Mt. Whitney (14,505ft) and Mt. Muir (14,018ft)
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Alex, Pops, and I take on Mt. Whitney. This mission was months in the making and it was a beautiful experience to be there with the father-son duo to make the weekend a success.
Day 1 - The Arrival (09/19)
This may have been the last weekend send of the season, at least one of this ridiculous level (others on this level that come to mind are Mt. Shasta 4th of July and the homemade triathlon). The alpine starts began on Saturday when I hopped in my car at 4:30am to catch a flight from Denver to Fresno. My air travel PTSD kicked in the moment I boarded and sent me straight to sleep (sunnies on, earphones in, I'm out cold). Waking up 20 minutes before landing, I open the window and BAM, I'm greeted by the high peaks and alpine lakes of Central Sierras. The realization of the hiking we'd have to do to access this stunning landscape began to dawn on me.
Alex and Pops picked me up from Fresno airport and we were off on a 5hr drive to Lone Pine California. On the drive, we chatted plans, approach to the weekend, caught up, and had some banging Birria Quesadillas on the dodgy side of Bakersfield.
We set up camp in town, slammed some 805 Cervesas, and called it an early night.
Day 2 - The Approach (09/20)
We got to the Whitney Portal trailhead early and started the hike. The approach was straightforward and the views got better and better as we headed towards Trail Camp (12,039ft), the furthest camp set near the base of Mt.Whitney.
We arrived to Trail Camp at around midday after ~6hrs of hiking. We were the first of that day's permitted backpackers and had free choice of where to set up, which we promptly did so. The afternoon wrapped up with napping, filtering water, and prepping for the next morning.
Day 3 - Summit and the longg walk (09/21)
Summit day started at 1:45am for a 2:30am start. After a quick breakfast we started on the 99-switchbacks. This was a highlight of the trip for me. Beautiful stars above you, nothing but the next step ahead of you illuminated. I quickly locked in, popped on the Grime playlist and started powering up.
The sun began rising as we hiked below the ridge towards Mt.Whitney's summit. The fiery glow illuminating the cracks in the ridge were divine. I may have cried a little (aka alot - I blame the elevation) with the beauty of the moment. It's times like this, when I witness the sublime, I feel the deep appreciation for life and clarity with what my purpose is.
We push to the summit steadily. After a round of photos, admiring the view, helping other folks with their photos, and writing our names in the log book, we split up for me to tackle Mt. Muir.
The set of decisions for summiting Mt.Muir will become a thought process I am still questioning myself about making. It was short and the scramble up was not a problem. But, it quickly turned into a way more serious climb that I had anticipated. I had expected Class 3 scrambling with some Class 4 moves, but it was more like Class 4 scrambling with some Class 5 moves. I knew I felt good, was not feeling any effects from altitude, and had tonnes of energy. But, you start questioning what on earth you're doing when you finger crimping you way around a boulder with serious consequence below you on the side of a mountain alone.
We got there though. The view was alright...
And that pretty much concludes it. The hike out was long. The switchbacks went on forever. But we got burgers in town and left with some great memories... 'Til the next weekend
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