Yes, it does take a little longer to climb this way, but then we believe that it is the journey that is important rather than the goal and this offers a very fine journey indeed.
The Climb
Day 1
We’ll meet at the Cottonwood/Golden Trout Walk-in Campground (this is near the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead) at 7:30am on the morning of the start of the trip unless other arrangements are made prior. You should have had a good breakfast and other than final packing be more or less ready to go. We’ll do a quick pack check and distribute group gear. The campground is some 45 minutes from Lone Pine so you need to have checked and double-checked your gear since there will be no opportunity for “last minute” shopping for forgotten items. We plan to leave the campground (9,950’) early since the first day is a long one. We take the trail across Cottonwood Pass (11,000 feet) and then make a long contour entering Sequoia Kings National Park, and continuing to the headwaters of Rock Creek. This is about a 9-10 mile day for hikers. If using pack stock we have to go further for a 13 mile day.
Day 2
We drop down Rock Creek before climbing up onto the wide open spaces of Guyot Flat. Staying above treeline we climb and contour around into Crabtree Meadows. We now turn towards Mt. Whitney and climbing steadily we get to camp at Guitar Lake (11,460’). This is a big 13 mile day for hikers, but those with pack support have a 9-10 mile trip.
Day 3
We are not too far from the summit but we allow all day for the ascent to the summit and the return. There are numerous switchbacks up to Trailcrest (13,550’) where we meet others coming up from the other side. The summit seems within grasp but the thin air limits our ability to move speedily, and with slow but steadily progress before long we will be on top and enjoying the highest point outside of Alaska. After summit photos and relaxing on top we retrace our steps to camp and a celebratory dinner.
Day 4
We retrace our steps back to Rock Creek.
Day 5
We retrace our steps back to the road head
Notes
You can also get our unpublished SMC Guide to Whitney here.
We highly recommend that you spend at least one night at moderate altitude (higher than 8,000') just prior to the trip. Spending a night at Whitney Portal or the Cottonwood Campground would do the trick. Please refer to our Planning for Success info sheet for more info.
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