whitney guide

8/9/2019 Whitney Guide

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USDA United States Department of AgricultureForest ServicePacific Southwest RegionHiking the Mt. Whitney TrailInyo National Forest 2010

Take responsibility for your own safetyM.Whitney has many potential hazards: highaltitude; steep terrain; snow and ice on the trail;lightning; severeweather. You or someone in your groupmay also be affected by exhaustion, altitude sickness ora pre-existing medical condition. There are no safetyfeatures in this wilderness area. Youmust recognizehazards, evaluate your group's abilities, and make gooddecisions about your safety. Every year, hikers whomake poor decisions when confronted by these hazardsbecome ill or injured. There have been fatalities hereaswell. Remember: safety comes first, the summit isoptional.Help protect this wilderness areaPlease commit to "leave no trace" practices or youmay damage this very fragile wilderness. To leaveno trace on Mt. Whitney: plan ahead.and prepare foryour trip; travel on the trail and camp at a well-estab-lished site; pack out your human waste; store all foodand trash in a bear canister; protect the purity of thewater; use only stoves for cooking; and be considerateof other hikers.'. .< .-. . , P l . ~ ~ A H E A i ) A N Q . R ~ E ~ A R E < , . ; , : . > . / . ' : ' / / ; ! i > . . U / .o,\i is i tthe InyoNat ion alForestwabsitE,: . Esseritialdayhike equipment ... ' .. ES~~lJtial'oy~,:nightiteeqUiPllIel1trrn~::~~~~I~~~ti; : .~lic k~n ".: . : b : ~. .~ . :.clothin:s.&ra in gear . . b+ :n .Y t~i::t~~f~h:~ :t.~ ., :/" .. f~~:rfIJr npp annmq ....."'0 SU l1c~eeen& hat' D. Stove . .

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Come prepared for severe weatherImay be warm and sunny at the trailhead, butweather conditions can change quickly. Be preparedfor high winds, subfreezing temperatures, rain or snowany month of the year.May-June: The winter snow pack slowly recedes. Expectthe switchbacks above Trail Camp to be covered by snowand ice through June. Day-time temperatures are oftenwarm, with nights usually below fteezing. Winter-likestorms are not uncommon.July-Early September: The trail is relatively snow ftee andthe weather usually fair and pleasant. The upper elevationscan still be cold and windy. Thunderstorms and lightningare a significant hazard. At the first sign of lightning, leavethe summit area or exposed ridge tops.Late September-October: Short days and cold tempera-tures make day hikes to the S";o w a nd ice co nd itio nssummit difficult. Storms h ria ., 7? I

b S th c ange 'l: Y . 1.rave maymay e severe. now at 1 h .J .: h :"11- I' oe azaraous unt. outaus on upper e evauon.1 k l'ls dI 'all b 11 ail tneproper setus ans opes, espeCl y a ove r .Camp, may not melt off. ~eq.: : ......u~ tp=m=e=n=t.========November-April: Winter prevails, with deep snow andvery cold temperatures. The road toWhitney Portal is usu-ally closed November through April. Winter storms maydrop severalfeet of snow and have winds over 100 mph.

Acclimate yourself to the high altitudeArrive a few days early. Stay at a campground lo-cated at a moderate (8,000-10,000 feet) elevation:Whitney Portal, Onion Valley or Horseshoe Meadows.Day hike to higher elevations: Youwill acclimate betterby day hiking at higher elevations and sleeping at moder-ate elevations. We recommend you take acclimation hikesat Onion Valleyor Horseshoe Meadows to lessen thenumber of people of the Mt. Whitney Trail.Take baby steps to the top: Travel at a slow, steady andcomfortable pace. If you are day hiking to the summit,start up the trail well before dawn.Stay hydrated and well nourished: Besure to replenishelectrolytes. Don't forget any prescribed medications.Learn to recognize Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS): Alsocalled altitude sickness, AMS symptoms include persistentheadache along with difficulty sleeping, dizziness, fatigue,loss of appetite, nausea or =-=========vomiting. If you experience morethan m ild discomiortAMS can affect anyone. Your 'JLage, gender, physical condi- from AMS, you shouldtion or previous high altitude des ce nd immediately.experience has no bearing onwhether you will be affected by AMS.AMS may impair your judgment. For your group's safety,you need to make good decisions on the mountain.

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Pack out your human waste"\VJhy can't I just bury my poop, like in other wil-.W derness areas? First, consider there are 20,000people on the mountain each year. Then consider thatmuch of the area is solid bedrock. There is simply notenough soil to bury the human waste from this manyhikers. And there isthe potential to harmwater quality. Re-member, you need todrink the water.

Pack-out kits are the onlyacceptable method for thedisposal of human waste.

