Mount Whitney Trip Report by Mike Downey

Route: Mount Whitney Trail from Whitney Portal to Trail Crest, then John Muir Trail to the summit.

Background: I have been climbing since I was seven, starting out on some of lesser mountains in Colorado and Southern California. For first four years of my mountain climbing "career" I had always thought of Mount Whitney as an awesome mountain, one that I wouldn't attempt until I was in top physical shape and acclimated to the high altitude. When I pondered future mountain climbing goals, Whitney was the first to mind.

Pre-Climb: To even attempt Mount Whitney you need a permit which is difficult to get. Im not sure how picky the system is today, but at the time you had to apply for a permit six months in advance of the exact date. Space was limited to 150 people a day.

If you think that Mount Whitney is just a walk-up and it doesn't take much effort then you would be kidding yourself. My Dad and I trained ourselves by doing 20 mile hikes every couple weeks throughtout the summer months prior to our climbing date at the end of August. Since I usually spend my summers in Westcliffe, Colorado (which is around 8,000 feet), and climbing nearby mountains, it was much easier to become acclimated. Since I normally live just above sea level, altitude would definitely be a factor.

On the day before the climb and after all the gear was backed, we had a special pre-climb meal of spaghetti and other carbohydrates. Then we went to bed early since the Whitney Trailhead is a four hour drive north from where I lived.

The next morning we got up at around 3 A.M. and left the house at around 3:30 A.M. After traveling through miles of desert on Highway 395, we watched as the sun came up slowly from over Death Valley.

By the time we reached Lone Pine it was around 7 and looking up towards the Sierras, we saw clouds nestled all around the base of ridge that connects Whitney and Muir. All the peaks looked like columns from the Parthenon in Greece, shooting straight up from the clouds.

After a short drive from Lone Pine to Whitney Portal, we arrived at the trailhead, probably close to 7:30 A.M.

The Climb: We started from the trailhead at around 8 A.M. The first thing I noticed as I began the climb was the highly prominent signs posted everywhere about how to pack out all waste. Some are surprisingly blunt.

Roaring streams flow down everywhere. The whole Lone Pine Creek canyon echoes with the sound of the many waterfalls.

After a couple miles the trail crosses Lone Pine Creek for the first time on a bridge. Golden Trout swim by in the stream, seemingly unaware of our presence.

The first notable stop for us was at Bighorn Park, a large, lush park with Lone Pine Creek flowing through the center and a waterfall at the upper end. I sat on a log that extended out over Lone Pine Creek and waited there, totally fascinated. The waterfall was pretty cool, definitely photo worthy.

After a few more miles we reached Mirror Lake which sits neslted at the base of the Devil's Chair, with the "columns" of Whitney as a backdrop. I'm not sure if the summit of Whitney itself, is actually visible from here, but the whole ridge looks pretty intimidating. As is our tradition, my Dad and I broke open a box of Brown Sugar Pop-Tarts and had our mid-morning snack while staring at the awe of Whitney above.

From Mirror Lake the trail gets noticeably steeper and more rockier as it quickly passes by timberline. The last tree is just a few hundred above Mirror Lake, dangling on the side of the mountain.

Trailside Meadows is a cool place with streams flowing through it, green grass on the shore and snow banks around the perimeter. This was the first point at which we saw any snow.

Trail Camp, our final destination for the first day, is just around the corner from the meadows. We reached the camp by about 1 P.M. and set up camp. It was painstaking work trying to find the perfect spot to stake the tent at. Everything is so rocky and hard. The marmots are another problem at Trail Camp, they kept trying to get into our bags so we tied them on a tall boulder and let them hang down so the marmots couldnt get them. Trail Camp is surprisingly littered with tents, so many people trying to climb the same mountain.

The night was very cold and uncomfortable to say the least. To put it simple, camping at 12,000 is no picnic. The wind blew our little tent all night long and even with a thick sleeping bag, I still felt cold. It was hard trying to get any sleep so we just got up at 6:30 A.M. headed up the mountain.

