When I got to the mountain it was about 6:15 am. I started to make our way up the mountain, and I ran into a stream which was about 2 feet deep, and 12 feet wide. All there was to cross it was a wet log, and a few sticks washed up in the stream. I thought that the water was melted snow, and ice from the top of the mountain. I was able to cross, and got across without getting wet. I was making it up to 11,500 feet up the mountain, and then I ran into some slopes that were going up at a 85 degree angle, and about 4 of them. As I was making it up the 3rd one, I slipped, and fell 50 feet! Not exactly straight down, but it was almost like that. I was able to keep going cause I only got a few cuts, and bruises. I was able to proceed, and I was at 13,225 feet when a blizzard came in. My Mom, and Dad were with me when they said that we couldn't continue. So we had to turn around due to a blizzard, almost sub-zero temps, and finally they were tired, but don't worry cause I'm going to climb mount Elbert again this year!
HawkeyeHuff - Jan 26, 2015 4:20 am Date Climbed: Aug 11, 2000
Whitney in a Day
I flew down from Alaska to go up Whitney. Had a one-day pass so I got on the trail a little past 5am and got to the top about noon and back down to the start at 5pm. What a beautiful day and gorgeous scenery! Met nice and interesting people along the way, which always seems to happen going up these mountains. This was my first hike since turning 50 on August 7th. "
Steve Hufford
Anchorage, Alaska USA
endo.the.timber - Jan 9, 2015 2:59 am Date Climbed: Aug 27, 2014
Mountaineer's Route
started @ 4:30am. Was solo and kept veering off in wrong path making me back track several times. From the top of notch a direct climb to the summit. All together 8 hours to summit.
bkcasteel - Dec 31, 2014 3:29 pm Date Climbed: Apr 22, 2013
An incredible introduction to Mountaineering
I seized an opportunity to climb Mt. Whitney (via the Mountaineer's Route) with the Summit for Someone program (supporting Big City Mountaineers). The weather was beautiful and the climb was life-changing. I am hooked!
McKenna - Dec 22, 2014 12:08 pm Date Climbed: Apr 17, 2010
Thanks Anders
A great way to get into mountaineering. Just bring ice axe and crampons.
bachando - Dec 9, 2014 12:08 pm Date Climbed: Aug 1, 2009
Mountaineers Route
First climb on this mountain. Loved it
colinr - Nov 10, 2014 9:41 pm Date Climbed: Nov 9, 2014
Finally
With the perfect window of pleasant weather, I convinced myself this was the day to finally drive up to the end of Whitney Portal Road and summit Whitney. No quotas, no crowds, no hassles. Most of the other twenty or so others I saw wore spikes, especially between Lone Pine Lake and the 99 switchbacks. The switchbacks were snowy, but not icy late morning nor late afternoon. Trail Crest to the summit was scenic and worth slowing a bit through the thin air.
bshirley - Nov 5, 2014 4:35 pm Date Climbed: Jul 27, 2003
Long day hike
Day hike with my buddy kent. Cool hike - I was glad that we did
it as a day hike after I saw the camping area (maybe it is better now?)
charitydominic - Oct 30, 2014 6:21 pm Date Climbed: Aug 17, 2006
Essential Peak
Extended dayhike. Jello legs. Loved the many languages and flags on the trail, felt like it was a much bigger mountain that way.
I hiked to the top of this mountain in:
2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and in August 24, 2015
4 times as part of the John Muir Trail hike (once as a start for JMT, three times as an end)
3 times with a partner as a day hike
car-summit-car in 12 hours on the Mountaineers Route in snow (April 2011)
14 times solo (first time solo)
ozarkmac - Oct 8, 2014 8:58 am Date Climbed: Sep 21, 2014
JMT thru hike
Last day on the John Muir Trail. Alpine start from Guitar Lake for Equinox sunrise at Trailcrest. Amazing ever-changing light. 4 of us had the summit to ourselves for a long while before the hoards from the East side arrived. A very cool way to finish an incredible adventure. The trudge down to the Portal makes for a long day.
watterdog - Sep 23, 2014 1:39 am Date Climbed: Sep 8, 2011
End of the trail (almost).
