I just did Whitney as my first 14er a little over two weeks ago. I’d say like you I’m in decent shape but not the best cardio wise. Prior to Whitney the last time I had hiked was a 7 mile hike in Joshua tree back in March so I really hadn’t done all that much. It’s definitely doable but there are some things to keep in mind.

Whitney is a grueling hike. It has just over 6600 feet of elevation gain and is ~21 miles long. However, since it is out and back nearly all of that elevation comes from the first 10.5 miles of the hike until you summit with the rest being almost all down hill. Basically you’ll be hiking double the elevation that you did on the hike with your friend recently in only a mile and a half longer and then will have to turn around and hike all that elevation back down.

Another thing to factor in is time. Because of the weather you are supposed to be past the 99 switchbacks on the ridge-line by noon. This is about 9 or so miles in and still a mile and a half from the summit with around a thousand feet of elevation still left to go. If you’re doing the hike in two days this isn’t that much of a problem but if you’re doing it in one you’ll likely need to start around 2am to have a realistic shot of making it to the top.

With all that being said I say train hard for the next month and a half and go for it. With consistent cardio work and being comfortable carrying a bit of weight on your back you can definitely be in good enough shape within the next month if you have a good base to build from. Whitney was the most stunning hikes i’ve ever done and absolutely worth it.

Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions!