Trip Overview and Description
This risk management plan will cover four day trip to Mount Whitney which is the highest summit in the US with an elevation of 14497 feet above sea level. Whitney Summit is Among the Sierra Nevada’s highest peaks. The trail will follow the normal Mount Whitney route which is considered to be less strenuous to the summit.
The beginning of the trail will at Whitney Portal situated 8360 feet. The increase in altitude is about 6,100 feet. Trail distance is 11 miles from Whitney Portal to the summit.
At most, the trip will take 4 days to complete. All the members of the group will take train, bus, or flight to Lone Pine and then driven to Whitney Portal where the trail will begin. The rest of the trail will be on foot covering at least six miles per day.
However, this will depend on the distance between the camping sites as well as the day’s weather and other factors put into consideration. The main aim of the trail is to achieve the major objectives of the trail that includes health enhancement, recreation and improve quality of life.
The other objectives are for the preservion of cultural heritage and natural resources, provide educational opportunities as well as boost the economic development of the region.
Most of the team members are between the ages of 25 and 45 with the team leader being the oldest at the age of 45. The team of eight consist four pair of couples. Each of the team members has experience in the mountain trails with majority of the team having mountain hike skills.
The team leader is the most experienced having guided most of the mountain trails in various parts of the world such as Alps in Europe. However, most of the group members are not new in the mountain trail.
Leadership
The group Leaders will have essential responsibilities, especially in the management of the team. The leader will have to ensure that the team is safe, have enjoyment, are fully engaged and most importantly, educationally gain from the trips.
Besides the group management skills, the team leader will be required to have possession of navigational and trailside maintenance skills (Martin, 2006). In addition, the trail leaders must have the capabilities of assessing risks and ways through which they can deal with emergencies.
The leader will also be required to provide an alternative in case of any eventuality. The leader should be highly experienced and is expected to provide technical advice on weather changes, acclimatization levels, GPS directions and health conditions and hazards as well as other technical issues that may be encountered while on the field (Cook, 2007).
The camp instructors are supposed to provide any assistance as well as providing directions. Moreover, the instructors have the responsibility of ensuring that the teams are safe and secure.
Trip Itineraries
Equipment
The following are the basic equipments or gear that will be required on the trail. These types of equipment are needed especially during the average summer conditions. However, during winter special gear may be required such as the ice axe, snow helmet, crampons and snow shoes (Connally, 2004).
But since this trail is planned during average summer conditions, these winter equipments will not be necessary. What is important to remember is that all the equipments will be carried for the entire 22 miles round trip journey. Therefore, they should be kept as light as possible (Goldenberg & Martin, 2007).
The equipment that will needed includes:
- Backpacks at least with a capacity of about 30lt and can comfortably carry all the travelling gear, food, water and extra clothing
- Hydration system with at least 2lt of water
- Headlamp mostly the basic LED lamp with high quality lithium batteries. Starting the hike with a new pair is better and it is a good idea to have an extra set.
- The map – the best map is Tom Harrison Mt. Whitney Zone. Each team member should have its personal map print outs and extra care should be taken to prevent any contamination with moisture. It is also important that the team members familiarize themselves with the map taking cognizant of important pints or stopping areas along the trail before setting out for the trail. The maps are very essential especially when the visibility is reduced to a few meters when the clouds roll in.
- The GPS navigation or compass. These are very essential when the weather turns to be very bad. It is also important to have lithium batteries for the GPS. The use of these equipments are essential for all the team members and should be learned during the prior trail trainings
- The First Aid Kit carrying band aids, tape, aspirin, mole skin, ibuprofen, antihistamine, blister ointment, portable aqua iodine tablets
- Reflective blanket which can be used as an emergency shelter. The blanket should be very light
- Fire starter or water proof matches. Though they are rarely required they can still be useful during emergencies.
- Small knife which should be simple and smaller. Probably it should be 51 piece multi-tool.
