LA’s Guide to Summiting Whitney, Part V -Minor to Major Potential Trail Perils (Altitude Sickness)

The items in this part are no fun at all – even to talk about! But, to be safe, it’s always good to know what can happen, so here we go:

Altitude Sickness: When summiting Whitney, this particular aspect should be a potential concern. The summit of Whitney is the highest point in the lower 48 states at 14,500 feet. Most people in the United States live at 0-1,000 feet above sea level. Whitney is over three miles higher than what most people’s bodies are accustomed to on a daily basis. Even if one is in excellent shape, at 10,000-14,000 feet, the altitude will have an effect on your body. At higher altitudes, there is less oxygen in the air, which means that your body will have to work harder at some point during the trek. Additionally, if you consider that you will likely be carrying a 15-35 pound backpack while ascending a steep grade, the inevitable conclusion is that at some point, you will be gasping for air. Altitude sickness ranges from the benign – headache, muscle aches, hyperventilation - to the severe – hallucinations, vomiting, and all sorts of other complications that can end in death!

(For more information check out: http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/altitude.html )

The main thing to keep in mind about altitude sickness is that for the most part, it is easily cured. The cure for altitude sickness is simple – descend to a lower altitude. So, if you’re on the trail and you start feeling really funny, it is a good idea to turn around and head back down. If you are traveling in a group, you can also keep an eye on other people. If it’s obvious someone is acting oddly, help steer them back down to a lower elevation. Some people are more susceptible to altitude sickness than others; I know that around 20,000 feet, I start to get a little loopy; the point is that everyone, at some elevation has some sort of breaking point. There are also two things to help you avoid altitude sickness: acclimatization and hydration.

By allowing your body to acclimatize, it becomes more accustomed to the elevation by producing more red blood cells. By arriving early at Whitney Portal the day before the hike, one allows their body more time to acclimatize (similarly, arriving at Trail Camp earlier on the first day of the hike also aides acclimatization). Second, it is also important to remember to stay hydrated. In addition to there being less oxygen at higher elevations, there is also less moisture. Everyone loses lots of moisture through simple breathing and through their skin. The more water you take in, the less likely you are to be dehydrated and less likely to be susceptible to altitude sickness. The thing to remember about altitude sickness is that it’s both avoidable and treatable as long as you know what to be aware of and what to do.

LA’s Guide to Summiting Whitney, Part IV – What to eat on the trail.

There are three main considerations about trail food. Any food that you bring should be high-calorie and contain lots of energy; the food should all fit in the bear canister; and it should not be excessively heavy to carry. Generally, for an overnight hike, I recommend something simple to prepare, or even not prepare, such as things like energy bars, or freeze-dried food. Sandwiches or other pre-cooked items also can be good after a long day of hiking. What you really want is something that can be prepared easily and tastes halfway decent. One of the advantages to freeze-dried food is that all the preparation it requires is hot water. This allows you to save on weight by carrying a single burner stove to heat water. Even easier alternatives are as mentioned above, pre-cooked foods or energy bars which require no cooking at all. When I’m on the trail, I usually eat some sort of fresh fruit or energy bar because I don’t usually like to deal with making something crazy like soup for lunch. For dinner, and sometimes breakfast, I’ll usually go with some type of freeze-dried meal for the calories, and not for the taste. Although I will admit, the quality of freeze-dried meals has become much better in recent years.

LA’s Guide to Summiting Whitney, Part III - Food Storage: What to do about bears on the trail.

People: On the trail you are required to use bear-proof storage for our food. The rationale behind this rule is identical to storing food in cars. It is again illegal to feed wildlife; and the Forest Service doesn’t want bears becoming habituated to human food. As all bears in the Sierras have learned to defeat the “hanging method” of food storage, the Forest Service requires all backpackers to carry what are known as bear canisters, which are reinforced (usually plastic) containers that weigh approximately three to five pounds and are bear-proof. It is also important to note that as Trail Camp is above treeline, the hanging method would not be an option! The number of people and the amount of food a group plans to eat will determine how many containers you will need to carry. Generally, I would say that one canister can hold three to four people’s food for one night. Once you have reached your campsite, take the canister out, and place it roughly twenty feet away from your campsite. Do not leave it in your pack; otherwise the bears will simply take your pack containing the canister back to their den!

