Order of Visit: High Point #36
Date Visited: May 19, 2021
Route Taken: Mt. Whitney Trail – 22 miles round-trip from Whitney Portal
Type of Terrain: Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the lower 48 and is a strenuous hike to the summit. This route does not require any technical climbing skills, but hikers still need to be in very fit condition to successfully make it up this long, steep trail at high elevation.
Elevation: 14,505 feet
Ancestral Lands: Eastern Mono, Northern Paiute, Tubatulablal, Western Shoshone
What’s in a name?
Centuries before American settlers ventured West, the Native Americans called this peak Tumanguya, which translates to “the very old man.” You can still see references to this Paiute word here and there, but only if you are deliberately looking for it. So how did the mountain transition from Tumanguya to Mt. Whitney?
In 1860, the U.S. government established a geologic survey, which was tasked to explore, map, document, and name California and the Sierra Nevadas. The head of that survey was Josiah Whitney, California’s first official state geologist.
The survey team eventually found their way to the tallest peak in the Sierra Nevada range in 1864, and thereafter named for the peak after their beloved leader.
Clarence King (for whom Utah’s high point was later named) was a member this survey party, and made two unsuccessful attempts to summit the peak that year. He’d returned in 1871 for a third attempt, but ended up accidentally summiting nearby Mt. Langley instead.
It wasn’t until 1873 when three local fisherman finally reached Mt. Whitney’s apex. Shortly thereafter, their fellow residents in the Owens Valley wanted to change the summit’s name to Fisherman’s Peak in their honor, and they bill was brought to the California Legislature in April 1, 1881 to this effect. However, in a curious twist, California’s governor vetoed the bill believing it was simply an April Fool’s joke.
Although, the mountain continues to be officially known as Mt. Whitney, a small wooden sign sits inside the hut at the summit, informing visitors they’ve reached Fisherman’s Peak. Perhaps someday, there will be a similar sign welcoming hikers up to Tumanguya too!
TRIP SUMMARY
Getting a permit to hike Mt. Whitney was quite the challenge for me!
I secured my original permit in the 2020 lottery, but then the US Forest Service (USFS) decided to cancel all hiking and backcountry permits due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So I’d had to wait a full year for my next change to try.
After a year of waiting patiently, I threw my name back into the hat for the 2021 permit lottery as soon it opened up in February 2021, but I wasn’t selected. After a bit of sulking, I decided to move to plan B and try for a walk-up permit instead.
Before the season even started though, the USFS announced they weren’t going to issue ANY walk-up permits in 2021 (for public health reasons). My only remaining chance to hike Mt. Whitney would be to wake up early on May 1, 2021 and try to snag one of the season’s remaining permits the very moment the USFS opened them up to the general public on recreation.gov.
As you’ve probably guessed, I got the permit!!
It wasn’t for the mid-summer dates I was originally hoping for. But, I did secure an overnight permit in late May, which seemed like it would work just fine. After all, 2021 was a low snow year (with only 60% of the normal snowpack in the Sierra Nevadas), so the Mt. Whitney Trail should be accessible that early in the season.
Of course, there were still two fairly big issues with attempting Mt. Whitney in May.
First off, I’d been rehabbing a knee injury for most of the winter, so I wasn’t in very good physical shape. I’d taken some shorter hikes locally, but that wasn’t enough to really condition my body for something like Mt. Whitney. And my early season date meant I’d only have a little more than 2 weeks’ time to kick my training into high gear! Not an impossible feat. But not a fun one either.
The second issue was the fact that my new hometown is a mere 430′ above sea level. It’s more than 14,000 feet lower than Mt. Whitney’s summit!! How in the world was my body going to adjust to that huge leap in altitude in the mere day and a half it would take me to drive to the trailhead?
To offset this altitude problem, I decided I’d stop in Lee Vining on my drive down through California. I picked this place as my overnight destination because it rests at 6,378′ above sea level. If I camped there overnight, and stayed at Trail Camp (12,000′) the following night, I hoped my body might have an easier time adjusting to the altitude. It wasn’t an ideal plan, but it was better than nothing.
