10:24 a.m. on December 10, 2007 (EST)
"side trips to places like El Cap are possible"?????
Wait! I thought you said you were headed for Whitney??? That's a fair bit of separation. Whitney is the south end of the John Muir Trail. El Cap is in Yosemite, a relatively short hike from the north end of the John Muir Trail, which is a bit over 200 miles of hiking apart. Well, ok, for a "big trip" where you have driven from the east side of the continent to the west side, the drive between the two is only about a full day's drive.
It's been a few years since either Barb or I hiked Whitney by the trail (the climbing routes are much more interesting, and they don't require guides, either). But, first thing is that the purpose of the permit system is to reduce the number of hikers on the trail. There is a major competition for the permits, so make sure your permit request is there at no less than 1 minute of the opening of the block for your chosen dates and that you have a couple of alternative dates (there is a limit on the climbing permits as well, but in that case, there are usually a few walk-ins available within a day or two). Once on the trail, you won't find it particularly crowded. Not like 40 or 50 years ago, pre-permit days, when sometimes up to a thousand people were on the trail on most summer days. By the way, you will also have people coming from the west side and down the Muir Trail from the north. But not everyone makes it to the top, so you probably won't have more than 30 or 40 people on top when you are there.
Depending on how good a shape you are in at the time you start, it isn't really that hard a hike physically. BUT --- you will be going to the top of the highest peak in the Lower 48. This means there is a serious altitude problem. It turns out that physical condition is NOT a predictor of whether you have a problem with AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) or not. Statistically, men between the ages of roughly 18 and 30 in good physical shape have more problems with AMS (and its severe forms of HAPE and HACE) than any other group. Some people in otherwise excellent shape have serious problems with AMS. My primary care physician, who I see in the backcountry on skis from time to time, doesn't seem to be able to acclimate over 10,000 ft. Jim S, who posts here from time to time and is in excellent shape and with whom I have spent time in the Sierra, is another who has altitude problems. On the other hand, I adjust well, and have not had problems, at least to the top of Denali (highest I have climbed).
So, first thing is to plan on camping at least one night at Whitney Portal (the trailhead you say you will start from). It's too bad you can't camp at Mirror Lake anymore, since that was a good trail camp for acclimatizing. The present campsites are significantly higher, so make for more of an acclimatization problem. Make your hike from the Portal to the camp a very leisurely one. Drink lots of water (hydration helps minimize altitude effects). Make your diet during the climb a high carbo one - fats tend to be hard to digest at altitude, especially hard fats (like you find in bacon, sausage, etc). Proteins (in low-fat form, so very lean meats) provide the longer-term energy. Lots of small snacks and rest stops along the way help a lot.
From just a little below the switchbacks up to the pass, you won't have a water source. So plan on having at least 2 liters of water per person when you reach that point.
I'm not sure why you want to camp 2 days out on the trail. If you camp at the Portal for a day or two, hike up to your campsite at a leisurely pace, get a good night's sleep, then get an early start for the summit, proceed at a leisurely pace, then heading all the way back to your car gets you down from altitude quickly and is easy enough to do.
I will be out of the country until the end of the month, so someone else will have to answer any other questions.
