Located on the eastern side of the mountain range near Lone Pine is the Mount Whitney Portal and the main trailhead for most hikers that want to summit the highest peak in the continental United States. The only problem is getting a permit for the hike!
After entering the lottery for a number of years, a few years ago I finally secured a six-person permit for mid-June. This seemed like the ideal time of year because it would still be cool enough to make the hike enjoyable. Our plan was to complete the trip in three days - the first day we would drive to Lone Pine and stay in a motel, get up early the next morning and hike up to the last base camp where we would camp the second night, summit the peak early on the third day, and then descend and drive home. Great Plan!
Everyone was so excited about the trip that we left Las Vegas early and arrived in Lone Pine shortly after lunch, so we decided to drive up to the trailhead and scout out the area.
There is a store near the trailhead (elevation 8,365 feet) where you can pick up last minute supplies, but we were self-sufficient and had previously picked up our hiking permits, bear canisters, and bags for going #2 while you are on the mountain. (Yes! You have to do it in a bag and then bring the bag out with you when you leave.)
We were visiting with other hikers that were lounging around the store when they started giving us some bad news. Apparently a storm front had moved in at the beginning of June and visibility was "zero" at the top of the mountain. A ranger explained that he had been working at Mount Whitney for ten years and he had never seen a storm front as bad as the current conditions. To add to our concern, he explained that two hikers had died about two weeks before we arrived when they lost their footing and fell off a cliff. Not a real confidence builder!
There is a nice lake and waterfall near the store and the Mount Whitney Trail was well marked and easy to find, so we decided to walk over to the waterfall and then hike part way up the trail while it was still light.
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| Picture by Dale |
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| Picture by Ronald |
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| Picture by Kolohe (bags for collecting #2) |
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| Picture by Richard & Pete |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
After eating dinner we were surprised to find that the World Championship Air Hockey Tournament was being held In Lone Pine, so we decided to show our skills. Much to the surprise of some people, Kolohe won the championship!
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| Picture by Kolohe |
We had an early start the next morning and made good time up to the Whitney Zone. (Anyone can hike up to the Whitney zone without a permit, but only permitted hikers are allowed on the trail after that point.)
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| Picture by Ronald |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Dale |
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| Picture by Dale |
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| Picture by Dale |
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| Picture by Ronald |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Dale |
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| Picture by Dale |
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| Picture by Dale |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Time to put on the crampons and get out the ice axes!
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| Picture by Ronald |
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| Picture by Ronald |
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| Picture by Ronald |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Ronald |
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| Picture by Ronald |
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| Picture by Ronald |
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| Picture by Ronald |
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| Picture by Richard & Pete |
We finally reached the last base camp and watched some climbers that were returning from failed attempts to summit the peak. They said that the weather conditions were so bad that they could not see anything after about another 1,000 feet, so they recommended that we just turn around and go down the mountain. This seemed like a good idea since the storm conditions seemed to be getting worse. There were also some nasty looking animal tracks around the campsite.
Richard and Pete decided that they were going to camp overnight and then try to summit in the morning, but the rest of us descended and decided that we would try it again some other time. (The storm was so bad that Richard and Pete did not summit the next day.)
Add Mt. Whitney summit to my bucket list!
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Richard & Pete |
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