| Dhaval |
[ I found these threads to be super helpful, so wanted to give back to the community. ]
Three of us friends did a day hike on Friday, Sept 4th (a week ago) using the regular Whitney Portal route. Here's some info from that trip.
1) ICE - No microspikes/crampons needed ! There's no ice on the trail. You'll see some ice far-off in the distance once you get to the switchbacks.
2) AIR - It was clear when we ascended. By the time we got back to the trailhead, you could smell a bit of smoke (from the "Creek fires" around Sierra National Forest).
The next few days though, visibility was quite poor (it was raining ash on the car a bit and you couldn't see the mountains into the distance).
You could smell smoke in the air. Not unmanageably so - you could breathe even without a mask - but enough that it was noticeable.
3) TIME - We started at midnight (12:01am Friday). We summited at 8.45am. Spent an hour on the summit. Then got back to the trailhead by 5:30pm.
Overall, ~9hrs to ascend and ~7.5hrs to descend.
4) TEMPERATURE - Trailhead temperature when we started was ~45F. Basically cold. I had all 3 of my layers on.
Once you start climbing, you warm up quickly. So didn't wear my beanie knowing I'd need to be cooling off too. Worked well.
By the time we got to Trail Camp (about halfway) - around 4am - it was really cold. Mid 30s. Even with gloves my fingers were cold.
Once we started moving - specifically onto the switchbacks - we started warming up. Plus towards the end, the sun was rising, so we started to warm up again.
Once we got to Trail Crest (above the switchbacks) - needed ALL our layers on - even put the gloves back on and my friends even put on their additional wind breakers.
Mainly because there's a strong wind - no protection from the wind since you're on the ridge - so yeah it gets cold.
The only time we started to remove layers, was on our way down. Because by then the sun's really out and it starts to get really warm.
(you are above the treeline so often times there is no shade)
TLDR : On the way up, it'll get cold, so have atleast 3 layers + gloves + beanie. A 4th layer too if you're ok with the weight.
On the way down, it'll get warm, so plan to layer down. Meaning have space in your backpack to put back your layers (or tie it around your waist like we did).
5) WATER - 3-4L at any given point of time. If you tend to drink a lot, stay at 4L. If you drink less, 3L should suffice.
3L-4L will ensure at any point in time you have enough until you reach a point where you get natural water to fill up.
My buddy had 3L and he was fine. I had 3L at one point (from Trail Camp to the summit and back) - and that felt less to me.
Details : 3-4L from the base will get you to Trail Camp just fine.
At Trail Camp (or at Switchback #23) you can fill up again before you summit.
After this point there's no other water source. You'll have to wait until you return to the switchbacks to refill.
My suggestion knowing what I know now :
On the way up - Base to Trail Camp - keep 3L.
On the way up - Trail Camp to Summit to Trail Camp - keep 3.5L.
On the way down - Trail Camp to Base - keep 3L.
Tip : In the dark, I almost filled water at the lake next to Trail Camp. However at this time its all mossy with algae floating around.
Instead of filling water at the lakes, my personal suggestion would be to fill at running water sources - which you'll also come across plenty.
6) FOOD - This one I underestimated ON THE WAY DOWN. Lesson learned.
Basically, before I started, I timed my meals (big lunch at ~1pm), high carb liquid+snacks 4 hrs before (at ~7pm) and protein bars/Gatorade 1 hr before.
This was SUPER helpful on the way up. You won't realize how much you've burned, until you start cramping up or feel lethargic.
Weirdest was feeling sleepy, even with your heart rate at 120+. Yeah, its a weird feeling but it does happen.
Basically you're really tired (and sleepy if you haven't slept enough because of the weird sleep cycle) - all 3 of us felt sleepy at 4am when we reached Trail Camp.
The big learning lesson - I took it easy after we summited. Didn't have too much to eat on the way down (kept hydrating though). Not the wisest.
Even though coming down was a lot easier, I was feeling extremely tired. My muscles weren't aching, but I was feeling really tired & sleepy.
With all due respect (pls take this in the intended vein), I'm used to half marathons & Olympic triathlons - where you really only stop when your muscles are jelly.
Basically they're so worn out, you can barely feel them or even move them. I was expecting that to happen here. It didn't.
So it was a REALLY ODD feeling, when on the way DOWN, my muscles felt perfectly fine (not fatigued or cramped) and yet I felt tired.
I realized later I was "crashing" since I hadn't eaten anything. Thankfully after the switchbacks I started to force myself to eat again, and it made a HUGE difference.
It would've helped a lot more had I kept my glycogen at good levels - but better late than never.
To put this in perspective, we took close to 1750 calories worth of snacks plus a footlong sandwich. We finished it all, and were still tired/hungry on the way down.
TLDR on FOOD : Force yourself to keep eating every 1hr ideally. At the 2hr mark it is a must.
7) AMS - Read 5 and 6 again. Seriously.
As long as you drink some water every 30mins, you should manage to keep AMS at bay. Really.
I'd adjust that to drinking some water AND eating a little every 30mins knowing what I know now.
Its not perfect - still had a dull headache twice (near the start and near Trail Camp). But generally was ok.
What worked for me :
Around 9pm, took Diamox. Next dose at 9am. Doses are 12hrs apart.
Around midnight, took 600mg Ibuprofen. Next around 6am, took another 600mg Ibuprofen (was hoping to avoid this, but near Trail Camp got a stronger headache).
Basically, all my preventative measures really paid off (taking 600mg Ibuprofen at the start ; eating & drinking a bunch in advance ; drinking consistently while hiking).
Where I messed up was forgetting all this on the way down. STICK TO THE SAME GUIDELINES *EVEN* ON THE WAY DOWN. That's my big lesson.
8) WAG BAG - We all hoped we wouldn't have to use it. So between 3 of us, we took only 2. We ended up using both. One person used it on the summit.
I managed to not need it until all the way back to Lone Pine Lake (3mi from the start) but at that point I couldn't wait another hour.
And this is despite having "used the facilities" at 11pm right before the start of the hike at midnight.
Moral of the story - keep 1 WAG Bag on you. Its light, doesn't take much space, and when you need it you REALLY need it.
Everything's in there (bag, seal bag, toilet paper) - just bring some hand sanitizer.
9) INJURIES - I twisted my ankle the day before on an acclimatization hike (Lone Pine Lake hike). Another person twisted their ankle on the way down from the summit.
Moral of the story - its a really jagged terrain. Very easy to twist your ankle (especially if you've twisted it before making it more vulnerable to repeat occurrences).
What worked for me - I wrapped my ankle in an "Ace Bandage" wrap.
Held my ankle in place the whole trip - even prevented it from twisting all the way multiple times during the hike.
Either that or have a high hiking boot. One that is *Actually stiff* around the ankles (made of leather).
10) TIMING / SUNLIGHT - Initially we thought 12am was too early and that we were being paranoid. We were REALLY glad later we started when we did.
You'll be extremely tired on the way down - so expect more frequent breaks that you had on the way up (also because the sun will be out and it'll be HOT).
In addition, from time-to-time, on the way up, PLEASE TAKE BREAKS. To avoid AMS and to avoid "bonking" - make sure you rest, eat and drink.
Best places for a break - Lone Pine Lake, Before the switchbacks (Trail Camp), After the switchbacks (Trail Crest), Summit.
On the way back, even though sunset is around 7-7.30pm, it starts to get dark around 4-5pm - because the sun's behind the mountain.
In short, budget more time that you expect to take and budget less daylight than you expect to get.
(Hope for the best, plan for the worst.)
I'm sure there's other stuff, but this post is too long as it is. Just hope it helps someone. Good Luck ! |
