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Overnight Whitney Trip Aug. 4th-5th
#17295 08/07/11 01:58 PM
Joined: Jul 2011
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First off, I want to thank everyone who had posted Trail Reports, tips, suggestions, and advice in the weeks prior to our trip. Without the great amount of information I would have not been as prepared as we were and had such a successful summit on the 5th.

Now, on the the TR. Myself and three friends met up at the Whitney Portal Campgrounds on Tuesday the 2nd for a couple days of acclimatization and day hikes to enjoy the beauty Mt. Whitney has to offer. I began taking Diamox the day we arrived at Whitney Portal, not knowing how the altitude would effect me. I still do not know, but at no point during the entire trip did I get one headache or nausea, when I hike Mt. Whitney again I will definitely take Diamox. I did feel a slight numbness in my fingers and toes, nothing painful, just annoying.

We left Whitney Portal Thursday morning at 7:30am. Each of us carrying approx 33-40 lbs. This being the first time backpacking for all of us, we were not sure if that was too much, but the only things we had in our packs were the essentials. The trail was cluttered in sections with debris from the recent storm, but nothing that could not easily be passed. The first two Creek Crossings were very easy and not very swollen, one of the members in our group had been up the first mile or so of the trail a day after the storm and the North Fork Lone Pine Creek Crossing was extremely swollen and difficult to maneuver. No problem when we got there on the 4th, all of the rocks are exposed and easy to cross.

The Lone Pine Creek Crossing was another story...all of the logs were washed out during the storm, and people were taking their boots off to cross, fortunately on our way up we were passed by a group of guys from the Forestry Service to repair the log crossings. They were not done by the time we got up there, but it was done by the time we got down. We crossed without boots, and just put them back on after the crossing.

The trek from Lone Pine Lake to Outpost Camp was beautiful and the views are breathtaking! The water is flowing and a great place to stop take some pictures and refill your water. The trail from Outpost Camp to Trail Camp was quite the challenge, as you pass through Trailside Meadows and approach Consultation Lake. There was water running down some of the trail in sections, but nothing major.

Trail Camp was quite crowded when we arrived around 4. (We took our sweet time getting there as we stopped a number of times to take pictures, and take in the sights.) Once the sun went down behind the mountains the temperature dropped significantly, so pack a fleece or some warm clothing to get you through the night.

We left Trail Camp around 6:30 am and set out to tackle the switchbacks. There was one section of trail I was concerned about after reading a number of posts about a snow crossing towards the very top of the switchbacks, but was pleased to see almost all of the trail exposed and minimal snow on the trail. After succeeding on making it to trail crest around 9am we set out for the last 2.5 miles to the summit. This was by far the most amazing section of trail in my mind as we winded our way on the backside of the mountain. There was only one other section of snow left to cross about .5miles from the summit, and was a non-issue. We summited at 11:15am on August 5th, two days before my 30th birthday and were more than excited to have made it to the summit!

Many will say that the hardest part is now done, but I will have to disagree and say that for me, the hardest part was yet to come... I had slightly injured my knee in the days prior to our trip hiking San Jacinto Peak, and knew that every downhill step was going to be painful. The first couple miles back to Trail Crest flew by as I am sure adrenaline was still flowing from the summit, but the uphill section just before Trail Crest really kicked my butt and soon my knee injury began to flare up. Two things got me down to Trail Camp, my trekking poles, and a good playlist on my iPod. We left the summit around 12:15 and arrived back at trail camp around 3:30. After a quick power nap and hot meal, it was back on the trail at 5:00 for the remaining 6 miles to the Whitney Portal.

We practically flew down the trail, or at least it felt like that and made it back to the Portal Store by 8:30pm. Unfortunately missing the last call for a burger and fries (which are amazing) by 15 minutes.

The weather was more than amazing, not too hot, and not too cold. There was a fire in the Sequoias, which brought in a little smoke in the valley, but did not obstruct the view from the top very much.

