I originally posted this under Current Conditions, but it really should have been here. I'm adding some more detail.
We summited on July 2nd.
We left our hotel in Lone Pine around 2:45. We were at Whitney Portal a bit after 3am. We started our hike at 3:20. The temperature was in the 50s. I had long hiking pants on which I rolled up and back down as needed during the hike. I had a non-cotton t-shirt on, which I augmented with a long sleeved non-cotton shirt, when I got a little cold. My down jacket went unused and was extra weight I didn't need (same with about 2lbs of food (of 4) I carried up and back down again.
Here is the breakdown of the weight i carried:
Food I didn’t eat 2.25lbs
Down jacket unused 1.27lbs
First aid kit 1.58lbs
Jetboil stove 1.38lbs
O2 tanks - 2 0.61lbs
Leatherman knife 0.56lbs
Wallet 0.25lbs
Empty backpack 4.1lbs
Water filter 1.17lbs
Full water pack 6.3lbs
Hiking poles (originally attached to my backpack and weighed together) 1.38lbs
Blood oxygen sensor 0.13lbs
Two external phone power packs and cable (unused) 0.95lbs
Headlamp 0.36lbs
—— Total —— 22.29lbs
Total pack weight as measured by trail scale - possibly not accurate 28lbs
Weight of everything else including consumed food and some extra clothing that are being washed now and scale inaccuracy 5.71lbs
Next time I do this, I will take half the food. I had three sandwiches, 6 Cliff bars, 3 Kind bars, three sandwich-size bags of gorp, and a bit more. The three sandwiches were great, two would have worked. I brought back 3 Cliff bars, 2 Kind bars, and all the gorp. And I'll rethink the jacket based on weather reports.
The temperatures throughout the day were above the mid-fifties. There was no snow on the trail, but a little here and there on the sides. I had a pair of really lightweight gloves that were good at keeping the sun off of my hands and in areas where it got a little cold, kept my fingers warm - when using hiking poles, you can't stick your hands in your pockets.
Sunscreen and a hat with neck protection were really important for me. I should have done something about my lips, which are the main issue I am suffering from now, two days later (4th of July).
Hiking poles were immensely helpful. I don't know if it was a coincidence that every member of the group without hiking poles, also had swollen hands. Hiking poles also keep you from hurting your ankles as they can support your weight as soon as you feel like you've stepped on something that is twisting your ankle.
I had a 3 liter hydration pack which was 3/5 full with ice and iced tea before the switchbacks, and I did not refill there - not wanting to dilute my tea. In hindsight, I should have refilled there as I ran out of water on the way back down, and couldn't wait to get to the stream near the bottom of the switchbacks. Also, I could have filled it to 1/2 at the start of the journey and refilled it numerous times, instead of carrying 6.6lbs of water around, earlier in the day. The caffeine in the iced tea may also have been helpful, and I was drinking the iced tea all the way to the top.
The hike up wasn't easy, but it wasn't grueling either. We had arrived at Lone Pine on June 30th, hoping for some acclimation, but didn't realize that Lone Pine was only at 3700 of elevation. We did do a test hike on July 1 to Lone Pine lake which got us over 1000ft, but that wasn't a real test of our ability to handle 12-14K of altitude. Next time, I'm going to try and get a spot at the campgrounds at Lone Pine Portal to use the night before our hike.
As I said, the trip up isn't bad. The pain and torture began on the way down, when every segment seemed to take longer and be farther than we recalled. The latter half really cures you from thinking that you'd repeat the hike anytime soon. It'll be a while before i am ready for another Whitney summit.
It took us about 16 hours roundtrip, and a bit over 12 of moving time. We took many breaks, including almost two hours at the summit (where I made some hot tea). We probably should have rested a bit more on the way down too, but we got a little separated and were taking breaks separately.
Any questions?
Good luck!!