The bear canister does two things: 1) it protects your food from bears, and places you in compliance with the law; and 2) it protects your food and smellable items from marmots. A marmot is a rodent that lives at high elevations (9,000 feet and up) and is roughly beaver sized (for more information than you will ever need about marmots, check out this site: http://www.marmotburrow.ucla.edu/ ). These not-so-little rodents also love to eat people food. They will chew through tents, backpacks, and just about anything else to get at the food. I have seen all sorts of equipment ruined by these guys, and I guarantee that they will be around any campsite at Trail Camp in force (along with their other smaller rodent cousins). They also have an uncanny ability to swoop in, chew holes in stuff and disappear while people are around or watching. The bear canister, while extra weight is therefore a bit of a blessing in disguise as it allows you to be protected from bears, and it allows your gear to be protected from marmots.

LA’s Guide to Summiting Whitney, Part III - Food Storage: What to do about bears and your car.

It is hard to predict if you will see a bear during your visit to Mt. Whitney. On the one hand, Mt. Whitney and the Whitney Portal area, like most of the Sierras are home to many Black Bears and a lot of Black Bear activity. On the other hand, Black Bears are wild animals and as a general rule, do not like to hang out with humans. In the Sierras, Black Bears come in a variety of colors from a golden brown to a dark black. However, do not let the different colors fool you – there are only black bears in the Sierras. There are no Grizzly Bears, and no California Golden Bears; the first lives in a completely different habitat, and the second is extinct. Black Bears in the Sierras are generally not aggressive toward humans; however, some will engage in conduct known as a “bluff charge”.

In these situations, the bear will run at a person, expecting them to drop their backpack and run; the bear is then left free to pillage their bag for food. If this happens, I cannot stress the following advice enough: do not run! First, you will not be able to outrun a bear. Second, even if the bear is attacking you, you should either fight back or protect your vital areas. Third, if it is a “bluff charge”, the bear will stop before it reaches you, and then saunter off. I have seen this many times, and I have heard of it many times. As a result of these very active bears, Mt. Whitney and the Whitney Portal zone, like all National Parks in the Sierras, have strict bear food storage requirements. The food storage requirements devised by the Forest Service for the Whitney Portal area covers two areas: cars and people.

Cars: Under the law (and yes, you read that right), it is a crime to store food improperly in your vehicle in the Whitney Portal Zone, which is you will be park your car. The reason it is a crime is because it is against Forest Service regulations to feed wild animals (in this case bears). The reason the law applies to cars is because black bears in the Sierras have learned to break into cars to get food. And when I say “break into cars”, I mean that they can break into all areas of the car. Trunk, backseat, front seat, hood, and anywhere else they want to investigate.

How the bears break into cars is really quite ingenious. For the bear, it is a two step procedure. First, they hook their claws into any car window. Second, they simply pull it down. They are unfazed by breaking glass, car alarms, and just about anything else. They then climb into the car through the broken window, and then claw/chew their way into whatever other areas they are interested in investigating. In addition to totally destroying portions of a car to get at food, they also tend to use the car as their own private bathroom!

So, in order to avoid lots of property damage that your insurance may or may not cover, I highly recommend that you follow the Forest Service’s guidelines and store all “smellable” items that you are not taking on the trail in the bear lockers that are provided in the parking lot free of charge. What I mean by “smellable” items are those items that possess any sort of food type smell; such as toothpaste, lotions, sunscreen, shaving cream, bug spray, and of course food. Another reason to use the bear lockers is to avoid a ticket from the Forest Service. I guarantee that the Forest Service will ticket you for having a bear break into your car; which will leave you with: 1) a thrashed car; 2) a car that smells like shit; and 3) a large ticket for allowing the first two things to occur. This is not hype: as former national park service employee, and an avid mountaineer I have seen bears break into tons of cars, and it does happens on a regular basis, so, in short: just use the lockers that are provided.

