REI Preparing for Mount Whitney Clinic

Wednesday night arrived and right after work I headed over to REI in Manhattan Beach for the “Preparing for Mount Whitney” clinic that Scott had told me about. I was interested to see what the presenter had to say. I arrived and wondered around the big kid toy store like a five year old in FAO Schwartz. It had been a long time since I’d been in an REI and I really wanted to just take my time and check things out but, the clinic was about to start and I needed to find where it was being held. I turned the corner of the aisle and Scott was approaching with a guy who seemed twice his height. I said hello and Scott introduced me to Tyler. Tyler is Scott’s buddy from college and it looks like he will be on the Whitney team. We showed up just in time to get a seat before the clinic began.

Greg Patrick (A.K.A., Trailgoon) was the presenter and he knows his stuff. It has been a long time since I’ve been up this mountain and I wondered what had changed, as far as how to approach it and prepare. He covered everything. I’m not sure how many times he has summated but, during the clinic he spoke of at least three separate occasions. Not long after Greg began I turned to see where Scott and Tyler found seats just as Mike P. had showed up. Mike P. is another workmate who said he would like to join us on this little adventure.

Greg covered everything from permits to pooping in a bag. No more chemical toilets. It seems that using a helicopter to do maintenance had gotten a little too expensive. He showed us the six “standard” routes. The (main) Whitney trail, Cottonwood, Kearsarge pass, Crabtree pass, Mountaineer’s route and JMT. All of these trails have very different features. I’m pretty sure our intrepid adventurers will head up the Whitney trail, which is an eleven mile hike from Whitney Portal that requires no technical climbing. We haven’t discussed the route yet but, I get the feeling not everyone in the group has done a lot of hiking, little to no technical climbs.
Greg talked about AMS (acute altitude sickness) and other altitude related issues. Not a fun part of the presentation but, absolutely necessary. Of all the thousands of people who attempt to summit each year two thirds never make it. There are a lot of reasons but, most fail to plan, train properly, follow some sensible altitude rules, or a combination of these. My goal is to get our whole team to the summit and back down safely and enjoyably as possible.

For me the biggest tip and most interesting idea was he suggests going as light as possible. This is known is known as Ultra-Light hiking. Being from the old school of hiking, which basically means carrying everything thing and a few extras just in case someone forgets theirs; I was thinking I would be carrying a 45 lbs. pack up this mountain again. According to Greg, if you have the right gear you can complete this hike with considerably less weight. The goal is to carry no more than 15 – 20 lbs. Yep, including food. Let me just say how good that sounds. It makes a lot of sense too. Carry less weight and your body doesn’t have to work as hard, which means less stress, which means more fun. You can look around more and enjoy the trip more. Ah, there is something to be said about modern technology.

The clinic went fast and it was very much an overview, so Greg told us we could get more information on his Yahoo group. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hikingmtwhitney/There is a great deal of information, such as a lightweight gear list, maps of the routes, other goodies. After the clinic Scott, Tyler and I must have talked for 20 minutes in the parking lot about ideas that had come to us while sitting in the clinic. This is going to be a fun year!