The Mt. Whitney Day Hike & Backpacking Page

Welcome to the 11th Edition of the Mt. Whitney Day Hike and Backpacking Page

Here is a bold statement...we can guarantee you start a trip towards the summit of Mt. Whitney in 2008. We can even guarantee you can do this without entering February's Lottery for Main Trail permits. Our last two trips to the summit of Mt. Whitney during the quota period were with permits we acquired when we walked into Eastern Sierra InterAgency Visitors Center. What we cannot guarantee is the day or type of trip you will take, that is up to you and your skill level. This is to let you know, if you are not one of winners of the Main Mt. Whitney Trail Lottery you can still stand on the summit of Mt. Whitney in 2008.

The more skills you have and the more physically fit you are the more options you have. If you are a backpacker the world is your oyster because you can start your trip in either Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite National Parks or any of the Inyo National Forest trailheads. If you have primo winter mountaineer skills you can go up any day from May 1st forward, if you are a hardy day hiker with snow skills you can head up the trail weeks before those who do not have such skills and when permits are always available but if you are essentially a summer trail walker you are limited to the MMWT between sometime in July to sometime in September or October...but you can still walk in and get a permit, even with the new Mt. Whitney Zone Day Use Rules, which combine the MMWT and the MR for day use permit issuance and quota.

Still don't believe this is possible? Check out this link, which shows what was leftover after all was said and done in 2007.

A little about the picture above and this in mid-May 2007. This trip was years in the making. We did not go out and rent ice axe and crampons and head up the chute without skills and knowledge. We started slowly, first with snowshoes, then crampons, an axe and a snow skills course...this all took about 4 SoCal winters. Then, honing these skills in Icehouse Canyon, Mt. Baldy Mt. San Jacinto and the Mt. Whitney area during a few winters to the point we felt comfortable with the gear and each other. Can you go up this trail with rented gear and not encounter a problem? Sure!! However, what happens if you slip off the trail slide down chute towards an outcrop of rocks at relatively high speeds? Do you know how to self arrest quickly enough to prevent a serious accident? If the answer is no...rethink your trip. No mountain summit is worth serious injury.

For returning visitors, we have added the following pages Spring on Mt. Whitney, Trail Dangers and Finding a Wilderness Experience, yes it is possible to find a true wilderness experience in the Mt. Whitney area. Also, we've add a blog, where we welcome your comments and opinions.

We feel every potential Mt. Whitney hiker should read the missions of the Inyo County Search and Rescue Team before taking one step on the trail and learn what can go very wrong on a trail that is benign most of time during the summer months.