I reached the summit after 18 days on the John Muir Trail. I started at Curry Village in Yosemite.
davido - Sep 11, 2014 2:26 am Date Climbed: Aug 17, 2012
Foggy summit
Fog and light drizzle rolled in as we neared the summit so we couldn't see much...at least it was clear on the way up and I got to see the beautiful orange reflection of the rising sun off the mountain.
RoryKuykendall - Aug 20, 2014 11:51 pm Date Climbed: Jul 8, 2013
Long Day Hike
Long dayhike with my girlfriend to celebrate our one year anniversary as a couple. I love this trail and I love the energy of the people on it. A special experience.
farristj - Aug 11, 2014 7:18 pm Date Climbed: Aug 15, 2003
I did it solo. I camped two nights at Horseshoe Meadows and hiked to Chicken Springs Lake and back to get acclimated. Then backpacked to Trail Camp, got up the next morning and started hiking at 7:25am, summited at 10am after negotiating nearly 3 miles of snow on the trail between Trail Crest and the summit, and made it back to the car by 7pm.
harbor - Aug 8, 2014 1:27 am Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2014
10th State HP
Acclimated at Great Basin Ntl. Park in Nevada for a few days before driving out to Whitney. Day hiked all 22 miles. Gorgeous cloudless day. Probably one of the nicest all summer. Glad I wasn't up there this last weekend with the freak August snowstorm dumping 6-12 inches on much of the High Sierras. A lot of leftover snow up on top. Like every hike I've done at higher altitudes my stomach went into a knot at 13k feet but luckily the feeling went away after 30 or so minutes. Highest I've ever been so far.
Hiked with brother, sister, and father-in-law. Great experience. Stayed at the hostel in Lone Pine.
Hiker4life - Feb 28, 2015 8:36 pm Date Climbed: Sep 27, 2006
First 14er/State HPStarted on the main trail at 5:45 AM and reached the summit just after noon. Weather was perfect! I've been hooked on hiking ever since.
IronHiker - Feb 28, 2015 5:52 pm Date Climbed: Jul 25, 2013
Main trail day hikeSix in party. One dropped out at Trail Crest, another had to be helped down due to altitude sickness. Long day, but great day.
camden kirkpatrick - Jan 28, 2015 2:15 pm Date Climbed: Jul 24, 2014
The Unforgiving HikeWhen I got to the mountain it was about 6:15 am. I started to make our way up the mountain, and I ran into a stream which was about 2 feet deep, and 12 feet wide. All there was to cross it was a wet log, and a few sticks washed up in the stream. I thought that the water was melted snow, and ice from the top of the mountain. I was able to cross, and got across without getting wet. I was making it up to 11,500 feet up the mountain, and then I ran into some slopes that were going up at a 85 degree angle, and about 4 of them. As I was making it up the 3rd one, I slipped, and fell 50 feet! Not exactly straight down, but it was almost like that. I was able to keep going cause I only got a few cuts, and bruises. I was able to proceed, and I was at 13,225 feet when a blizzard came in. My Mom, and Dad were with me when they said that we couldn't continue. So we had to turn around due to a blizzard, almost sub-zero temps, and finally they were tired, but don't worry cause I'm going to climb mount Elbert again this year!
HawkeyeHuff - Jan 26, 2015 4:20 am Date Climbed: Aug 11, 2000
Whitney in a DayI flew down from Alaska to go up Whitney. Had a one-day pass so I got on the trail a little past 5am and got to the top about noon and back down to the start at 5pm. What a beautiful day and gorgeous scenery! Met nice and interesting people along the way, which always seems to happen going up these mountains. This was my first hike since turning 50 on August 7th. "
Steve Hufford
Anchorage, Alaska USA
endo.the.timber - Jan 9, 2015 2:59 am Date Climbed: Aug 27, 2014
Mountaineer's Routestarted @ 4:30am. Was solo and kept veering off in wrong path making me back track several times. From the top of notch a direct climb to the summit. All together 8 hours to summit.
bkcasteel - Dec 31, 2014 3:29 pm Date Climbed: Apr 22, 2013
An incredible introduction to MountaineeringI seized an opportunity to climb Mt. Whitney (via the Mountaineer's Route) with the Summit for Someone program (supporting Big City Mountaineers). The weather was beautiful and the climb was life-changing. I am hooked!
