No problem Mike. I am glad to hear that you like my writing style.
You see, I run into people all the time at group hikes and other activities in southern California who say that they want to hike Whitney. When I talk to them more, it seems as if they have the impression that it is only just a 22-mile hike up the main trail and back. To counter that impression, I tell people that there is no privacy above Mirror Lake (aside from rocks) and that the hardest part of the trail is above 12,000 feet elevation. Then I tell them that somebody on my first hike had muscle fatigue on the way down and somebody on my second hike had what was probably a heart attack on the upper trail. The whole point was that these people probably should have turned back at Trail Camp, but they did not. Let me tell you, it is not fun walking down at night separated from the rest of the group.
Fortunately last year I was only a consultant on our hike with a bunch of first timers. It was good that a couple of them turned back at Trail Crest (and they were able to enjoy the views on the way down). That way everybody else got down before me. Some friends of mine also did their first attempt a couple of weeks later, ran into clouds at Trail Crest, and headed back from there.
I hope that you have an enjoyable and safe trip this summer.
Fred