I couldn't believe how cold it was, here we were in August and the temperature is well below freezing and wind chill only made it worse. When we entered the "ninety-nine switchbacks" all the streams flowing down from the snow above had frozen over.

The switchbacks were about what I expected. I had read that they were long and steep. There was some controversy over the exact number of switchbacks. Some said a hundred and others said numbers in the nineties. For lack of anything better to do and to give myself something other than the cold to think about, I decided to count them myself. The switchbacks offer a cool view of Whitney from the south. Near the top of the switchbacks, you can see the lightning shelter on the summit.

After what seemed like forever, we reached Trail Crest at 13,777 feet, which is a narrow saddle at serves as a junction between three trails: the Mount Whitney Trail from the east, the trail coming up from Sequoia (I can't remember the name) and John Muir Trail from the north which goes up to Whitney.

The trail is much more narrower from this point and there is a steep dropoff on the left (west) side. What's frustrating is that the trail drops three-hundred hard earned feet that would be regained shortly. The John Muir Trail continues along the west side of the ridge that connects Mount Muir (14,015) and Mount Whitney. There are several narrow openings that separate the long jagged peaks that make up the ridge. These openings would make me a little nervice as they as the wind would be blowing pretty hard thorugh them and the trail is narrow that if you were blown around, you would fall a long ways, with dropoffs on both sides of the trail.

The trail continues on the approch to the broad summit of Mount Whitney. The altitude was really beginning to take its toll by this point, and my Dad and I stopped often to catch our breaths.

We officially summited the peak at around 10 A.M. or so. Of course the first thing I did was sign the summit register next to the lightning shelter. Then I looked around and snaped photos of everything around me including the Owens Valley, White Mountain Peak to the northeast, 14ers Mount Russell to the north. The Kaweahs were especially impressive. The horizon spanned one-hundred miles in all directions with almost no clouds in sight.

With the temperature well below freezing and the wind blowing pretty hard, we decided not to spent too much time outside. All the people on top huddled inside the lightning shelter. The people were pretty cool. Everyone shared food. I remember, one man asked the whole room if anyone wanted trailmix, but no one raised their hand. About a minute late, someone asked if anyone wanted Hersheys Kisses and every hand in the room was raised. It was hillarious, everyone was laughing. Maybe we just didn't like trailmix or maybe we just had a sense of accomplishment and we felt that we deserved something better.

Being 11 years old, the other climbers were quite impressed. Some climber joked that he would be looking for my name when he hears about a record breaking accent up Mount Everest.

We spent a total of about an hour or two on the summit, most of that being inside the shelter. Then we headed down at a fast pace all the way back to Trail Camp, where we picked up the stuff we left behind.

The return trip was long as they always are, but still scenic. I think we reached the car at Whitney Portal at around 5 or so. As is our custom, my Dad and I stopped at a store in Lone Pine and picked up a large Coke. Then we began our four hour trip back home.

Whitney Thumbnails:

That's me standing at the trailhead sign

Lush, wet Bighorn Park

Falls along Lone Pine Creek

Close-up of waterfall at Bighorn Park

That's me sitting on a log at Bighorn Park

A view of the summit from Mirror Lake

Mirror Lake as seen from trail above-approx 11,500 ft here

Trailside Meadows

Sunrise from Trail Camp at 12,000 feet

Looking down on Trail Camp from the "99 Switchbacks"

View of summit from along "99 Swtichbacks"

The trail winds up the back side of this ridge to the summit-Mt Muir (14,015) further down the ridge

A view north up Kern River Valley in Sequoia National Park

View south from summit

View east towards Lake Tulainyo and the Owens Valley far below

Me on top with Kaweah Range to my back

My dad and I on top

About the Author

I am currently a student at University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), where I intend to get a degree in Political Science and Geography/Environmental Studies. When I'm not studying, you will find me in the mountains. I have been climbing since I was pretty little and have done climbs throughout California, Colorado and Arizona, including the highpoints of those states. I have done Mount Whitney and Mount Elbert, but I plan on doing some even higher mountains, maybe Aconcagua, Mount Mckinley or Kilimanjaro, Check back with me in about 10 years. Meanwhile you can check out some of the other trips reports:

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