Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board A special Whitney hike this summer

Well, the lottery for Whitney permits begins tomorrow (February 15th), and I have my application in. Good luck to all, and may the Whitney gods bless as many of us as possible with success. For me, this will be a very special hike. First of all, it will be my 13th (lucky or unlucky) summit, and more inportantly, this will be the celebration of my retirement from my company. After a 32-year career in engineering, I'm calling it quits, and moving on to new adventures after September 1st. Whitney Mike

Mike, congrats on your retirement! I'm betting you'll enjoy it in the mountains. As for your 13th summit, I suggest you treat that number like hotels do and skip it completely. Call it your 14th, and you should have doubly-good luck!