It seems like about every time I do Whitney I meet interesting people, and yesterday was no exception. I visited with 2 fellows who said they’d made a promise on SuperBowl Sunday to climb Whitey, and yesterday was the day. It was a rather amazing tale – two fellows, late 50’s, lived on the coast at sea level, had done no acclimatization hikes, and had summited with full packs – up the Mountaineer’s Route, of all things. They were rather beat up, vowing never to do that again, but with big grins on their sunburned faces. Asked about their hiking experience – one said he’d never hiked before, and the other said he’d hiked one mountain with his dad when he was 11.
Go figure. Whitney is such a magnet. It amazes who makes it and who does not. These two didn’t realize, until they were well-committed, that the MR was a difficult route. Still, they were in no rush to get down. Said they had enough food for 3 or 4 more days, and were just going to enjoy themselves. Hopefully the weather will hold so for them – yesterday was cold and windy, but brilliant blue skies, and the wind moderated in the afternoon.
Anyway, just goes to show what a lot of determination (and maybe too many beers with an old friend over a football game) will get you.
