Overview with best arrangement for an 8 day, 7 night trip:
All information presented here is based on two trips in 2003

Day 1, 5.5 miles, 2300' up:
The long drive to the trailhead at Mineral King is the first and perhaps greatest endurance challenge encountered.
Well arrived, step out of the car and take in this wonderful place, featuring the closest resemblance to a Swiss mountain valley as I've seen in the Sierras. Parties blessed with a less rigorous schedule than we had, should consider getting a campsite for the night, to acclimatize and enjoy the outpost atmosphere. Judging from the map MK has a plethora of awesome looking dayhikes, something to remember for future, less ambitious vacations.
Alas, off we went. Take note that the trail starts by the stables, without much of a pullout, and not at the end of the road, a slightly stress inducing issue when we onsighted this tour with a bunch of clients. The trail climbs steeply over 5.5 miles to Franklin Lakes at 10300', quite a beginning for heavily laden greenhorns. Add to this the real concern of severe AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) at this altitude and the odds are not stacked in your favor. We were lucky not to have any medical emergencies, but people were sick across the board. Don't bother cooking a huge dinner!
AMS can quickly slide into a life threatening edema, so read up on signs and symptoms. This was the biggest reason why we changed the itinerary to Colby Pass.
Anyway, the place is beautiful, despite the dam... Camps are a little hard to locate for big groups, if one wants to be near water, but as usual two person parties have the choice of multiple prime spots.

Day 2, 8.5 miles, 1300' up, 2300' down:
The morning brings the continuation of yesterday's climb.
Sleep might have been hard for some folks, but if there's no vomiting or severe headaches all should be able to carry on. Be watchful.
The ascent to Franklin Pass is nice and gradual, not too steep or rocky. From the top is an incredible view of the entire route ahead, plus Mt. Whitney and most of the southern half of the Sierra Crest.
Up here you're on the spine of the Great Western Divide, that huge, magnificent subrange of the Sierras. Below to the east are, among other confusing geographical features, the head of Rattlesnake Canyon, a classic Sierra defile, and the best reason to do this route. It's seldom visited, as it leads merely down to the lower Kern Canyon, where it seems nobody really needs to go. During two peak season tours here we never saw a soul. Solitude adds tremendously to any experience, and in this case it elevates a nice but not spectacular scenery to world class.
The camp we used at the end of day two is exquisite, but locating the right spot is tricky. Right below this peak the trail reaches the edge of small drop-off, with the canyon clearly leveling off after that. Just before descending leave the path and head right (south) across slabs passing small conifers about 100 yards to near the creek. Here are sites for 5 tents, some fire rings and great swimming holes. The beautiful creek cascades down a granite staircase via smooth slabs, pools and chutes. Perfect.

Day 3, 10 miles, 2200' down, 300' up:
Several more miles of descending next to numerous waterfalls lead down to the bottom of the mighty Kern Trench. Turn left.
The only two times I have encountered rattlesnakes on these many trips across the Sierras, were right here. Big ones, both of them. Needless to say, a snake bite in such a remote location would be more than a slight nuisance.
Follow the river north for seemingly a long time before arriving at the big bonus reward: Kern Hotspring, an undeveloped, remote one person concrete tub with 105 degree water, surrounded by campsites. You are now on the High Sierra Trail, and although never crowded this far in, there will likely be companions at such a unique site. This also pertains to the big furry kind, Ursus Americanus.

Day 4, 12 miles, 3300' up:
We will start with 8 miles of plodding along, next to the river, until Junction Meadow, which is not really a meadow. Lunch and rest.
The hot afternoon couldn't be better spent than laboring up the long, sun drenched incline to Wallace Creek.
This is one of my favorite hills. It is just the right angle for a good pace, it is long, the views are good and it signals the point where most people realize they've gotten their trail legs. But beware: The most severe case of heat exhaustion we ever experienced also occurred here. At Wallace Creek campsite our route convene with the super highway called the John Muir Trail, and puts an abrupt end to the solitude of the last 4 days.

Day 5, 7 miles, 1400' up, 300' down:
The easiest day on the trip.
After Wallace more ascending lead to an indistinct saddle, followed shortly by the first view of Mt. Whitney, if you know your mountains. Mere minutes ahead is the Ranger Station at Crabtree.
Here a long midday break is in order since the short jaunt to desolate Guitar Lake will only take a few more hours. No need to arrive too early at this shadeless, exposed body of water under the southwest flank of Mt. Whitney, where the camps are on rock slabs and brown eroded grass. Neat spot though, once the sun gets low in the sky. If a thunderstorm pattern has set in, delay even further and plan to arrive after dinnertime, when most Sierra thunderheads have blown themselves to pieces. You don't want to be up here in a lightning event. This camp is at 11400', but everybody should be sufficiently acclimatized by now.

