My Mt. Whitney Trip
I boarded a plane early Saturday morning, September 29, 2007, from Cleveland to San Diego.
Arriving in San Diego, I immediately got my motorcycle, ran some quick errands, packed my gear and then had a pleasant evening with friends at dinner.
Sunday morning I had my bike ready to go and left Len’s house about 9:00 am, for the 300 mile trip to Lone Pine, CA, which is 13 miles east of the Whitney portal trailhead. As I got lost in my thoughts while driving, I missed the I15 cut-off and the road basically turns into Rt. 60 westbound and when I realized where I was, I had traveled almost 25 miles west and was in the Los Angeles suburbs. Not a big deal, as I had plenty of time, but not thrilled that my 300 mile day would now be a 350 mile day.
Arriving at Lone Pine at about 5pm, I checked with the motel owner, who had previously stated that although I would not be staying there yet this night, I could store belongings in his storage room. I changed out of my bike gear and into hiking / comfortable clothes. I arrived at the portal store at trailhead about 5:30 pm to start my 3 mile hike to Lone Pine Lake, where I would spend the night in my sleeping bag, the intent being to help acclimate for the high altitude (Lone Pine Lake just under 10,000 ft). The hike to the lake was easy, although I sweated more than expected and shed some clothes after arrival so I wasn’t damp for the night.
The night was long, as there is really nothing to do once the sun goes down. There were two other older couples camping in tents a few hundred feet away, but neither of us seemed too intent on socializing, so I just got comfortable, with water and camera handy. At first the night was wonderful, with brilliant stars and then a ¾ moon rising, which I had already researched and was expecting. It was quite chilly, probably low 30s, with some wind, but thankfully the dew point was around 15 degrees, so there was never any problem with moisture. I was half expecting to see or hear bears coming around, but I had not brought ANY foodstuffs, not even Chap Stick, only clothes and water. No bears appeared, so I guess I did it right. The morning brought a much-welcomed bright sky, although still kind of breezy and cold. After exploring for a while, getting some various pictures, and after stashing a liter bottle of water along the trail for tomorrow’s walk, I packed up and went back the 3 miles to the portal store and had a wonderful and quite large breakfast, while comparing notes with other hikers who were in the area. This is like a little country store / meeting place, very quaint and friendly. I found out there that someone had left food in their car while camping and during the night a bear had broken in (they literally smash the windows out!). Unfortunately, besides the damage to the vehicle, the USFS also fines people when this happens, as they have signs warning of such problems.
The rest of Monday was spent wandering around town, emailing people from the library, and getting checked in to my room and packing what I thought would be the smartest (lightest) possible load to carry for the big hike on Tuesday. I decided that the cell phone was just a bit too heavy, and considered that if successful at making the summit, it would be a personal moment, and I wouldn’t take the effort to tell the world via live phone call. In retrospect, I think this was a good move. Indeed, everything DOES get heavy as you go. In spite of things being pretty light individually, such as clothes and water, when you add them up, the pack gets heavy rather quickly. A little bit of weight over a great distance is very significant!
When I left the trailhead Tuesday morning at 4:30 am, the forecast was for a sunny, pleasant day. Within the first two miles of hiking, although the temperatures were in the 40s, I had shed two layers of upper body clothes, but kept my leather motorcycle gloves and stocking hat on. These proved to be good choices to bring, both light and appropriate for the weather conditions.
When I arrived at the site where my water was stashed, I switched it for the 20 oz. Gatorade I had brought, thinking that the Gatorade would be a welcome drink when I was nearing the end of the hike. In the end, this would also prove to be a good idea. At this time I had 2 ½ liters of water with which to do the trip. I also had some chlorine dioxide tablets for water purification which I never did use, as the water I had was just the right amount for me under the existing weather conditions.
The first 2 hours or so were spent hiking in the dark, with an LCD headlamp which was very lightweight and provided a good quality of light. There was a little blessing there as well, as when I would be returning much later, I would see some areas for the first time under light, as they had been dark on the way up.
Once the sunlight broke, the scenery was beautiful, but soon I was nearing the tree line, where there would be no more trees, just grasses and lots of rock. It was somewhere around this time that the thinning air became more noticeable, and stops for catching my breath became more frequent. The scenery changed by the minute, and the trail continued to be friendly, although occasionally I had to take a moment to confirm its actual direction, usually in rocky areas.
Reaching Trail Camp (the last camp location for most people who do the hike in two days) was evidenced by the sight of a few tents here and there. Also, you could tell that the trail was heading toward an apparent dead-end, and the famous 97 switchbacks were just ahead. The trail turned from dirt to being snow-covered about halfway up the switchbacks. Once I donned my Yak Trax, kind of like snow tires for shoes, I was impressed with how much they contributed to my sure footing. It was during the switchbacks that I discovered that by pursed-lip breathing, I was able to sustain more energy when doing this breathing where I would force more air pressure into my body by holding my lips close together while exhaling, effectively increasing the air pressure in my lungs. People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are instructed to do this to help their oxygen absorption, and it seemed to work for me, because if I stopped doing it and breathed normally, I would tire much faster.
