PART I OF THE MT. WHITNEY ADVENTURE


Several members of the SaddleBrooke Hiking Club recently tackled Mt. Whitney in California’s Sierra 
Nevada Mountains.  Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States at 14,497 feet, is 
reached by a trail originally constructed more than 100 years ago.  This hike was preceded by over a 
year of planning and anticipation and began with entering a lottery to obtain permits in February.  
We were elated to be notified at the end of March that our second choice date, July 29, had been 
drawn and proceeded with additional planning.  Our first obstacle was learning that we were too 
late to secure reservations at campgrounds at the higher elevations in Yosemite National Park 
where we had planned to do altitude acclimatization.  This lead to the discovery that there were 
campgrounds at 10,000 feet, even higher than those in Yosemite, just to the east of the Tioga Pass 
entrance to the Park in Inyo National Forest.  These campgrounds, however, were on a 
first-come-first-served basis and did not accept reservations.  Oh well, never mind that we would 
be driving 12 ½ hours and over 700 miles to Lee Vining, California, eastern gateway to Yosemite, 
without a place to stay at our journey’s end!  We trustingly made motel reservations in Lone Pine, 
California and at Whitney Portal Campground for the nights before and after the big hike.

Next came the task of finding out just exactly what we were getting ourselves into and what we 
needed to do to prepare our content and unsuspecting bodies for the 22-mile, 6,000-foot gain, 
one-day trek.  This began with hours of internet research which yielded reams of information and 
advice on reaching Mt. Whitney’s summit.  Reading all this well-meant advice resulted in feelings of 
intimidation and trepidation, especially upon learning that only 40% make it on their first attempt.  
Planning to at least give it a run for the money, we embarked on a period of intense training and 
preparatory hikes in the Catalina and Santa Rita Mountains leaving before 5:00 a.m.  (This included 
one unnamed individual whose definition of supreme sacrifice is to roll out of bed before 7:00 a.m.!)  
Our closest simulation to climbing Mt. Whitney was hiking from SaddleBrooke via Charouleau Gap Road and 
Samaniego Ridge to Mt. Lemmon, a distance of 18 miles and an elevation change of almost 6,000 feet.  
This was made more difficult because the trail had not been fully re-established since the Aspen Fire 
and we had to spend time trail finding and crossing an especially precipitous slope between Mule Ears 
and the Samaniego Ridge.

As mid-July approached and physical conditioning was as good as it was going to get, we did not want 
to be foiled by those formidable villains, Altitude Sickness and Bad Weather!  We were dismayed to 
learn that our high altitude camping destination, Saddlebag Lake, at 10,000 feet, had had over 600 
inches of snow, that the snowline was still at 9,700 feet, and that the campground was closed and 
likely to remain so for the summer.  We also learned from the Ranger Station in Lone Pine that the 
snow on Mt. Whitney had been 200% above normal and that the trail was still snow-covered in spots 
above 10,500 feet.  It was beginning to look like we would have to forego the Yosemite area altitude 
acclimatization and settle for getting as far as we could on the Mt. Whitney trail and perhaps not 
reaching the peak.

Finally, after months of detailed planning and preparation, the week of the trip arrived.  We were 
encouraged to learn that the Saddlebag Lake Campground had opened that week and that the snow was mostly 
melted off the Mt. Whitney trail, including the switchbacks, and that hikers had successfully been 
reaching the summit.  In keeping with a variety of schedules and preferences, three of us, Elisabeth 
Wheeler, Dean Werstler, and Cheryl Werstler, left SaddleBrooke on July 23 for Lee Vining.  Some of the 
group was to meet us for one altitude hike in the White Mountains and the rest were to meet us in 
Lone Pine for a couple of altitude hikes before the main event.  The three of us stayed in the very 
scenic Saddlebag Lake Campground and hiked at elevations over 10,000 feet around Saddlebag Lake, the 
20 Lakes Basin, and Lundy Canyon.  We crossed snowfields to enjoy beautiful alpine lakes, waterfalls, 
and distant snow-covered peaks.  The second day we had planned to hike Mt. Conness at 12,590 feet 
since it could be reached from our campground, but we were unable to get clear directions for this 
cross-country hike even after visits to 2 ranger stations.  Rather than experience frustration and 
exhaustion attempting to find the route to this peak, we decided to hike up the trail toward Mt. 
Dana to spend more time at a higher elevation.  This trailhead begins inside the Tioga Pass entrance 
to Yosemite, but Mt. Dana, itself, is just outside the eastern boundary of the park.  We felt 
reaching the Dana Plateau would be a reasonable goal, but decided to continue the steep 3-mile, 
1,000 feet gain per mile, trail to the top of Mt. Dana at 13,057 feet.  How fortunate we were to 
have made this decision as the panorama that awaited us at the top included Saddlebag Lake, Mono 
Lake, the White Mountains, and endless views into Yosemite.

