July 12, 2023: Summiting Mt. Whitney in a Record Snow Year
Disclaimer!! When there is little to no snow present, hiking Mt. Whitney Trail does not require technical mountaineering experience. However, due to this year’s (2023) insane winter season, there was a bunch of leftover snow throughout the summer. The “99 switchbacks” were completely covered in snow when we went, therefore we had to take a different route known as the chute – many people called it this, but some said that wasn’t technically a chute. A true chute is defined as a steep snowy gorge on the side of a mountain. Anyway, we are NOT experts in mountaineering. We had no experience prior to summiting Mt. Whitney. Did we go for it anyway? Yes. Was it safe? Not really but for the most part we felt safe. Did we take precautions and proper gear? Yes (we used microspikes which worked but some people HIGHLY recommend crampons, and we also had an ice axe). Did we experience AMS? Yes. Were the symptoms mild? Yes. Did the symptoms worsen as we SLOWLY ascended? Nope. Did we reach the DANG SUMMIT?? YES SIR/MA’AM WE DID! 🤩
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Mt. Whitney Trailhead – 11:05 PM
The start of the greatest adventure of our lives began at the Mt. Whitney Trailhead at 11:05 PM on July 11th, 2023. Starting a hike at that time felt so strange. We’ve never hiked through the night like that before. We’ve done sunrise hikes before, but we usually start hiking around 4 or 5 AM.
Trying to sleep the day before was impossible. We tried, but I don’t think we even slept for an hour. Attempting this strenuous hike without any sleep would add to the challenge. I think the adrenaline of hiking at night and trying to bag our first 14er helped us stay awake and alert!
Also, I would like to point out that I, April, am afraid of the dark. We were not blessed with a full moon that night either. But hiking with my husband definitely helped calm my nerves. I don’t think I could hike through the night alone.
We knew this portion of the trail since we had already hiked it to Lone Pine Lake a few days prior. It consisted of quite a few switchbacks with a decent bit of elevation gain, but nothing too tough. I think the scariest part about this whole hike was the second creek crossing! Due to a lot of snow melt, the creek was flowing pretty hard and the rocks that people usually step on were almost completely covered.
The rocks were slippery, and the current was making it hard to find good footing. My husband nearly got swept away but thankfully he regained his balance. We safely made it across with wet boots, wet socks, and cold feet. We each brought an extra pair of socks but *spoiler* they also got wet later on.
Lone Pine Lake – 12:55 AM
Once we reached Lone Pine Lake, we took our first rest break. All we ate were GU energy gels as we weren’t really hungry yet. We used our water filters to get water from the first creek crossing. It was so cold and so good! After hydrating and replenishing electrolytes, we continued on our way.
There was hardly any snow from the trailhead to Lone Pine Lake. But after the lake, we quickly reached more snow. It wasn’t too bad, and we were able to easily navigate our way along the trail. We reached a few more switchbacks that were snow-free. Our next “point of interest” was Outpost Camp which wasn’t too far from Lone Pine Lake.
Outpost Camp – 1:35 AM
We reached Outpost Camp and saw a few tents here. We stayed quiet in order to not disturb the campers. As we passed the tents, we reached more snow. The trail was becoming harder to find so we had to whip out the offline maps on our phones to help.
We basically relied on our offline maps for most of this section until reaching Trail Camp. I remember there being more creek crossings, but they were a lot easier to cross as compared to the one at the beginning. I changed into a new pair of socks at some point between Outpost Camp and Trail Camp, but they too got wet.
Before reaching Trail Camp, we had to strap on our microspikes as we started going up a snowy mountain side. The trail was completely covered and not visible anymore. At this point we were just following other peoples’ footprints to guide us. This section was fairly steep, but nothing compared to what we will be climbing up soon.
As we neared to the top, we looked behind us and saw the sun rising. It was beautiful! Watching the sun rise over the mountains while hiking up a snowy mountain was such an unreal experience.
