Anyone ever hiked Mt. Whitney? I have some questions regarding that

1) Call about cancelled permits in advance to save yourself the trip. Usually 7-10 days in advance a few people start cancelling their permits.

2) Hiking is pretty simple for most runners. How long is your long run? If you do a regular 20-miler, I doubt you'll have any problem hiking Whitney.

3) Altitude affects people differently. If you camp at Whitney Portal (8300') or Cottonwood Campground (down the road but higher) for a couple of nights before attempting Whitney, you'll acclimate easier on Whitney. Have you ever hiked above 12,000?

4) Talk to your doctor.

I just went a couple of weeks ago. I went to the visitors center the same morning we hiked whitney in one day. We were first in line but that didnt matter since they held a lottery so you will be taking a chance. We got ours for the day hike and to tell you the truth, I seriously SERIOUSLY doubt you wont get one for the day hike even if you just show up to acquire it. We started at ten and finished at 1 in the morning. Watching the sunset at the top was AWESOME. Make sure you bring headlamps.

The altitude only affected me the last 300 meters. Last year it got me at 10,000 feet but my ex and I were basically running ot the top without water adn food. This year we just chilaxed on the way up, took many food stops along the way and just enjoyed it. It was definately a much better experience. I hope to do the mountaineer's trail in a couple of weeks .

Cant help you with that last one. Sorry bud.

Good luck and let us know how it goes. =)

Jay Birmingham has (hiked) up Mt. Whitney, after running across Death Valley.

I did Whitney last year... we had permits from a lottery, so I can't really help you out with number one.

2. You should be plenty fit from your running (assuming you are running about 50+ a week probably). The hike is pretty easy. No tough trails... all dirt and stairs. Your fitness should be good.

3. I didn't have any problems but I go to school in Flagstaff so that might have helped. I hear headaches are pretty common, so you may want to take some ibuprofen every couple of hours. I did it in under 7 hours... being way up there for that long may give you more problems.

4. I would think an inhaler should do you fine...

Make sure you bring lots of water (i had like 3.5 liters of water and i ran out a few miles from the bottom... camelbaks work great), some gatorade or cytomax, and plenty of food.... clifbars were great... pb&j would be good... make some cookies. You WILL have a severely negative calorie day and it may take a day or so to recover. I tried to do a 14 mile hilly long run the day after the hike and I bonked about 11 miles in. Furnace had nothing left to burn.

For good measure... it took me 3:47:43 to get up (burned about 3100 calories) and 3:01:35 to get down (burned 1800 calories). Average heart rate of 139 and average pace of 19:51 (3.0 mph).

Jason Pedersen wrote:

all dirt and stairs

Stairs? What trail were you on?

stairs carved out of granite.

ladeda wrote:

Last year it got me at 10,000 feet but my ex and I were basically running at the top without water and food.

So what you're saying is that Whitney can end a marriage?

jorvack wrote:

stairs carved out of granite.

Right. But where are there stairs on the Main Whitney Trail? There's 97 switchbacks between trail camp and trail crest, but I wouldn't call any of that stairs. I can't think of a place on the entire trail that has stairs.

There's a section on the east face called the Grand Staircase, but that's not on the Main Whitney Trail.

Whitney hiker wrote:

1) Call about cancelled permits in advance to save yourself the trip. Usually 7-10 days in advance a few people start cancelling their permits.

2) Hiking is pretty simple for most runners. How long is your long run? If you do a regular 20-miler, I doubt you'll have any problem hiking Whitney.

3) Altitude affects people differently. If you camp at Whitney Portal (8300') or Cottonwood Campground (down the road but higher) for a couple of nights before attempting Whitney, you'll acclimate easier on Whitney. Have you ever hiked above 12,000?

4) Talk to your doctor.

This is pretty good; I will add:

The first time I ever went back packing I went to the top of Whitney (reaching the top the first afternoon). I felt shitty afterwards at camp at 12,000, could not keep warm. However, at the time I had not been running for 3 years (mediocre HS at that, but was generally active. I was not even going to do the last part but started up the switchbacks to see what it was like. Suddenly I was almost up the switchbacks. I asked a guy coming down if I could make it up and he said it would take 3.5 hours. Then I asked how long it would take to get to where I was from the camp/start of the switchbacks; he said 3.5 hours -- I decided my one-hour time for that '3.5' meant that I would go for it. If you are running seriously then you should have no problem with the one exception that some people do not do altitude well. I went up three times and had trouble the night that I slept at the top but was fine once we dropped 700 feet.

As an addendum, if you are in good shape you can do the whole hike in a day. Start VERY early; you do not have to carry very much and will make better time and be light on your feet. It might be a lot easier to get a permit if it is not for overnight.

Thanks for the responses guys. I had talked to some people who had hiked it, who said they took around 20 hours (though now that I think about it, they were all mostly 4 hour + marathoners).

I'll definitely contact the ranger's office then regarding the permits, and I'll probably start in the evening when it gets cooler.

In the last few years I don't think I've ever really been up at altitude very much at all, so if it starts to get to me I might take it easy/go slower.

Again, thanks for the responses everybody, this should be fun.

I will be hiking Whitney for the fifth time in September. The first time we backpacked. That was the only time I had trouble with altitude. The next three times were day hikes. It's far easier. You are fit enough to do this. My advice is not to take very long breaks( 5 minutes ) on the way up. Sign in at the top take all the photos you can but don't linger too long at the top if you think you'll have altitude problems. Tylenol worked for our altitude problem. Then really enjoy the hike down. Hopefully you'll see military aircraft fly by you at eye level. Lastly, it's best to spend the night at the Portal to acclimate yourself at 8000'.

I can't imagine a marathoner (even a 4-hour marathoner) needing 20 hours to complete the hike. That's only 1mph. That is really, really slow hiking. The trail is not terribly steep (unlike other trails in the Sierra). That's why it's 11 miles long.

If you get a day permit, you're not allowed to start the day before. Your permit is only good from midnight to midnight on the day of your hike. They make you attach the cardstock permit to your pack in a very visible manner so the rangers can quickly spot if you're legal or not.

I really would recommend doing 1 or 2 hikes to 12 or 13 thousand feet before attempting Whitney just to see how your body responds to the altitude. It's not merely a matter of reduced oxygen in thin air, it's also a matter of cerebral swelling from the lack of air pressure. (Think the opposite of swimming to the bottom of a 12' swimming pool.) That can be a very serious matter. Like I said, different people's bodies respond differently to altitude. Altitude sickness is not a matter of aerobic fitness, it's unpredictable who or why some people suffer ill effects from the altitude. You'll probably be fine, but it is better to see how you do hiking at 12k or 13k before going to the top of Whitney.

BTW, if you do have headache problems, it's not wise to go higher, even at a slower pace. That's not going to make it any better.

Have a good one!

Thank you for that information concerning altitude.

i will echo this statement. one of the fittest people i have ever known had chronic altitude sickness and couldn't do the easiest hikes above 13,000 feet, even when in 14:0x 5000m shape