The 2009 Mt. Whitney lottery application is available.
All applications must mailed with a postmark in February. The drawing is February 17 since February 16 is Presidents' Day.
Notifications of results by mail on or by (probably before) April 1, 2009. When you paid by credit card or by check, check your statements. If there is a hit on your statement, you got it!
List as many days as possible on your application. I have been successful by listing weekdays as my first choice. I "clump" them together. For example, I want to hike Mt. Whitney between August 13 and August 20 this year. My "wish list" for the one-day hike will be submitted as follows with the dates in order of preference:
August 14 (Fri)
August 17 (Mon)
August 13 (Thu)
August 15 (Sat)
August 16 (Sun)
August 18 (Tue)
August 19 (Wed)
August 20 (Thu)
I recommend staying away from major holidays like Independence Day and Labor Day.
If you like snow traverses then May and June are your months. You can glissade from Trail Crest down the chute. Use extreme caution if you do glissade down the chute.
July is good although last year on July 17 there was rain, snow, sleet, lightning, thunder. But it was a good hike nonetheless albeit wet and the 99s were soggy and tricky on the descent.
August is great although you have to worry about the monsoons in mid to late August. Sometimes it does snow in August above 12,000 feet.
September is another good month.
October is a coin flip. It is late in the season and very few hikers.
Of course, these are only my experiences on the mountain. Weather conditions dictate the order of the day.
Whatever date you choose, good luck!
Keep your group size small. Leading a group four or six is a helluva lot easier than a group of 8 to 15 when it comes to the big day. Trust me.
Click here to get Sun and Moon Rise/Set data.
Select the Type of Table.
Select California for the State or Territory.
Type in "Lone Pine" in the City or Town Name.
Then click on the "Compute Table" button.
Getting to the top is OPTIONAL and getting down is MANDATORY.
HYDRATION, HYDRATION, HYDRATION!
PACE, PACE, PACE!
NIBBLE, NIBBLE, NIBBLE!
When you are at the Portal Store, be sure you have either breakfast, lunch, or dinner and try to sit down with Doug and the crew. Socialize with the other hikers who come and go. Exchange stories, discuss strategies. Laugh, smile, awe.
Be safe.
Most importantly...
Have fun!
...and enjoy the view at 14,497 feet and take plenty of pictures! Especially, the summit register as proof positive you were up there!
Get up, get out, get going!
