To PCT mile 768.7 (stats here and here).
I got up 4:30am and was under way 5am. I was planning to get up half an hour earlier, but did not sleep that good and the morning was slow. My back was hurting a bit and also the side of my feet. I like to sleep on my back but usually the soil on trail is not soft enough to allow a prolonged position. I do need to switch from side to side all the time to accomodate the toughness. I've thought about ordering an air matress, but do not want the extra hassle.
It was 3.5 miles to the junction where you took a side trail to Mount Whitney. From there, it would be 4000 feet ascend to the peak. I set up my tarp at the junction, threw most of my stuff there, put my bear cannister in the bear boxes found from the area, and was under way to the peak with a lightened load.
The going felt immediately hard. I think it was partly because I slept badly, and haven't been resting enough for a long time. In addition, we are now constantly at over 10 000 feet, so the breathing is harder too. I took it slowly in order to make it. The views were spectacular. There were alpine lakes, the famous Guitar Lake and few more.
With the power of music, I was able to go up the endless switchbacks to the final junction leading to the peak. I secretly hoped that I would have missed the junction and was already at a trail to the peak. This was not so. There were many people coming down from the peak along the way. One guy said that it is a thing to see the sunrise from the peak, which I surely believe. Did not think that, but then again, thinking that much ahead here has not been my thing. And that's ok. One day at a time.
There were lots of people going to the peak. Most of them came from the other side, from Lone Pine. That side of the mountain is easier as you can get high up with a car. And maybe have something like 1000 feet or a bit more to ascend. The last 1000 was hard. Lots of going over rocks and small climbs and turns. There was also snow. I am a bit surprised that so many people are actually able to do this without accident. Especially if you are doing it from the side that I started, already deeply fatigued. And if you are doing it when dark.
The views were truly amazing. After taking some photographs and eating my lunch bars, Windy appeared. I was puzzled how I got past him and MacGyver. They left the same sidetrail I did earlier, and I did not notice going past them. Anyway, I spent some 40 minutes at the peak and then started down. Even as I was really tired, it was so much easier. Just needed to keep my coordination together and avoid fatal mistakes. I have noticed that I can go down pretty fast.
Once I got away from the actual Mt. Whitney peak trail, I suddently had an urgent need to poop. So far my needs have been predictable. Now it came from nowhere and going down made it worse. It was a long time before the narrow switchbacks would have been over. I knew that I could not make it. I just decided that at some end of a switchback that would not look that dangerous or ended in midair, I would just go straight, crumble to a platform. I did that. I dug hastily a hole and relieved myself. It is forbidden to do your things on Mt. Whitney. I am not exactly sure if this was anymore part of the forbidden area, but as I had no means to collect anything, except the paper, there was little I could do. I continued my going down with a huge relief.
It felt like forever going back to where I had my gear stored. There were lots of people coming to the opposite direction. Most of them were planning to camp at Guitar Lake and then do the summit early in the morning. That would have been the way to do it. After I got to the junction again, I decided to pack my gear and do few miles more. As Mt. Whitney is not part of the PCT, my PCT mileage would be low even as I did more than 20 miles of hard hiking today.
I met with the german young hiker, BigFoot, while leaving the junction. We hiked together and it was nice to chat and end the hard day socially.
I got up 4:30am and was under way 5am. I was planning to get up half an hour earlier, but did not sleep that good and the morning was slow. My back was hurting a bit and also the side of my feet. I like to sleep on my back but usually the soil on trail is not soft enough to allow a prolonged position. I do need to switch from side to side all the time to accomodate the toughness. I've thought about ordering an air matress, but do not want the extra hassle.
It was 3.5 miles to the junction where you took a side trail to Mount Whitney. From there, it would be 4000 feet ascend to the peak. I set up my tarp at the junction, threw most of my stuff there, put my bear cannister in the bear boxes found from the area, and was under way to the peak with a lightened load.
 |
| Marmots! They are cute and let you quite near. |
The going felt immediately hard. I think it was partly because I slept badly, and haven't been resting enough for a long time. In addition, we are now constantly at over 10 000 feet, so the breathing is harder too. I took it slowly in order to make it. The views were spectacular. There were alpine lakes, the famous Guitar Lake and few more.
With the power of music, I was able to go up the endless switchbacks to the final junction leading to the peak. I secretly hoped that I would have missed the junction and was already at a trail to the peak. This was not so. There were many people coming down from the peak along the way. One guy said that it is a thing to see the sunrise from the peak, which I surely believe. Did not think that, but then again, thinking that much ahead here has not been my thing. And that's ok. One day at a time.
There were lots of people going to the peak. Most of them came from the other side, from Lone Pine. That side of the mountain is easier as you can get high up with a car. And maybe have something like 1000 feet or a bit more to ascend. The last 1000 was hard. Lots of going over rocks and small climbs and turns. There was also snow. I am a bit surprised that so many people are actually able to do this without accident. Especially if you are doing it from the side that I started, already deeply fatigued. And if you are doing it when dark.
 |
| The peak of Mt. Whitney, highest point of continental U.S. |
The views were truly amazing. After taking some photographs and eating my lunch bars, Windy appeared. I was puzzled how I got past him and MacGyver. They left the same sidetrail I did earlier, and I did not notice going past them. Anyway, I spent some 40 minutes at the peak and then started down. Even as I was really tired, it was so much easier. Just needed to keep my coordination together and avoid fatal mistakes. I have noticed that I can go down pretty fast.
 |
| Guitar Lake on the right. What an exhausting climb. |
Once I got away from the actual Mt. Whitney peak trail, I suddently had an urgent need to poop. So far my needs have been predictable. Now it came from nowhere and going down made it worse. It was a long time before the narrow switchbacks would have been over. I knew that I could not make it. I just decided that at some end of a switchback that would not look that dangerous or ended in midair, I would just go straight, crumble to a platform. I did that. I dug hastily a hole and relieved myself. It is forbidden to do your things on Mt. Whitney. I am not exactly sure if this was anymore part of the forbidden area, but as I had no means to collect anything, except the paper, there was little I could do. I continued my going down with a huge relief.
It felt like forever going back to where I had my gear stored. There were lots of people coming to the opposite direction. Most of them were planning to camp at Guitar Lake and then do the summit early in the morning. That would have been the way to do it. After I got to the junction again, I decided to pack my gear and do few miles more. As Mt. Whitney is not part of the PCT, my PCT mileage would be low even as I did more than 20 miles of hard hiking today.
I met with the german young hiker, BigFoot, while leaving the junction. We hiked together and it was nice to chat and end the hard day socially.
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