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You can climb Mount Whitney
February, 2008 - Issue #40
A stone hut built by the Smithsonian in the early 1900s awaits visitors at the summit of Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the continental United States.
A stone hut built by the Smithsonian in the early 1900s awaits visitors at the summit of Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the continental United States.
"Because it is there." That was mountaineer George Mallory's answer when asked why he wanted to climb Mt. Everest.

The same reason can be applied to Mt. Whitney, half the height of Everest, yet still the tallest mountain in the continental United States. But an even better answer is, "Because you can."

Unlike many peaks of its size, Whitney requires no technical climbing to reach its 14,496-foot summit in the summer. It is an 11-mile walk to the summit from the Whitney Portal trailhead near Lone Pine. No ropes. No ice axes. No oxygen. Just you and your will are all that are needed to make the trek.

Now before you think it is a leisurely stroll to the top, understand it is a challenging hike. The trail gains 6,000 vertical feet in its ascent. The air gets thin, the feet grow tired and the weather can change from cooperative to cruel in an instant. But with planning and training, most anyone in reasonably good health can condition themselves to reach the summit.

The best time to make the trip is during the summer when most of the snow has melted away from the wide, well-maintained trail. Because of its relative ease, Mt. Whitney is a popular destination for hikers. To alleviate overcrowding and help minimize the collective impact of thousands of annual visitors, the U.S. Forest Service strictly controls the daily number of hikers on the main Mt. Whitney trail.

A permit is required if you want to make the 22-mile round trip in a single day, or whether you choose to backpack in and spend the night along the way. Permits are awarded through a lottery system and applications are only accepted during the month of February. The more flexible you can be with your availability, the better your chances of snagging a coveted permit.

When my wife April and I applied, we ended up with a Monday in September. The preceding weekend gave us a chance to acclimatize to the altitude by camping near the trailhead at 8,300 feet and taking short tune-up hikes in the area.

We were on the trail before 4 a.m. on Monday. Our headlights were two in a line of bouncing, glowing dots that punctuated the pre-dawn darkness. The goal is to reach the summit as early in the day as possible, thereby avoiding the thunderstorms that often blow up in the afternoon.

We were on top just after 1 p.m. The first six miles went fairly quickly. But our pace slowed considerably as we picked our way up the 99 Switchbacks, an infamous, aptly-named section of trail that climbs 1,600 feet in about two miles. At the end of the switchbacks, you feel so close. Another three miles remain, however, with the last push to the summit requiring boulder hopping on tired legs.

It was those last couple miles that nearly did me in. The altitude hit me hard, leaving me panting and trying to calm my knotted stomach. If it wasn't for a bottle of drug store anti-nausea liquid that I swigged from every few minutes, I don't know that I would have made it.

When I finally reached the top, I laid down on a flat rock and curled up into a ball. After a few minutes, I was able to walk around and take in the view that appears to be the top of the world. The Owens Valley stretched out below, with the Sierras marching north and south on either side of the summit. Alpine lakes thousands of feet below looked like glittering blue sequins.

Knowing we had to retrace the 11 miles we just finished, we pulled ourselves away from the view and pointed our feet downhill. With about three miles left, we were both wondering just how much more pounding our stiffening knees could take. Dusk was fading and we were about to turn on our headlamps to end the day the way we started it when we saw a lone hiker coming toward us.

He stopped and asked if we had seen the rangers, and whether they were checking permits. We commented that it was late to be starting the hike. He replied that he was making his second trip to the summit that day. "Sort of a vision quest thing," he explained before moving on.

One trip was enough for me. Two was inconceivable. But why not? Mt. Whitney is there, and you can.

Getting to the Top

Download a permit application by logging onto www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/wild/whitneylottery.shtml.
Make reservations at Whitney Portal campground at www.recreation.gov.
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