People keep underestimating the descent from Mt. Whitney's summit to Guitar Lake

I see so many trip reports planning to summit and then camp at Outpost Camp the same day, but that's a brutal 6,000 foot drop on tired legs. I learned the hard way last August, and my knees were shot for two days. What's a better overnight stop after the summit to break up that downhill?

3 comments

3 Comments

jesse_nguyen23d ago

My buddy's knees were toast after that.

paulmartin23d ago

What did he do, run a marathon? I tried playing basketball last week and my knees sounded like a bag of chips getting crushed. Felt like an old man trying to walk the next day.

adam_nguyen718d ago

That 6,000 foot drop is a classic case of people planning trips on a map instead of their actual legs. I see it with my students trying to carry a 50 pound backpack for a mile.