California – Training for the Mt. Whitney Day Hike
Training for the Mt. Whitney Day Hike
Training for the Mt. Whitney day hike is no joke. The trail to Mt. Whitney is a 22-mile out-and-back incline to reach the highest peak in the continental US. It is a stunning and challenging hike. Most people would prefer to camp overnight on the mountain, making the trek in two days, instead of one. But for those crazy enough, it’s possible in one day, even for us novices. Although I enjoy hiking, I would by no means call myself an expert hiker. I applied for the Whitney permit, unsure if I would be able to tackle the mountain in one day. We were successful! And this is how I went from being able to climb 10 miles in a day to 22 miles.
Other Mt. Whitney Blog Posts:
- Mt. Whitney Gear List – What I brought on the 22-mile Day Hike
- Breakdown of the Mt. Whitney Hike – Exactly What The Experience Was Like
- Lone Pine Lake Preparation Day Hike
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Initial Assessment & Creation of a Training Schedule
It was about 6 or 7 weeks before our permit date and we needed to make a decision about whether we were going to do the hike or not. I searched furiously online to see if I could find anyone’s account of doing the day hike, while not being in super-amazing shape. Honestly, there was not much out there. But I did find the Hiking Guy’s training schedule. With our time allotted, I decided to create a test for myself. If I could hike 10 miles without any major issues on the first weekend, I would have exactly enough weekends to get to 18 miles before climbing Mt. Whitney.
I talked with my friend, Kelly, who would be hiking Whitney with me. We agreed to the assessment, and she was on-board for the training schedule that I laid out. We embarked on our first hike in Santa Barbara. At mile 5.5, Kelly got stung by a bee! We immediately went to CVS to pick up some Benadryl and I dropped her off at home. We were both feeling okay before the bee sting. I decided to head to another trail and finish the last 4 miles. It was a odd day, but 10 miles was attainable. I knew Kelly would have also been able to finish it as well. We passed our own initial assessment and committed to training for the Mt. Whitney day hike.
If you cannot yet hike 10 miles, then work up to 10 miles, 1 or 2 miles at a time. Be honest and don’t judge your starting point. Because it’s just a starting point! If you commit and do research on proper stretching/foam rolling/eating/health, then I bet you can get to 10 miles.
Thoughts from After the Hike and Years Later
In June 2022, I wanted to take a look back at this training schedule to see if I would still recommend it. Good news, I would recommend the general schedule and focus on hiking! However, this is a ridiculous pace that we had to adhere too because of the timing. If I were to do it again, I would start EARLIER and increase by 1 or 1.5 miles each weekend. I see the fact that my knees were sore on Mt. Whitney as a clue that we were training too fast. Please, please, PLEASE adjust my training schedule to your body and your timing!
Training for the Mt. Whitney Day Hike
Based on the Hiking Guy’s schedule, we agreed to do a hike every weekend, adding 2 miles to the previous amount. Since Kelly grew up in Santa Barbara, she had an encyclopedic knowledge of the hikes available in our area. Most of the local hikes were not the appropriate length of what mileage we needed to accomplish, so we would often take extra trails or double back to reach our mileage. We chose hikes that were going to be challenging and at least two with higher elevations (Mt. Pinos and Mt. Baldy). We didn’t care about speed, only mileage.
Our Exact Training Schedule
Below is our training schedule. In all honesty, we condensed this into 5 weeks. I do NOT recommend this because we had some major blisters after our 18 mile hike and were doing our warm-up hikes a couple days later. Do as I say below!
- (Please start earlier, haha!)