With a little planning, I found a free campsite near Lee Vining on some nearby public lands overlooking Mono Lake. I’d just missed a big rain storm on my drive down, and it was far colder than I would have liked that first night, but the views from my campsite were quite nice nonetheless.
The next morning, I woke up at 5 am with the sun. Even though I had plenty of food with me, I decided to backtrack into Lee Vining proper and head to Nicely’s Diner for a hot breakfast. Their bottomless cups of coffee were calling my name along with a full breakfast of eggs, hash browns, and sourdough toast.
Then I was off to Bishop, CA (another hour further south) where I’d reserved a bear canister at one of the outfitters in town. A bear canister isn’t strictly required to climb Mt. Whitney, depending on the time of year you hike and what type of trip you are doing.
(Note: The USFS only requires overnight hikers to protect their food and scented items in bear canisters, and only between Memorial Weekend and November 1st each year.)
My current trip was scheduled for May 18-19th, so I probably could have gotten by without lugging a bear canister halfway up Mt. Whitney. But, I a few good reasons for bringing one anyway.
First off, I was planning to leave the majority of my gear (including my tent, sleeping bag, and cooking items) down at Trail Camp while I hiked the final 5.7 miles to the summit early the following morning. I wasn’t 100% comfortable leaving all that gear behind without securing my food somehow. Even if the bears didn’t show up, there were still marmots and other feisty rodents to contend with on the mountain.
My second was was the fact that it was a low snow year. The USFS might use Memorial Weekend for their annual benchmark of when bears will become active in the area, but I figured the low snowfall this winter might meant the hibernation season could end earlier than normal too. I didn’t want to be the jerk luring the hungry bears up to the most popular camping spot on the mountain.
Thus, it was a pretty easy decision for me to carry a few extra pounds to keep my food safe.
It didn’t take me long to drive the remaining miles down Highway 395 to Lone Pine (the closest town to Whitney Portal) so I decided to stop for another good meal at the Alabama Hills Cafe before heading up to the trailhead.
It was a sweltering 87 degrees when I finished lunch, so I opted to delay my start a few more hours by doing some trail magic for some nearby PCT thru-hikers as I waited out the heat.
By 4:20 pm though, it was time to get this party started. I had 6.5 miles to hike the first day, and the trail was going to gain some serious elevation in that short distance. Whitney Portal rests at 8,374′ feet, but my permit required that I hike all they way up to 12,000′ before setting up camp for the night.
I weighed my backpack on the scale provided at the trailhead, just out of curiosity, and discovered I was carrying a hefty 27 pounds (including all my food and water)!
I definitely would have like to have less weight on my back for this leg of the hike, but I knew I’d be grateful for my thick sleeping bag, sturdy tent, and extra clothing layers while I slept up at elevation this evening. The temperature was going to drop below freezing overnight, so the more warmth I had, the better.
The hike up to Trail Camp was well-graded and consistently challenging, but I was able to keep a decent pace. This late in the day, my biggest challenge was all the day hikers coming back down toward me on the narrow trail. I wasn’t in any rush to make my miles, yet I knew I needed to maintain a decent pace if I wanted to arrive at my destination before the sun went down.
My favorite part of the hike was definitely the section that overlooks Bighorn Park. The purple and orange plants set against the mountains was just a sublime view. If my permit hadn’t been for the Hiker Camp further up the trail, this spot would have been the most idyllic place to set up for the night.
The final two miles of the evening were quite a bit harder than I expected. The trail itself wasn’t any more difficult here. I was just tired from the long drive and I was definitely feeling the effects of the high altitude.
Even though I wasn’t expecting to lose daylight until 8 pm, the mountains to my west blocked the actual sunset and the temperature started to drop quickly that final hour between 7 pm and 8 pm. I was only wearing shorts and a long-sleeved shirt as I climbed, so covered in goosbumps and very cold by the time I arrived at Trail Camp as dusk.
