My husband, sister, nephew and I are going to climb Mt. Whitney sometime in August or September of 2011. My sister and nephew live near Placerville, Ca. and will be training in the Sierras. My husband and I live in La Jolla, Ca. and will be training in the Cuyamacas and San Jacinto Mountains. This blog will be a record of our training hikes and what we learn along the way.
The challenge: I just turned 60 this month! I have wanted to hike Mt. Whitney ever since my sister and I hiked half way up about 13 or 14 years ago. I don't know why I didn't just do it! I think it just seemed so overwhelming to me at the time. I guess at some point the desire had to overtake the procrastination. Now that I am 60, I realize that I'm not getting any younger and if I don't do it now, I may never do it! Over the years, I have talked to many people that have hiked Whitney and now I'm thinking what's the big deal? If one prepares properly, there is a better chance of succeeding and what the heck? If you don't try, you'll never do it! Also, if we try and don't make it to the top, at least we will have had the joy of training and trying!
So, today I'm filling out the 2011 Mt. Whitney Lottery Application. It has to be mailed between February 1st and March 15th. The Lottery will be held on Feb. 16th and the remaining empty spots will be filled after that. The application and information on how to apply can be found at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5227396.pdf.
We're turning in 10 choices. I wonder if we should turn in more? This is the hard part, the part that has been keeping me from doing this all these years. So here goes!
Showing posts with label Hiking Mt. Whitney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hiking Mt. Whitney. Show all posts
Mt. Whitney Permit Lottery
I finished the application. I'll mail it tomorrow. There are a few things to note and a few things I was puzzled about.
Note: Permits are $15 per person, payable when you apply. I believe it is non-refundable, but could be wrong about that. There is a place to enter alternate group leaders, so list all of the the people in your party. That way if the original group leader drops out, one of the other people can still pick up the permits for the party.
The application asks for Entry Date, Exit Date, Entry Trail and Exit Trail and whether it is day use or overnight. I put the same date in each date field and the same trail for entry and exit. I hope that's correct. I know it was redundant, but I didn't want to leave anything blank and risk the application not being complete and getting rejected. There was space for 10 choices so I attached another sheet with 10 more choices. I added some Tuesdays and Thursdays just in case all of the weekend days are gone.
Note: Permits are $15 per person, payable when you apply. I believe it is non-refundable, but could be wrong about that. There is a place to enter alternate group leaders, so list all of the the people in your party. That way if the original group leader drops out, one of the other people can still pick up the permits for the party.
The application asks for Entry Date, Exit Date, Entry Trail and Exit Trail and whether it is day use or overnight. I put the same date in each date field and the same trail for entry and exit. I hope that's correct. I know it was redundant, but I didn't want to leave anything blank and risk the application not being complete and getting rejected. There was space for 10 choices so I attached another sheet with 10 more choices. I added some Tuesdays and Thursdays just in case all of the weekend days are gone.
Backpacking vs Day Hiking
One of the reasons it has taken me so long to get around to hiking Mt. Whitney is that I believed that the only way to hike it was to do it in two or three days. Originally, I thought we would hike up to trail crest, spend the night, leave our overnight stuff there and hike to the top and back. Then either spend a second night, or continue to the bottom. This would have meant hiking about 6 miles the first day and about 16 the second day. It would have also meant sleeping at 12,000 feet.
The first time I went to Mt. Whitney, we camped at Whitney Portal, which is at about 8500 feet. I did not sleep the first night there. I could hear the blood pounding in my ears all night from the elevation. I realized that if I hiked to trail crest and tried to sleep there, I would not get much sleep. Not only would it be really cold and the air thin, but I would not have the benefit of the air mattress that I had when I camped at Whitney Portal.
OK. I have never been backpacking. The idea of it appeals to me, but the practicalities of it make me a little nervous.
So when an acquaintance told me he and his wife were hiking Whitney in one day, I immediately realized that that was the solution to my anxieties. I'd just do it in one day and then I wouldn't have to worry about sleeping at high elevation in the cold! (OK, I'm really a fair weather camper too!)
But Mt. Whitney is 22 miles round trip from Whitney Portal and I'm not as young as I used to be. I decided I would need to train a lot! So I talked my husband into training with me and now I think he will even hike to the top with me, even though it is my dream and not really his. What a guy!
The plan now is to drive up to Lone Pine, pick up our permits, check into our hotel, have a nice dinner, then go to bed. We'll get up around 2 am, get ready and drive up to Whitney Portal and set out around 4 am. We will set a time at which we will turn around whether we have reached the top or not, and we will also turn around if anyone gets serious altitude sickness. But hopefully we will all be in amazing shape by then and we will make it to the top. When we get back we will have the hotel waiting for us. We'll eat, jacuzzi and get a good night's sleep before we drive back home the following day. That is the plan and I think it's a good one! I can't wait!
The first time I went to Mt. Whitney, we camped at Whitney Portal, which is at about 8500 feet. I did not sleep the first night there. I could hear the blood pounding in my ears all night from the elevation. I realized that if I hiked to trail crest and tried to sleep there, I would not get much sleep. Not only would it be really cold and the air thin, but I would not have the benefit of the air mattress that I had when I camped at Whitney Portal.
OK. I have never been backpacking. The idea of it appeals to me, but the practicalities of it make me a little nervous.
So when an acquaintance told me he and his wife were hiking Whitney in one day, I immediately realized that that was the solution to my anxieties. I'd just do it in one day and then I wouldn't have to worry about sleeping at high elevation in the cold! (OK, I'm really a fair weather camper too!)
But Mt. Whitney is 22 miles round trip from Whitney Portal and I'm not as young as I used to be. I decided I would need to train a lot! So I talked my husband into training with me and now I think he will even hike to the top with me, even though it is my dream and not really his. What a guy!
The plan now is to drive up to Lone Pine, pick up our permits, check into our hotel, have a nice dinner, then go to bed. We'll get up around 2 am, get ready and drive up to Whitney Portal and set out around 4 am. We will set a time at which we will turn around whether we have reached the top or not, and we will also turn around if anyone gets serious altitude sickness. But hopefully we will all be in amazing shape by then and we will make it to the top. When we get back we will have the hotel waiting for us. We'll eat, jacuzzi and get a good night's sleep before we drive back home the following day. That is the plan and I think it's a good one! I can't wait!
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