Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board A day in the life of the Portal cook

About 8 30 am a nice older man walks to the store from the traihead in the door past the counter right to the kitchen and ask why are the bathrooms closed, the sign on the door says they are full of , maybe he has trouble reading or the cook should wander down and pack it down , next the cook heads to town to check on the carpet cleaning machine to get the road oil off the stairs runs into the two guys (Burning Man folks going home) from last night you know the one with the Range Rover that broke down and his cousin with the Jag pulling a trailer with the mattress on top and the other guy that says something wrong with a place that has no bus service when he needs it and was going to that big city south of here with the airport (Inyo Kern) and get him a car so he won't waste any more of his vacation I checked they got no cars at the airport he is going to but then why spoil his adventure, did get to talk with a young man that is riding his bike around the world, Andreas Narfstrom from Sweden told him I talked with the guy that holds the record walking and travel around the world some years ago and how the good old boys down south almost beat him to death course he may of had some advice you know some things you just don't talk much about, gave up on the stairs went back to the cooking Earlene says a guy had walked in and said he left his buddy on some ledge over there at Whitney Pass and someone should get him down, well I think a ranger went up and got him ,in walks Peter T a New Zealander I meet in 1987 at the store and have keep in touch with , another story he has a bear can that the bears had their way with, deep claw marks all around the can a garica you know those old ones that are too heavy and not very flashy food was secure . Cleaned up and loaded the trash for the run to town ,just over by the pond I spot a bear heading to the trailhead on a mission ,I follow and find three? ladies in a car , I ask if they had anything in the car that might smell they said all the packs and food they were waiting for some one to come down I told them the bear was close and heading towards the car it could smell something. Get to town, dump the trash and am told by one of the local officers that now a missing hiker is going to check into the Hostel and he needs to alert them he is OK , Did have time to read a cut out section of the Times about some speech the President will give to the school kids , I hope he tells them don't get no job cooking or working in the tourist trade if you want to spend time with your grandkids and go fishing or climbing. See you in the morning! Doug

Maybe you should charge a little more for those cheeseburgers. And practice acting surly.

Or doctor the pancake recipe with a little Valium . . .

I feel your pain, Doug - I've been managing hotels for Marriott for 24 years. For many, a "vacation" often means time off from common sense as well as work.

As frustrated as you sound now, you couldn't have been more nice or gracious when I met you several weeks ago. You autographed several copies of your book that I purchased at the Interagentcy, we talked for a bit. It was a real pleasure to meet you.

Hope to see you next year and I will try harder to finish your pancake breakfast,

-Mark

The stories you tell, and hear, are the reason I like to spend so much time at The Whitney Portal Store.

I think maybe you need to put me to work instead of just watching me sit on my...

Doug

I can't think of many people who are doing a more worthy job than you. Thanks again for your help when I got myself stupidly cliffed-out on the SE chute of Thor.

Great post Doug! It is amazing the expecations of people. But I suppose there's not a whole lot that suprises you any more.

By the way - I wanted to talk to you about why the store wasn't kept open for my burger at 9:15 Sunday night. What gives? (Ha ha Just kidding!)

You and the rest of the crew provides such a valuable service for everone. Thank you thank you thank you!

+1

Thanks Doug for the good times & stories at the portal & hostel

If you are drawing Jags and Range Rovers, maybe you need to start valet parking at the Portal Store! I'm sure they must have it at the Inyokern Airport.

I would have loved to see his face when he got to Inyo Kern!! that guy sounded like he was from Back East anyhow (no offense to anyone...)

Here's to many more great tales from Doug
I really think you should be writing them all down, though. Your stream-of-conciousness prose would make even ol' Jack Kerouac envious .

I have been up to the Sierra 6 times in the past 7 weekends and I have stopped in to talk to Doug each time for many hours. What's amazing is he never has a repeat story to tell!

Thanks for all the great talks, Doug.

-Mike

Doug Sr. Just think of the book that could have been written if you had started writing of your experiences from day one at the Portal? I teach middle school kids and keep telling myself that I should have done the same with everything kids and their parents say and try to pull in the course of their 3 years in middle school.

Doug, I've heard you say many times, you are the cook and the janitor. Since Betsy and I have seen your "normal" day, we know this is just another day at the office.
Seriously, when are you going to write your next book. And the title should be "A Day in the Life of the Portal Cook"!
Wish we were there to help!!
Thanks for all that you do!
Jack and Betsy

Problem


Solution

Doug,

sorry they are ragging on you. Your burgers are great,
although if I eat an entire cake, I am tending towards
passing out, or passing massive gas...

You have been a great inspiraton and a pal, the last few
few years,...keep on truck'in... see you in a few wks

m. melville. 1955

Ok so the update on the Rover and the Jag, they left Lone Pine yesterday the Rover with no juice coming from the alternator but the guy in the Jag had a generator and a charger, the guy looking to rent a car went along and another hiker from Maine he said he could just get out and hitch if the Rover stopped,They made it to Ridgecrest with the one charge re charged the Rover at the rental place in Ridgecrest and the guy drove into Death Valley today and is back at the Hostel tonight with the update so Vacation in tack, Ranger on the road and maybe back to Orange County by now.

Best news for the nice older man a big truck came today and removed the you know that (stuff). No report on the guy that left his buddy on the ledge but he maybe looking for another hiking buddy . The best story is coming "What is electrolyte"

I read the Inyo Register today, oh boy...

Can't wait to hear this one!
Blessings, Betsy

Earlene yells into the kitchen the bus can't get by the stop sign, cars are backing up to the store, I walk over to the pond and look up the road , the car that had been parked by the stop sign was moved by a group fishing,they picked it up somehow and put it behind the stop sign, the bus was able to park just below the sign and the people could get out and see the waterfall, the nice older man should of used the bathroom up by the pond before they then got back in the bus.The bus moves to the trailhead parks and all go for a nice hike, well after walking back to the bathroom up by the waterfall.