I set up my tent as fast as humanly possible in the bitter cold wind, then jumped inside it to change into some warmer layers and nestle down into my warm 10°F quilt. I had absolutely no appetite for dinner because of the altitude, but I knew I needed to fuel my body for the following day. So I made some hot coffee and mixed it with cocoa, then ate something light before settling in for the night.
I’ll admit, I did not sleep well on Mt. Whitney that evening. It was super windy all night long and I was feeling a minor headache and a bit of nausea from climbing to 12,000′ so quickly.
After tossing and turning all night, and getting a meager three hours of sleep (most of it in 10-15 minute spurts), I decided to just get up for good at 4:30 am. I wasn’t going to get any more rest while laying there in my tent, so I might as well get an early start on the mountain.
Before I hit the trail though, I still needed to grab some water from the nearby lake. I’d failed stock up last night when I arrived at camp because I was so focused on getting warm again.
I quietly walked over to the tarn, trying not to wake any of the hikers camped near the water and filled up my water bladder with ice cold water. But then, when I returned to my tent to filter it, I had one more unexpected surprise.
My filter wasn’t working! No matter how hard I squeezed, all I could produce was a handful of tiny droplets. It simply wasn’t flowing!
In that moment, I had to make a judgment call. I’d knew probably want two liters of water for the hike up to Mt. Whitney’s summit and back to Trail Camp. So I could spend the next hour boiling water or I could risk it and just drink the unfiltered water. I went for the second option, and crossed my fingers that giardiasis wasn’t in my future.
(Note: After two full weeks, I still didn’t have any symptoms or a waterborne disease, so I think it’s safe to say I escaped unscathed).
As I departed Trail Camp around 5:30 am, I could see headlamps from the hikers ahead of me on the 99 switchbacks above. As I made my own way up, I was super glad I packed my micro spikes for this hike. All the water that normally flows across the trail had frozen overnight, and it was now an impossibly slick path of ice. My micro spikes made all the difference though, and kept me upright as I ascended the trail.
The bit of trail up to the cables seemed to go fairly quickly, in my opinion, and the amount of snow on the trail after that spot really wasn’t too bad. I was catching up to groups of hikers who’d started before me and passing them without any effort. Despite my headache and nausea at Trail Camp last night, I was feeling perfect this morning!
As I climbed the upper switchbacks up toward Trail Crest though, the wind picked up considerably. I had gloves and a pair of Hot Hands inside of them, but it was no match for the biting wind. In an effort to keep my fingers from freezing, I resorted to pulling two plastic bags out of my pack and I slid them over my hands like mittens.
I’d originally pulled these lightweight bags off my inlaws’ newspaper (when it was delivered in the rain) and thought they might be a good item for keeping my feet dry on a trail. Well, now they had a second use as wind gloves, and they made all the difference as I continued to climb Mt. Whitney.
At Trail Crest, I could see over the opposite side of the mountains and into the next valley. This is where the John Muir Trail connects with the Mt. Whitney Trail and I’d be following the western spine of the mountain range for the final two miles up to the summit.
The next two miles to the summit were another challenge entirely. Between the wind, the altitude-induced brain fog, and the steep drop offs along some parts of the trail, I really had to focus and watch my steps carefully. I was now above 13,600,’ but I still had close to another 1,000′ to climb to get to my goal.
I continued to leapfrog with some of the other hikers on the trail, passing them when they stopped to catch their breath, then falling behind them again as I took my own rest/snack breaks. I could see the Sierra Club Hut atop the summit in the far distance, but it seemed like forever until I’d get there in the thin air.
But then, as I made the final turn and climb, I suddenly felt rejuvenated. My second wind came the moment I could see the hut and the summit just ahead. I was finally there!!!
There were only about 8-10 other people up at the summit with me on this crisp, cool May morning. The views were superb and I was elated to be finally standing on the highest point in the Lower 48. This was my 36th state high point. The tallest one yet. I’d done it!!
After signing the summit log and getting lots of photos, it was time to begin the journey back down. Although I’d already hiked several hours this morning, I still had ~11 miles to get back down to my car parked at Whitney Portal.
