22 miles, 17 hours, 2 friends, 1 big ass mountain!
Months of planning, training and anticipating could not prepare us for the actuality of the climb up to Mount Whitney peak. It wasn't that we weren't conditioned or even that the trek requires bona fide mountaineering. Nope, it didn't take any special skill set just unmitigated will and determination. Our permit was for Sunday August 19th beginning at 12am. So we decidedly went up to altitude to acclimate for a couple of days. We arrived to retrieve our permit from the visitor's center in Lone Pine at noonish on Friday and had a lengthy chat with the ranger. I had secured permits for both overnight and a one day excursion thinking that if we felt unready we could just camp out mountain-side with our gear at the half way point. It doesn't work that way. They made us choose and told us to be prepared to see bears. We camped out both Friday and Saturday nights with not so much as a glint of yogi. We did some exploring and met lots of interesting people and heard terrific tales of their own explorations.
The Sierra Nevada range is vast and rugged and stunning. There is such a variety of eco-systems; from lush, dense forests to barren, granite shears. Mount Whitney is on the eastern side of the range surrounded by other noteworthy high peaks. We figured it would take the better part of the 24 hour period of our permit so we wanted to get out early. I didn't sleep at all Saturday night and very little on Friday but we set the clock for 12am. Although we had packed up the night before it took a while to get it together enough to get going. We departed the trailhead at 1am. It was a beautiful clear and starry sky with just a sliver of moon glowing. I like to hike in a dress and my pack, already 16-17 lbs, was heavy with water, food, gear and extra clothing so I layered up anticipating it getting cooler the higher we climbed. It was the middle of the night after all and we were at 8300' but of course climbing a steep mountain in base layer clothing gets you sweaty. We're old so we had to take a few rests along the way but surprisingly we made terrific time to the half way point at Trail Camp. It was before dawn, about 5am, 12'200 feet, freezing and windy. I was completely exhausted, layered up in in every piece of clothing I had and pondering what the hell I was doing and why. I tend to lose my appetite when hiking (which I've learned is fairly common) but I knew I had to get some energy. It took me about an hour to choke down an energy bar while I paced around trying to get warm. I wanted to quit so bad but knew I had to rally. So off we went. The 97 switchbacks start from Trail Camp and end at Trail Crest which is the top of the ridgeline that leads to the Whitney summit to the east and the John Muir trail to the west.
Passing through the "windows" - narrow footpaths opening to shear, expansive vistas on either side - is not for the fainthearted. The trails are very well maintained and well-traveled but often rocky and loose and some rather narrow. If you can keep your stomach down it is spectacularly breathtaking to stand in the middle of a window and do a 360 degree turn and take it all in. From Trail Crest it is another 3 miles to the summit and a good 3 hours scrambling over both boulders and loose rocks. There's not a lot of altitude gain on the ridge but most of it is around 14,000 feet taxing your oxygen intake. It is completely exposed to the elements and highly recommended that you depart the summit by noon to avoid inclement weather that often rolls through in the afternoons. I was very concerned about this as we could see clouds gathering in the distance and had heard stories of climbers the day before getting caught in a hail storm. Onward we plodded making our way nearer and nearer the summit uplifted by those already descending offering words of encouragement. You can see the top about a 1/4 mile before you reach it which for me was torturous because it looked closer than it was. But once there it was nothing short of miraculous. Not only do you feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and self-pride but you can sit down for a few minutes, catch your breath and rest your weary bones. We lingered on the summit for about a half an hour before we started ambling our way back down.
It took us 10 hours to reach the summit. We didn't have any idea how long it would take to get down but we had budgeted 18 hours round trip. That said I expected a significant reduction on the descent including accounting for the fact that we'd been walking all night. I was anxious to get entirely off the ridge before any signs of thunderstorms appeared and to return to camp before dark as our headlamps were diminishing in strength. We did get a few drops of rain but nothing serious. Coming down was like a whole new experience altogether. You see things from a completely different perspective and since we'd hiked half of it in the dark we were awestruck all over again. Above the tree line the mountain resembles how I imagine the surface of the moon to look. And although we'd heard them in the dark on the way up, we got to see the numerous waterfalls along with beautiful lakes and meadows.
We had done enough training that I knew descending had it's own challenges but I was not prepared for the brutal pounding that my poor feet took. The last mile or two I wished I could have lopped off my legs at the ankles and rolled the rest of the way down. I had hiking poles and quite seriously needed them as additional legs to take the weight off my crushed toes. It was days before the swelling in my feet and ankles went down and weeks later I still had bruises on my pinkie toes. Not long thereafter my toenails started dropping off. I only have six little bonnets on my ten little piggies. As challenging and tiring as it was, and for as much grumbling as I did mountainside, I feel like I could do it again. And may. You see, I've learned some things... the first being that I would take a bottle of champagne and eliminate much of the other weight in my pack to make room for it! With endless gratitude I thank not only my extraordinary friend, hiking
partner, cheerleader, entertainer and photographer (JN), but also the
many many volunteers we saw. Hanging from the sides of cliffs using
sledgehammers and pics they work like machines carving out safer routes
for the thousands of adventurers that enjoy the wilderness on a daily
basis. Mount Whitney is simply majestic and I'm so thankful that I was able to enjoy her beauty and awe! Additionally, I am in awe of the nearly $3000 that friends and family donated on my behalf to the International Medical Corps so they can carry out critical work in the human world equitable in majesty and beauty to the natural world.
