Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Actual distance from Portal trailhead to summit?

I've always seen the round trip distance from the Portal trailhead to the summit quoted as 22 miles. However, my GPS app gave me a reading of 9.88 miles one way (or under 20 round trip) - here's the link:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/scorpiotiger/29960473902/in/dateposted/

I've used this app reliably before, but perhaps it was just confused by poor GPS readings in the wilderness? Or has anyone else come up with similar tracking numbers?

I've brought a GPS plenty of times and average total distance according to the readings over the years is around 21.5 miles (one way being 10.75 miles). I think that's the actual distance within a quarter mile.

GPS reception deep in the canyon may have a higher than normal error margin. The generally accepted distance from the current trailhead is 11 miles. From the old trailhead at the far western end of the Portal is 10.7 miles. If you really want to know the exact distance, roll a surveyor's wheel over the trail.