don’t forget your umbrella!
A few years ago I did Whitney and Shasta on cosecutive weekends. Whitney is tougher physically but Shasta is definitely more dangerous…especially if there are morons on the trail ahead of you kicking rocks down on your head.
Have fun and scoop your poop.
I’ve done the dayhike twice. Pace yourself at a consistent hiking rate… as it is tempting to “attack” the beginning which you’ll pay for it later. I was pumping my water at the streams and lakes. Bring some extra batteries for the head-lamp.
never done the hike but have climbed the East Buttress and descended the mountaineers route. Would recommend 125mg daimox and 400mg ibuprofen at night if you’re sleeping at altitude. Remember to drink lots of water since you lose it all through your lungs at that altitude. Also, headlamp, raingear, map, compass, and cell phone (works up there). In the words of Hans Florine, “be safe, then go fast!”
Some notes from my 14er experience:
-I burn 4000+ calories on a summit hike
-My hr avg. is way higher than I would have predicted ~135 for 6 to 8+ hrs including rests
-Don’t go alone, have someone with knowledge with you
-Expect a headache
-Don’t just drink water…treat it more like race-day nutrition
Haven’t done it. Want to.
What about a couple of days in Mammoth–7600-8000ft–Beautiful hikes, great fishing (if only the trout would bite on my flies), and fantastic scenery.
Then do Whitney on the return.
This is a beautiful climb; enjoy!
“Two powerbars will not cut it!”
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I was being sarcastic.
Climbing Mnt. Whitney is not comparable to a triathlon, marathon or a simple day hike. If you are in-experienced (and most people are), you will be in for a rude awakening and a miserable experience (at least).
I have see all kind of outright stupid behaviour on the mountain (and I am not an expert hiker either) an have been put in danger by those people (having to give up water, food, dodging rockslides caused by people wandering off the trail, etc.).
No wonder national park services restricts access. Soon you will have to show a “training certification” of some sort to even do relative “easy” hikes/climbs.
Sure, one reason is overuse, but when you talk to rangers, it is mostly because of people who get into trouble when they decide to do serious hikes on a whimp.
And in todays information society there is no excuse to not come prepared.
I can understand that teams at Mount Everest who did not attempt to rescue climbers that had been abandoned by their own (insufficiently prepared) parties.
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We will be doing the mountaineers route this weekend, but we will do it over one or two nights. Much shorter 4.7miles but much steeper too. But on the good side there are no crowds. You can do that route in a day too i believe. we shall see it is our first time up whitney although we have climbed that area a fair amount, up to meysan lakes etc. Have fun.
I am bummed that I can only get up there on wednesday which is the last day of the Badwater going on this week, in fact it started today.
I did this as a day hike a couple of years ago and have lots of hiking/backpacking experience. The trail is so well traveled that I would recommend running shoes and hiking shorts. This year you will not have much snow, however thunderstorms are common near the top, so a light waterproof jacket will come in handy. The extra pair of socks is always a good idea also and a few layers on top; t-shirt, long-sleeve shirt and a fleece for warmth at the top. Hat sunglasses and sunscreen are a must since most of the trail is exposed. A water filter is a good option if you don’t want to carry a bunch of heavy water.
We waited for the ranger station to open the morning of and didn’t get started until 9 a.m. It took 8 hours to get to the top and 4 to get down. We didn’t have headlamps and knew we were short of time so we practically ran. I would recommend starting early and taking it slow, since altitude sickness can put a stop to your ascent quickly without any notice. I would say as long as you start by 5a.m. you will be in good shape. As for permits, the website lets you see how many day and overnight permits are still available for particular days. I think if you just show up you have to wait until the actual morning to see if permits are available due to “no shows.”
The photo is on top of Whitney a couple of years ago July 1. I would love to do this hike again!!! After a few years go by, you will forget the pain and want to do it again also.
Amie
Did the day trip with a friend in October '06 in about 2 feet of snow. Long day. While we did fine and had a blast, we could have done a few things better.
Everyone else has covered a bunch of important stuff, but I’ll add that you want to get more than an hour and a half of sleep before you start that long of a day… Sounds obvious but between handling all our gear, getting there, finding the night permit box, and still making a 4am push, sleep is easier said than done.
Going light was a good move on our part. Our feet thanked us.
Good luck with the permit. Awful long way to travel to be short a piece of paper.
And yeah, have lots of fun.
amaing picture…it sounds like a good pair of trail runners might work best…thanks everyone for all this great info
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never done the hike but have climbed the East Buttress and descended the mountaineers route. Would recommend 125mg daimox and 400mg ibuprofen at night if you’re sleeping at altitude. Remember to drink lots of water since you lose it all through your lungs at that altitude. Also, headlamp, raingear, map, compass, and cell phone (works up there). In the words of Hans Florine, “be safe, then go fast!”
Generally the recomment does on Diamox is 125mg the morning and night before. However you should’t try the stuff right before you go, you should always give it a go before you get out the in woods in case you have a reaction, it’s a sulfonamide drug so if you have a sulfa drug allergy it’s a no go. It also is a major diuretic, and can cause you to generally feel like crap. Also carbonated drinks taste like A$$ when you’re on it.
I did it a couple of years ago on Labor Day weekend. We stayed at the portal the night before. We didn’t start until about 8:00am. It took us about 11.5 hrs. I used an old pair of running shoes, a camelback, trailmix and a few cliff bars. Bring lots of water and asprin. I had a headache for the better part of the day and evening after reaching about 11k ft. The 22 mile hike part is not the problem it’s dealing with the effects of altitude. The most unpleasent feeling I have ever had. We had perfect weather.
