Every year, over 30,000 people apply for permits to climb the highest summit in the contiguous United States, Mt. Whitney. Between the limited number of permits and the difficulty of the climb, only around 10,000 people annually make it to the summit. That’s a seriously low success rate, which makes the challenge of reaching the 14,505 foot summit even more appealing. We entered the online lottery with low expectations, and not surprisingly, failed. However, additional permits are released later in the season as people cancel or change their plans so we ended up snagging one from someone who had cancelled their hike. Lucky us!!
Lone Pine Peak is often mistaken for Mt. Whitney, as it sits closer to the valley and appears much larger. However, when you can recognize Mt. Whitney, there is no mistaking its rugged and massive peak.
It was hard to believe we would hopefully be at the summit of this monster of a mountain!
Flowers were blooming. Not many along the trail, but the few that were there really added some nice color to an often times barren terrain.
Acclimitization is crucial for a successful summit attempt. So many people come from low elevation and don’t stand a chance once they get up into the higher altitude. Our method to acclimate always involves a night spent sleeping in Joupe at a nearby campsite and sneaking in a short day hike prior to the actual climb.
We began our hike around 2:30am knowing we were in for one of the longest hikes we’ve ever attemped. After a quick weigh-in of our packs, we hit the trail. There were only a couple others on the trail with us, and their headlamps bounced around off in the distance, letting us know we weren’t entirely alone in this vast wilderness.
Early morning temperatures were cool but pleasant, and we started shedding layers quickly as the climb began. Hiking in the dark is a strange experience because you can’t see anything but the light directly in front of you. It seems a little silly to come to a place of immense beauty but not be able to see it. The good part is that you can’t get distracted by the views so the pace is much faster than if you stop every five minutes to enjoy the views and take pictures.
We only had a day permit, so we had to complete the full 22 miles in a 24 hour period. This was a pretty ambitious goal considering our normally slow hiking speed.
We made good time before the sun came up, but once the sky began to turn colors we had to stop and witness the colorful display. The valley was gorgeous and had it not been for our tight schedule to reach the summit, we could have stayed there all morning and enjoyed the sunrise illuminating the streams and forests of the valley.
Mirror Lake, 10,640 feet.
Not long after the spectacular sunrise, we again found ourselves in an unexpectedly scenic spot as we hiked deeper into the valley. Majestic Sierra junipers dotted the landscape at the lower elevations, and they were glowing orange in the warm morning sunlight. We took another break here in Trailside Meadows and enjoyed this lush green oasis with a snow-fed stream winding its way through the wildflowers and newly sprouting spring grass.
Looking up we could see some of what was left of the winter’s snow, and an imposing view of Whitney’s summit. Even though there were clouds, and some of them ominous looking, we remained optimistic as the forecast called for mostly clear skies and no precipitation.
We could see Mt. Whitney's summit was in the clouds. The forecast called for clear skies so we were hoping it would be clear by the time we reached the top.
Trailside Meadows was probably our favorite spot on the hike. A beautiful snow-fed stream flows through this peaceful part of the valley.
After some more hiking up the crumbly granite trail, we reached Consultation Lake at around 11,600 feet. This is the campsite where most hikers spend the night in order to acclimatize and get a head start on summit day. We took a short snack break, laughed at the antics of the local marmots, and looked on in disgust as campers fouled the lake with trash, bathroom breaks, and camping directly on its shore. We would not recommend filtering this water to drink!
Marmots everywhere. They're less skittish up here, more familiar with campers and hikers.
After about 6 relatively easy miles we reached Trail Camp. This is the ideal spot to stay overnight if you want to make summit day a lot shorter. So far we had climbed around 3,000 feet, but the hard part of the day was only beginning.
So far we had climbed around 3,000 feet in six miles, which is a relatively easy hike. The 99 Switchbacks is the first major challenge. Climbing from Trail Camp to Trail Crest, this steep section of trail climbs 1,800 feet in just over two miles, and at high altitude.
This is also the area where many people turn around. This east-facing slope retains snow sometimes into August, and because of the narrow trail and steep cliffs, the snow and ice can make this impassable. We had to cross a small patch of snow, but nothing to worry about and we got across without incident.
The cables is the steepest section of the 99 Switchbacks. Nothing to worry about unless you're afraid of heights.
An amazing view looking back down towards where we began.
We were tired when we reached the top of the 99 Switchbacks, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as we were led to believe. Reaching the Trail Crest portion of the hike, we had amazing views down into Owens Valley, and on the other side Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. Truly one of the best views imaginable and there were no crowds to get in the way.
The landscape up here was a far departure from the eastern slope valleys we had just climbed out from. With the rocky spires, endless views, and dramatic dropoffs, it was as if we started an entirely new hike. Walking along the rocky trail we could catch glimpses of the hut at the summit of Mt. Whitney. While encouraging to see the end of the climb, it was still a long way off and our pace was getting slower and slower.
At this elevation, many people begin to feel the lack of oxygen. We could feel exhaustion creeping in, but neither one of us was feeling any symptoms of altitude sickness. We slowly worked our way past the spires and on toward the summit.
This is where the Whitney trail meets the end of the John Muir Trail.
If you look closely you can see the hut at the summit.
Walking along the backside of the mountains, the rock wall opened up a few time to form the Windows, with views looking back down to Lone Pine.
This was the area where we started seeing the hut at the summit. While it was a relief to finally see the goal of the hike, it was still a long way off and this terrain was no joke!
We were getting tired, really tired, when the gentle slope of the summit came into view. With a snail’s pace we made our way up what would normally be an easy trail, and finally after over 11 miles, reached the summit of Mt. Whitney. At almost 14,500 feet, Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous United States, and you feel every inch of that height. The views were incredible in every direction and the surrounding landscape was magnificant on the perfectly sunny, beautiful day. We felt a great sense of accomplishment having summited this monster, but after taking pictures, relaxing, snacking, and enjoying the views, we realized we were only half way. We still had to hike another 11 miles back down to Joupe!!
14,505 feet, and the highest point in the contiguous U.S.
We were the last ones coming down the trail, and after 22.8 miles, over 7,000 feet of vertical gain, and 21 hours of hiking, we made it back to the trailhead, then had to drive four hours to get home. This has to be one of our most, if not the most, exhausting days of our lives...but it was totally worth it!!
The hike back down was a tough one. The terrain was tough on the knees, the switchbacks were flooded, and the sun went down faster than we were at hiking. The entire hike took us 20 hours, but finally reaching the car at the end, we were so happy we were able to finally summit Mt. Whitney. But never again!!