I feel that this may not be as informative as other posts on this discussion board, but for me it is a great way to re-live the trip in my mind! I had such an amazing time, and will never forget my first trip to the top of Mt. Whitney!

If someone asked me to give 3 tips for a first timer attempting to summit they would be the following:

1) Acclimate before you begin your hike, I felt amazing the entire trip aside from my knee, and I attribute this to being up there a few days before and taking a few day hikes to get used to the altitude.

2) Eat and Drink plenty. You may not feel like eating, but your body needs the energy!

3) ENJOY the all the beauty Mt. Whitney has to offer!

Re: Overnight Whitney Trip Aug. 4th-5th
Chris Andrews #17297 08/07/11 03:01 PM
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Congratulations! Sounds like a wonderful trip, and that all your planning paid off.

Re: Overnight Whitney Trip Aug. 4th-5th
Chris Andrews #17322 08/08/11 05:52 PM
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Congratulations! I am glad to hear that your IPOD worked. I read that you aren't supposed to use it over 10,000 feet. I've been thinking of using a Sansa Clip (flash MP3 instead).

Do you really think it helped to stay 2 days in Portal? My husband and I plan to go up on Labor Day, and camp at Portal, camp at Outpost, camp at Trail and then summit (hopefully)!

Re: Overnight Whitney Trip Aug. 4th-5th
Julie #17324 08/08/11 08:30 PM
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I had no idea that the iPod wasnt supposed to be used over 10k feet... worked like a charm for me. others in our group used their iPhone and had no issues.

Personally I think that the more time you spend @ altitude the better off you are. We just stayed two days because we wanted to have a few days to relax before the hike, your plan sounds just as good to break it up into two nights on the trail. Good luck, as I mentioned before, I had such an amazing time, and can't wait to do it again!

Re: Overnight Whitney Trip Aug. 4th-5th
Chris Andrews #17348 08/09/11 09:47 AM
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Originally Posted By: Chris Andrews
... but the uphill section just before Trail Crest really kicked my butt and soon my knee injury began to flare up....

Ibuprofen works like a charm. When I was hiking up the switchbacks. I started feeling the strain in my IT band. It started flaring up pretty quickly. I snacked a bar and swallowed an Ibuprofen. Within 15-20min, the pain was dulled dramatically. As with any pain-killer, read the side-effects before taking this pill. I usually suffer from stomach bleeding if I ingest it on an empty stomach. So always snack something before taking an Ibuprofen.

Re: Overnight Whitney Trip Aug. 4th-5th
hydrae #17353 08/09/11 11:17 AM
Joined: Sep 2009
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Congratulations on the summit. Yes I think ,most people say the hardest part is coming down. So much energy and excitement are centered around reaching the summit forgetting that it is exactly the halfway point.There is no summit fever to drive you down the mountain having already expended so much energy.The stepping down muscles in your legs and joints take so much more of a beating than those used to step up.

BTW there are 16,000 deaths from GI bleeding every year from taking advil(ibuprofen)and alleve(naproxen).Use with care and caution and know the risks associated with them.

Last edited by Rod; 08/09/11 11:18 AM.
Re: Overnight Whitney Trip Aug. 4th-5th
Chris Andrews #17358 08/09/11 12:57 PM
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CaT Offline
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Quote:
Many will say that the hardest part is now done, but I will have to disagree and say that for me, the hardest part was yet to come. ... The first couple miles back to Trail Crest flew by as I am sure adrenaline was still flowing from the summit, but the uphill section just before Trail Crest really kicked my butt.

I couldn't agree more! To me, this half-mile section is the most difficult part of the whole round trip. I also fly down the hill to the portal once I finally get to Trail Crest on the way back.

Quote:
There is no summit fever to drive you down the mountain...

But there is dinner fever -- a very strong motivation after a long dayhike! smile

CaT


If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)

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