I’m a person who likes to hike and camp and generally be outside. So, when my long-time friend Jaclyn asked me if I wanted to hike Mt. Whitney with her, I eagerly said “Yes!”
To be honest, I didn’t know much about the Mountain at all. I knew it was tall and the hike was long but I honestly had no idea what I was in for. (For the record, Mt. Whitney’s summit sits at 14,497 feet and is the highest point in the lower 48 states. The trail is 22 miles round trip – no big deal)
Jaclyn’s boyfriend Reid was the mastermind behind the trip. He did the lottery for permits, booked a campsite and confidently determined that it would take us 12 hours to get up and down the beast. We would start hiking at 4am and have a lovely, active day.
As it turned out, 12 hours really meant 17 and starting at 4am really meant 2:40am. You say tomato, I say tomato, right?
Jaclyn and I ready to go
Up at 2:40am, we began the ascent in pitch black with nothing but headlamps to light the way. It didn’t exactly feel real – half asleep, in the dark, trekking up a mountain – but before we knew it we’d been at it for three hours and the sun was rising.
And we got our first real look at what we were doing.
Once above the tree line, the scenery changed completely. Jagged rock and snow made it look like another planet completely.
The center portion of the hike was a series of 99 switchbacks that deposit you at the start of the Ridge Trail and ultimately the summit. Many of the switchback were still covered in snow and we were left to scramble over exposed boulders to continue moving forward. It. Was. Exhausting.
By that point we were well above 11,000 feet and the thin air was beginning to take its toll on our lung capacity. Every few steps we felt ourselves gasping for air. I chewed on some coca tea that I brought home from South America and whether it was actually effective or purely mental, it seemed to ease the effects.
After completing the switchbacks, we got a view of the mountains beyond. They were breathtaking and a complete surprise to everyone. (There were a lot of “Holy shit, that’s beautiful” and “Would you look at that!” comments).
The Ridge Trail follows the spine of the mountain and truly looked like a scene out of Lord of the Rings.
It was slow going on the mostly loose rock and the wind was absolutely relentless. (We defiantly did not bring enough warm clothing)
The last bit before the push to the summit was a massive exposed snowfield.
We thought the wind had been bad before, but as it hit the snow the temp dropped well below freezing and we had to stop and brace ourselves on the slope.
In the end though, it was all worth it. At 11:47am, nine hours after staring, we finally reached the summit!
The feeling of accomplishment was overwhelming. And the views were divine.
Death Valley is ahead to the left
After a well-deserved rest and some lunch we began the arduous journey back down the mountain. In many ways the decent was more difficult than the ascent – we had to be much more cautious of our footing.
Looking back up at the summit on the way down, it seemed impossible that we had actually been all the way at the top.
Much of the way down was a blur and we were so eager to finish that we ended up nearly running the last 2.5 miles, arriving back at the trailhead at 7:30pm.
annnnd, done!
When all was said and done though, it really didn’t feel like we were moving for 17 hours. Or maybe we were just delirious.
The following morning we rewarded ourselves with a huge breakfast at the Whitney Portal store and watched as others began the hike.
It was an incredible experience to push myself and complete something that seemed so unrealistic at the start.
And in hindsight the things that stand out the most are the little details. Like Jaclyn getting pulled over for speeding on the drive down, preparing my pack, sinking in snowfields, seeing hundreds of ladybugs in the snow at 13,000 feet, and signing the summit log.
I can say without a doubt that hiking that mountain is one of the coolest things that I’ve done to date!
Sounds like a great trip. You’re definitely more ambitious than I am!
I do remember going down a steep hill often seems more difficult than going uphill, but I can’t imagine tackling this. Fortunately, I can enjoy your story and photos.
@Dominique: I think the trip was more ambitious than I am – I was just ignorant to that fact! But it was a great experience.
Pingback: It was in the Stars: Climbing Africa's Highest Peak - Flip Flop Caravan