Trail Camp – 5:15 AM
We finally reached Trail Camp! There were like 3 tents set up here. We looked up at the chute towards Trail Crest and noticed a few headlamps in the distance. People were making their way up towards the summit. We had been hiking for about 6 hours and needed a good, long rest break before tackling the chute. Also, we were at 12,000 feet in elevation and our bodies were not acclimated to this altitude yet.
Neither of us felt any altitude sickness (AMS) symptoms from the high altitude which was great! We took our time and ate some snacks, hydrated, and refilled our bottles. We analyzed the chute and saw the different paths people have made. Mentally, we were ready. Physically, we felt ready. We knew this would be a tough physical challenge but were prepared to give it our all (as long as AMS symptoms didn’t creep up on us).
Tackling the Chute – 5:45 AM
Here we go. The second most challenging part of this hike. This was our first time climbing up a snowy mountain of this size. Also, our first time using ice axes. We looked up videos of how to perform a self-arrest but… we have never actually practiced. I know, that’s not smart! I’m just being honest and real with you. We wore our microspikes and had no issues. Some people recommended crampons over microspikes when going up the chute, but we also read quite a few reviews from AllTrails where people made it up with microspikes.
As we got closer to the top of the chute, the snow started to get slushy. This made it harder to find a grip as the snow would give away. Thankfully we were already close to the top, so we were able to pick up the pace and push through the last little bit to reach the top safely.
Trail Crest – 7:45 AM
Reaching the top of the chute felt like we had reached the summit of Mt. Whitney. It felt so good to finally be done with that part! It took us about 2 hours to climb from Trail Camp to Trail Crest. We were very proud of our time.
We didn’t want to rush any part of this hike, but we knew since the sun was up that the snow would start melting which would make it harder to climb up the chute. We took frequent short breaks but pushed through at a decently fast pace.
Once at the top, we decided to take about a 15 to 20-minute break before continuing on towards the summit. We were snacking and hydrating, talking to other people at the top, and shooing away a sneaky marmot.
Then all of a sudden, it hit me. I felt the effects of the high elevation. The first symptom was nausea, so I had to stop eating. I sat there for a moment to make sure it didn’t get worse. I didn’t feel any other symptoms, so we decided to make our way towards the summit of Mt. Whitney.
I could feel how thin the air was. I was taking deep, slow breaths and stopping to rest every 5 minutes. We agreed to ascend from Trail Crest to the summit very slowly. We had made good time and were able to take as much time as we needed. The skies were clear, and the conditions were good so far. Hardly any snow on Trail Crest.
We had plenty of water with us, so we hydrated quite often by taking little sips. I also ate a few ginger candies which were supposed to help reduce the nauseous feeling according to some other AllTrails reviews I had read. It actually seemed to help!
We were moving so slowly that I believe our bodies were able to acclimate a little bit without symptoms becoming worse. My husband started to feel mild AMS symptoms about halfway along Trail Crest. We both felt slightly nauseous and fatigued with a small headache.
We kept motivating each other along the way as we were getting closer and closer to the summit. I kept checking in on how Vikas was feeling just to make sure his symptoms were not getting worse. My symptoms remained mild and actually slightly improved. However, we both still felt crappy and exhausted.
Remember how I said climbing up the chute was the second most challenging part of the hike? Well, hiking along Trail Crest to the summit was by far the hardest part of this hike in our personal opinions. Not only are you exhausted from hiking uphill all night and day, but the altitude is what takes it out of you. I’m sure if you are properly acclimated to the altitude then this part would not be so bad, but for us, we were on the AMS-struggle bus!
We pushed through, one step at a time. Listening to our bodies and staying in-check with our AMS symptoms. We finally got to the last little bit before reaching the summit. The last portion of the trail was covered in snow and not safe to attempt as you would have to transverse across a steep snowy mountain side with jagged rocks at the bottom. Very dangerous! Instead, we rock scrambled up a different route towards the summit.
Mt. Whitney Summit – 11:10 AM
I can’t even describe the feeling I had once we had made it to the top. I wish I could say I was jumping up and down with joy, but it was hard enough to just hold up the dang summit sign to take a picture! But we still were ecstatic about being on top of the tallest peak in the lower 48 states! Such a wonderful experience. Only took us 3 hours from the start of Trail Crest to reach the summit of Mt. Whitney, but we freaking did it!
