Although this was a super short adventure, it was a novel one because it took me to the highest point in the continental United States. No other American Mountain (other than Denali) surpasses Mt. Whitney’s height. And yet, it’s not a technical climb. If you are able-bodied and fit, and willing to hike 22 miles, you are almost guaranteed to be able to summit Mt. Whitney.
So here’s an overview of my trip trivia, by the numbers:
OVERVIEW
- Official height of Mt. Whitney: 14,505′ above sea level
- Number of peaks higher than it in the lower 48: 0
- Number of peaks higher than it in the US: 10 (all of which are in Alaska)
- Elevation of America’s lowest point (Death Valley): 282′ below sea level
- Distance to Death Valley: a mere 70 miles!
- Original name of Mt. Whitney: Tumanguya (meaning ‘old man’ in Paiute)
- Year the USGS renamed the peak after geologist Josiah Whitney: 1864
- First known ascent of Mt. Whitney: August 18, 1873 by 3 local fisherman
AVOIDING ALTITUDE SICKNESS
- Elevation in Eugene, OR (where I live): 430′ above sea level
- Elevation difference between my hometown and the summit: 14,075 (!!)
- Time between when I departed home and summited Mt. Whitney: ~73 hours
- Elevation where people can start to experience altitude sickness: 8,000′
- Altitude where I slept the first night to acclimate: 6, 378′ (Mono Lake, CA)
- Altitude where I slept the second night to acclimate: 12,000 (Trail Camp)
Mt. Whitney Trail
- One-way distance from Whitney Portal to the summit via Mt. Whitney Trail: ~11 miles
- Vertical elevation gain: 6,131′
- Average slope of the trail: 11%
- Classification of trail: Class 1 (non-technical hiking)
- Total miles I hiked on Day 1: 6.5 (Whitney Portal to Trail Camp)
- Total miles I hiked on Day 2: 15.7 (Trail Camp to summit and back to Whitney Portal)
- Type of hike: Solo
- Time I departed Whitney Portal on Day 1: 4:22 pm
- Time I returned to Whitney Portal on Day 2: 5:07 pm
- Total time of trip (start to finish): < 25 hours
- Time actually spent hiking: ~14 hours
- Weight of full pack (with gear, food, water): 26 pounds
- Extra gear I brought for the snow: 1 set of microspikes
- Extra gear I wished I’d brought: warmer gloves
- Sketchiest part of the trail: ice on the 97 switchbacks
Permits
- Permits required from the U.S. Forest Service: 1
- Maximum people USFS allows to climb Mt. Whitney on 1-day permits: 100 per day
- Maximum people USFS allows to climb on overnight permits: 60 per day
- Consecutive years I entered the Mt. Whitney permit lottery: 2
- Number of times I was selected: 1 (2020)
- Number of times my permit was cancelled by due to the stupid pandemic: 1
- Number of times I was non-selected in the permit lottery: 1 (2021)
- How I got a permit for 2021 anyway: Open release on May 1
- Time I had to be online on May 1st to get a coveted permit: 7 am
- Dates for my overnight permit: 18-19 May 2021
FOOD & WATER
- Dates when bear canister is required on Mt. Whitney Trail: Memorial Weekend to 1 Nov.
- Cost to rent bear canister from Sage to Summit (Bishop, CA): $5/day
- Type of bear canister I rented: Bearikade Scout
- Weight of empty bear canister: 28 oz.
- Max amount of water I carried at any time: 2 liters
- Last water source on Mt. Whitney Trail: Mile 6.5 (Trail Camp)
- Number of times I filtered water: 0 (my filter broke, so let’s hope I don’t get giardia)
- Elevation when my water started freezing up in my bottle: ~13,000′
- Favorite new hiking snack: Clif Shot Bloks (Flavor: margarita with salt! Mmmm… so salty)
WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS
- Bear sightings: 0
- Marmots spotted beside the trail: 1
- Other wildlife spotted on the Whitney Trail: Just a handful of birds and chipmunks
- Number of other hikers at Trail Camp with me overnight: ~12
- Number of people at the summit with me: 9
- Number of military jets doing flyovers: 2
ODDS & ENDS
- Distance I had to drive to get to/from Whitney Portal: 1,396 miles roundtrip
- Total duration of my trip: 4 days
- Number of times I tripped and fell on trail: 1 – and I injured my right shin
- Hours of restless sleep I got up at Trail Camp (due to cold wind): < 3 hours
- Times I had to get up to readjust my tent because of the wind: 1
- Number of wag bags carried just in case nature called: 2
- Number of wag bags I actually used: 0
- Distance from my tent that some idiot set up their wag bag: < 15 feet!
- PCT thru-hikers I gave rides to the trail before/after my hike: 5
- Where I had dinner after my hike: Mt. Rambler Brewery (Bishop, CA)
- ABV of the beer I wanted to order: 9.6% (Casa Diablo Double IPA)
- ABV I actually ordered due to my dehydrated state: 4.9% (Picture Puzzle Session IPA)
WANT TO READ MORE LIKE THIS??
Check out some of my other “By the Numbers” posts with similar trivia, including: