Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Thank you, Portal Crew

Alas another "season" has come to an end.

We did not get a chance to see our beloved Whitney this year. Got as close as Bishop but that was it. Nuttin' wrong with the holy city of Bishop. There is next year...

Wifey-pooh and I did not get to indulge in the great food at the Portal Store. But we could swear we could smell the pancakes, bacon, burgers and fries way out here in Coarsegold.

To Doug and Earlene and the entire Portal Crew another "job well done." You saw old friends and made many new ones. My wife and I wish you the best this upcoming holiday season and look forward to seeing you. Will hook up and look up next year.

To all of you who reached the summit, great job on your accomplishments and your trail reports and pictures. Very beneficial for all the noobs out there.

To those who didn't get a summit chance, don't fret. Keep those memories alive. Keep trying. Learn from what what you did wrong. Follow the advice of others.

Adapt, improvise, overcome.

Have fun.

Hi Thanks just unloading the papers and coffee cups from the truck and finding "stuff" from last year , one mitten several pairs of one glove each and several pairs of readers with one leg .

I had thought I would do a play by play of the season later you know the record snow somewhere that when we turned off the water yesterday found it to be the lowest ever and the rescues that happened this year was way below average, I wondered if the cook post at the start of August may have worked ?? So some night shortly I will try and post a story. Thanks Doug

Look forward to reading it.

Doug and Earlene may even consider me to be a squatter (especially after more than 30 weekends up there last year), but there aren't many places I'd rather be...



Only 5 trips up the mountain this year because at the end of last, I decided '11 was going to be "invitation only." (It's nice to know that I have at least that many climbing friends.)

I was sitting up on White Mountain Peak last Saturday afternoon (freezing my @$$ off) knowing that I couldn't stand another day on the desolate side of the valley, so I decided I'd head to the Portal for the closing...



No better people than the WPS Gang...

On the bright side, it's only six more months until the Store is open again...

Oh Ratz I didn't get to try the uber bivy! Oh well...next year.

I hope to see Myles and Amy back again next year

Thank you again for all the hospitality, Doug, Earlene and the portal crew!

Thanks Portal Crew! I was up there 4 times this year a new record for me! Can't wait to see you guys next year have a well deserved off season and hope to see Doug on Baldy this winter!

Yeti

Ditto. Spending time at the WPS is a highlight of the year for myself and my family. Doug, Earlene, Doug Jr., Amy and Myles have made our visits there so incredibly warm and memorable - thank you Portal Crew (and Hostel crew as well) for making this our home away from home. We're eagerly looking forward to 2012, and another season of hooking up with old friends at the WPS and making new ones.

Doug; not sure what I enjoyed the most. The summit, the burger or visiting with you,will try for a 3-peat again next year. Will see you and Shin on Mt. Baldy this winter.

THE SILENT HIKER

My thanks to Doug and crew.
It was good to see you again in August leading my 9-person group from Onion Valley via Whitney to you for 8 burgers and one veggieburger (not me). And thanks again for showing me some quotes from a book while we were chowing down. Harvey

Here is a good way to relive the mountain moments:

One way - and it is the best - is to summon our mountain back with the help of those who have special powers of doing so, the companions who have climbed with us.
R.L.G. Irving, The Mountain Way, page xvii

The mountain is our favorite place and Doug and Earlene are our favorite people!
Blessings and Thanks to you all!
Betsy & Jack
P.S. Doug, have a fun time in Mexico. See you in January!

And a thanks from me! Sept 25, I came down after just getting to Consultation Lake, which I have renamed my Consolation Lake! Got down after dark and my party of 8 said I would not be allowed in their presence without partaking of a shower! Off I rushed to the store and you graciously took pity on my group and me and allowed a quick shower!

Alas my summit average is a paltry 400! Now if I were a baseball player I'd be raking in the millions! After this adventure, hosting a group of 9 of us, of whom 6 did the hike, I decided at 63 that would be my last time. Until that is I saw a picture here of a 76 year old who made it to the summit! The other 5 in our hiking group had never been to the mountain before. I think they now all have been bitten by the Whitney bug, scientific name whitneybugeta or something similar I believe ?

So, who knows what the future holds for future excursions for me on Whitney. I tried to get my hiking partners to agree to each carry me for 1 mile! Not asking much I don't think. Did I get 1 volunteer, NO! I even said I could manage the downhill task without any assistance! So much for the love of my son and nephew, both 25 and some good friends!

Farewell!

Bob

Doug and Earlene,
Thanks again for another great season, the yummy food and your generous hospitality. Always a pleasure to see your smiling faces at the store and to enjoy another great story from the man himself. To Amy and Myles, it was great to get to know you better this year and hear the stories of the climbs you were sending. Hope you'll be back next year!

Also, a belated but heartfelt thank you Doug & Earlene for hosting the awesome party in October for the birthday girls. What great energy at the Hostel that evening. You two throw the best parties on the east side bar none!

Have a peaceful and restful winter.

Hugs,
Norma

After training at Whitney this past summer for the first time, I see why people keep returning: it is not just the beauty and challenge of our beloved Mt. Whitney, but it is the "family"
connection. I enjoyed the beginning of what I hope to be a long
and intimate relationship with the "Whitney family" and hope to know Doug and Earlene with the reopening of the roads next season. For now.....I will be off to Ecuador to Cotopoxi in December. Happy Winter everyone!

The portal store is just like our own sweet home in Mt. Whitney zone. They treat us like their own family member every time we visit Lone Pine or Portal. You are the reason why we come to Mt. Whitney.

Thank you Doug Sr.,Arlene,Doug Jr.,Myles,and Amy.
Looking forward to seeing you all in next season.

Hi The Silent Hiker,
The winter season has come on Mt. Baldy. Let's hike together.
Please contact me whenever you want to hike.
Looking forward to hearing from you this winter season.
Shin

Sincere thank you to the whole crew. Hope to see you again soon.

James