About Mt. Whitney
Mt. Whitney, located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, is 14,505 feet above sea level and is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States. The climb is 22 miles round trip and is best attempted in the summer months. You must obtain a permit to camp on the mountain and there is only a small number of people allowed. You must pack out all waste. During bear season, all food must be stored in a bear canister.
My Experience
Day 1
I started at the Whitney Portal trailhead for the Mt. Whitney Trail at 9:00AM on Halloween with a 35lbs bag on my back and hiked until I arrived at Consolation Lake. I had to descend some rocks to get to this area. While setting up my tent, some fresh snow I was standing on near a rock gave way and I fell into freezing cold water past my boots. I was able to relocate to higher ground. I removed my socks and boots and waited in my tent during a night with well below freezing temperatures with wind gusts up to 20mp.
It was difficult to sleep due to the wind blowing but the stars were incredible since there was a new moon.
Day 2
I waited in my tent until the sun came out. I thawed my boots and began my ascent. I saw only 3 people, all of which turned back due to the snow depth. There were no footprints after the steep handrailing section. I continued past many steep sections with microspikes and trekking poles. I summited late in the day at around 3:00pm. After starting on the 99 switchbacks, it became dark quickly and I had to descend with a headlamp. I decided to camp at Consolation Lake again due to how late it was and the inability to find the trail in back in the dark.
Day 3
I woke up after a much less windy night and descended from Consolation Lake back to Whitney Portal, where the trailhead starts.
After summiting, I achieved my goal of being in the highest and lowest points of the 48 contiguous United States in the same year.
Useful Links For Mt. Whitney
- Reserve a summit pass
- Mountain weather conditions
- Whitney Portal Hostel (a good place to stay before/ after a summit attempt)
- Elevation Sierra Adventure Essentials (a store in town for last minute mountain gear)
Equipment Used
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