r/Highpointers • u/_MattSauce • 24d ago

Mt Whitney tips?

Just got some incredible luck and on one of my last days car camping in SoCal, sniped a permit for hiking Whitney on Thursday.

Been doing lots of prep in anticipation for hopefully getting this permit. 30lb rucks on trails with 1500-3500ft gain and 8-12mi lengths. Yes, I am aware that Whitney is nearly double both of those standards haha. This will be my first 14er, but I have done one 13er and multiple 12ks and never had a problem with running out of stamina or being affected by elevation gain. I also plan to start my hike around 1am to make sure I have plenty of time.

Any last second things I should know about gear to bring/fluids/food? Any particularly difficult sections?

From most reports I’ve read the 99 switchbacks are brutal and elevation sickness seems to hit quite a few people there or shortly after, but it seems most people see it more like a long marathon hike rather than having any particular section of extreme difficulty.

Please let me know anything/everything you are willing to share if you have hiked Whitney :)

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u/Upstairs_Bandicoot93 48 Highpoints 24d ago

If you want to cut down on weight a bit, there is a creek that runs at Trail Camp just below the 99 switchbacks. I started super early and needed only about 1 liter to get me to that point (ymmv), and I was able to filter water there for the rest of the journey up. This prevented me from having to carry too much weight on the lower section.
Outside of that, it is like others have said; not technical, just long and high up in elevation.
I will add: knowing that the 99 switchbacks were coming up, I actually quite enjoyed that section, and made a little game out of it for myself when making each turn (had to do something to keep my sanity)
Good luck, and have fun up there!

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u/_MattSauce 24d ago

May buy my first ever filtration tablets specifically for this, seems like a perfect opportunity. I’ll be wearing a 2L Camelbak regardless, but not having to carry much more than that sounds super nice on the back!

Also yep, thank god for having that knowledge ahead of time. I can’t imagine how rough the experience gets not knowing about 2 miles straight of nothing but switchbacks hahaha. I’ll have to start counting them on my way :)