- 6 weeks before Whitney: 10 Miles (Romero Canyon 6 miles, plus McMenemy Loop 4 miles)
- 5 weeks before Whitney: 12 Miles (Gaviota Peak 6 miles, plus 6 miles on fire road)
- 4 weeks before Whitney: 14 Miles (Montecito Peak 6 miles, plus Camio del Cielo)
- 3 weeks before Whitney: 16 Miles and (Mt. Pinos and Sawmill Ridge 7.4 miles, plus extra trail exploring)
- 2 weeks before Whitney: 18 Miles and 6,000 ft. elevation gain (Mt. Baldy 11 miles, and Dawson’s Peak beyond 7 miles)
- 1 week before Whitney: Rest/Prep Weekend
- 2 days before Whitney: 5.5 Miles at high altitude (Cotton lake trail 5.5 miles)
- 1 day before Whitney: 7 Miles at high altitude (Lone Pine Lake 6.9 miles)
Did we stick to it?
I am proud to say that we stuck to our schedule diligently (except for the bee sting). For years after Mt. Whitney, we still joke about how we are more proud that we stuck to this training schedule than summitting Whitney. We were amazed with our own level of commitment! With so much time on the trails to talk about our upcoming schedules, we chose a day each weekend that worked for our schedules and simply spent the entire day hiking. Sometimes we had to get a hotel for the night before our hike, depending on the location. I tracked our progress during the hikes with Strava. This ensured we reached the appropriate mileage. If we were not close enough, we kept walking.
WHY IT WORKS
To prepare for hiking, the absolute best thing you can do is hike. It was so insanely clear after about the 4th hike that no other form of exercise could have prepared us better for Whitney. With each weekend, we were taking a measurable step to our goal. Our bodies were adjusting to the long distances, with each week being able to go a little bit further. We were becoming physically prepared, but also learning a couple other valuable lessons – what gear to bring and mental endurance.
How Training Affects Your Gear
One part of why hiking to prepare for hiking is so critical is that we learned what we needed to be successful. I mean this in terms of technical gear (hiking boots, poles, backpack, etc.), but also food, water, and clothing. Your training hikes are an excellent testing ground for each piece of gear and what you’ll ultimately bring on Whitney. If you plan to use poles on Whitney, get used to them on the training hikes. Break in the shoes. Find out which sunscreen you feel comfortable with layering on top of the dirt and the sweat. It was during these training hikes that I kept getting sunburnt on the back of my neck, no matter how much sunscreen I used. I tried wearing a bandana and LOVED that it protected the back of my neck from the sun, and that I could drench it in water if I was hot. Now, I wear a bandana for every hike.
Pinpoint anything that makes you uncomfortable on the training hikes and improve it. Some of our hikes were on super hot days, where our hats, sunscreen, and 3 liter water bladders came in handy. Other times our feet had major blisters and we learned which band aids would stick.
Also, how often we ate and what we felt like eating were big indicators for how we felt. Pay attention to how much water and food you’re consuming. What are you craving on the trail? And how can you bring it with you? By figuring this out during the training hikes, you’ll be far more comfortable on Whitney. In a separate post, I give my gear breakdown, including how much food and water I brought/consumed, check it out.
Mental Endurance
In addition to gear, it was a learning curve of how to hike for 10 hours, 12 hours, and 14 hours. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. How can you keep a positive attitude? How do you tell when you’re grumpy because you’re hungry? If you’ve never hiked for this long, then the training will help you practice mental endurance. Kelly and I learned exactly when the other person needed food, what they were like early in the morning, and how rummy we get at the end of a long day. Whitney took us about 16.5 hours to do. I don’t know if I would have handled this without the preparation we did.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: Training for the Mt. Whitney Day Hike
If you are reading this because you are wondering if you can hike Whitney, ask yourself these two questions: Can I work up to 10 miles, 7+ weeks before climbing Mt. Whitney? Also, am I willing to give up a day on each of these weekends and 100% commit to a training schedule? If the answer to both is yes, then go for it! The trek itself is absolutely incredible and a attainable goal, with the right prep and gear. Read about the trek itself here. And a list of the gear I had here. But as you go through your training schedule, you will definitely find out what you need.
Have you ever created and executed a training schedule that allowed you to accomplish a goal? If so, I want to hear about it, so I know what else is accomplish-able out there!
Happy Travels,
Hanna