Day 6, 13.5 miles, 3000' up, 4000' down:
The recommended procedure is to climb Mt. Whitney day-hike style from Guitar Lake, leaving the bulk of your burden there. In the afternoon upon returning from the summit, strike camp and stroll down to Lower Crabtree Meadow for the night. Then hike back out to civilization via Cottonwood Pass and Horseshoe Meadow over the next 2 days.
This has several advantages over the traditional exit through Whitney Portal.
The first and most obvious is more time in the backcountry. Why rush back?
It also eliminates the herculean task of hauling all your gear up to 13500' at Trailcrest and, if conditions are unfavorable, there's no commitment to cross the main spine of the Sierras in order to get out. Just turn around and leave Guitar the way you came.
Finally, you avoid the craze of the east side of the mountain with all the day hikers and other mayhem, a considerable asset in itself.
Well, on to the climb: If you posses any kind of mountain sense, get up at 2 AM, and leave no later than 3. With a thunderstorm pattern in place or stragglers in you party, even earlier. Climbing a high peak (in our case the highest in the lower 48) is something that stirs a certain unease in me, even if it is just a walk-up like this one. An early start is the alpinist's traditional first line of defense in a hostile environment full of challenges. What might appear like an over cautious notion, is in reality the ingrained method of mountain folks through generations.
The first leg is to Trail Crest at 13500'. Here in the windy cold of high altitude is the spot where you will intersect with the day hikers. It is a 4 mile roundtrip with 1000' of gain to reach Mt Whitney from Trail Crest, and it is incredible exposed to bad weather. In deteriorating conditions (read: too late of a start), this is the the time to make the right decision.
After the glorious moments on top head on down the way you came up, naturally. At Guitar pick up your stuff and, while basking in the glory of bagging a major peak, stumble on down to Lower Crabtree Meadow, which is one of the finest camps on this entire trip. Whitney is a prominent feature of the view from here, and after 4 stays, I've yet to share it with other parties.
With guided groups this is at least a 14 hr day, including lunch and a nap at Guitar.
Expect to find no drinking water on this entire hike!

Day 7, 9 miles, 1000' up+down:
Slightly anticlimactic yet still a fine walk in the mountains, this day has few highlights. Just do it, and be rewarded by another amazing camp at the unnamed lake right on the trail, a mile below Soldier Lakes. Elevation is 10450'.

Day 8, 11 miles, 1500' up, 800' down:
With the end in sight, it is easy to miss the unique scenery at this end of the range. It's dry here, with gnarled and weathered Foxtail Pines that look more dead than alive. The vistas are enormous, ranging from the distant Kaweahs, to the neverending blue ridges of the Golden Trout Wilderness. The trail is sandy and windswept as it follows the flank of a high ridge at or above 11000'. You know you're at the edge of the Great North American Desert here. This is amazing territory, and a fitting finish to a great walk.
A slight descent takes you to Cottonwood Pass and the last miles down to the pavement.

Notes:
76 miles, 14000' up and about the same down.
Permits are required for this entry point, and they are subject to a quota system.
There are many camps along the way without permanent bear proof storage containers. Since slinging food from trees was always a pain, and occasionally failed, I started using personal bear canisters several seasons ago. This makes a high anxiety subject hardly an issue.
Ranger Stations enroute are Crabtree and Rock Creek. This translates into a REAL long way before the first one, and brings on a serious commitment to self rescue in case something goes wrong. Also be aware that reaching one of these stations may not solve any of your problems, since the understaffed Rangers almost always are away on patrol.
If you do need emergency assistance in the remote Kern Canyon, the best option might be the very long slog south on fairly level terrain to Kern Station.
Cell phones are not a help between Franklin Pass and the summit of Whitney.
The creek crossings found in the Kern Canyon are rather difficult in early season, or years with large snow pack. From a guiding standpoint, these events always represent the greatest risk of injury, as overloaded clients perform bonebreaking stunts to avoid getting their boots wet.
Also look out for rattlesnakes anywhere in the Kern.
The map of choice is a waterproof composite from Tom Harrison Maps, called Mt. Whitney High Country. This sheet, in 15 minute scale, cover all three routes with good detail. Contours are easy to read and trail information include mileage, ranger stations and spot elevations. A short segment of the trail in Rattlesnake Canyon goes beyond the border, unfortunately right where our favorite campsite is.
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