Program

We're planning an expedition to Mt Whitney during the summer. Mt Whitney is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States. It's 14497' at the summit.

Mt Whitney is a very strenuous one day hike hike. Whitney Portal is at 8500 feet. So it's a 6000 foot climb over 11 miles - an average grade of 10%. It's 22 miles round trip at altitude. This is a "Class 1" hike - no climbing skills or special equipment are necessary.

Mt Whitney is quite a long way from Silicon Valley. It's 350 miles via Yosemite and Tioga Pass to Lone Pine, CA. Whitney Portal is 13 miles west of Lone Pine. The journey time is about 9 hours and you'll want to add time for breaks and food.

You require a permit from the USDA Forest Service to walk or climb the mountain. Only 100 day hikers are allowed on the mountain on any day. July and August are very busy because of the lack of snow, and school vacations. We tried unsuccessfully to get permits for Saturdays and Sundays.

Who and When?

We applied for permits earlier in the year. We have 11 day permits for Monday 28 August, and 11 day permits for Friday 21 July.

Dennis will lead the August expedition and the following have said they'd like to go: Dennis, Penny, Andrew, Peggy, Bill, Mike, Wanda, Christina, Don, and Bill (10). It's possible that Bill will be unable to attend - so there may be room on this trip for other walkers.

Steve is thinking to lead the expedition in July, although he has to discuss this with his friends. So while it's not so certain that this trip will take place - there is space available if it goes ahead.

We intend to return unused permits to the Forest Service in early June, as the permits can thereby be made available for other parties.

If you'd like to come, please contact Dennis or Steve as soon as possible - and definitely by Memorial Day at the latest.

We'll also be accompanied by some family members. Permits are only required for those who'll be walking up the mountain. You can explore the first 2 miles of the trail without a permit.

Anything else?

The cost of the permit is $15 per walker. Of course you'll be expected to pay your share of the travel, accomodation and eating expenses which are incurred on the expedition.