icy pitch just beneath the summit posted a plea for help from other climbers in a Facebook group devoted to Mt. Whitney — the highest point in the United States outside Alaska. The friend ...

Summiting Mount Whitney is challenging: The trail used by people with day permits requires an elevation gain of more than 6,000 feet from Whitney Portal on the mountain’s eastern flank.

The tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney sits on the border of Sequoia National Park and Inyo National Forest. The mountain's summit elevation is 14,494 feet.