That afternoon we headed over to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains, home 
of the world’s oldest trees, some over 4,700 years old.  We traveled via the winding Silver Canyon 
jeep road with 20-degree grades, 7 water crossings, and steep drop-offs.  We were rewarded for 
driving this tedious route by the citing of several majestic bighorn sheep.  Upon reaching the 
Grandview Campground, we were greeted by two of our fellow hikers, John and Susan Robertshaw, 
who had been camping and hiking for several weeks throughout central and northern California.  
What fun hearing about their adventures!  The next morning we drove over several miles of dirt 
roads to the trailhead for White Mountain Peak which is the highest peak in the White Mountains 
and the third highest in California at 14,246 feet.  It has been described as the “easiest 
fourteener” in California to climb because the trail is all jeep road and the average elevation 
gain is only 400 feet per mile.  Starting at 11,630 feet, however, we felt the effects of the 
altitude immediately and found ourselves breathing laboriously at times on this 8-mile ascent 
above the tree line and through tundra with views into the Sierras and into Nevada.  That 
evening we proceeded to Lone Pine, our home base for Mt. Whitney.    

At Lone Pine we met up with the final three members of our expedition:  Kathy Martin, Martha Walton, 
and Bill Katz.  Martha, who has joined Kathy on outdoor adventures throughout the world, had flown 
in from Crested Butte, Colorado, to make the trek with us.  We had planned to do altitude hiking 
over 10,000 feet on the mountain the next day, Wednesday, and on Thursday morning to pick up our 
permits for the Main Mt. Whitney Trail.  That afternoon we had planned to go to our camping spots 
at Whitney Portal Campground and then hike the first three miles on the Whitney Trail to Lone Pine 
Lake in order to familiarize ourselves with the section of the trail we would be hiking in the dark.  
However, upon meeting for breakfast, the group discussed an unfortunate turn in the weather forecast.  
Thunderstorms were predicted to begin Thursday and continue Friday, the day we had permits for Mt. 
Whitney.  Were all our months of planning and training to be for naught?  Kathy suggested that we 
try to go up Thursday instead of Friday.  But what about our preliminary hikes?  Could we get permits 
for the eight people in our group who would be using the trail?  We headed for the Ranger Station to 
learn that there were only three permits available for Thursday and that these would be released after 
11:00 a.m. on a lottery basis. But we needed 8 permits!  We secured one from a group who had an extra 
permit and extracted a promise from another hiker who thought one in his group would not be going.  We 
left the Ranger Station still needing 6 permits.  Upon returning at 11:00, we met Kathy who related that 
she and Martha could get over night permits if they left right then.  Did we mind?  No, of course not—go 
for it!  Now we needed four permits.  As we entered the Ranger Station, we encountered others who 
appeared to be there for the lottery.  Oh, no!  All these people and only three permits!  But, no, 
we were the only ones there for the lottery.  We had three more permits, only one shy.  The ranger 
said it was possible that more unused permits would be turned back in that afternoon.  What to do…Would 
one of us have to forego Mt. Whitney?

We decided to take our chances and headed on up to Whitney Portal to do the Lone Pine Lake section of 
the trail.  At the trailhead we met Kathy who, along with Martha, was preparing to hike the first six 
miles up to Trail Camp where they would spend the night.  We took a minute to snap this picture of the 
SaddleBrooke Whitney hikers.  We then enjoyed the scenery and wildflowers up the rather steep trail to 
picture perfect Lone Pine Lake.  Coming down we met Kathy and Martha coming up with their bulging packs 
and bear canister.  After wishing them well, we realized our day was not yet finished.  We had to get 
back down to the Ranger Station before it closed.  Would another permit be waiting?  Yes!  Each of us, 
with a permit in hand, could now focus on our primary objective, climbing Mt. Whitney.

(To be continued…)