Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
over a small tarn; however, it's a far cry from remote backcountry wilderness. Often
overcrowded with inexperienced backpackers, it can feel a bit like a garbage dump at
times. There are solar toilets on the southern side of camp, but these can sometimes
be full. Whether camping or not, it is advised to pump water at this tarn, as this is the
last water source before the summit.
Begin the famed 96 switchbacks up a relentless 2.3 miles to Trail Crest (13,650
feet) and the boundary for Sequoia National Park. The ascent begins with a tight set
of steep switchbacks dynamited into the eastern side of the mountain. About halfway
up, there are cables to assist hikers over ice when necessary. From the crest, admire
views west to Sawtooth Peak and the Hitchcock Lakes and east to Owens Valley.
Continuing from Trail Crest, enter Sequoia National Park leaving John Muir Wilder-
ness. Enjoy a brief half-mile descent to Trail Junction (13,484 feet), where the John
Muir Trail joins from the west to summit Mount Whitney. Turn right to begin the fi-
nal 1.9-mile push to the summit over a stony ridge with the occasional peekaboo
view of Owens Valley below to the east. While it's just shy of 2 miles to the top,
with only about 1,000 feet of climbing at a moderate to gentle grade, the thin air
makes the journey quite taxing.
Begin walking the rocky ridgeline, enjoying westward views to Mounts Hale
and Young and beyond, and the pointed spire of Mount Muir to the east. Rocky
spires and narrow ledges provide endless photo opportunities. The climb can be a bit
vertigo-inducing for some, so take it easy and admire the jagged landscape of stony
outcroppings, narrow windows with views to Owens Valley and asymmetrical rocks
balanced in a seemingly precarious fashion on impossible ledges.
Round the corner around Keeler Needle, and begin the final ascent to the top of
Mount Whitney (14,497 feet). Approaching the summit's broad plateau, it can be
easy to lose the trail among the rocks. Watch for cairns until the tin-roofed shelter at
the top comes into view. The shelter is a welcome spot during high winds, but do not
seek protection here during a storm, as the tin roof is a lightning conductor. Hikers
have died here in the past.
In the native tongue of the Owens Valley Paiute Indians, Mount Whitney was
known as the “very old man.” The Native Americans believed that the spirit of des-
tiny lived in the mountain and observed their behavior from this grand perch. And
indeed, the mountain has beckoned men and women to its airy crown for hundreds
of years. Although it is sometimes disputed, it is generally acknowledged that the
first people to ascend Mount Whitney were three fishing buddies from Lone Pine, in
1873: Charles Begole, Albert Johnson, and Johnny Lucas. They first climbed Mount
Langley, realized it wasn't the tallest, and set a course for Whitney, dubbing it Fish-
erman's Peak. But the mountain had already been christened Mount Whitney in 1864
