How to Day Hike Mt. Whitney | Sounds of the Trail | Tips & Advice
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- čas přidán 21. 09. 2021
- #mtwhitney #whitneyportal #inyonationalforest #johnmuirtrail
Mt. Whitney is arguably one of the most popular mountains to hike in the United States. At 14,505 feet in elevation, it stands as the tallest peak in the contiguous 48 states. The Mt. Whitney Main Trail begins at 8,375 feet, making the elevation gain over 6,100 feet in 10.5 miles.
Because there is a trail that goes all the way to the summit of Mt. Whitney, many people believe that they can easily hike to the summit in back in a day. However, altitude sickness can be a real problem for many people. There are other dangerous factors to deal with as well. Most of them include severe weather, exposed areas of the trail, fatigue, not being in shape, not preparing, going for the summit solo, splitting from your group, taking the John Muir Trail on the descent, not being familiar with the trail, and taking too long to hike the entire trail. These factors can be prevented! Watch the weather forecast, summit before noon, and make sure you're well conditioned within cardiovascular and resistance training. Study the map and bring a GPS and/or SPOT device. Know your limits! The mountain will always be there.
This was the 13th summit I've made up to Mt. Whitney and the 40th peak of 100 in 2021. I started at the trailhead at 545AM and made it to the top at 1015AM. I was not trying to go fast... just a steady pace while filming. I then went on to peak four more peaks near Mt. Whitney. I made it back to the trail head before 330PM. I highly recommend getting a burger at the #whitneyportalstore after your hike.
I made this video to help day hikers see what they will face when hiking the main trail. I also give tips and advice to have a successful day hike to and from Mt. Whitney.
*Dangerous areas on the trail*
1. Just past the “Whitney Zone Permit” sign when you start climbing up, there is one area here 9:32
2. Just above Mirror Lake on the granite portion of trail at 10:25 and 11:22
If you plan to day hike Whitney, make sure you are completely passed these areas before dark.
Jump to:
8:50 What to look out for while on the trail
15:20 Advice on how to acclimatize
Mt. Whitney Zone Map:
www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_...
Mt. Whitney Permit information:
www.recreation.gov/permits/23...
Horseshoe Meadows directions:
www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/inyo/...
"Getting to the top of mountain is optional. Getting down from the mountain is mandatory.” -Ed Viesturs
Amazing!
Thanks Mike
As usual, thanks again Mike!
More videos to come!
Great video and great advice! I haven’t hiked Whitney yet, but it’s on the list! 🙌
Thanks! It’s an epic peak to bag especially taking the main trail route!
Thank you sir I learned a lot!
Glad I could be a help!
Thanks for sharing the video. Very informative. Going to try to summit Whitney next week. I hope the water haven't dried by the Trail camp.
That’s great! Good luck on your summit bid!
I was up in the area about 2 weeks ago and there is plenty of water at Trail Camp.
I have summited Whitney 3 times with the 24 hour permit, this was the the most brutal physical experience of my life, but so worth it…the first time it took me 15 hours, second time 16 hours, third time 18 hours
You’re right, all those long hours on the trail are so worth the climb! My first time up Whitney, back in 2008, I got caught in a blizzard that lasted hours - still made it to summit. The whole experience took me 19 hours! Brutal indeed!
@@mtnmike76 I wonder if we were on the mountain the same day? I hiked it in Sept. of 2008 and was caught in a blizzard on the switchbacks, around 10 or 11 am. I almost reached Trail Crest, but turned back because I could not see anything. Once below Trail Camp, the sun was out and warm. Below Lone Pine Lake it started raining again. When I reached town the mountain was covered white in sleet. The next morning was sunny and the snow was all melted.
@@aliensoup2420 That’s one thing I REALLY hate about the permit system.
It is insane that you can make it to the summit in 4.5 hours !! 😱 🙌🏼 just amazing!!
One of the best hikes I've done ever but I came through PCT and started at horseshoe meadow. Haven't tried Whitney portal yet for day hike
You’ve got to hit Whitney from the portal. It’s a great experience!
Nice video. I haven't done Whitney (or any CA 14ers for that matter). It's on my list, but I'm going to get all of CO's done first (17 so far, hoping to get 20-25 14ers this year)!
Wow! 17! That's amazing! I've only been up two 14ers in Colorado - Pikes Peak and Mt. Evans. I would love to hike the 14ers in CO one day! The 14ers out here in California are a whole different experience.
@@mtnmike76 I just have more options in CO than you do in CA. I mean, you've been up Whitney 13+ times, so you'd probably have even more done if you lived out here. I look forward to getting to experiencing the CA mountains when I get a chance, particularly the Sierras.
Surprisingly, I haven't done Evans or Pikes yet. I'll take my wife up Evans this year though (she'll do one with me each year)
Mike, when you head up at the pace that you are going, what is your typical sustained heart rate? Just from the sound of you talking, it sounds like you are constantly in upper zone 2 maybe zone 3, whatever your HR would be there.
Hi Mike. Great video. I will be making my second attempt to summit Mt Whitney on 6/8 (day permit). I saw that you had micro spikes for part of the 99 switchbacks and trail crest. Could you have gotten by without them? Or were they definitely needed? Thanks.
