a snack and then got a few incredible pictures before starting the trip back down.
It was mostly uneventful on the way down except that I was almost out of water and was behind on electrolytes so I focussed on getting in some extra salt and food. We did a few short stops to regroup in the first 5 miles, and then I decided to run the remainder - making it back to the portal by about 3PM.
Total distance 21.9 miles, moving time: 7:56 and elapsed time 11H and elevation gain ~6300ft.
One of the best days of my life and I'll be back again next year!
Pictures: https://instagram.com/bhasin/PS: Thanks for all the incredible and useful information on these forums - it helped me a lot!