LA’s Guide to Summiting Whitney, Part II – What to Expect on the Trail from Whitney Portal to the Summit of Mt. Whitney (Day Two)

Day Two: If you are still serious about making the summit at this point, you will definitely want to start early because this will be the day that you do the most hiking. It is approximately four miles to the summit of Mt. Whitney from Trail Camp; and from the summit it is an eleven mile walk back to the parking lot at Whitney Portal. While the descent from the summit to the parking lot is substantially easier and faster, I guarantee that this fifteen mile hike will take a lot of time to complete. One also wants to get an early start to avoid being caught in any potential weather that may develop during the day.

From Trail Camp, the trail immediately heads up the ninety-six switchbacks to the trail crest. Trail Camp sits at just below twelve thousand feet, and the trail crest at the top of the switchbacks is at just over thirteen thousand feet. The ninety-six switchbacks from Trail Camp to the trail crest stretch out for two miles. This is the section of trail that has gained the most notoriety of the whole eleven miles as the “toughest section”. I’m not going to lie to you: it is difficult (I personally don’t think it’s that bad, but that’s just me). Barring altitude sickness, or other unknown factors, this section of the climb will probably determine whether you summit the mountain or not. It is steep; it is exposed; the air is thin; and the mountain seems really far away. From the top of the switchbacks it is still two and one half miles to the summit; however, most of the terrain is a gradual upward slant to the summit along the ridgeline. The last half mile is more or less a straight line up to the summit through a series of large slabs and boulders. After that, there’s only the summit hut and blue sky, because there’s nothing higher for thousands of miles in every direction.

I recommend that from Trail Camp to the summit on the second day one only carries the bare essentials – water, food, and extra clothes. Most people leave their tents set up at Trail Camp, and if you store your food in bear canisters (discussed later), you won’t have to worry about marmots chewing holes in your gear. By carrying less gear you save energy and give yourself a small advantage while completing the most strenuous part of the hike. After summiting, you can pick up your gear at Trail Camp, and rest for a little bit if necessary. After that you can walk the rest of the way downhill to the parking lot which should seem like an easy stroll at that point in the day! Once you reach the parking lot, it’s great just to relax and make crazy promises about never walking or climbing mountains again.

LA’s Guide to Summiting Whitney, Part II – What to Expect on the Trail from Whitney Portal to the Summit of Mt. Whitney (Pre-Day One, and Day One)

Most people request a permit for the traditional, tried and true Whitney Portal ascent to the summit. If it is not winter, this ascent involves one thing and one thing only: walking (or if you prefer the fancy term, mountaineering). The trail leaves from the parking lot at Whitney Portal at eight thousand feet and ascends eleven miles to the summit at 14,496 feet. From the summit it is, again, eleven miles back to the parking lot for a grand total of

twenty-two miles and around twelve thousand feet of elevation gained and lost if one reaches the summit. It is perfectly possible to do the hike in one day; I have done it twice, and while it makes for a long day, it is still a fun experience. The nice thing about doing the hike in one day as compared to an overnight trek is that you get to carry less weight. However, from Whitney Portal, people do the hike in increments of one to three days, and possibly more. The trail is the same no matter how long you take, but I guarantee the longer one takes, the more weight one will carry!

With those points in mind, a sample two-day hike to the summit should roughly look like this:

Day Pre-One (Before the Hike): As most people have to travel to Whitney to climb it, my main suggestion is that if you are planning to climb the mountain, you arrive as early as possible the day before you are supposed to leave. For example, if you are planning to hike Whitney on a Saturday, arrive at the Whitney Portal as early as possible on Friday. This allows one to acclimatize as much as possible, which is a large bonus during the hike. As an added benefit an early arrival gives you the opportunity to select one of the better campsites in the Backpackers camp at Whitney Portal!

