Skyline/C2C first attempt ?s

[Kevin]

Jennifer - Thanks for the comparison. My experience is similar to yours in terms of Whitney, and I've done many other long slogs at elevation on other peaks, including glacier climbs. As a relative newcomer to this part of the country, this will be my third summer in the upper Mojave, so am acclimated to heat as well.

An old friend of mine, whenever a difficult hike was over-hyped, loved to say "This ain't Everest", and in reading some of the posts here the answer to "Just how hard is it, anyway?" wasn't apparent, at least to me. It's most helpful to compare an unknown against the known.

And Doug M. - by the MR being "more regulated" - yes, the rangers at the VC in Lone Pine are quick to point out the overall quotas which had applied only to the Whitney trail now apply to the MR route as well. In other words, the number of people dayhiking or overnighting on the Whitney Trail will likely be lower. Still, if you're able to hike mid-week (including Sunday), and don't mind driving to Lone Pine the day before, most will still be able to get a walk-in permit since there are lots of cancellations.

Kevin

[guest]

Hiking the entire C2C is about 22 miles (if you stay on the trail) and over 10k gain, & maybe 2,500 drop, and about 3,700 ft lower in highest altitude, (going to 10,834).

If you feel that's no big deal, finish it off by going back down to starting point in the desert, then there may be a different feeling in comparing the 2.