Trip to Mt Whitney 2002

Plan Some people drive thursday and some people drive friday (see Carpooling) Whatever you do, don't forget that on saturday (by 5pm) you need to go to a ranger station with your permit-permitting letter and exchange it for the real permit (and you need to find a campground/motel) Meet at at the only pizza place in Lone Pine on saturday Aug 10 at 6pm (if you want to get together earlier, use my toll-free mailbox - cell phones won't work) Hike Mt Whitney the whole day on sunday Aug 11 leaving very early (2-4am, see below) and returning around 5-6pm Drive back Note: print directions to Lone Pine, information about the trail, description of the hike, etc that you find at this page. Use my 800 number to communicate (cell phones are unlikely to work). Headcount Got the permit: Brian, Shizuka, Mirela, Ovidiu, Pascale, Raj, piero, Adam, Barry, Antonio, Matthieu, Matthias, Susie, Iulian, Carmen, Lisa, Haruko, Virna, Jamie See the Whitney page for all info about the hike and pictures of the trail (the "regular" trail is what people normally do, the "North Fork trail" is the mountaineering trail). Hike in a group Based on past experience, I suggest you decide which of these groups you belong to: You are a fast hiker and want to get to the top. You are a slow hiker and want to get to the top. You just want to enjoy the mountain, not necessarily get to the top. You didn't get a permit for the day hike Pick one and read the corresponding advice: Pack your backpack the night before. Wake up at 3am and start hiking right away. You will be at the top around 11am-noon. Coming down will take you 5 hours. Do NOT hike with this group if you are not a fast hiker: since they start so late, they can't afford to slow down to wait for you. Pack your backpack the night before. Go to sleep very early. Wake up at midnight and start hiking right away. You can take a nap after sunrise, for example when you reach base camp, probably before 9am. From base camp to the top will take you 2-3 hours. Coming down will take you 6-7 hours. You don't need to wake up in the middle of the night. Wake up at sunrise. You have two options for the hike: A) the regular trail or B) the mountaineering trail. The mountaineering trail is more impressive, but at some point it gets really difficult (I will attempt to come down the mountaineering trail, so at some point you may meet me). You have two options: A. you hike the regular trail but only to the first lake (the permit is required to go beyond the first lake), but that would probably be a disappointing hike; B. you hike the mountaineering trail. The mountaineering trail is more impressive, but at some point it gets really difficult (I will attempt to come down the mountaineering trail, so at some point you may meet me). I strongly recommend you figure out which group you want to hike with: 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B. Whichever group you are hiking with, it would be nice to hike down together. I have three walkie talkies that we can use to synchronize and meet, for example, at base camp (about half way) if we haven't already met at the top. Let me know if you would like to borrow one of the walkie talkies. Read the Whitney page for all info about the hike.

Carpooling Let me know if you would like to carpool with others. Cars, as far as I know: Matthias and friend: leaving wednesday afternoon Shizuka, Haruko, piero: leaving thursday 2-3pm Pascale, Raj, Jamie: leaving friday after lunch Adam, Barry: leaving friday afternoon Mirela, Iulian, Carmen: leaving friday evening Matthieu, Antonio, Lisa, Virna: leaving friday after work Cars 1,2,3 will meet saturday for breakfast/lunch in Bishop. Everybody else I assume we meet for dinner in Lone Pine. Use my 800 number to communicate (cell phones are unlikely to work). What to see in the area If you have only the weekend, use friday evening to drive across Yosemite and use saturday to relax near Lone Pine. If you can take friday and thursday off, there are lots of things to see along 120 in Yosemite, and then along 395 (ghost town of Bodie, Mono Lake, Mammoth Lakes, Eureka Sand Dunes, Alabama hills). What to bring for the hike flashlight and batteries (housemates: i have an extra flashlight) hiking boots or good walking shoes sunglasses sunscreen lotion (essential: UV very high) hat LOTS OF WATER FOR THE HIKE 2000-5000 calories in food/powerbars etc light sweater or windbreaker for the cold part maybe long pants if you get cold easily aspirin (for altitude) or, better, DIAMOX (generic: Acetazolamide) many other things if you are a perfectionist, but those are the essentials Try to have a very light backpack. Every kg counts for ten at that altitude. People who will have a walkie talkie: Shizuka, Mirela, Iulian, piero, Barry, Brian. After the hike We split in three groups: Barry, Adam, Matthias, Susie, Jamie, Mirela, Iulian, Carmen left at 12:30am; Matthieu, Shizuka, Lisa, Virna, Pascale, Raj left between 2:05am and 2:20am; Antonio, Brian, piero left at 3:57am. Everybody made it to the top except three people who got sick (Shizuka, Iulian, Carmen). Even if they were getting sick (or very sick), Mirela, Raj and Antonio also made it to the top. These were the best times: Matthieu: 5h 43' (second group) Virna: 6hr 28' (second group) Brian: 6hr 33' (third group) Haruko: 6hr 38' (second group) piero: 6hr 58' (third group) Lisa: 7hr 23' (second group) ... ... ... ... ... Antonio: 11hr 18' (third group) ... ... Most of the others did it in 8-9 hours. Matthieu and piero took the North Fork (mountaineering) route on the way down. Group pictures Adam's report of the first group's hike