My buddy and I hiked to the summit yesterday. It was my 11th trip to the summit, and 10th consecutive year. I love hiking the Sierra's and the mountains in Southern CA - but this annual trip is always my favorite hike and is on my list of personal goals for every year.
This year's trip was a little different than previous years. Our trip included two friends that had never day-hiked MW. We went much slower than normal, but in some ways this made for a much more enjoyable day! I had no headaches the whole day and I never experienced any heart pounding, high pules rate challenges the entire trip. We finished in 11 hours, 45 minutes.
We hiked around the Kearsarge Pass area for a few days before arriving at the Portal, then we stayed at the Portal for two nights. These extra days helped tremendously with acclimation to the altitude issues. Walking and hiking at the top was very easy compared to previous years.
I met many nice folks on the trail - as always! I even got to meet Norma R the day before at the Portal Campground. I am always impressed by the hikers I meet that are ending their JMT adventures. This year I was impressed with Liz (she really blew me away with her tales from the JMT - she is a stud!).
The weather was simply perfect. Not a cloud in the sky the whole day, and no wind on the top. I needed no jacket, and even enjoyed a slight breeze as I walked down the switchbacks.
This year's trip was perfect - thanks to everyone on the Board, the folks that do the trail maintenance (I met two of them yesterday that were clearing a downed tree), the helpful workers at the Permit Office, and most importantly - all of the super friendly hikers. It truly is a great community of people.
See you in 2012!
Last edited by Hiker Neil; 08/30/11 07:18 PM.
