Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Good Wilderness Article

Having recently returned from an Alaska cruise to celebrate 30 years of marriage, my thoughts are still wandering in that direction (Alaska), and I thought this very good article by Daryl Miller (in charge of SAR for Denali NP), which I stumbled upon while looking up info on Denali just for fun (including viewing the current Denali webcam) was excellent and a very interesting read.

While certain aspects of the article are clearly Alaska-specific and wouldn't apply to the Whitney area or the Sierra, the rest of the article's emphasis on experiencing the wilderness, self-sufficiency and rescues readily applies.

However, I especially thought the final paragraph of page 3 (beginning with, "The definite wilderness experience for me..."), which continues onto the top of page 4, was priceless, and by itself, was worth reading the entire article to get to.

At 4 pages, it's not a long article, and is well worth taking the time to read. I hope you enjoy it as much I did.

CaT

Good article. I like bullet point #13, and the last one too. Also the mention of rescuers doing risk assessment so they don't become part of the problem; amazing how so many folks think their cell phone (or radio) call will bring an immediate response from rescue resources just waiting around for their call.

Thanks, CaT. Excellent article by long-time ranger, Daryl Miller. Mount Whitney is extremely easy to underestimate, in my opinion, compared to the vast challenges in the Alaskan wilderness. Unfortunately, the consequences for underestimating Whitney can be just as devastating, which the men and women in the Forest Service and SAR are very well aware of. Hats off to Daryl Miller's article. It can help sober some and possibly save their lives for another successful adventure in the mountains and wilderness.