I know early October is not the best time to summit Mt. Whitney but that is the only time period that a permit is still available.

Questions -
In early October what is the weather like? What additional challenges would I encounter if I do the trek in early Oct as opposed to in June/July?

Is there a decent amount of foot traffic on the mountain during this time of the year? I would be doing it solo...

what are my chances of scoring an unused permit for weekends given that I am solo? I am thinking I could go up there on Thu eve, try for a permit on Fri for a climb early Sat and if I can't get a permit I could do White Mountain on Sunday instead...

The days will be much shorter, and it will probably be much colder at night.

FYI - You can probably still get a permit this summer, due to cancellations.

hightinerary wrote:The days will be much shorter, and it will probably be much colder at night.

FYI - You can probably still get a permit this summer, due to cancellations.

Yeah, that is what I was thinking...there may be snow etc. which can become dangerous, especially going solo.

How does one go about checking if there are cancelled permits available? Since I am solo I will just need one.

Another option - I also wanted to do White Mountain Peak... I could head up there Thu eve, check to see if I can get a permit on Fri for a climb up Sat. If I do not get a permit then I will just head up north 2 hrs and do White Mountain peak on Saturday instead of Whitney.

Mid-September to early October is my favorite time of year anywhere in Sequoia/Kings Canyon. The first week of October is safest in terms of potential snow (relative to later in that month). It can snow heavily anytime in October, but more often if it does snow early into the month, the storms are mild with little or no lightening. We do have an El Niño developing which could translate into more than usual precipitation (We need it badly!), but it is hard to be certain. A great weather forecasting site worthy of checking within a week or so of departure follows. There is also some discussion regarding this year's El Niño conditions to date:

http://mammothweather.com/

I have climbed Whitney from the west side as late as mid-October (October 17 to be exact) and I'll never try that again. But even then, after a large snowstorm, the trailhead was full of people attempting an eastern approach regardless of some very sloppy conditions (http://www.summitpost.org/snowbound-seq ... 009/565602). Going up the East side Oct. 8 was perfect weather. It is fine line between the first and third weeks of October, but if mammothweather forecasting looks favorable the first 7-10 days, I'd say go for it! It really is a beautiful time of year, far better in my opinion than the summer months, but it is also a month of transition in weather worthy of caution.

My first time doing Whitney was the first week of October and the weather couldn't have been better. Total Indian Summer conditions. Others I'm sure have a better recent memory of October weather, but I can't remember a heavy dump in early October big enough to shut you down. The solo part really depends on your experience, comfort level, what route you're planning, etc. Without knowing anything about you, others can't really answer that question for you.