Whitney Reflection...

Looking back at my prior trip to Whitney, I have been mulling over many of the details and decisions made for quite some time now. It has been three long weeks since I made the attempt with six others, including my good friend Mark. Though the each member in the group had the potential to make the summit, only two of our members topped out. Now each story is different, but there is some overlap between the many possible perturbations of causes. I can speak from my own experience what contributed to my miss at the opportunity. Rather than delving too heavily into each, I'll keep it brief. Whether or not this helps anyone else, it's a record to myself of what I can change next go-'round. Already we are considering another visit to the Eastern Sierras to attempt the mighty summit again under winter conditions.

Whhhyyyyy????...

1. SLEEP.
   There really isn't much to this one. It's quite simple. Right out of the gates, I failed in having adequate rest prior to the climb. There were several nights leading to the trip that were spent fulfilling other commitments in addition to packing/repacking. The night before driving out I was only able to garner 4.5 hours before my half-day of work prior to heading out. Couple that with the 9-hour drive and I was dog-tired upon arriving to the trailhead at 11pm that first night. Rather than sleep the first night at the cars, the group opted to ascend to the Portal in the middle of the night. I'm not bitter about the decision to immediately begin trekking, but it certainly crippled some of the following day's effort for me.
   
2. PACK WEIGHT
   Simply stated: I packed way too much... so much, in fact, that the "kitchen sink" joke frequented every mention of my oversized pack. Now I should mention, I can carry a heavy pack. In fact, in my training for Rainier, I try to pack at least 50 lbs, whether I need it or not for the hike I'm on. The one thing I didn't take seriously enough was the effect of this extra weight at altitude. Not having the ability to efficiently breathe while carrying a heavy load quickly leads to tired, cramping muscles that can't replenish from the depleted oxygen level state in the blood stream.
   
   I should devote a whole article to this issue of pack weight. Contributing factors to the weight include food selection. Even though the cans of Stagg chili taste great after a long day of hiking, the added water that comprises the packed weight just isn't economical. Whenever possible, food should be limited to lightweight, high-calorie items... sans water. On our hike, water was in abundance -- a stark contrast from what I'm typically dealing with in the spring/summer/fall months here in the desert. There's just no need to bring food with a high percentage of water-weight. To further exacerbate this issue, I probably packed enough food for at least seven days. We were only out there three full days. Upon inspecting my pack leftovers, I estimated that I brought about twenty pounds of food back, unused. This ranged from jerky to trailmix to oatmeal packets. Before heading out next time, I'm going to keep to a strict caloric diet to ensure that I bring just enough sustenance, maybe +/- an extra day.
   
   In the rare case of survival, water is the most important factor. A person can do without food for several days. Lastly, we brought far too much fuel. I packed 52oz of fuel, which contributes to almost six pounds. Group communication mainly contributed to this mis-estimate.
   
3. ALTITUDE
   Altitude is a complicated subject. As a contributing factor to overall health and spirit, it remains quite subjective to the individual. If that weren't fuzzy enough, the effect of altitude on the individual gains much dependence from the previously mentioned factors. In my case, heavy pack-weight and lack of sleep likely contributed to this devil of a beast. As much as I would like to say this is controllable, it really isn't. In our group of six, at least four of us experienced some form of altitude sickness. Whether it was the nausea, the upset stomach, vomiting, lack of appetite or thirst, dizziness, or raised-heart rate, many of our group members felt the pronounced effects of this silent enemy.
   
   Personally, on my ascent up to our high camp at Lower Boy Scout lake, at around 10,500 feet, the heat of the day accelerated this effect on my health. That night that should have been devoted to planning the next day's summit attempt were instead focused on forcing myself to drink water, attempting to eat at least a quarter of the meal I had prepared and fighting to fall asleep despite the lingering shortness of breath and pounding heart-rate.

Those are the main factors I would focus on for next time, each one not to be taken lightly.  I'm eager to get out there again. The Eastern Sierras are truly amazing...