Where to get pack-out kits: Eastern Sierra InterAgencyVisitor Center in:Lone Pine.How to use a pack-out kit:o Find a secluded location.o Spread the large inner bag on the ground. Don't spillthe powder!o Crouch over the bag and relieve yourself Dispose oftoilet paper in the bag.

o Tie a knot in the inner bag. Then zip lock it inside theouter bag.

Fight odors: Add a cup of water or urinate in the innerbag. The powder inside absorbs liquid to create an odor-fighting gel.Urine: Urinate anywhere, but stay at least 100 feet fromwater or campsites. It is okay to urinate inside the pack-out kits.Animals: Store only human waste and tissue in your pack-out kit. Trash or food scrapswill attract animals.Storage: Store used kits outside your tent or in your pack.Do not store kits in bear canisters.Disposal: Please dispose of used kits in the receptacle atthe trailhead, next to the trailhead toilet.

Store food safelyAt the trailhead: Use the food storage lockers at thetrailhead. Space is limited, so minimize the amount offood you store. Leave ice chests at home. To bears, "food"includes water bottles, coffeemugs, soda cans, trash, wrap-pers, cosmetics, grocery bags, boxes, and ice chests. Do notleave these "food" items in your car or tent. Keep a cleancamp and never leave trash or food unattended. Be bearaware: black bears are common in the Mr. Whitney area.On the trail: Bear canisters are the only effective means tostore your food. All food, trash, toiletries and anythingwith a scent must be stored inside the canister. Rangerswill issue citations to hikers that counterbalance food orhang trash from trees when canisters are required.We strongly recommend you use a bear canister through-out the year. Bears may be active during spring and fallmonths, and Bear Ca~ist~rs -~rereqtti;~d ~nmarmots will h 71H TVTl' 'T! '1ft hb ldl t, e lr.lt. wmtney Frat 'Omt. eo . y try to 1 Friday of Memorial Day weekendget Improper y I\. T b 1stored food. to ivooem er .

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Keep bears wild: When a bear gets human food it becomesless fearful of, or "habituated" to people. A habituated bearcan destroy property or injure people as it attempts to getimproperly stored food. Once a bear has damaged propertyor injured someone, aurhorities willartempr tofind andshoot the bear, Protect your food, and keep bears alive andwild!Bear canister rental locations: Eastern Sierra InterAgencyVisitor Center in Lone Pine; Whitney Portal Store; andsporting goods stores in Lone Pine.

A bear broke through a window and damaged car's interior while trying toget food from trunk.

Inyo National Forest: --------------------------------------. ~


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Mou~t Whitney R~nger Station.Ranger Station TDD LineWilderness Information ... ...Wilderness Per~it Reservations'

Decide where to campMst hikers choose to camp at Outpost Camp orTrail Camp. Other campsite choices includeLone Pine Lake or Consultation Lake. Always choosea well-established site. Comply with signs that indicateareas closed to camping. .Outpost Camp: Located in Bighorn Park 3.8 miles fromthe trailhead at elevation 10,300 feet. Relatively shelteredcampsites are located near creeks amidst trees and willows.Trail Camp: Located 6 miles from the trailhead at el-evation 12,000 feet. Trail Camp is above tree line andexposed to wind. Campsites are scattered off both sides. of the trail. Look in the area south of the trail for moresecluded campsites.Hygiene: Wash your hands before eating or preparingfood. Wash your hands after using pack-out kits.Regulations to protect wilderness and waterqualityo No campfires.o No camping at Mirror Lake and Trailside Meadow.o Camp more than 100 feet from lakes, streams or the trail.o Use your pack-out kit for human waste. Do not urinatewithin 100 feet oflakes, streams or campsites.

o Do not wash or discharge soap within 100 feet of water.o Do not leavetrash in the wilderness.

Give back to the mountain. Join a Friendsof the Inyo volunteer stewardship projecton Mi. Whitney in 2010. For trip dates anddetails, visit: friendsoftheinyo.orgThe U.S. Depar tment o f Agricul tu re (USDA) proh ib its d iscr imination ina ll i ts programs and act iv it ies on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disabil ity, andwhere appl icable, sex, mar ital s ta tus, famil ial s ta tus, parental sta tus, rel ig ion, sexua l orien ta tion, genet ic information, pol it ical bel ie fs, reprisal , or because a ll orpart of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all p roh ibi ted bases apply to al l p rograms.) Persons with disabil it ies who requi rea lternat ive means for communication of program informat ion (Brai lle, large pr in t, aud iotape, e tc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center a t (202) 720-2600 (voiceand TOO). To file a complaint of discrimination, wri te to USDA, Director, Off ice of Civ il Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.w., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, orcal l (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TOO). USDA is an equal opportuni ty provider and employer .Printed on recycled paper R5-RG-164r------------------------'------~~-------~Hkng theM.Whtneyral

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