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Mount Whitney Climbing Notes

• October 16, 2012
  Brian from United States
  

  Hike Mt. Whitney on Oct 12th, 2012. Conditions above 10000 ft were cold and snowy. Got to the base camp just below the switchbacks to the top and one of the people in my party was having issues with altitude (felt like they were going to black out!) and we had to head down. We will attempt it next year during Summer months. When hiking Whitney no matter what season, prepare for snow! You can have it in late July. It can be hot and sunny at the base and snowing up top. It is a good idea to pack extra socks too in case you soak a pair [hind-site is 20-20 there for our group]. Took a pair of Yaktracks and it helped a lot in the slush and ice we dealt with on the decent. There is one very helpful site I would encourage you to visit that has forums with information about conditions, passes and everything else related: Google The Whitney Portal Store.
  
  Enjoy!

• October 07, 2012
  Brian from United States
  

  Hiking Whitney on Oct 12th. First timer here going with two older teens, my son and his friend. Getting passes to hike Mt Whitney in advance is a bit tedious [you have to go to recreation.gov to get them in advance and the most popular dates are bought up quickly when the season opens early in the year], but in talking with a ranger on the phone at Whitney Portal some time ago he did say that there are a fair number of passes each day that go unclaimed due to no shows. It is a gamble to head up there hoping for an unclaimed pass, especially on weekends and other popular dates, but hiking during the week it does appear chances are good that you can get a tag. One thing, if you buy a pass on line and don't go, don't expect a refund or sympathy - even if the web site creates confusion and you got a pass for a wrong date. I got a pass realized a couple of minutes later that I had the wrong date, cancelled it and got the right date. When I inquired about a refund, making the obvious case that I cancelled it right then, they informed me there were no refunds on passes for Whitney. It appears that the only way to get out of a pass in such cases is to put the charge in dispute it with your credit card company. I'll pop back in after the hike and let you know how it went.

• October 03, 2012
  clarence bechter from United States
  

  Planning an Aug. 2013 2 day summit. will apply in feb ..2013...for permit...Hard to get the permit??.....may just leave ohio and go to ranger station....did mt. yale and mt. elbert 14433 ft. in aug 2012.

  Any info would be great.....thank you