Day One: I like to get an early start on the trail. It allows me to hopefully get in front of any large groups on the trail, and it allows me take my time, should I require it during the day. I don’t consider the hike to Trail Camp a long hike at approximately six and one half miles, but another advantage to leaving early is that I arrive at my destination sooner, which allows my body more time to rest, recuperate, and acclimatize. The trail to the summit leaves directly from the Whitney Portal parking lot/campground area. The first three miles of trail loops around mostly tree covered switchbacks. At around four miles, the trail arrives at Outpost Camp.

On a personal note, I don’t recommend camping here on a two day trek, because that means one has to walk eighteen miles the next day to summit and return! If you’re considering this as an option, what I would recommend is just summiting Whitney in one day, because its only four miles more, and you will have to carry a lot less gear! Outpost Camp does have one of two composting toilets on the trail, and good access to water. From Outpost Camp it is roughly two and one half miles to Trail Camp, where I suggest spending the night on a two day climb. Almost immediately after Outpost Camp, you will pass above the treeline for the rest of the hike; according to my map and memories, this is somewhere around the five mile mark.

From Outpost to Trail Camp the trail heads upward through a series of steps and switchbacks. At Trail Camp the trail briefly levels out next to Consultation Lake. Trail Camp is roughly six and one half miles up the trail, and good spot to camp because it’s next to a reliable water source (Consultation Lake) and a good spot to acclimatize (Trail Camp is at around 12,000 feet) for the final push to the summit on Day Two.

The Last Adventurer's Guide to Summiting Mt. Whitney - Introduction and Permits

I developed this guide to help out my group of greenhorns from Pizza Port who were still interested in climbing Whitney after a couple months had passed. Since I knew that the bulk of the group didn’t have much mountaineering experience, I developed this list of things to provide them with the information they would need to be prepared for the hike. Since I’m a modest guy, I think that this list is a pretty good guide to climbing (or as some people would say, “walking”) the mountain from Whitney Portal in two days anytime from late spring to late fall, when no snow is present on the trail and conditions are otherwise good. Someday, I’m sure I’ll post an article about climbing the mountain technically, and in snow, and the particulars needed to accomplish those climbs. (For a preview, check out this series of blogs: http://www.lastadventurer.com/last-adventurers-firering/winter-climbing-mt-whitney-2005-style-part-1.html) But for now, I’ll stick to this plain vanilla guide of things an average hiker needs to know when planning to climb Whitney.

Also, there are two things people should be aware of before utilizing this guide. First, this guide is based off of my personal experiences on the mountain. If you’ve never read any of my blogs before, let me just say that I’ve been mountaineering for a very long time, and I’ve been to Whitney four times in all sorts of conditions; and summitted it three times. I do know what I’m talking about, especially when it comes to hazards and the general route of the trail. But like all things in life, things change, conditions change, and above all else, everyone has their own unique experiences in the wilderness. This brings me to my second point: be prepared. Check the weather before you go. Carry foul weather gear. Be ready for the unexpected, because in the wilderness, anything can happen. While my guide can – and will help people, it’s just a starting place. Everyone’s summit bid is different, and should be treated as such. Above all else, make it your own experience, and enjoy it!

Part I: Obtaining a Permit

Mt. Whitney is the highest mountain in the continental United States at 14,496 feet. As such, it is one of the most popular climbing destinations in the United States to climb. There are a variety of routes; both technical and non-technical to the summit. Every year, thousands of people attempt the climb to the summit. All of these people have one thing in common: they had to apply for a wilderness permit to enter the Mt. Whitney Zone. Because of the high traffic entering the area the Forest Service requires permits for both day-users and overnight use. The permit system runs on a “Lottery” system, although from my experience, I would call it more of a “first come, first served” type of system. Of the four times I have been on the mountain, I have never had trouble obtaining a permit. For this fifth trip, our group had a little difficulty obtaining a permit as we had eleven people. The obvious piece of advice for the permit system is that if you have a large group, apply for a permit earlier, and have backup dates available, and be aware that during the summer season and holiday weekends, it is more difficult to obtain a permit. More information about permits and the permiting system can be found here: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/wild/mtwhitney.shtml .