Not big campers, ended doing the night at Trail Camp. Didn’t sleep much, altitude didn’t help, but getting up early and hiking out before sunrise was also a treat.
Couple 60+, even as 2 hour half-marathoners, and several longer hikes, treks, we figured we would be 16-20 hours on feet, and that was too long for us in a day. That’d be our slog. Many do it way faster. By memory Elbert is in the 10 miles, 4,000 feet range, Whitney is 20+ miles, 6,000 feet so offered us a little different challenge. We decided to drive through Yosemite, into Mammoth Lakes, motel overnight there @ 8,000 feet rather than camp at the Portal, save the tent night for Trail Camp. Drove into Portal early, started hiking 6:00 am-ish. Figured Portal to Trail Camp was decent enough acclimatization hiking. Summited next day with light daypacks, picked up the tent on the way down, hotel and hot shower by 8:00 pm or so. Trail Camp - well, not my total favorite, got some poor high country bathroom etiquette happening, but there’s space, wise choices can be made…. For us an overnight felt right afterwards, we wouldn’t have enjoyed a day hike so much. Many do it though, lot of trail runners.
Whichever you choose, stay safe, enjoy your trip, it was a highlight of my hiking/trekking experiences. I’ll be back this summer to try Langley, we really enjoyed the Inyo, Lone Pine, Portal vibe, great people in great surroundings.