My Boy Scout troop (#109, El Cerrito, CA) went to climb Whitney and I couldn't go. I always wanted to do it, but life got in the way. 25 years later I'm a pilot who has been lucky enough to travel to a number of places and see a great number of things...but the mountain still called.
Last Feb I remembered to get a permit and was granted a one day pass on June 12th for 4 people. I live at sea level and so training consisted of finding a 10 mile hike from 2,200 feet to 4,400' and working my way up to packing 45 pounds up and back 3-4 times a week. The old boots were well worn by the time it came to climb. I solicited 3 friends from work who were in pretty good shape and we all did what we could to prepare. One had to drop out, so we set off for the Portal.
Sunday the 10th we drove to the Lone Pine and picked up the valued permit. We climbed to the portal and camped 2 nights to help get used to the altitude. On the 11th, we took light packs to Lone Pine Lake as a "practice run" for boot and health checks. All went well.
3:00 am on the 12th the alarm went off. We stowed our gear, ate and drove to the upper parking lot and were on the trail by 4:15 with headlamps blazing. Our packs weighed in at around 35# with enough stuff to survive 2 days in case we needed it. We only needed the lights for about 90 minutes but by the time the sun came up, we were well on our way.
By 10:15 we had conquered the 99's and used one wag bag - they actually work pretty well. It was decision time at trail summit: do we have the energy for 4 more miles AND 1,700 vertical feet up (remember it's 400 down from here) or have we had enough? My two companions decided enough was enough and headed down with one of our two-way radios and I pressed on.
At 11:45 I signed the log at the top, took a couple of photos and treated myself to Gatorade and snacks. I was on the way down by 12:00. It was great until the 400' back up to the trail crest - I have never hit such a wall before: 10 steps, rest, repeat for 20 minutes. I was far from alone. Rest at top. WX still good. Move it.
Passed through Whitney gateway at 5:11 p.m. Total time for the round trip: 12:54. 7:45 up, 5:11 back. Not bad for 40 years and and a few extra pounds.
Worth every sore muscle. Bought the T-shirt and had a grand experience that lived up to every minute of prep and anticipation. Met many nice folks and talked with more than a few. Called my friends on the radio and met up for a celebratory beer and then slept at a Lone Pine motel. The softest bed I have ever felt.
Post-trip questions rang around my head like, "How many make it?" "How many in a day?". In post-script, who cares? I only hope that those who choose to experience the mountain have a grand time.
The only thing I would change is water. I carried 4 liters of water and 3 of Gatorade. I could have stuck to 1 water and 3 Gatorade and then resupplied in one of several places. I experimented with the Iodine tablets and then the neutralizing agent and then the flavor crystals and I couldn't detect a difference in taste so I could have saved some weight there.
