We started the 8.5 mile trek up Mount Whitney around 8:15 am – a departure time that we hoped would ensure that we were not the first hikers to summit this snowy Sierra beast today. The first couple of hours uphill were a breeze. Seeing that Guitar Lake looked exactly like a guitar tickled me.
As we reached higher elevations and encountered snow fields, I would cross them first since Dangermouse was more nervous about walking on snow slopes. Man, we were having fun.
And the mountains on all sides were just sublime. But the altitude change exhausted me starting at about 2 miles from the summit, and Danger went first from that point on. The last snow pass before the top was the longest and the most consistently snowy expanse and it cut across a steep incline. I was moving like a freaking snail compared to my normal pace but seeing Dangermouse ahead of me, making big moves, helped me keep my eye on the prize.At the top, monumental views of all the Sierra Nevada Mountains stretched as far as I could mentally consume. My summit thrill was enough to ignore the throbbing in my head and my neck from the altitude. We took plenty of pictures at the top, including a few ‘glamour shots’, and allowed ourselves to feel a bit drunk with happiness over it all.
Snowmelt flooded portions of the trail by the time we began our descent and I postholed to the point of nicks of blood on my bare shins. I was so eager to get back to camp, convinced that my headache would be cured at the sight of my tent for some reason, that I jogged the end of the Whitney side trail to Crabtree Meadows.
Jess said that if she could do it again, she would bring snow gear or at least proper boots (we both wear trail runners). I thought it was one of the hardest hiking days I’ve ever had, but I don’t think I would change anything or prepare differently. What an accomplished feeling. I don’t really have a list, but if I did, I could check off summiting the tallest mountain in the lower 48.
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