Mount Whitney: The Complete Trailhead to Summit Guide

The author, Paul Richins, Jr., starts off this excellent back country guide with a brief introduction to the region, some cautionary commentary, and some real world common sense recommendations on what, and what not to bring on your trip(s). He then describes useage of the book and proceeds to detail the various routes. He covers the basics of getting to the trailheads, details various legs of the routes with common stops and starts and points out areas of risk where appropriate. Unlike other reviewers, I found his approach to be accurate on the trails I am familiar with, but I would caution anyone attempting these trips to thoroughly map out their trek using the most current topographic maps available.I think the other reviewers that found fault with the book were negligent in recognizing that it is a "guide" book, not a scientific treatise. The trail and cross country conditions one encounters are not static and a certain degree of subjectivity must creep into descriptions that change from season to season. For that reason no one should ever plan a back country trip based solely on a guide book written years distant from one's own journey. Additinally, trail conditions should be verified at the appropriate Ranger Station, ideally speaking directly with field Rangers who have been in the area recently. Finally, current, up to date topographic maps and the ability to read them along with reasonably proficient back country skills are the bare minimums for any of the cross country routes and the multi day trail hikes detailed in the text.With regard to the criticism leveled against the author's description of the "Meysan Lake Route", I don't know what these reviewers were talking about. First of all, if it's a "route" it involves cross-country travel and the author clearly delineates this in the description. Further, he goes on to describe it as a "strenuous" route and labels it class 2. A little bit of common sense gleaned from the telling data of a 8971' elevation gain in 12.1 miles should be sufficient for anyone attempting it. I've made this one and I might be more apt to label it class 3 as it is strenuous, if not downright grueling....it's also magnificent.This book is as good as any guide book out there, is well written and contains a lot of information on this specific area just not available elsewhere. If you're going to hike in the Whitney area, it's a must have....just make sure you have the requisite skills to handle the adversity that comes with the territory.

This is the standard book in assisting novice Whitney hikers to the summit. If you have never hiked the main trail to Whitney, or if you want to try the alternate routes, then this is a a well-written guide, with insight from an experienced hiker and climber. There is ample information on how to secure a permit for the main trail, when to contact the Ranger Station and additional info on the annual May lottery.However, there are some problems with the author's descriptions of various other trails and this is imperative to point out. For example, the Meysan Lakes chapter claims that anyone can summit Mt. Whitney via the Meysan Lakes trailhead. This is problematic at best, and a falsehood at its worse. There is a trail to Meysan Lakes, but there is *no trail* afterwards until you hook up with the main Whitney Trail. The author fails to mention that an any hiker attempting the middle sections of this trail must have developed route-finding skills and this section would be a class 3 hike. This is omited from the book and consequently, could cause hikers somes serious problems.I also quibble with the author's assessment of what is difficult and what is not. I've summited Whitney many times and regard a time of 11 hours (when not trail running) as pretty swift. However, the author says that "standard" or average time in hiking Whitney is 10 hours for a day hike. This is a little elitist and only well-conditioned hikers make it in that time. This also presents novices with faulty information. When they struggle to get done in 16 hours, they might rely on this book's information and regard that time as pathetic.So be careful with this guide and the information contained within. I still recommend it, and the elevation maps for each trail are interesting. I respect the author, who has summited Whitney via the various routes described and who has even done Everest. But check around with others before attempting any trail aside from the main one and best of luck.

As Mt Whitney is the highest peak in the continental US it draws a great variety of hikers, ranging from the experienced to the clueless looking for bragging rights. Hence getting a permit for the direct route takes luck in the lottery or a last minute cancellation. Aside from the altitude change, climbing Whitney by the standard route is no big shakes, as there is a class I trail that goes all the way to the summit. No guide book is needed, only maps, fitness, and the usual backcountry common sense and supplies (and those who don't know what those are probably shouldn't be tackling Whitney just yet).What makes this book nice is the variety of approach routes described, from the standard trail route to more challenging off-trail/cross country routes. Essentially the book is a collection of hikes of the Whitney high country that intersect with the summit at some point. This is highly relevant as the 1-3 trip permits are hard to come by, but multi-day treks starting farther away and ending at Whitney are more easily obtained, not to mention the beautiful country encountered along the way. The maps of the book complement topo maps: they are more simplified and easy to read, facilitating planning and consideration of options.Nothing in the book requires climbing gear if one is going once the snow has melted... The mountaineer's route is the most difficult one covered here and a roped climbing oriented crowd probably wants a supertopo guide instead of this.Additional note: This book appears to have gone out of print. While the list price seems fair this is in no way worth collector prices.

the author clearly made this book 3 time thicker than it should be, as well as, a lack of good specifics when trying to layout a few plans for this hike to the top... any new reader should be clearly awake and have lots of time to weed through it...