![]() During the summer and autumn months, only sneakers are necessary to ascend this summit from the Whitney Portal trailhead at 8,365 feet, however, earlier in the season, an ice axe and crampons may be required. The 11-mile Mount Whitney Trail (class 1) is the easiest and most popular route to the summit and is often done as a strenuous 22-mile day hike. They took 2 weeks, crossed the dreaded salt flats and hiked a direct route not using roads or any other conveniences (this was documented by the Park Rangers and in a NovemSan Diego Tribune article entitled "Hikers View High, Low Sites in the U.S.”). ![]() Before this was ‘en vogue,’ Stan Rodefer and Jim Burnworth of San Diego became the first people to do the Badwater/Whitney (Lowest/Highest) hike in recorded history, in October 1969. The Badwater Ultramarathon, begun officially in 1987, takes some of the most masochistic individuals imaginable from Badwater (Death Valley) to the lofty summit of Mt. The proximity of the highest point in the continental US with the lowest point in North America has not escaped notice. Whitney’s subsidiary needles, (to the south of the main east face), are awe-inspiring enough by themselves, & have their own epics, legends, & lore firmly established. above cold & serene Iceberg Lake, draws the climber’s eye upward & makes them yearn. While its gentle western slopes would hardly inspire the hardened mountaineer, Whitney’s east face, erupting 2,000 ft. During the winter months, delightful opportunities also exist for the ski mountaineer / backcountry snowboarder. History, commanding position, excellent rock, its great east face & ‘subsidiary’ needles, & a tantalizing selection of routes are arguably the bread & butter of Mt. Whitney a truly great mountain are frequently overlooked. A huge number of people, possessing little wilderness skills or technical expertise, manage to run, hike, &/or crawl their way to the top of this large piece of exposed granite each year via the uninspiring Mt. It would be a minor (if somewhat steep on certain aspects) foothill in any of the Earth’s great ranges. The most recent observations by NGS (National Geodetic Survey)/NOAA (National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration) put it at 14,505' (4,421m)- thanks Eleutheros!Īll this being said, it is still no 5,000m (let alone 6,000 or 7,000m) peak. The NPS plaque on the mountain lists Whitney's official height at 14,496.811 feet. Its elevation seems to be continually evaluated and reevaluated using the newest technologies, perpetually changing (usually in an upward trend) the mountain's height. ![]() Mount Whitney's elevation stature continues to intrigue the human psyche, both from a civilian as well as a governmental perspective. Finally, it rises higher than any piece of land in the United States outside of Alaska. It is the highest peak in the Sierra, & indeed in all of California. It is the highpoint of both Tulare & Inyo counties. Mount Whitney, of the California Sierra Nevada, holds numerous distinctions.
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