Now came the most intimidating, and, frankly, scary part of the hike. There is a location where a cable fence of sorts has been installed on the side of the mountain to prevent a person from sliding off the mountain where the trail is narrow, slanted outward, and if one slipped they would fall hundreds of feet. Unfortunately the cables end about halfway thru this area of probably about 100 ft. or so (I don’t know why), and you have to just be very careful to not lose your footing. I could handle that, although with some nervousness. Next, there was a very vertical series of close switchbacks, about five ft. each, probably four or five switchbacks. VERY steep, and if you were to slip and fall, you were going a long way down, and in fact couldn’t see where the bottom was. I got thru that with some hesitation. Finally, the trail did a sweeping curve around this solid rock mass which had very little definition, except that again, the trail was very narrow, slanted outward, snow-covered, and if you slipped, you couldn’t even see where the bottom was. I literally sat there for over five minutes, started to turn back, went back down, then up again the vertical close switchbacks, took a pee (when unsure, just take a pee and think about it), then decided to just go very slowly, and take very deliberate steps. It ended up being about 30 steps, and I just concentrated on where my feet were, and didn’t look away from that focus. Once I cleared this “test”, the trail became a bit more favorable, except for the occasional dangerous cliff areas, but at least these cliffs had some rocks and if you had slipped, there might be something to grab on to.
In what seemed like short time, I achieved the “Trail Crest” sign, indicating 13,600 ft., and according to the printed guide I brought, about 2 hours to the summit. I thought that was funny, because the trail to the summit is relatively straight, with few switchbacks, and a few ups and downs, so it shouldn’t take that long. What I didn’t realize was that with the thinning air, I would have to stop about every 50 steps or so, even with my breathing system, just to catch my breath. The trail had some precarious cliffs, but I had been desensitized by the earlier cable area, so it wasn’t a big deal, plus fatigue just makes you not care as much, as the energy from freaking out is redirected to just concentrating on maintaining pace.
In all, I passed 8 people on the way up the trail, being first to arrive at the summit just before 11:00 am. I waited about 15 minutes for the next people, a German father and son, to join me and we switched taking pictures of each other. I had been previously advised to not spend a lot of time at the higher altitudes due to the effects of altitude sickness, so was only up there for about half an hour. I never did suffer any dizziness, nausea, altered mental status, or other altitude symptoms. I don’t know if it was because of how I acclimated, my breathing, or just my body. I didn’t take any pills, although I had brought some if needed.
The hike down was pleasant, although near the top there are a few areas where you actually have to walk uphill on the rocky trail, on the way down (of course they were downhill on the way up, which was nice!). These really take a lot of energy, as you are already so tired, but the knowledge that they are few in number makes it more bearable. Once about halfway down the switchbacks the breathing slowly gets easier, going thru the area above the cables not quite so bad, as you know what to expect. Also, having passed about 10 people on the way down to this point, you know that they all passed thru here as well, and that gives some confidence.
It was somewhere in this area that the sense of pride and accomplishment really sank in. While I was at the top, I was really just too tired for emotion. Now, I would see other people hiking up and they would ask me, “Did you make it to the top?”, and I would reply, “Yes” and give them advice on what to expect. This was very ego-boosting! Also, as the trail goes down, the scenery begins to change, again, plants appear, some pools of water and lakes, and then you see the first tree. The ease of walking down the path is definitely inversely proportional to the difficulty of walking up the path, even though you are tired.
I stopped often to take pictures on the way down, not just because the goal had been achieved, but because the sunlight was much more favorable than it had been in the morning. I also did an extra trip off the main trail to get some better pictures of Lone Pine Lake, (after retrieving and drinking my Gatorade) which was much different than it had been just 36 hours earlier, when I had camped there. Now it was placid, bluer, so calm compared to the previous morning.
Arriving back to the trailhead, I was going to get a famous Portal Store burger, but they had closed early, so I just opted to go back to the hotel, rest up, and go to town and eat.
A few notes about the trip:
- I drank almost my 2 ½ liters of water, but if the weather had been warmer would surely have drank much more. Even though I peed on occasion on the hike, which indicates that I wasn’t TOO dehydrated, the next day I didn’t go to the bathroom from when I got up in the morning until mid-afternoon, in spite of drinking a lot of water and beverages the night I returned, and coffee with breakfast. The dehydration must have been very deep in my system. I guess that should be expected, with walking over 22 miles for 12 hours.
- I was originally going to not take any trekking poles, but did take one, and am glad I did. It helped a lot with balance, and kind of helped give me a rhythm to my step. I don’t think a second one would have helped.
- Food: I didn’t expect to eat much, so just took some candy. I ate some Raisinettes on the way up, actually about half a standard package you would snack on. Near the top I decided to switch and ate about ten M&M chocolate covered almonds. At the top I ate one of two apples I had packed in. It tasted good, whereas the chocolates were pretty much just eaten for the energy. I had packed a Cadbury chocolate bar, but never touched it. That was it. I didn’t want to pack a lot of weight, and knew that you don’t eat much under this circumstance.
- The night before the hike, I had a big dinner, snacked on salty Fritos and washed them down with fruit juice, my attempt to hypersalinate my body to reduce fluid loss during the trip. I think that helped.
- On return to the hotel, I cannot explain the total exhaustion. I called my family to let them know I was ok and had safely completed my goal. By next morning I felt much better.
- For whatever reason, I had no after affects, such as sore joints or muscles. People typically complain about knee pain, but I did not have any problems. Two days later my calves were just a slight bit sore, but really nothing to complain about. I attribute this to my New Balance 621 tennis shoes, which I had been hiking and running in for the past month. I also use a padded insole to help absorb energy. I’m sold on those things! Most people prefer ankle support, and so wear hiking boots, but I prefer freedom of movement. I have strong ankles, and believe that by having flexibility of this joint, it makes one's steps more efficient and thus less stressful on other joints. Also, the fact that there was approx. 2 inches of snow on the ground on a lot of the trail probably helped absorb impact as well.
- It is only fair to mention that two days prior to and two days after were NOT good days to summit. When I was from Trail Crest to the summit, the temps were in the high 40s and the winds were light and variable all the way. NOT typical for this time of year, just my lucky day. I couldn’t have asked for better weather!
The 300 mile trip back to San Diego was very peaceful, and I enjoyed the rest of my few days there before the return to Ohio.
