Mt. Whitney 2007 Summit Day

At 4:40 in the morning my watch alarm went off. Once again, I was in charge of waking everyone up. But since it took me 10 minutes to get my hiking clothes on, by the time I walked tent to tent to wake people up, most were already stirring, except Jim, who was snoring away. Our plan, like last year, was to get hiking early, and just like last year, it took us almost two hours to get ready. At least we were headed up by 6:30. Being up at the crack of dawn is a nice experience. We saw the sun rise and watched the face of the mountains as they changed colors to this glowing orange. Also before sunrise, you could see lights all up along the switchbacks as other hikers had a much earlier start than us and were walking by the light of their head-lights.

Once we started hiking, it didn't take long to reach the switchbacks. I started at a steady pace, but slower than the "rabbits" ahead of me. This trail was so much easier without the snow we contended with last year. I was looking for the place where we turned around last year so I would know when I was higher than I had ever been before, elevation wise. I started feeling more excited as the mountains on the west side began to come into view. Then we hit the last switchback and suddenly we were at Trail Crest. Now this would have been an accomplishment on its own. The views to the west, looking at Sequoia National Park were unbelievable! I took many pictures and a video which I'll post later. Jim and I were the last two to reach this point but the others waited for us as this is a great place to rest, eat and enjoy the view.

After about 15 minutes we all continued on our way. The trail descended from this point before heading up again. The trail was very rocky and you had to watch your step. In fact, that really helped me not notice the sheer drop-offs to the left. I did remember to stop and look at the view and take photos. Along the way Jim and I met a very nice woman named Kim who was hiking alone. The rest of her group were walking much faster than her. They were regular hikers who had "bagged three fourteeners" in Colorado the previous week. Since Kim was hiking the same speed as Jim and I, the three of us ended up hiking together all the way up, taking breaks as needed.

I was really worried about how I would handle the thin air. I was actually doing much better than I had expected. The trick is to hike slow and stop and rest often. I had a slight headache and dizziness, but the symptoms never got worse.

Hiking along the trail, the summit finally came into view, and it looked very far away. More hiking led us over the famous "Window", which in a path that is about 5 feet wide and has long drop-offs on either side. It really wasn't that bad for someone like me who doesn't like heights. In fact, I stopped and had my photo taken there. My way of saying "I'm not afriad of you!". At some point along the route, we hit the 14,000 feet mark. This too was an accomplishment. As we got closer and could see the hut at the summit I knew it would not be too much longer and summit fever set in. I had an adrinerlin rush which helped me keep going.

Around 10:45 AM the three of us reached Mt. Whitney summit! Like I said, I never thought I'd be there. In fact, it was almost like a dream, an unreal experience and I'm not blaming the altitude this time. Turns out the other five in our group had been there for 20 minutes. So I signed the register, snapped many photos and took in the 360 degree view of the whole world, it seemed like. Our group posed for several photos, taken with every camera but mine, so I'll post those pictures when I get a copy. Kim was nice enough to take these pictures, even though she had to go back down to catch up with her fast-moving friends.

I wish I could have spent more time at the top, and there were more photos I'd like to have taken. I did take a video, and that too will be posted here soon. The top wasn't that crowded, but by 11:15, everybody began to leave. They say it is best to leave by noon, because that is when the afternoon thundershowers could hit. However, we had the best hiking weather we could have. Someone must have been looking out for us. The sky was mostly clear and sunny, with a few clouds that every so ofter covered the sun to cool things down. The wind was gentle and I never got cold. By the time I got to the top, I had removed my jacket and could have removed my zip-off pants legs, but left them on to protect my legs from the sun.

So we all left at the same time, and like hike up, everyone had their own pace. I ended up in the last group as my knees were starting to hurt. We all worked well as a team. The hikers in the lead always made sure the slower ones where in sight. I call it the "no hiker left behind" act. It took almost five hours to hike from our camp to the summit and less than three to hike back down. I could feel my knees getting more sore, however, all my leg muscles were hurting. This is the price I paid for bringing six liters of water with me. I ran out of water with just 15 minutes left of hiking to the camp, which wasn't too bad. The food I carried, however, was too much. You never want to carry food up just to bring it down again. I ate mostly easy to digest stuff like the Clif Shots and Clif Cubes and left the Clif Bars.


We got back to our camp site and immediately began to pack up for the hike down. This too took a long time, as everyone is tired and moving slowly. Our last task was filtering water. We had several pumps so this went quickly. Then I put my backpack on and man, it felt heavier than it did on the way up! Six miles down with this weight was a killer. The good news was that my leg muscles hurt so much it masked the pain in my knees. This time Steve and I ended up at the back once Darin and Jim passed us. Steve was walking slow to keep at my ever slowing pace. Jim offered to carry some of my stuff, but I go by the "pack it in, pack it out" slogan. Well, by the time I got down to the portal at 7:30, I was walking at about 1/2 mile/hour. I crossed the finish line unceremoniously, but at least I made it back.

We drove back down to Lone Pine and after a nice long, hot shower it was time for pizza and beer. Yes, time to re-toxify my body. It all tasted great, but there was a bed calling my name. Even though I was exhausted, I had trouble sleeping. Two days and 22 miles of hiking takes its toll on the body.

We woke up on Tuesday and after another good breakfast we headed back home. Somewhere in there we all bought a "I hiked Mt. Whitney" shirt, which I'll wear tomorrow to work. Just like on the drive up, we were all in a great mood, reliving the last few days and listening to the oldies on the iPod, you know, groups like Journey, Rush, Heart and Boston. We were home by the early afternoon, enough time to unpack, do laundry and get ready for work the next day. Work! Ahhhhhh. Luckily I'm taking a two week vacation starting next Thursday. More driving, hiking, camping and visiting with friends and relatives - I can't wait.