Mount Muir via the Mount Whitney Trail

Awesome conditions for a mid November ascent. Started at 2am. Temps around freezing before daybreak, but quite bearable while moving.

The mountaineering route was well worth it. It was safe. Technical class 3. No exposure in the couloir, slight exposure during the last pitch around the north side as you summit

11/10/19 I dayhiked MR, descending via the Main Trail and got a nice clean recording of it. I was so fortunate to have had the opportunity bag my first summit via MR in such perfect weather this late in the season. The E-ledges were not as scary as people make them out to be, even though we did them in the dark. The really tricky section was between the two Boy Scout Lakes where the runoff from Thor Lake left wide spans of slick ice. We had to go through the sage brush and so a little scrambling to avoid the ice. From Upper Boy Scout to Iceberg Lake was a real thigh buster. From Iceberg up the chute to the notch was very difficult because of all the loose scree. Even big 2 ft wide boulders would break loose and slide down. Needless to say, a helmet is mandatory. From the notch, there is only the “Final 400”. There appears to be 3 potential spots to climb up the rock wall that makes up the first 10 feet or so of the climb. We took the middle one. After that, it’s all about choosing the best lines to crest the top. I completed the main trail about a month earlier and was surprised that it was much easier than it is often made out to be. That tends to be the case here on AllTrails. But Mountaineer’s Route was an exception. This really was strenuous for me, and the challenge made the successful hike all the better.

Whitney 11/4

Very beautiful trail. Once you hit trail crest, continue on the whitney trail for the short downhill. Once you start heading uphill, keep your eyes peeled. When I did this hike on 11/2/2019 there was no cairn to mark the departure from the whitney trail. Luckily for us there was someone coming down as we arrived. The scramble at the top was not too technical. I am an inexperienced climber and there were only 2 moves where I felt challenged. It does not look like the picture posted on summitpost to me, but in general the advice posted there to tend left up the crack, then track right under the summit was good.

10/4/19 What could I say here that hasn't already been said about Mt. Whitney. All of the articles, trip summaries, trail reviews, and YouTube videos, make Mt. Whitney out to be some exotic far-off place where only the hardest of hardcore hikers ever hike, that is equally inaccessible with its myriad rules, regulations, and permits... like it's some sort of hiking unicorn. But that's not the case at all. I had been hiking for a good decade and yet Whitney had never crossed my mind because of how hard it APPEARED to be to get my boots on the ground. And then one day, browsing recreation.gov, a dayhike permit popped up and I nabbed it. I also grabbed a campground for the preceding night, which I realized is totally unnecessary in October because of the numerous walk-in campgrounds available and the option of sleeping in your car in the very empty parking lots. The Whitney Portal Store had to be my favorite landmark of the whole trip. They carry both hiking gear you need but may have forgotten as well as souvenirs of all sorts. Of course, the best part is probably their food. The portions are ginormous! I especially love their breakfasts. I recommend not bringing any food if you come the day before and just eat at the diner from 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM. Order by 5:15 PM. About the hike. I left at 4:15 AM and finished 5:15 PM. 13 Hours (see my recording). The weather was clear and cool, starting out at about 35 degrees F. It was tricky to regulate my body temperature that day because of the wind, with gusts up to 25 MPH. I had to get in and out of my puffy jacket about 4 times throughout the hike. I wore thin baselayers including a balaclava (a must-have in my opinion), 40g Thinsulate gloves (also a must-have), softshell pants, softshell jacket, down puffy hoody jacket, hardshell (rain) jacket (not used). At the summit, it was probably low 30's around noon. but the wind was pretty strong at 15-25 MPH, sustained. I carried 3 liters of coconut water starting out. I did not get water again until I got to Trail Camp on the descent, where I filtered another liter of water from the lake. I only drank half a liter for the rest of the hike. Yes, most people will constantly preach to chug water at high elevation, but I did Langley 3 weeks prior in 10 hours 37 minutes, and only consumed 1 liter of water total. I didn't eat anything on the trail. For breakfast, I had a banana and a protein shake with instant coffee mixed in. The reality is that the faster you go, the less water vapor you will expel through your breath. Also, being able to layer down so you stay cool keeps you from losing fluids through perspiration. My urine was clear and I went several times, so I knew I wasn't dehydrated. I only have one tip for those who see Mt. Whitney as an extreme physical challenge: BE PHYSICALLY FIT. You are less likely to feel the effects of altitude if you are well conditioned. At the summit, the oxygen content of the air is only 58% of what it is at sea level. So your body needs to be about 72% more aerobically efficient for you to feel the same as if you were hiking at sea level. Also, condition your leg muscles so can hike the 6,700 feet of elevation gain. It's mostly going to hit your quads, a moderate amount in your calves, and a little bit in your glutes. Lastly, I wanted to mention that I ran into a guy on my descent at around 14,000. He was hiking up still and then started to puke liquids right in the middle of the trail. I was with three other people and we were all trying to tell him to turn back ASAP. The young lady even gave him an anti-nausea pill. He was clearly NOT an experienced hiker from the looks of his outfit. He seemed disoriented, not making eye-contact, but he said he was going to keep going. Though he was only about .8 miles away from the summit, he was also only less than halfway done with the hike. Going downhill while delirious from exhaustion is how people misstep and break their ankles. Further, Acute Mountain Sickness can set in long after the hike is complete and you can end up in the hospital and even die. Unfortunately, "name brand" mountains like Whitney are always attracting the ideological types who romanticize surmounting something that seems insurmountable.

I could not ask for a better day and weather,this is the best time to hike Whitney,no snow,trails are all well marked,lots of water along the way so no need to bring 3-4 liters of water you can pretty much refill every mile...and flowers were blooming everywhere,it’s so pretty...

Awsome climb. Its class 3 & 4 lots of great views I think its better than Mt. Whitney and I had the mountain to myself, its just a short climb from the trail