One might expect that it would be an easy hike back down to Trail Camp, given that it was downhill the entire way. But, I still needed to watch my steps carefully on the trail along the ridge line, and then navigate back through the snow that still covered a number of the switchbacks. So my pace felt as slow as ever on the descent.
When I got back down to 12,000′ and Trail Camp, the sun was beating down overhead. With no shade anywhere, it was suddenly it was warm enough to ditch my gloves, hat, and leggings. I switched into shorts and sprawled out inside my tent for an hour of rest.
Feeling a bit more rejuvenated, I knew it was time to pack up camp and head back to the trailhead. My pack still felt heavy, but at least I only had a few more hours to go. And the lower I descended, the more energy I’d have as breathing became easier.
Unfortunately, not long after departing my campsite, I got a sign that that my descent wouldn’t be simple. I slipped on a rock and skinned up the entire front of my right shin. There was a bunch of blood everywhere, and I knew I’d have a good scar from the fall! Ah man, the hazards of highpointing.
I have to admit, the trip back to the car seemed completely different than the hike up. I didn’t remember passing half of the places I passed on my way up yesterday. Perhaps it was just the different perspective and seeing some of the lakes or rivers from another angle. Or maybe I wasn’t simply too focused on getting to camp last night to bother to notice my surroundings.
As I got to the trail junction with Mirror Lake, a pair of day hikers who I’d seen up near summit asked if I wanted to join them as they took a dip in the lake. Hard pass. Although the sun was heating up this afternoon, I wasn’t quite ready to go swimming in frigid alpine lake water!
I eventually reached the end of the trail at Whitney Portal just after 5 pm, and made a bee line for the car so I could take my hiking shoes off. My feet felt twice their size from the last 24 hours on the mountain.
With my pack off and my feet airing out, it was time to hit the road. I still had an hour-long drive back to Bishop, where I needed to return my bear canister rental before crashing at a local hotel for the night. And then I had the long, long drive back home to Oregon.
I was tired. I was happy. And I was relieved my climb of Mt. Whitney was complete! I’d done it just in the nick of time, too. The wind I’d felt this morning was the beginning of a cold front moving through the Sierras that would drop the temperature by 30+ degrees and dump several inches of snow over the next 36 hours!
DETAILS
When to Visit: This peak is technically open year-round for people with technical climbing and mountaineering skills, but the hike up the Mt. Whitney Trail is usually hiked between Memorial Day and Labor Day. In higher snow years, hikers may not be able to safely get on the trail until late June. Even peak summer season can be fraught with environmental challenges, like lightning, wildfires and even occasional earthquakes.
Getting There: Mt. Whitney is located near the town of Lone Pine, CA on the east side of the Sierra Nevadas. It’s approximately 230 miles west of Las Vegas, NV and 200 miles north of Los Angeles, CA.
Entrance Fees: None. However, there is a quota for the number of hikers allowed each day and every hiker/group must have a valid permit from the U.S. Forest Service. There are two types of permits for the Mt. Whitney Trail: Day-use (valid for entry midnight and ending at 11:59 pm that same day) or Multi-day/overnight permits. For more information, click HERE.
High Altitude: Mt. Whitney is the tallest mountain in the contiguous U.S. at 14,505′ above sea level. Most hikers drive through Lone Pine, CA in the 24 hours before their hike, which sits at a mere 3,727′ elevation. This rapid, high-altitude ascent can result in Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) and other dangerous physical conditions (HAPE/HACE). Hikers should descend to lower elevation quickly if they experience dizziness or difficulty breathing during this ascent.
Parking: There is a paved parking lot and overflow lot near the Whitney Portal trailhead. Parking is free, but groups are asked to carpool because parking space is very limited.
Accessibility: This hike is only suitable for fit hikers. The trailhead begins at 8,374′ above sea level and climbs to 14,505′ in just 11 miles. Not only does this mean hikers will have to contend with the effects of high elevation on their body, but the 6,000+ foot gain!
Bonus: Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the lower 48 at 14, 505′, but it’s only 85 miles from the lowest point in the US, which sits in Death Valley, CA.
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