man it's great to see the board back up just so I can thank everyone for the tremendous info we pulled from the many posts over the last six months that helped make our summit a well-planned, informed venture (and for the most part, a successful one).
we spent a night in lone pine, then next night at portal, including some light hiking in the area, then next night at trail camp (dpt 8 am, arr 2 pm with full packs), then summit the next day (dpt 5 am, arr 11:30 am, leave summit 12:30, trail camp at 4pm, dpt trail at 5:30, portal at 10:30).
all the stuff on the message boards magically came true during our visit. the bears, the lack of sleep, the dow villa, the water at exact spots listed, the wonderful supportive hikers of all demographics, the sheer beauty of the mountains, the cheeseburger.., man, I was in tears when the summit hut came into view because I just couldn't hold back. 8 months of planning, the practice hikes, being with great friends..., it was something.
one of the highlights was meeting doug at the portal store. we even got a picture! and he had in his hand a 1/2 pancake that was absolutely dominating his little plate. he and the store staff were so wonderful to us and to all the patrons. how does he do it?
so doug, thanks for the board. to everyone else, thanks for the care and share attitude that makes this message board THE No. 1 whitney source of information.
our joy was slightly tempered when one of our party could not get thru a bout with AMS at trail camp. seems like trail camp was the cutoff for a lot of hikers.
best of luck to all. I hope to give as much as I received. other than having family, friends, and health, the whitney trip was clearly a highlight for 2004.
mike mcnair
