At 14,505 feet, Mt. Whitney is the tallest mountain in the contiguous US. We applied for a permit earlier this year and were ESTATIC to find out that one of our group won the lottery and secured a day permit for the climb. This kicked off months of planning, training, and prepping for anything that we could encounter.
Rangers estimate that only 50% of hikers that set out to summit Mt. Whitney actually make it to the top. We knew the risks, our weaknesses, and made efforts so that we would have the best chance at a successful summit. BUT, Mt. Whitney did her best to show us that no matter how much you plan and prepare – you can’t control everything and Mother Nature always has a plan of her own.
I never would have imagined all the elements we would end up facing going into this climb; because researching them is one thing and actually hitting all of them is another. This is the by-hour breakdown of our summit. I’ll start by saying we’re not perfect and we made mistakes, but it was our ability to overcome all the challenges together that made this trip so incredibly special.
MAMMOTH: Saturday, 7/7/18 10:12AM:
One of the best tips we got from good friends who had successfully summited Whitney was to spend time at elevation the day prior. This would help our bodies acclimate to altitude and would hopefully lessen our chances of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) the following day. We left Lone Pine and headed to Mammoth to ride the gondola to Mammoth’s summit (11,053ft).
We planned to hike down from Mammoth’s summit to the halfway point and then ride to base from the second gondola station. However, the volunteer at the summit, although super sweet, didn’t give us the best directions and we ended up getting down to base much later than anticipated. The views along the mountain were incredible; but we all agreed that if we were to do this again, we would have spent our time hiking at summit and saved time by riding the gondola all the way back down.
LONE PINE CAMP: Saturday, 7/7/18 07:36PM
We arrived at our Lone Pine campsite and began to prep our last minute items and make dinner. Thunderstorms had been in the forecast for Sunday afternoon and a Ranger had told Laken earlier in the day that we needed to be off summit no later than 11AM. We decided to bump up our trail start time from 2AM to 12AM to play it safe.
That night, we were rewarded with the most glorious sunset that seemed to set the sky on fire behind the Sierra range. I remember thinking in that moment we were all GOING TO MAKE IT and that they sky was a sign of good things to come. (I later realized it would be a sign of things to come, just not the sign I had originally thought.
LONE PINE CAMP: Saturday, 7/7/18 11:45PMI had researched the effects of altitude to death, but only in relation to AMS since I’m susceptible; so pro-tip: keeping Google searches general would have saved me on this one. One thing that I know now, from experience, that I wish I knew then was that altitude can cause insomnia. We all had a hard time settling into bed, due to both the altitude and adrenaline from knowing what we were about to take on the next day. When our alarms went off at 11:45pm, none of us had really slept; half of us laughed and half us groaned.
WHITNEY PORTAL: Sunday, 7/8/18 12:15AM
Adrenaline was running high as we climbed out of the cars and secured our gear. We weren’t focused on the fact that we didn’t get much sleep. WE WERE FINALLY DOING THIS THING! We weighed our packs, checked our flashlights, double-checked that our permits were safely secured, and set off.
Whitney Zone Entrance: Sunday, 7/8/18 03:01AM
By this time, we already had a few river crossings and passed Lone Pine Lake. The moon was deep and full as it rose and we all had an eerie excitement as we watched trails of soft lights climb the mountain ridges above us. We had heard that 2AM was a typical start time and summarized these other groups also must have gotten an earlier start due to the possible storms.
SUNRISE: Sunday, 7/8/18 05:33AM
By the time the sun began to rise we had passed Outpost Camp, the Outpost Waterfall, Mirror Lake, and Trailside Meadows in darkness. We took a few minutes break about 1x/hour to snack, hydrate, and use the bathroom. The group chose to let me set the pace since I’m prone to AMS. We had been making good time and I cleared the majority of spider webs across the trail for the group (with my face).
TRAIL CAMP: Sunday, 7/8/18 06:05AM
Spirits were high and we broke to filter water at Consultation Lake, right near trail camp. We had been making good time and were roughly halfway up mileage-wise. The sunrise was as breathtaking as the sunset the night before and we couldn’t believe the clarity of the lake or beauty of the harsh landscape.
This is where the sleep deprivation began to set-in and some of our group caught a few minutes to rest before starting the switchbacks.
SWITCHBACKS: Sunday, 7/8/18 07:02AM
Our same friends had warned us that the switchbacks were NOT the hardest part and to mentally prepare ourselves for what came after. Many members on Whitney Zone said the same, and so our group was mentally ready to take on the switch backs! The hardest part of the switchbacks was how much and how often we were laughing – because laughing at altitude is HARD. Though, honestly this was a great problem to have.
CABLES: Sunday, 7/8/18 08:08AM
We had a feeling we were close to the trail crest and a guy above of us had shouted there were only 8 switchbacks left. We hadn’t been keeping count, but we definitely knew we had more than 8 to go. These last few bits seem to take forever because you’re often stopping to catch your breath.
