Congratulations! I also did the Whitney day trip and here are some things I noticed from what you described. 1. Acclimatize for a few days (you mentioned this). 2. You left the portal too late. The Sierra's are very dry and the afternoon sun is extremely dehydrating. I left at 11pm and got back at 2pm. You want to be headed down in the morning so you are an the easy part when the sun is high. 3. Electrolytes are better than sugar, but putting them in your water means you get some every time you have a sip. 4. Be super hydrated when you start out. This helps with the altitude. 5. For some reason, I find jerky incredibly nourishing when I hike. Cliff bars make me thirsty (but I still bring them). On Whitney, I only had water with electrolytes and Cliff bars. 6. Box steps is good for training. The stairmaster only goes up while box steps will help train for the decent as well.
6 hours from Sac to Whitney? Guessing there was traffic? I’m in LA and can get there in a little less than half of that time to hike in rough terrain such as traipsing up rock and forestry, this gives you a good idea how taxing elevated climbs and ascents can be.
There was a detour on 395 near Tahoe area so I had to go through Nevada and come back in California. I practiced hiking in Tahoe area before. I also did Mt. Lassen hike before this. Mt. Whitney is a beast on its own.
You are absolutely correct. I was constantly weighing my health condition every step of the way. Probably pushed it a little bit, but will never do it like this again😅
congrats!
Those breaks that you took every 15ft definitely helped you, listening to your body is important
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Congratulations! I also did the Whitney day trip and here are some things I noticed from what you described. 1. Acclimatize for a few days (you mentioned this). 2. You left the portal too late. The Sierra's are very dry and the afternoon sun is extremely dehydrating. I left at 11pm and got back at 2pm. You want to be headed down in the morning so you are an the easy part when the sun is high. 3. Electrolytes are better than sugar, but putting them in your water means you get some every time you have a sip. 4. Be super hydrated when you start out. This helps with the altitude. 5. For some reason, I find jerky incredibly nourishing when I hike. Cliff bars make me thirsty (but I still bring them). On Whitney, I only had water with electrolytes and Cliff bars. 6. Box steps is good for training. The stairmaster only goes up while box steps will help train for the decent as well.
Thank you! These are some great points.
6 hours from Sac to Whitney? Guessing there was traffic?
I’m in LA and can get there in a little less than half of that time to hike in rough terrain such as traipsing up rock and forestry, this gives you a good idea how taxing elevated climbs and ascents can be.
There was a detour on 395 near Tahoe area so I had to go through Nevada and come back in California. I practiced hiking in Tahoe area before. I also did Mt. Lassen hike before this. Mt. Whitney is a beast on its own.
It sounds like you had altitude sickness. Not a good idea to try pushing past it, many have died doing this, even people in good shape.
You are absolutely correct. I was constantly weighing my health condition every step of the way. Probably pushed it a little bit, but will never do it like this again😅