How to Train for Hiking Mt. Whitney

Train before you attempt to hike Mount Whitney.

Hikers dream of "bagging" Mount Whitney in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, the highest peak in the lower 48 states. While it's a mere four-hour drive north of Los Angeles, it's a difficult journey due to the length of the hike (22 miles round trip), the elevation gain (over 6,000 feet) and the thin air (you'll be at 14,497 feet on the summit). With proper training, though, you can give yourself a "leg up," so to speak, on achieving this monumental goal.

Things You'll Need

• Hiking boots
• Backpack
• Water bottles
• Hiking poles
• Hat
• Sunscreen
• Layered clothing
• Waterproof jacket
• Food
• Lip balm with sunscreen
• First aid kit
• Map
• Flashlight
• Matches and fire starter material.

Instructions

1. Purchase sturdy hiking boots. Boots are your most important piece of equipment because this is such a long hike. Go to a reputable outdoor store and be properly fitted. Wear the socks you will hike in. Make sure your toes have enough wiggle room -- your feet might swell during such a long trek. Ask if you can return the boots if they don't work out after a hike or two. If the store says no, seriously consider going elsewhere.

2. Break in your boots on actual hiking trails, not just around your home or office. You should not have to put up with spots that rub, blisters or tightness.

3. Get your permit for Mount Whitney. Because the best time to hike Whitney is in summer, it's also the most popular time, so permits are required. The Forest Service uses a lottery system for permits; check the website for information before February 1. Coincidentally, this is a great time to begin your training.

4. Map out a weekly training schedule. If you already exercise, then starting to train five to six months ahead of time should be sufficient. If you're starting from scratch, give yourself a year to get ready.

5. Add distance each week. Start by hiking easy five-mile jaunts twice a week. Progress by adding a few miles each outing so that in Month 2, you're doing 10-milers, by Month 3, you're up to 15-milers, by Month 4, you're able to hike 15 to 18 miles at a clip, and by the final month of training and a week or two from summiting Whitney, you're topping out with an 18- to 20-mile trek.

6. As you add distance, add elevation gain and altitude -- if you live near a mountain range. In Southern California, the Santa Monica Mountains and Verdugos are 2,000 to 3,000 feet tall, and the San Gabriel Mountains go from 4,000 to 10,000 feet. Each weekend, find hikes that are steeper and take you higher into the mountains. The final Whitney training hikes in Southern California include Mount Baldy (10,064 feet), San Jacinto (10,804 feet) and San Gorgonio (11,502 feet).

7. Add an aerobic activity to get your heart really pumping a couple or three days a week. Jogging, fast bicycling and swimming all count, and will help simulate the labored breathing you'll experience on top of the mountain.

Tips & Warnings

• Drink enough water. Don't wait until you're thirsty; sip water every 10 or 15 minutes. A large Camelbak will hold 100 ounces of water, which will serve you for a moderate hike (6 to 8 miles on a 75-degree day). A longer hike and hotter weather means more water. On Whitney, you'll not be able to carry all of your water, so you're going to have to filter it from lakes and streams along the way. That means bringing water bottles, a filter system (or friends with one) or iodine tablets (with vitamin C tablets to take away the bleach taste from the iodine).

• Get a buddy or buddies to train with. Training by yourself is lonely -- increase your enjoyment and success possibilities by doing this with pals. You'll laugh, commiserate, and hold each other accountable for your training schedule.

• Bring food you love. If you hate granola, don't bring it. If you love sardines or candy bars, bring them. The idea is to keep yourself fueled. Carbohydrate loading works for some, but if you get a headache from too many carbs, consider bringing protein to balance out. High protein snack bars, tuna salad, peanut butter and pre-cooked tofu are great choices.

• High elevations give people headaches. That's why training is essential -- the better shape you're in, the better your body can deal with the lower amounts of oxygen at higher elevations. Bring aspirin or other medicine to take when you sense a headache coming on. Don't wait until it's full-blown. If the headache persists and you feel nauseous, hike to a lower elevation. If you stay up there, you're courting altitude sickness.

• Acclimatize. Do not go from sea level to a high altitude in one day. Go up a few days early and get used to the thin air.

• Do not wear cotton. Jeans chafe your legs, and a sweaty cotton T-shirt can make you chilled when a breeze comes up. Even when it's 80 degrees in the Whitney Portal campground, it can be in the 30s up on the top -- not a good place to be wearing wet clothes; you'll be flirting with hypothermia.

• Pay attention to the weather. Building clouds could mean a thunderstorm or snow is on the way.

• Let people know where you're hiking and when you'll return. Call them when you get back.

References

• Section Hiker: Climbing Mount Whitney
• Modern Hiker: Hiking Mount Whitney

Resources

• U.S. Forest Service: Change is Coming to the Mount Whitney Lottery -- 2011
• Mount Whitney Hikers Association: Orientation Notes for Whitney First-Timers