To hike Mt Whitney in a day now requires a day permit. You will probably not be checked if you leave early in the morning and return late at night. You will certainly be checked between 8am and noon. Without a permit you can proceed only up to Lone Pine Lake. There is usually a ranger posted right after the lake just to check permits. Permits can be obtained from Inyo National Forest (1-888-374-3773).
Choices for camping include:
These are the approximate distances from the Portal to the Summit:
| Landmark | Distance | Time | Altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trailhead | 0 | 0 | 1850 m. |
| Lone Pine Lake | 4kms | 1h 30' | 2800 m. |
| Creek crossing | 5kms | 2h | |
| Outpost Camp | 6kms | 2h 30' | 3100 m. |
| Mirror Lake | 7 kms | 3h | 3200 m. |
| Trailside Meadow & Consultation Lake | 8.5 kms | 4h | 3600 m. |
| Trail Camp | 10 kms | 4h 30' | 3700 m. |
| 96 switchbacks | 6h | ||
| Trail Crest | 13.5 kms | 6h 30' | 4200 m. |
| Summit | 17 kms | 8h | 4400 m. |
Calculate about 8 hours up and 6 hours down. (Note: both in 1997 and 1998 we did it in 7 hours from the parking lot to the top).
Approximate cost per person: $2 (park entrances) + $5 (campgrounds) + $25 (gas)+ $33
(rental car) = $65
This total does NOT include food.
Even if you are going only to the lakes you will need a LOT of water and food. Bring your own water. So far in all of this year's hiking trips there has been at least one person who did not bring enough water. This time you could pay dearly for such a mistake. This message will not be repeated: friends will not give you their water/food because everybody will bring strictly what they need for themselves!
The sun will be extremely strong all day. You must wear a hat.
An invasion of mosquitos has been reported in all national parks of the Sierra. Mt Whitney is mostly bare and no mosquito would like that, but near the lakes there will be plenty of insects. An insect repellent will make your life a lot more pleasant if you plan to spend time at the lakes.
I am collecting information on who is coming and what time they can leave. The following table is just tentative. People are grouped by the time they can leave. Picking up people and dropping them off has become a MAJOR problem. It would be nicer if everybody could drive at their driver's place and leave cars there for the weekend. Otherwise it may be a problem. Very important: if you have to be back by a certain time on sunday, make sure that your driver knows!
Christian's voice mailbox is 1-800-216-3133, pin 501-0625. This is also the number to page him or leave him messages.
Drivers: We want to know what time you left: before you leave, call Christian's
800 number and tell him what time you left. This way we can estimate what time the various
cars will arrive.
We want to know if you heard a message: every time you call Christian's 800 number, leave
a message just to say that you did hear his current message. He cannot change a
message until he is sure that everybody has listened to it.
THIS HAS CHANGED. IGNORE!
| Person | Car | Tent | Leaving | From | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHRISTIAN | Christian's | 2 | 2pm | Berkeley | Holland |
| Christina | Christian's | any | Menlo Park | Germany | |
| DANIEL | Daniel's | 2 | 4pm? | Berkeley | Switzerland |
| GABRIELA | Daniel's | 5 | 5pm | San Jose | Hungary |
| Gabriela's sister | Daniel's | 5pm | San Jose | Hungary | |
| Heike | piero's | 6:30pm | Portola Valley | Germany | |
| HENRIK | Daniel's | 5:30pm | Sunnyvale | Sweden | |
| Jana | Christian's | any | Portola Valley | Germany | |
| Jana's friend | Christian's | any | Portola Valley | Germany | |
| Kerstin | piero's | 7pm | Redwood City | Germany | |
| PIERO | piero's | 4 | 6pm | Redwood City | Italy |
| Ruth | Daniel's | 4pm? | Berkeley | Switzerland |