Three days ago (Sunday October 2) I reached the summit of Mt Whitney at 0900 with the wind blowing pretty strong and poor visibilty. There were three other hikers huddled in the summit shelter, one appearing uncomfortably cold. A dusting of snow made the summit plaque barely visible. Understandably, the resident marmot appeared "off duty." At the register, I finally found a pen that was not frozen and dutifully signed in.
I headed back down toward Trail Crest. While I was walking on the backside of the Needles, there was a sudden break in the the weather. The Great Western Divide was clearly visualized with a dramatic backdrop of both clouds and clear sky. I quickly got out my camara to capture the stunning scene. About ready to shoot, I noticed a solo hiker coming up the trail. Wearing a red jacket, he was moving at a solid pace and was exhibiting no signs of fatique. As he approached, I soon recognized it was Bob Rockwell. I quickly seized on the 2 for 1 deal and shot my picture so I got both the Great Western Divide and Bob R together.
While the weather was not ominous, it was rather unpleasant so we made our chat brief. Now at age 76, Bob was about to summit Mt Whitney (again!) as a day hike. This summer he had been quite active in his adventures in the High Sierras. As for his recent Mt Kilimanjaro (elevation 19,341 feet) ascent, he noted that just prior to that trip he had experienced new onset atrial fibrillation. (In many this heart condition can severly decrease physical performance or even be life threatening.) Bob did not cancel the outing, but rather proceeded to summit in good form, as documented in the AAA photo. On return to the United States he obtained expert medical consultation and the atrial fibrillation was successfully terminated.
I look forward to again encountering this remarkable mountaineer and scientist on Mt Whitney.
Jim F