McKenna - Dec 22, 2014 12:08 pm Date Climbed: Apr 17, 2010
Thanks AndersA great way to get into mountaineering. Just bring ice axe and crampons.
bachando - Dec 9, 2014 12:08 pm Date Climbed: Aug 1, 2009
Mountaineers RouteFirst climb on this mountain. Loved it
colinr - Nov 10, 2014 9:41 pm Date Climbed: Nov 9, 2014
FinallyWith the perfect window of pleasant weather, I convinced myself this was the day to finally drive up to the end of Whitney Portal Road and summit Whitney. No quotas, no crowds, no hassles. Most of the other twenty or so others I saw wore spikes, especially between Lone Pine Lake and the 99 switchbacks. The switchbacks were snowy, but not icy late morning nor late afternoon. Trail Crest to the summit was scenic and worth slowing a bit through the thin air.
bshirley - Nov 5, 2014 4:35 pm Date Climbed: Jul 27, 2003
Long day hikeDay hike with my buddy kent. Cool hike - I was glad that we did
it as a day hike after I saw the camping area (maybe it is better now?)
charitydominic - Oct 30, 2014 6:21 pm Date Climbed: Aug 17, 2006
Essential PeakExtended dayhike. Jello legs. Loved the many languages and flags on the trail, felt like it was a much bigger mountain that way.
CptAmerica - Oct 21, 2014 5:14 pm
beautiful approachwhitney trail. absoluteluy beautiful, but unfortunately class 1 the whole way. attempting the east buttress this weekend
Dalian - Oct 11, 2014 7:54 pm
17 times so farI hiked to the top of this mountain in:
2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and in August 24, 2015
4 times as part of the John Muir Trail hike (once as a start for JMT, three times as an end)
3 times with a partner as a day hike
car-summit-car in 12 hours on the Mountaineers Route in snow (April 2011)
14 times solo (first time solo)
ozarkmac - Oct 8, 2014 8:58 am Date Climbed: Sep 21, 2014
JMT thru hikeLast day on the John Muir Trail. Alpine start from Guitar Lake for Equinox sunrise at Trailcrest. Amazing ever-changing light. 4 of us had the summit to ourselves for a long while before the hoards from the East side arrived. A very cool way to finish an incredible adventure. The trudge down to the Portal makes for a long day.
watterdog - Sep 23, 2014 1:39 am Date Climbed: Sep 8, 2011
End of the trail (almost).I reached the summit after 18 days on the John Muir Trail. I started at Curry Village in Yosemite.
davido - Sep 11, 2014 2:26 am Date Climbed: Aug 17, 2012
Foggy summitFog and light drizzle rolled in as we neared the summit so we couldn't see much...at least it was clear on the way up and I got to see the beautiful orange reflection of the rising sun off the mountain.
RoryKuykendall - Aug 20, 2014 11:51 pm Date Climbed: Jul 8, 2013
Long Day HikeLong dayhike with my girlfriend to celebrate our one year anniversary as a couple. I love this trail and I love the energy of the people on it. A special experience.
farristj - Aug 11, 2014 7:18 pm Date Climbed: Aug 15, 2003
Onion Valley to WhitneyMy first ever trek on the John Muir Trail!
ScottWhitneyBound - Aug 10, 2014 12:16 pm Date Climbed: Aug 6, 2014
Overnight at Trail CampI did it solo. I camped two nights at Horseshoe Meadows and hiked to Chicken Springs Lake and back to get acclimated. Then backpacked to Trail Camp, got up the next morning and started hiking at 7:25am, summited at 10am after negotiating nearly 3 miles of snow on the trail between Trail Crest and the summit, and made it back to the car by 7pm.
harbor - Aug 8, 2014 1:27 am Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2014
10th State HPAcclimated at Great Basin Ntl. Park in Nevada for a few days before driving out to Whitney. Day hiked all 22 miles. Gorgeous cloudless day. Probably one of the nicest all summer. Glad I wasn't up there this last weekend with the freak August snowstorm dumping 6-12 inches on much of the High Sierras. A lot of leftover snow up on top. Like every hike I've done at higher altitudes my stomach went into a knot at 13k feet but luckily the feeling went away after 30 or so minutes. Highest I've ever been so far.
Hiked with brother, sister, and father-in-law. Great experience. Stayed at the hostel in Lone Pine.