Months of planning, training and anticipating could not prepare us for the actuality of the climb up to Mount Whitney peak. It wasn't that we weren't conditioned or even that the trek requires bona fide mountaineering. Nope, it didn't take any special skill set just unmitigated will and determination. Our permit was for Sunday August 19th beginning at 12am. So we decidedly went up to altitude to acclimate for a couple of days. We arrived to retrieve our permit from the visitor's center in Lone Pine at noonish on Friday and had a lengthy chat with the ranger. I had secured permits for both overnight and a one day excursion thinking that if we felt unready we could just camp out mountain-side with our gear at the half way point. It doesn't work that way. They made us choose and told us to be prepared to see bears. We camped out both Friday and Saturday nights with not so much as a glint of yogi. We did some exploring and met lots of interesting people and heard terrific tales of their own explorations. 
The Sierra Nevada range is vast and rugged and stunning. There is such a variety of eco-systems; from lush, dense forests to barren, granite shears. Mount Whitney is on the eastern side of the range surrounded by other noteworthy high peaks. We figured it would take the better part of the 24 hour period of our permit so we wanted to get out early. I didn't sleep at all Saturday night and very little on Friday but we set the clock for 12am. Although we had packed up the night before it took a while to get it together enough to get going. We departed the trailhead at 1am. It was a beautiful clear and starry sky with just a sliver of moon glowing. I like to hike in a dress and my pack, already 16-17 lbs, was heavy with water, food, gear and extra clothing so I layered up anticipating it getting cooler the higher we climbed. It was the middle of the night after all and we were at 8300' but of course climbing a steep mountain in base layer clothing gets you sweaty. We're old so we had to take a few rests along the way but surprisingly we made terrific time to the half way point at Trail Camp. It was before dawn, about 5am, 12'200 feet, freezing and windy. I was completely exhausted, layered up in in every piece of clothing I had and pondering what the hell I was doing and why. I tend to lose my appetite when hiking (which I've learned is fairly common) but I knew I had to get some energy. It took me about an hour to choke down an energy bar while I paced around trying to get warm. I wanted to quit so bad but knew I had to rally. So off we went. The 97 switchbacks start from Trail Camp and end at Trail Crest which is the top of the ridgeline that leads to the Whitney summit to the east and the John Muir trail to the west.
Passing through the "windows" - narrow footpaths opening to shear, expansive vistas on either side - is not for the fainthearted. The trails are very well maintained and well-traveled but often rocky and loose and some rather narrow. If you can keep your stomach down it is spectacularly breathtaking to stand in the middle of a window and do a 360 degree turn and take it all in. From Trail Crest it is another 3 miles to the summit and a good 3 hours scrambling over both boulders and loose rocks. There's not a lot of altitude gain on the ridge but most of it is around 14,000 feet taxing your oxygen intake. It is completely exposed to the elements and highly recommended that you depart the summit by noon to avoid inclement weather that often rolls through in the afternoons. I was very concerned about this as we could see clouds gathering in the distance and had heard stories of climbers the day before getting caught in a hail storm. Onward we plodded making our way nearer and nearer the summit uplifted by those already descending offering words of encouragement. You can see the top about a 1/4 mile before you reach it which for me was torturous because it looked closer than it was. But once there it was nothing short of miraculous. Not only do you feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and self-pride but you can sit down for a few minutes, catch your breath and rest your weary bones. We lingered on the summit for about a half an hour before we started ambling our way back down. 
It took us 10 hours to reach the summit. We didn't have any idea how long it would take to get down but we had budgeted 18 hours round trip. That said I expected a significant reduction on the descent including accounting for the fact that we'd been walking all night. I was anxious to get entirely off the ridge before any signs of thunderstorms appeared and to return to camp before dark as our headlamps were diminishing in strength. We did get a few drops of rain but nothing serious. Coming down was like a whole new experience altogether. You see things from a completely different perspective and since we'd hiked half of it in the dark we were awestruck all over again. Above the tree line the mountain resembles how I imagine the surface of the moon to look. And although we'd heard them in the dark on the way up, we got to see the numerous waterfalls along with beautiful lakes and meadows.
We had done enough training that I knew descending had it's own challenges but I was not prepared for the brutal pounding that my poor feet took. The last mile or two I wished I could have lopped off my legs at the ankles and rolled the rest of the way down. I had hiking poles and quite seriously needed them as additional legs to take the weight off my crushed toes. It was days before the swelling in my feet and ankles went down and weeks later I still had bruises on my pinkie toes. Not long thereafter my toenails started dropping off. I only have six little bonnets on my ten little piggies. As challenging and tiring as it was, and for as much grumbling as I did mountainside, I feel like I could do it again. And may. You see, I've learned some things... the first being that I would take a bottle of champagne and eliminate much of the other weight in my pack to make room for it! With endless gratitude I thank not only my extraordinary friend, hiking
partner, cheerleader, entertainer and photographer (JN), but also the
many many volunteers we saw. Hanging from the sides of cliffs using
sledgehammers and pics they work like machines carving out safer routes
for the thousands of adventurers that enjoy the wilderness on a daily
basis. Mount Whitney is simply majestic and I'm so thankful that I was able to enjoy her beauty and awe! Additionally, I am in awe of the nearly $3000 that friends and family donated on my behalf to the International Medical Corps so they can carry out critical work in the human world equitable in majesty and beauty to the natural world. 
