I know everyone adjusts differently to altitude, but am curious about the following. Our group has a pass for an overnight hike up the Whitney Main Trail in August, and a few of us plan to hike and camp at altitude ahead of time to acclimatize and hopefully make the Whitney hike more enjoyable. Question: if we spend two-three days in the Sierra, then go down to Lone Pine for a shower and night in a motel before going up Whitney, should we expect that overnight to undo the acclimatization benefits of the previous days? "Going Higher" says de-acclimatization occurs within a week or two, but the implication in the section is that this followed a much longer stay at high altitude than two or three days.

I'd be grateful for any advice.

Thanks for the quick and helpful advice.

Gary Schenk wrote:What Dingus said. Climb high, sleep low.

+1

When in the Alps, it was expected that climbers spent a couple of days at hut height - 3000m -ish, return to the village for a day, and then ascend once again ready to climb high. The break is sought.

mike