The views from the top were spectacular. If I wasn’t feeling so crappy from the altitude, I probably would’ve cried tears of joy. This was by far our greatest accomplishment of our lives. My husband and I completed our first 14er together which happened to be Mt. Whitney, sitting at 14,505 feet. And we completed this hike in ONE day. AND we gained some mountaineering experience along the way! Wow, what a journey.
We rested at the top for about 15-20 minutes then quickly made our way back down to lower elevation. Although our AMS symptoms remained mild and did not worsen, they were still there. Going back down Trail Crest went by a lot quicker than going up. We reached the top of the chute in no time!
Glissading Down the Chute
Disclaimer!! According to the fs.usda.gov, “Sliding down the snow on your bottom (glissading) from Trail Crest is not a safe option. The slope angle and underlying ice will likely cause you to slam into rocks at high speed. There have been injuries and fatalities here due to glissading.”
I could be wrong, but when the switchbacks to Trail Crest are covered in snow, I’m pretty sure most people choose the option to glissade down to Trail Camp rather than attempt to walk back down. I am not saying glissading down is safer than walking down but we felt more comfortable glissading. However, we were initially terrified due to it being so steep at first.
There were already a few glissading paths created from previous people. We chose the biggest and deepest path which seemed to have been used the most. The snow was still pretty thick, and we didn’t notice any exposed rocks while hiking up. After scanning what we could see, it seemed fairly safe. So, we just went for it. Vikas went first (my hero) and then it was my turn.
I waited a few minutes just to make sure I wouldn’t run into Vik on the way down. I could not see or hear him. I was hoping he was okay and made it down safely. Again, I looked up videos on how to properly glissade. This does not take the place of actually practicing. We did do a little bit of glissading when coming down from the summit, so that was our very brief practice session.
I cannot believe I was about to slide down the side of a huge mountain on my butt!! It was initially terrifying but also exhilarating at the same time. I took my position – sitting on my butt, knees slightly bent, and a death grip on my ice axe which was dug strongly into the snow.
I did not want to go fast! I made sure I kept control of my speed. I was able to completely come to a stop several times and check on Vikas who was WAY below me down the mountain. He gave me a thumbs up meaning he was okay. Thank goodness!
After the steepest part was over, I felt more comfortable going a bit faster and could actually enjoy the ride. Besides scrapping my elbows and butt on a few rocks, it was so much fun! I wish we could’ve glissaded all the way back to the trailhead. My legs were very thankful for the break, and we saved a lot of time glissading rather than walking back down the chute. I honestly would love to relive that part again. I hear the adrenaline rush can be addictive.
Mt. Whitney Trailhead – 7:30 PM
I can’t believe it’s over. I’m so happy it’s over! But also, sad that it’s over. It was such a beautiful journey that challenged us physically, mentally, and emotionally. We have never been more challenged than hiking up to Mt. Whitney in one day in the snow!
I’m honestly so lucky to say we made it to the summit. If our AMS symptoms would have worsened even the slightest bit, we would’ve definitely turned around. Despite having “summit fever”, I would’ve made sure our safety came first.
There were times on Trail Crest where I was questioning whether or not we would make it. We were moving like snails. But I’m glad we had the time to move slowly. I think we agreed on a turnaround time at 1 PM. Thankfully, we made it well before that! Words cannot describe the feeling of being on top of Mt. Whitney. It was a once in a lifetime experience. We will never climb up our first 14er ever again because this was OUR FIRST 14ER!
We were so exhausted when we got back to our car. We booked two nights at the Whitney Portal Campground, but unfortunately those two nights were not at the same campsite. We moved from one campsite the day before then had to move into a new campsite once we got back from Mt. Whitney.
Let’s just say, we were not looking forward to setting everything back up again! But since we were car camping it didn’t take too long. Once the car was set up for sleeping, we made a quick dinner. We mixed together beans and rice in a bag and attempted to eat but we could not. Our bodies just needed to rest. We jumped in the car and immediately fell asleep. It was one of the best sleeps of my life!