I crewed someone doing Badwater last year- the race is in day one right now.
www.badwater.com
We considered doing Mt Whitney (had permits) but after two days without any sleep we were halucinating so bad we decided not to do it.
amaing picture…it sounds like a good pair of trail runners might work best…thanks everyone for all this great info
I just wanted to make sure you understand what can happen if you don’t pump your water correctly. The outcome can take months to recover from. My oldest Brother made sure that we did it correctly. Mkae sure you get educated on this most important fact. Your health is #1 don’t take shortcuts that can lead to serious problems in the future:
Also watch out for the rock rats! They will wreck your day.
Water Pathogens Waterborne pathogens are microorganisms living in water capable of causing human disease. These pathogens can be classified as bacteria, viruses or protozoan parasites. Every sizable water body in the field environment contains waterborne pathogens. They are either present in the water naturally or after being excreted from infected persons or animals. Persons drinking untreated water or even coming into contact (i.e., swimming, bathing) with contaminated water are at a risk of infection. To cause disease, the number of pathogens entering the body needs to be large enough to overcome the body’s defense mechanisms. Viruses and protozoa only need to enter the body in small numbers to cause infection, typically from a single, up to a few hundred organisms. Bacterial pathogens tend to require larger doses to cause infection. The goal of water treatment, therefore, is to reduce the number of active pathogens to a safe (non-infectious) level.
Bacteria are ubiquitous on the earth. They are small and vary in size from 0.1 to 10 microns (a micron is one millionth of a meter; a typical human hair is about 80 microns wide). Once entering the body, bacteria may need a few hours (such as cyanobacteria) to days (such as legionella) to multiply and reach levels required to cause illness. Some of the common waterborne bacterial pathogens, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella typhi, and Vibrio cholerae, have caused numerous waterborne disease outbreaks in the United States. Human sewage is the major source for Escherichia coli (E. coli) in contaminated waters and is a common cause of “traveler’s diarrhea”. Outbreaks associated with Salmonella involve both drinking water and recreational water. Salmonella typhi causes an enteric fever, typhoid fever, which was the top cause of waterborne disease, in terms of number of outbreaks in the United States, before 1970. Vibrio cholerae causes a serious and acute intestinal disease called cholera. Although cholera is rare in the United States, it is still common in the other parts of the world. Cholera is a serious and acute intestinal disease. Death may occur within 2 to 24 hours of onset of symptoms unless early diagnosis and treatment is administered.
The contamination of surface water by enteric viruses appears to be ubiquitous. The typical size of viruses is between 0.04 and 0.1 micron, which is much smaller than bacteria. More than 140 different enteric viruses are known to infect humans, including hepatitis A virus (HAV), rotavirus, and enterovirus. Symptoms may occur between 1 day and several weeks after viruses enter the body. HAV is one of the most frequently reported vaccine-preventable diseases in the United State and other countries. The infectious hepatitis virus is transmitted in fecally contaminated water and food. Rotavirus is thought to be another primary cause of traveler’s diarrhea, and has been detected in fresh water and sewage. Enteroviruses cause a wide variety of illnesses, ranging from polio to the common cold. Polio is also a very serious disease, which can lead to paralysis or even death.
Protozoan parasites are small microorganisms inhabiting the intestinal tracts of humans and animals. Protozoa cells generally range in size from about 1 to 300 microns. Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia are the two of greatest concern in drinking water and can be found worldwide. Cryptosporidium parvum was the culprit of the largest waterborne outbreak ever reported in the United States, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1993, in which Cryptosporidium caused an estimated 403,000 cases of watery diarrhea and 50 deaths. The transmissible stage of Cryptosporidium parvum is a thick-walled egg, called oocyst, 4 to 6 microns in size. The wall of an oocyst provides a protective layer allowing the parasite to live for extended periods of time outside the body and enhances its resistance to disinfectants. Transmission of Cryptosporidium parvum occurs mainly through contact with contaminated water (e.g., drinking or recreational water). Giardia lamblia infects humans and numerous animals, including cats, dogs, beavers, and muskrats. Giardia infection is a concern for people swimming in or drinking from contaminated streams or lakes. Giardia cycsts are about 10 microns in size. They too survive for long periods outside the body. Cold temperatures enhance their survival in water. For example, the cold environment in mountain streams may allow cysts to remain viable for up to 2 months.
For updated and detail information about waterborne pathogens, please visit the following links to the Center for Disease Control: bacterial diseases:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/index.htm viral diseases:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/rotavirus.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis Cryptosporidium parvum:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/cryptosporidiosis/default.htm Giardia lamblia:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/giardiasis/factsht_giardia.htm
ive had Giardia…and it SUCKED…do you think its possible to just carry enough water, between having a bladder in my pack and carrying two or three water bottles?
ive had Giardia…and it SUCKED…do you think its possible to just carry enough water, between having a bladder in my pack and carrying two or three water bottles?
I doubt you will have enough water to stay hydrated. One full camel back on the hike to the camp (trail) @ the base of the switchbacks. Pumped another full camel back before the start to summit. I was out of water on the way back along trail crest. Remember high altitude dehydrates you with out you even knowing it. It’s best to somehow refill before going up the switchbacks. Oh…watch out for the rock rats…they will rip into anything you have if you leave it unattended. You don’t have to worry about them on the summit though. Trail camp & the switchbacks are loaded with them. My brother who got altitude sickness and had to descend to trail camp had to deal with these critters for hours while we summitted. So if you have to turn around becareful with these pests.
“rock rats” - lol
They are actually marmots and picas.
Maybe some field mice up there, too.
Never seen any “rats” up there.
They DO get in your pack, if you don’t watch it!