- Trekking poles that will be vital in saving the knees and in extra balancing on tricky terrain as well as stream crossing
- Clothing gear that includes under amour boxer brief and bra for women, Patagonia Capilene Crew Top, North Face Paramount Convertible Pants, Smart wool hiking socks, water proof hiking boots particularly the Merrell Outland Mid boots and the Outdoor Research Sun Runner Cap.
- Extra clothing that includes light weight power dry long sleeve t-shirt, full zip fleece jacket, rain jacket, full zip rain pants, black diamond wind weight liner gloves, wind break beanie extra pair smart wool hiking socks and sunglasses
- Other extras may include sunscreen, lip balm, toilet paper, wag bag, and wrist watches.
Water sources
Water is very essential during the hike particularly to stay hydrated while acclimating. Various factors that range from environmental to physical body needs determine the quantity of water one should have at a particular time.
In average, about 3 to 6 liters of water is required per person to stay hydrated during acclimation. Additives such as electrolyte drink mix and Gatorade can also be added to water or used along the trail to keep hydrated.
Luckily, pure water will be found in many places along the trail and it is essential to refill or top up the water before moving on. The ponds along the trail are filled with streams that have clean water that can be used without further purification.
There will be no need to carry more than two liters at any time. It is advisable to carry just the right amount of water otherwise it will be an extra load in the backpack. Much thought will only be on how to carry water. Water bottles are the best water container to use in this trail.
Though most of the water points are fresh and considered pure, those who can’t take untreated water can use iodine tablets to treat their drinking water.
Weather Related Information
Mountain weather changes almost every time making it very unpredictable. Dangers arising from unpredictable weather are higher compared with other forms of danger.
All characteristics of weather, sunshine, hail, snow, wind, rain and lightning will be possible at any time during the mountain trail. The team members will be required to pay extra attention to any development in the sky. However, the team must take precaution on sunshine, lightning, snow ice and hail.
Sunshine at higher elevations makes people become susceptible to dangerous rays that may pose great danger to the hikers. The effect of the rays may also be intensified by the reflections from the snow therefore the team is advised to put on the sunshine protection gear most of the time during the day. Exposed parts of the body are very vulnerable to dangerous rays hence should be protected using sunscreen.
The challenging parts are snow covered ground hence high precaution is needed. Mountaineering gear may be required at these points (Connally, 2004). It is advisable to end trails before noon since most of the thunderstorms develops from noon onwards.
However the trail can continue when the weather is clear. Generally, mountain Thunderstorms develop very fast and are normally accompanied with lightning. Clouds that form thunderstorms can easily be observed. Once cloud forming thunderstorms are sported it is advisable for the team to immediately seek shelter in the nearby trail camps.
Storm forming clouds are characterized by their Flat bases, White and gray color and their long vertical length. When these types of clouds appear early in the day, it is very likely that the storm will develop during the day. These clouds grow faster making the situation worse.
Lightning create an electric radiations that has the capability of covering large area. The deaths that result from storms are caused by ground current. The teams are always advised to be in contact with the weather center at the starting point base after every half an hour to keep a breath of any weather changes.
Transportation
Transport to Lone Pine is very limited especially air travels since there is no large commercial airport. However, any air travel will require that one uses the nearest cities. Though air travel is limited, other means are available especially the bus. The Eastern Sierra interregional public transport is provided by the transit authorities. The buses operate several routs within the Eastern Sierra region.
Other companies also offer bus services in most of the Eastern Sierra routs. However, private services are being made available by Mount Whitney shuttle. It is therefore advisable for the team members to organize with the Mount Whitney Shuttle Services for their transport prior to the trail.
Rules and Regulations
The trail team will have to adhere to the Mount Whitney zone rules and regulations that determine the conduct of the hikers. The rules and regulations concerns the permits, health of team members, environmental conservations, conduct of the team members, time regulations, safety measures, security, trail directions and camping regulations.
Even though most of the rules that govern the trail are encompassed within the Mount Whitney zone rules, the team will also be required to have their own rules and regulations that will be used to regulate their conduct.
