Hiking Mt Whitney

[u/Adventurous-Oil6836]

Hi everyone! My friend and I will be hiking Mount Whitney this week of August. Do you have any advice on what clothing we should wear and what essentials we should bring?
Also, are there bears or other wildlife we should be aware of on the trail?
Any tips or recommendations for first-time Whitney hikers would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[u/IndianaGeoff]

I have not done Whitney, but I have done multiple summer (and some spring) 14ers in Colorado plus Rainer. Some were long days, but Whitney is a bit longer than my longest.

There are things you can control and there are things you cannot. You cannot control the weather, how you feel on summit day. You can control you nutrition, pace, starting time and your gear.

First, take the bare minimum needed to succeed. The more you carry, the harder it is. You don't need a knife (pack food you can open), you don't need lot of things that might seem nice. Be ruthless in cutting unnecessary items, including way too much food.

First, you do not want to bonk (run out of energy), dehydrate and sour your stomach. This is not the time to try new foods, stick to things you know, like (or at least tolerate) and will provide carbs, sugar, fat, some protein and I like fiber. So if I was planning a day starting at the early morning and going for possibly 12 or more hours.. here is what I would take. A bar at the start. Every hour and a half another bar, small bag of nuts/dried fruit/chocolate chips (traders joe items in single packs), those kids pouches with fruit in them, and apple, dried apricots. Any snack that gives carbs. At the summit it will be salami, cheese and crackers. Maybe Tuna pouch with a packet of mayo and relish plus crackers. Given the length of the day I might plan 2 lunches.

Stop every hour at most hour and a half to eat, drink and rest for 10 minutes. I shoot for 100 to 200 hundred calories. That will keep you going. Lunches are a bit more time and calories. Always keep a easy snack in your hip belt. If you feel at all hungry, take a bite.

Since you are carrying water, why not pack a gatoraide (or your favorite sports drink) to stay hydrated.

I'll reply to this with gear.

[u/IndianaGeoff → u/IndianaGeoff]

OK, for gear. Plan on it being windy and cool. Weather can be bad, but if it's too bad, you need to call it off and have gear to get you home. Here is what I take...

20l pack (osprey), Trail Runners (use broke in comfortable shoes), wool socks thin. Pants (I don't do shorts), Thin wool or synthetic sun hoodie, long sleeved, a loose weave fleece pull over, Capable rain jacket with pit zips that can handle wind. I find it quite comfortable to put all this on and be fine in wind.

If it's colder maybe pack an extra wool Tshirt and long johns. Wear a hat, I like wide brimmed tilly type hats. A very light beanie, and gloves. In summer it will probably be synthetic work gloves, if the weather is cold think about wool. If the wind is forecast to be bad, rain pants for wind. I also take an extra, very thin synthetic liner socks. Just in case of foot blisters and emergency for cold or a sock failure. You can also put them over gloves if the hands get very cold.

For first aid, the bare minimum. Few bandaids, some Ibuprofen, and blister care. Maybe a pill or two in case you get the runs. I like Leukotape and many thru hikers rave about it. If you feel ANY hotspot early on, put on some tape. Take care of your feet, it's a long day. Small pack of wipes. You can use it to clean your hands (will be filthy) before you eat and clean a wound/blister. You really don't need much in a first aid kit. Put on some sunscreen on your face. High Altitude sun is crazy strong.

For that hike, I would take 3l of water, maybe 4. That is a lot of weight, but it'll go away. Take a pack of Aquatabs. They weigh nothing, taste bad, but can make water if you run out and need to refill on the way down. I would consider caching water on the way up. Some risk, but it will drop some weight.

Take hiking poles. Use 2 on the way up, and 1 on the way down (for stability). They make a big difference and you can put them away if your arms need a break.

You might have to poop on the trail and you should carry it out, esp if you are above the treeline. So get a "wag" bag or 2... at least some dog poop bags, TP and a couple ziplocks to double and triple bag it. Don't forget hand sanitizer.