Climbing Mt. Whitney

by Peter Croft, Wynne Benti, Glen Dawson (Foreword)

Newly updated March 2013. People travel from all over the world to stand on the summit of Mt. Whitney (14,500-ft.), the highest point in the contiguous United States. Miles of rugged granitic terrain, blue-green lakes, and impressive ridges are just some of the awesome vistas awaiting those who make it to the top. Peter Croft, winner of the American Alpine Club's Underhill Award for outstanding achievement in mountaineering, has updated this new edition for every level of how to get the most out of your conditioning; prepping for overnight trips; dayhiking the main Whitney Trail; the North Fork approach; Whitney from other passes; cross-country routes; and challenging technical routes for advanced climbers. Written and published in the Eastern Sierra, and printed in the USA, Climbing Mt. Whitney has sold more copies than any other guide to the peak, standing on its own merits as the best Whitney trail guide of all time. Approved by the USFS. Includes new Whitney elevation data (14,500-ft.) provided by the USGS and NOAA/NGS.

132 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

Peter Croft is a Canadian rock climber and mountaineer. He has concentrated much of his rock climbing career on big routes in Yosemite National Park, Squamish, British Columbia as well as the High Sierra. He received The American Alpine Club’s Robert & Miriam Underhill Award in 1991.
Croft listed The Evolution Traverse (YDS class 5.9 grade VI) which links Mount Mendel, Mount Darwin, Mount Haeckel, Mount Fiske, Mount Warlow and Mount Huxley as one of his favorite climbs in Fifty Favorite Climbs: The Ultimate North American Tick List.
Royal Robbins, a leading climber of the previous generation, wrote about Croft and his climbing achievements in 2000: "Peter has been my hero for many years, ever since he came blazing out of nowhere with his stunning free solo ascent of Astroman on Washington Column in Yosemite. Tom Frost and I had made the second ascent of this route, mostly with direct aid in the early sixties. That one could climb this route without resorting to direct aid was impressive. To do it without a rope was astonishing. But such was Peter's level of mastery. That it was mastery, and not mere daring was proven by a string of free solos of similar stature, executed to perfection."

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know nothing about Mt. Whitney, this is the book to read. Even if you are not planning to hike it, there is a plethora of information about history, terrain and what to expect.

I read this book in preparation for my Mt. Whitney hike. I had already done research before to see if I was even able to do it so a lot of the preparation information was redundant for me.

I did enjoy how there were sections for day-hikers and multi-day hikers with what to bring for each type of hike. Overall, a quick read and a very good starting point if you are just curious about Mt. Whitney.

[Christy Keeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of what to expect on a first hike to Whitney.