The team will be required to stick together at all times, be at the camping sites before sunset, wake up by five in the morning, stick to the advice of the team leader and follow the required routs while on the trail. These rules are very essential especially during emergencies as well as enhancing the safety and security of the team members (MacInnes, 2005).
Risk Assessment and Management
There are several risks and dangers that will be inherently associated with this trail. Apart from dangers that are associated with injuries, there are those risks that are associated to weather conditions, healthy conditions and physical strains (Kosseff, 2010).
Some of these risks will include Injuries resulting from boulder falls, falls, slipperiness, knee knocks as well as any other causes of injuries. Injuries may be simple or acute depending on the impact made with the object. Simple injuries may include cuts and abrasions as a result of falling on the gravel. Acute injuries may include severe cuts as a result of being hit by a falling bolder (Kosseff, 2010).
Though the probability of their occurrence is small, the trail team will be required to wear the protective gear at all times as well as using the designated trail routs. It is also advisable that each team member take personal precautions in order to reduce the risks of having any injuries. Moreover, all the team members will be required to take physical training in order to be fit for this expedition.
Acute Mountain Sickness is also another health hazard that is very likely especially when the team is approaching higher altitudes. In fact altitude is the major cause of the sickness. However, it will be accelerated by the rate at which the team will be ascending.
The higher the rate of ascent, greater is the probabilities of developing the AMS. Higher ascending speeds destabilize the body functions before it adapts to higher altitudes. Other factors that may lead to higher chance of developing AMS are the degree of body exertion and dehydration.
Therefore, it is essential for the team to acclimatize at higher altitudes twenty four hours before the beginning of the trail (Connally, 2004). All the team members will be required to be at Whitney portal a day before the hike.
The team will be acclimatized at Meysan Lake, Horseshoe Meadows and Onion Valley which are 8360, 9200 and 10000 feet respectively a day before the trail. Moreover, during the ascent the team will keep a steady pace with short breaks to give the body a chance of acclimatizing. In addition, the team leaders will be required to constantly check the team members of any symptoms of AMS.
The diamox will be among the First Aid Kit contents and used during these situations. In acute situations, the team leaders are required to call for emergency airlift to the nearest hospitals at Lone Pine
The weather related risks are the most likely to occur during the trail (Connally, 2004). The ways to deal with weather related risks such as snowfall, hailstones, lightning will be extensively covered during the training process just before the trail.
Dealing with hash weather conditions is integral part of pre trail training since weather related risks are the most likely to occur. Furthermore, emergency measures are also related to these risks.
Emergency Action Plan
The team will use the emergency services provided by the Sequoia National Park where the summit lies. The institution will also provide communication systems as well as any other emergency equipment as required by the regulations.
Moreover, the trail team will be trained on possible emergencies and how to deal with such emergencies. In various points on the trail, the Sequoia National Park has put in place service centers to deal with minor emergencies.
Contingencies
Many things can go wrong in this trail, but probably, the risk hazards that have been mentioned such as altitude sickness, dehydration, environment related including darkness, hail, lightning, snow or ice, wind and sunshine. Others include injury, group separation, search and rescue operations. Ways to deal with these eventualities have already been mentioned in the previous discussions.
References
Connally, C. (2004). The Mountaineering handbook: Modern tools and techniques that will take you to the top. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Professional.
Cook, T. (2007). Outdoor leadership: The noble gift. London, UK: Deeper Vision Publishers.
Goldenberg, M., & Martin, B. (2007). Hiking and Backpacking. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics.
Kosseff, A. (2010). AMC guide to outdoor leadership: Trip planning, group dynamics, decision making, leading youth and risk management. Boston, MA: Appalachian Mountain Club Books.
MacInnes, H. (2005). International mountain rescue handbook. London, UK: Frances Lincoln ltd.
Martin, B. (2006). Outdoor leadership: Theory and practice. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics.