Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Burt came by !

These visits make staying around so much fun seeing Burt,Tom,Harvey ,all the Miles,Mikes ,Betsy and Jack ,All the Richards several share a bond of making a return to the mountain after some slight hiccups Richard S had nice whole In his head after falling from the ledges,and another Richard bought several more coats and some nice gloves.
Jim F holds a special place at the store he will stop in and give us a very solid report on conditions around the Sierra We did a trip up the mountaineers route with his daughter and two ladies from Japan .That would be around the time women started to outnumber men on the mountain and this great change has now taken over the Jmt and Pct many days From the early teens to later years.
So we might not know you by name but if you come back over the years we always know you have returned and makes our day a little brighter .
How could I forget Jeff M he has got me so close to trouble several times just that castle thing or the tram I never thought I would get financing for either project but with the design work at hand ......
Laura and the hicks family join the Portal crew most summers And we will see Gary over the winter and Laura also


Now we have the weathermen/women that always make for good sales why just one day this summer we gave away
300 trash bags and sold a few rain suits. Cloud seeder now has moved onto wrecking marathons so we are a little drier until that other person books a guided climb' .Kristen is in the Hospital this weekend so we all send our best wishes for a fast recovery.
So the nice couple in Bishop with the dogs 500 Cords of wood and mote around the house always fun to see them around the Valley.they hold a very special spot on the mountain .They ,Tracie and Richard before the new coats took the death march to Lone Pine Lake.all the brighter people missed that hike.
And that's about how it goes .


PS Amy and Myles big walling ???



The Portal crew

Looking forward to seeing the science Counselor, family, and all the Portal crew this weekend! Can't wait to be there! Have your umbrella handy.
Blessings, Betsy

Thanks for the mention Doug!


DOGS


500 Cords of Wood...give or take



The "Mote" under construction


The Death March "Group" Hike with 5 people...including Doug



You make me smile (and sometimes laugh out loud!) when I read your posts.
We've been fortunate enough to meet most of the real characters, movers, and shakers on this board and you are all awesome people!!!
This site is why we started "getting out", so THANK YOU...every single one of you!!!!
And get well soon Kristine! (aka Dobemom)

Stacy
ps That hike was "memorable" for sure...but I'd do it again

Sniff, sniff. Left out. Climbing into this here igloo to mope. And the pup, too.

Hmmm, I remember meeting this gal and her fluffy red pup at the Hostel during one of the pot lucks. She was just kinda getting into this hiking thing back then...now she's a world traveling peak bagger!!!

Very distressing not to make it out there this year, Doug, but Bri broke her ankle in a sledding accident and it was a long recovery. We definitely missed our Portal family this summer, as well as others we usually have an opportunity to hike or spend time with. This is only the second time in the past 6 years that we've failed to get to the Sierra, and it leaves an empty feeling.

We'll be there in 2015 - book it. And, God help us, with Bri likely behind the wheel occasionally. Time does fly . . .

The highlight for me this summer was the installation of the flyboard at the Portal. (Tip for next year: go mid-week at the end of the day and you don't have to wait in those long Saturday lines!)

I remember the fun hike to the lake in snow. Grab the willows!

Fall is in full swing. South Lake is no longer a lake.

Not one but 2 near head on collisions (me in the correct lane) on Hell's Hwy...have left me catatonic. It may be a while before I venture out again. I feel safer on the ledges.

(This might be a duplicate. I started a message, went away for a while, and now I can't find the draft.)

Thanks Doug! I returned to my car at the Cottonwood Pass TH after a really bad trip (no chemicals involved) and decided that instead of heading right home the best way to redeem the trip was to go to the Portal, see you, and have one of your great burgers. It was definitely the right thing to do. I was in a much better mood afterwards.

This was my 6th trip since I got back into backpacking in July. All have been fine except this one. The problem was water. This year you can't rely on finding water wherever there's a blue squiggle on the map. I had 2 long spells on slim water rations and 2 nights with cold dinners. There was also the night at Golden Trout Crk when the temp got down to 27. I can handle 32 but I was uncomfortable that night.

Later this week I'm headed up to Mono Pass and Creek, with some time out for recesses. Besides a big hello from Doug and a Portal burger, the best antidote for a bad trip is a good one.

Burt

I always have a quote ready:

You go not for the people, not for the mountains, but for them together.
Peter Boardman, Sacred Summits page 15