TRAIL CREST: Sunday, 7/8/18 10:01AM
We FINALLY had a chance to peek over the Sierra range and into Kings Canyon so that we could assess how the sky and impending storms were looking. We noticed some darker clouds in the distance to the North, but decided to keep pushing and stay strong. My sister and her boyfriend were ahead of the rest of us and we ourselves behind schedule. We decided to push on and agreed that we could always turn around if need be.
JMT JUNCTION: Sunday 7/8/18 11:16AM
The view of the JMT and wilderness beyond was absolutely breathtaking. A family and their two children were coming up from the JMT and intersecting with our path to Whitney. The boys were 6 and 8 years old and I remember thinking to myself HOWWWW?! These badass little kidlets gave my lungs the motivation to keep going.
WINDOWS: Sunday, 7/8/18 11:30AM
The space between the trail crest fingers are known as ‘windows’ and are pictured below. You do NOT want to peek through if you’re having any symptoms of AMS, but I was fortunately still feeling ok thanks to how often I was hydrating and taking it slow. However, this is also around the time when Noah and I fell behind my cousins.
SUMMIT APPROACH: Sunday, 7/8/18 12:00PM
The sky wasn’t looking promising and a light rain started to fall; we were far behind schedule, but SO close. The last climb is incredibly daunting because you know you’re almost there and it’s gradually winding, but not steep. It seemed to never end and we needed to pause every 4-5 steps in order to catch our breath. We had been leap-frogging another group the whole way and I asked her if she would let my sister know were coming and to hang tight.
That’s the last time we saw them until summit. Noah had been an incredibly strong source of motivation the whole way and he grabbed my hand to help push me the last bit through summit.
SUMMIT: Sunday, 7/8/18 12:49PM
As we start to see the Whitney House, I can make out my cousin’s bright blue jacket and my sister’s bouncy bun. They’re standing at the trail register and Marley is about to sign. Big alligator tears start to well in my eyes because even though I believed I could, I wasn’t sure if I could, and I DID. Not only that, but we were all there TOGETHER. I’m an emotional person, so this was a lot to take in. When I noticed my sister signed the trail register in my honor – I started to full on bawl as we hugged.
We made our way over to the rest of our group and learned our cousins had summited half an hour before us and my sister and Brandon around 10AM. My sister was eager to get off the summit as quick as possible, and ushered me up for a quick photo. As soon as she snapped Noah’s and my photo – we heard the first CRACK of thunder. As it rumbled, everyone on summit was eerily silent. Then everyone exchanged glances, and without saying a word, instantly started to pack-up their belongings and rush to descend.
INTIAL DESCENT: Sunday, 7/8/18 01:02PM
As we jogged back down I realized that I didn’t get to sign the trail register or look over the edge into the valley below. It was in that moment I realized that signing the trail register wasn’t as important as the fact that we all made it together. I started to cry again because I’m an emotional person.
JMT JUNCTION: Sunday, 7/8/18 01:50PM
If you’re familiar with thru-hiking, you know what a wag bag is. If you don’t, here you go. Needless to say, when nature calls, it’s your time and you can’t do anything about it. However, in that moment I would have LOVED to be able to do something about it because taking a s** on a fully exposed trail with impending thunder overhead was just not my idea of a good time.
The storm had temporarily subsided, and because Noah is the greatest boyfriend ever, he waited behind me on the trail and asked people if they would be ok with waiting until I was done to pass. No pressure, because now Noah is holding up other people on top of trail crest in the middle of a building thunderstorm so I can do my business. People talk about trail magic, and let me tell you – this was it. I called out when I was done and when the few fellow hikers started to pass, I FELT NO SHAME. Not only that, they seemed truly sympathetic, supportive, and one even told me ‘good job’. I haven’t been congratulated for going to the bathroom since I was five. I tied my wag bag to my pack and continued the trek down.
TRAIL CREST: Sunday, 7/8/18 02:09PM
We rejoined the rest of the group at the top of the switchbacks. I had drank 2 gallons of water at this point and had just ran out. Dehydration exacerbates AMS symptoms, so I had been drinking a gallon per day the week leading up to Whitney as a way to ward off AMS. Running from summit along trail crest without water, coupled with sleep dep and anxiety of the storm, started to take its toll. My group mentioned this is when I started to get loopy and exhibit early signs of AMS. My cousin Jay took my backpack (MVC) and Noah took my wag bag (MVBF).
SWITCHBACKS: Sunday 7/8/18 03:04PM
We were quickly pacing our way down the switchbacks, still conscious of the storm that was continuing to roll in. About ¾ of the way down, another huge clap of thunder sounded overhead, but this one was different from the rest. We were IN it. The subsequent rumble passed through my entire body and the air began to change. We broke into a run.
The rain was falling from the sky faster than we could run. The rocky trail began to grow slippery as the dirt turned into mud. The claps of thunder grew closer together and the rain started to fall harder – almost piercing. That’s when I realized it wasn’t rain, it was hail. The hail started to hit the ground so hard and fast that it was bouncing back off the ground and hitting our legs. I had been so excited when we had come across the cables earlier that afternoon, but as we came upon them now my breath caught in my throat knowing we’d be dashing past metal poles and linked cables. We could still hear the sound of thunder over our pounding feet and the hail, and then there was a blinding flash.
