Won the aftermarket Whitney lottery, but it was for 10/31. We went ahead and attempted it despite a drop in training and a work trip to New York that had me returning the day prior.
October 29, 202236.5785°N 118.2923°W
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Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the lower 48 at 14,505 feet, and the main trail is gated by a famously competitive Recreation.gov lottery. Late October is the shoulder-into-winter window — snow, ice, and short days stacked on top of the altitude, which is a lot to ask of legs that are undertrained and a day off a redeye.
If you go
Mt. Whitney (14,505 ft) is the highest point in the lower 48, and the main trail requires a permit through a notoriously competitive Recreation.gov lottery — ‘aftermarket’ meaning we grabbed a leftover date that opened up. Late October is the catch: it’s shoulder-into-winter up there, with snow, ice, and short days on top of the altitude. Going in undertrained, off a redeye from New York, is exactly how a strong day becomes a humbling one.
