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Mt Whitney Trail on the first day
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Some scrambling on Californias Mt Whitney on day 2
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Mt Whitney Summit
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Mt Whitney Trail
July 2002
Lone Pine , CA
posted by Wade
I took this trip a few years back and it was a memorable one. Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the lower 48 states.
I went with two guys, one who I worked with at the time, and another who is a maintenance manager for a National Park. We put in for our pass a few months before our trip. Mt Whitney operates on a lottery, so you put in a request for dates, and cross your fingers. The trail gets alot of use, so it's good that it is regulated. You can also show up the day of and hope that there are some passes left.
We drove up to Lone Pine from L.A. on a Friday night and camped out up at the trailhead. There is a nice little store there with last minute supplies. Beware of bears, there were pictures on the sign of cars that had been ripped open like a paper bag. The bears can smell anything from chewing gum to toothpaste and think its food, so make sure all of your food is in your bear canister. Which brings me to another point. Bear Canisters are required. We didn't see any bear, but we did see some marmots who would approach and beg for food.
The first day is a steep hike up through pine forest and past a nice pond, then on to the basecamp which is at an alpine lake and has an awesome view out to the Owens Valley, which is quite dry.
The second day consisted of a lovely 100+ switchbacks, they were grueling, but they got us up to an elevation of about 13,000 feet. The trail wraps around behind the signature spires on Mount Whitney and then moves along the back side. There are a few exposed places, but for the most part it is just hiking with a few small scrambles. You can bag Keelers Needle, whish is a sub-peak of Mt. Whitney as well.
There is usually some snow in July from what I'm told, but we only crossed minimal snow on the summit ridge. I brought an ice axe, but didn't need it at all. I would reccomend trekking poles however though.
It is a jarring knee breaker all the way back down, but it's a pretty cool peak to bag since it has such status.
It should be notedt that this peak can be climbed in one day, but it would be a long day I would imagine.
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