Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Whitney summit age records (official or unofficial)

Excuse me if I'm covering old ground but my interest was piqued from another thread where a hiker (Bob Rockwell) did Whitney ascents "into his '80s". So, What is the oldest person known to have A) dayhiked Whitney B) did it multiday? Also mention if the attempts were assisted or not (meaning someone else carried all or some of their gear). Am curious to know in theory how many years I have left! (I'm 59 now). Thanks!

Bruce,
I think that was an overstatement regarding Bob R. I think he hiked well into his upper 70s, not quite 80s.

Then there is Hulda Crooks who climbed Mount Whitney 23 times between the ages of 65 and 91.

I'm 65 now, and my right knee has shut down my jogging, and descending peaks has become a challenge. I was jogging 10 miles per week just a year ago.

Good luck and keep going!

Oh, you are still a kid! I'm 78 and still hiking; slow, but steady. A few years ago I met a couple of old guys coming over Piute Pass, at the end of their three week backpack trip,one of whom was celebrating his 87th birthday. Keep going dude!

On my weekly day-hikes on Bishop Creek I actually see more older women hiking than older guys. It's harder to find other senior males willing to get off their rears and into the mountains.

Hulda Crooks climbed Whitney 23 times, the last being at age 91. I have read that she was accompanied by an entourage, at least for the later ones. The name of Day Needle was changed to Crooks Peak in her honor.

Thanks for the replies guys! Yeah I plan to keep going as long as I can, glad to know that some people do it into their '70's and beyond. Ideally I'd like to dayhike Whitney 40 years in a row (I've done 21 now so 40 would put me around 79 years old), but I'll take what I can get. But the streak does help keep me motivated to do it again next year and well beyond.

I am 81 years old, and planning a one-day hike at the end of August. I'll post if I succeed.

Good luck, Herbert!!!

Let us know Herbert! Have a great trip and be safe!

Turned 70 last year and attempted a solo hike from Cottonwood Pass TH to Whitney. 237 lbs with a 45 lb pack. Although I enjoyed the hike, it wasn't to be for Mt. Whitney. This year I got my weight down to 197 and dropped five pounds off of my pack. I made it to Crabtree Meadows in two day and was ready for the climb the next day. Felt great, until I got very sick the next morning (may have been bad tartar sauce). I believe extraction should be only for life or death so that was out. I was so week that it took 2 1/2 hrs to break camp then spend the next 3 days getting back to he trail head. Since I had most of my food and couldn't eat for the entire trek back, all that weight was hauled out. Next year I'll be 72 and already have some ideas how to make things a bet easier for the hike. Who knows, I may make it to the peak yet!!

I met Bob Rockwell on the Whitney summit in 2010. I think he was 84 and did it as an unassisted multi-day hike.

bobpickering: Bob Rockwell wrote a trip report about his 1952 ascent of Mt Whitney when he was 15. They stayed in the hut overnight so they could watch the a-bomb test over in Nevada. A reference to his report is here, but his ridgenet.net links are no longer available.

Since he was 15 then, that would put him about 81 now in 2018. He last climbed Whitney several years ago, did not summit because he got sidetracked helping a SAR recovery.

I’m guessing that Bob told me he was 74 and I remembered 84 eight years later. That would put his age within months of your estimate.

Kailash Murthi and I spent two days at Mammoth Lakes, and having obtained permits for a one-day climb for August 29th, started to climb from the Portal at 3:15 am, making it to the top at 2:15 pm on a perfect weather day. I thought the pace going up too slow, but Kailash had been developing a headache, affecting his climbing before the Trail Crest, and that slowed us down. The way down was difficult for my partner, needing too many breaks, and showing serious tiredness. Miraculously, he made it back to the Portal shortly after 11 pm. If temperatures had been colder, I feared for possible bad consequences.

Either because of my training, and/or my recent Elbrus climb, I felt strong on the way up, and had full reserves on the way down.

Three observations:
1. Whitney is a straightforward, and relatively easy climb: gradual ascent, and little difficult terrain (assume good training and proper acclimatization);

2. the building and maintenance of the trail is reflected in its great condition (my thanks and gratitude);

3. the almost total absence of trail signs and markers are a disgrace. What's up with that?

We did get an opportunity to chat with Doug Thompson at the Portal store, who shared lots of climbing lore, and very useful advice. Regarding age records: he is familiar with several over-80 summiters, he is unsure as to any that did it in one day. Surely, Doug is a most interesting person.

Huge congrats! I'll keep going as long as I can and actually I am in better shape now than I've ever been (as I've gotten bit by the ultra bug), so it's a question of my body holding out. It's inspiring to know that there are people 20 years older than myself who can summit Whitney.