As the thunder roared after, those of us that had metal supports in our packs threw them away from our bodies. We ditched our hiking poles – having their support wasn’t worth carrying a possible vector rod for lightening. With that last burst of thunder, the hail turned into sleet and we again gathered our packs. The small streams running under and across the switchbacks started to surge and flood the trail. We were running through ankle to calf deep water that had a layer of hail floating on top, doing our best to not slip and fall. We briefly discussed whether we should take cover and wait it out or keep going. We decided to keep going and that it was important to get out of the lightening zone as soon as possible. It may have not been the right choice, but it was the executive decision we made.
(I only have two photos from this section before the storm hit, we were just focused on just making it down safely.)
TRAIL CAMP: Sunday, 7/8/18 03:51PM
The sleet had given way to rain and the drops now felt soft as the rain fell upon us. Those who had been at trail camp when the storm broke began to emerge from their tents and from under rocks. A white blanket covered the ground and the trail was lost as it became a stream. The thunder was still softly rumbling, though we were out of immediate danger as the worst of the storm had started to roll down the canyon and into the valley.
No one stopped; we kept moving and wouldn’t break until we hit the meadows and tree line. Our group was together, but spaced apart, and that’s when I started to hear a buzzing in the air unlike anything I had ever heard before. Noah motioned for me to throw my pack and take cover immediately. The air felt charged and I remember the look in his eyes as we took cover under the closest rock. The electricity continued to build and build and I kept waiting to see where it would hit.. there was finally one long, drawn-out clap followed by a boom of thunder. The electric feel in the air was gone, the rain had stopped, and so we picked up our packs and started again.
TRAILSIDE MEADOWS: Sunday, 7/8/18 05:00PM
With the tree line in sight and the sun beating down, we decided it was safe to take a moment and regroup. Most of our outer liners kept us dry – but all of our feet were soaked through due to the flooded trails. We had continued straight past trail camp without filtering water since we were more concerned with making it out of the lightening zone. We rationed the water left between us, changed into dry socks, and applied sunscreen (because the Sierras go from hail to blistering sun in a snap). We split into three pairs and agreed to hike back down at our own paces. We would meet again back at the car in Whitney Portal.
MIRROR LAKE AND OUTPOST CAMP: Sunday, 7/8/18 05:43PM
We hiked mostly in silence, still mentally processing what we had been through so far and trying to enjoy the sights around us. We had hiked these portions of the trail in darkness and it was a welcoming sight to see how gorgeous and lush the lower trail was in the light of the day.
WHITNEY ZONE ENTERANCE, LONE PINE LAKE: Sunday, 7/8/18 06:25PM
We were SO close to the finish line, but the excitement of hitting the zone entrance was very short lived. The same storm we encountered earlier had moved down into the valley and so the dark clouds below would have been completely normal for a storm of that size, so we didn’t think too much of it. There had been a soft glow lighting up the ridge above us, so we hadn’t thought too much of that either and assumed it was the setting light of the day. It was when the soft white flecks started to float down from the sky that the realization immediately set in. Remember that last discharge of lightening that we had taken cover from? It had stuck in the valley and started a forest fire. Real. Swell.
LONE PINE LAKE: Sunday 7/8/18 06:40PM
We kept quick pace with the fire in the back of our minds and focused on the finish. These last few miles seemed to never end and it was difficult to place how close we were to the end since the setting was so unfamiliar during daylight.
WHITNEY PORTAL: Sunday 7/8/18 07:53PM
The arch of the Whitney portal finally came into view and our pace down the last few hundred feet quickened. There were a pair of Rangers at the base of the mountain taking tabs on those coming down, working to keep track of missing hikers and how many would need to be notified that they would need to evacuate the mountain. One of the Rangers exclaimed “YOU GUYS HAD THE MOST EPIC HIKE EVER!” The most we could do was nod and smile as we passed through those welcoming arches of the portal and into the parking area.
We quickly regrouped and finally caught a group photo before piling into our cars. Whitney Portal was actively being evacuated, so we only had time to take off our boots before heading down the mountain. The fire was quickly spreading and could be seen across the way from our campsite in Lone Pine. We decided to give up our spot, pack up our site, and head into town so that we could rest safely.
LONE PINE: Monday, 7/9/18 08:28PM
We were fortunate enough to get one of the last rooms at the Dow Villa Motel that night. We passed out around 9PM, fully clothed because we were too exhausted to shower. We weren’t able to fully process the trip yet, but we had made it – and we had all made it together.
Mt. Whitney ended up being nothing like I pictured, but that is because it was so much more incredible than I could have ever imaged. Our cousins were some of our very first ramble partners growing up and summiting this beast with them means more than I could put into words. The feeling that comes with knowing we summited the tallest mountain in the lower 48 is euphoric and I know that the only way we beat the statistics of first-time hikers is because we were there to encourage and support each other. Even though the challenges we faced are some of the worst that can happen on Whitney, I’m so grateful we faced them because it proved that together we can overcome and do anything.
Happy (and safe) rambles always, Leah
