Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board And another year

Store closed and winter shut down yesterday . 2020 was a beast but 2021 more stress open close open ,fires in the canyon and mass forest closure and many days of dense smoke.
Getting out was over this year ,returned to cook position, Doug Jr button boy and customer service, "I came to get my "permit" They told me .... and what do you mean I can't get a walk up permit or campsite#.
So looking back about a normal summer a few less rescues and limited recovered which was a positive trend ,well yesterday a search for a missing hiker.
We plan on the Hero's hike Nov 11 on Baldy if it isn't cancelled again .My plan is support at the lodge ,so out of shape the ride up the lift sounds challenging!
Please sign up if you haven't already hope to see many on Baldy for a great cause. We will also dedicate this hike to all that moved on this past year,the morning I found out James had fallen I got a call a friend for 50+ years also moved up ,a victim of the Vietnam exercise.
Until that time

Doug, Doug, and Earlene,

Congratulations on 34 years (1988-2021) owning/operating the Whitney Portal Store. You are a Treasure for those of us who frequent the Mount Whitney area.

Hopefully, the last two years were just outliers and next year we return to some semblance of normalcy on the Mountain.

Already starting to sketch some plans for next summer. The Sierras offer such unlimited beauty and challenge for exploration.

Have an enjoyable winter season.

Jim

My first visit to the stone hut on top of Mt. Whitney was on 27 July 1990. No permits required, enclosed toilet facilities at Outpost and Trail Camp, and over 1000 hikers on any nice weekend. Ten additional summits over the intervening years in over twenty attempts - stuff happens. This includes turning around at the top of Trail Crest seven times due to a sore tendon behind the knee or other ache or pain. I do not want to be rescued. Throughout these years I have considered the Whitney Store with Doug and family to be a big part of the amazing Whitney experience. Thank you for your friendship and trail guidance.

Recently I finished The Mount Whitney Guide, Third Edition. I highly recommend this edition to anyone who is considering a visit to the summit of Whitney, be it first timers or those with many ascents. It is the definitive guide; full of everything you will want to know. As I read, I burst out laughing several times, over a ‘been there, done that’ experience. Really well written, full of information that is spot-on. Third time’s a charm.

Thanks Jim at least we had a few days that we could spend a few minutes out of the cages .
Added to the closures was the when and how long we would be open , so ordering was stressful , then the go fish method of ordering "do you have ".
I know many of the Valleys shops were hurt with the covid shutdowns and Forest Closures , this would be the East and West side . Fires can close the area but smoke travels many miles as this year to the East coast.

Thanks Strider for the kind words on the book , but if you read between the lines your story of how you survived the night years ago is one of the key points I try to make.

We had a great team working on the book Tami, Kayla, Maura ,Jeff, Jessica and many others shared comments on the topics.

I can't think of a day going by where the person working the front counter isn't ask about the trail and during each season this same person will be ask could you call a Ranger there is a person ...

Doug,
Will be good to see you this Saturday.

ALSO WE ARE HAVING A MEMORIAL FOR JAMES ON SUMMIT! HOPE ALL THAT CAN MAKE IT CAN SHOW UP!

JEFF(YETI)