Mt Whitney Zone
Posted By: Markhurwitz MR itinerary - 07/31/20 07:15 PM
I’ve hiked Whitney several times, but never the MR. I was wondering if this itinerary sounds feasible:
8/11 Drive to Whitney Portal(arrive around noon), park and hike(leave around 1pm) to UBSL Camp overnight.
8/12 Leave UBSL for summit around 7am (with daypack only). Return to UBSL and camp.
8/13 Hike back to Whitney Portal. Drive home.
Posted By: Anton Re: MR itinerary - 08/01/20 02:36 AM
For a 2-night trip, consider camping at LBSL and leaving for the summit earlier in the morning. LBSL is only 30-45 min away from UBSL on the way up (unless you plan to hit the route in the middle of high snow winter, which a different story), but it is at lower altitude and offers infinitely better camping - more protected and, arguably, more beautiful. Not to mention that with this strategy you will have less travel with a heavier overnight pack. I would leave around 5AM to have enough day light while navigating the slabs and to have enough time to enjoy the camp after returning from the summit. Most folks do the MR car-to-car in the summer and fall.
Posted By: RenoFrank Re: MR itinerary - 08/01/20 04:36 AM
Originally Posted by Anton
offers infinitely better camping - more protected and, arguably, more beautiful.

I've never camped at LBSL but I found UBSL to have excellent campsites with a breathtaking view of the lake and mountains.
Posted By: Anton Re: MR itinerary - 08/01/20 05:50 AM
Well, we can argue about views but, as stated above, camping at LBSL has three advantages for someone who plans a leisurely 2 night trip:
1) Better chances of having a good night sleep, especially if you come from sea level (Lower altitude)
2) Less exposure (unlike UBSL campsites, all LBSL campsites are covered by trees)
3) Less travel with a heavier pack.
Posted By: bobpickering Re: MR itinerary - 08/01/20 08:34 PM
The shorter you can make your summit day, the better your chances of success. I’ve never camped at UBSL or at LBSL. I’ve always camped at Iceberg Lake, especially when I’m doing a roped route on Whitney or Russell. The views are spectacular! Iceberg may be too far if you’re starting up at 1:00 PM, but I wouldn’t settle for LBSL if I didn’t have to.
Posted By: G4u2 Re: MR itinerary - 08/02/20 02:59 PM
Hey Mark,

I was considering the same variables you are just a few days ago. I had done the regular trail 4 times, but was going on the MR for the first time starting on the 28th of July. I never had altitude issues on the regular trail but I know the MR is twice as steep, so I wanted to be more cautious. I ended up driving from San Diego on the 27th and spending the night at Whitney Portal. I chose to hike to UBSL on the 28th. I could have easily gone to Iceberg, but I was concerned about the night I was going to have up there. On the 29th, with a light pack, we sumitted and got back to the trailhead (started at 3:30 am and were back by 3:30 pm). It worked out well. By the time I started having a tiny headache from the altitude, I was already back at 11,000 ft or so. It disappeared by the time I crossed back at the 10,000 ft level. Because I spent the night at the trailhead, I think going to Iceberg would be OK. I would not try to spend the night at Iceberg if I just drove from sea level that day though. I think if I were you and the schedule was tight, I would spend the first night at LBSL at 10,000 ft and summit the next day, getting back to LBLS as quickly as you can.

Best of luck. The MR is a gorgeous trail!

Gustavo
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