I would just take the micro spikes just in case you’ll need them. I brought them but never put them on. As of today, hikers are still using micro spikes on parts of the 99. Good luck on your summit bid!
Excellent Video. I am heading there in a few days for my first summit bid. I am trying to find information on times to certain landmarks like how long it takes the average hiker to make it to Trail camp and so on. Also a list of placed to get water along the way. Would you have any idea where I can that info? Thanks
Thanks for the comment! From my experience observing the average hiker attempting Whitney, I would conclude that it takes them between 7 to 8 hours to summit from Whitney Portal and and around 4 to 6 hours to get down to the Portal So, anywhere between 12-14 hrs. total trip. Whitney portal to Trail camp would take the average hiker about 3 to 4 hours. However, this all depends on what condition the hiker is in. If they are fit and can acclimate quick, then they will be on the faster side of the curve. I’ve seen super fit hikers hit a wall at 13,000ft (on the 99 switchbacks) and they slow down considerably, making their summit bid much longer than anticipated. As for water, I was just up in the area climbing multiple peaks near Whitney last week on the crest - September 28th - and there is ZERO water past Trail Camp. The spring on the switch back has dried up. Outpost camp has a lot of water still in Lone Pine Creek as well as Mirror Lake just above the camp. Trail camp is around 7 miles from the Portal. If you have an extra day, go to Horseshoe Meadows and acclimate. It sits around 10,000 feet and will for sure help you on your summit bid! Good Luck!
I'm sure you don't need this info anymore (and I hope you had a successful hike!) but for others that may see it and have the same question, there's several excellent resources w/ this info: two books: one by Doug Thompson and one by Elizabeth Wenk, as well as the excellent Whitney message board run by Doug and the folks at the store. Great resources. Loved this video - always appreciate ones with timestamps.
Kate, thanks for the info. I did complete this hike a little while ago. I did it over 2 days. Had a great time. It was my first time out that way. I am already in the planning stages of two trip back that way this spring.
@@KateKay28
@@cornycampskills2564Yay! I hope you have a fantastic, successful trip. It’s such a magical place.
Wow.. thank you for the video. I have a permit for a day hike on Sept 1st for a solo hike. If you are hiking on that day, would love to connect and hike together.
I’m actually headed up to the summit this Friday, April 29th before the quota season begins this Sunday, May 1st. I didn’t get a permit this year! First time I didn’t get one in 13 years. Thanks for the invite though. Good luck on your climb!
@@mtnmike76 Wow.. you are hardcore. Was your hike full of snow and ice around April/May?
Hi Mike. I am going to attempt a day trip summit on 4-30 this year. Do you know of any groups that discuss possible hikes at same time. I am really fit but would love to follow someone experienced the first time. I was thinking of going non stop to the top. Then lunch and non stop to bottom.
Awesome! There are a couple of discussion boards on Mt. Whitney where you can post your trip details and see if anyone else will be climbing the same day. Good Luck!
Here is the link:
www.whitneyzone.com/wz/ubbthreads.php/forums/1/1/General_Discussion
That should be a busy day to summit Whitney as it is the last day of the non-quota season. Will this be your first attempt?
Do you know if you can reserve campsites at Cottonwood Pass? Online it didn't really look like it, maybe its first come.
You cannot. It is first come first serve for both Cottonwood Pass and New Army Pass trail head campsites at Horseshoe Meadows. I've never had a problem getting a campsite, especially if you get up there before noon.
@@mtnmike76 thanks for the info! I’ll be flying out, so want to nail down as much as I can.
What is labeled "Mt. Whitney Mountaineer Route" (at 0:50) isn't called that. It's simply where the trail from the old trailhead meets the current trail. The Mountaineer Route is entirely different. It is accessed by going up the North Fork past Iceberg Lake. It isn't reached by the Main Mt. Whitney Trail, which is what you were on.
I’m just stating that that is the alternative route up Whitney via the mountaineer passage. I’ve been up that route many times. And yes I think I know that I’m on the main trail having been up to Whitney summit 14 times and hiking/climbing in the areas for over 40 years. Lol
Dude, your video started at 5:45 and you got to trail camp at 7:45. Are you saying you hiked those first 7 miles in 2 hours???
Yep, that is correct. It's around 6 miles from the Portal (trailhead) to Trail Camp. If you have years of being in excellent shape (both cardio & strength), know how to acclimatize correctly, and are trained properly in nutrition (know how to fuel you body), then hiking around 3.0 mph (or faster) on this trail can easily be accomplished. However, there are variables that can slow a hiker down as well. Weather, hypoxia, hiking at night, not being prepared, etc.. This day I had other peaks to climb so I had to somewhat stay on a very steady pace to reach the other 4 peaks and make it back to the Portal by 330pm.
What’s the best time of the year?
I’ve climbed Whitney every month of the year other than January & February. From my experience, September and October are the best months to hike Whitney. The weather is usually the best then. Not too many hikers on the trail like in July/August. Sometimes we can get snow in October but nothing too significant.