CHARGE!!!

Weary, achy, blistery, and blissful we returned last night from an adventure unlike anything else we have attempted. Along with two friends, Kyle and I hiked to the top of the highest point in the lower 48, Mt. Whitney. Wahoo! The motto of the excursion, especially as we climbed endless passes and steep switchbacks, was CHARGE!!! There were times when the altitude caused our heads to pound and our lungs to pulse with breathlessness. Additionally, the up and downs of the trail through the John Muir wilderness, kept us in a state of both physical and mental challenge. Our rewards were endless. The views were phenomenal and the feeling of accomplishing such an incredible feet was more amazing than I can adequately describe.


The trip was a bit of a loop, starting in the Cottonwood area and ending along the Whitney Portal. We hiked up New Army Pass, connecting up with the PCT, and then with the John Muir Trail. Along the way, we walked through many beautiful meadows and by brilliant blue lakes. Access to water was not an issue at all, as the path often traveled along cool clear streams.

Wildflowers were abundant, as were the cute but disease ridden marmots.


On the day of the actual summit, we started out before dawn, toting our smelly wag bags. (Translation: Wag bags are plastic vessels used for waste disposal and transport. Still confused??? We had to pack out our poop on the last part of our journey. A new experience for us all! Yuck!!!)

As we arrived at the Trail Crest junction, we were able to leave our heavy packs behind for the last 1.9 mile to the top.

At the completion of our ascent, we celebrated with snacks, shared our photo-taking skills with other climbers, and soaked in the vast vista of the surrounding area. The weather was idyllic, blue sky and mild winds. What a blessing, as afternoon thunderstorms had been in the forecast.

Eventually, we made our way back down the mountain and spent our last night camped in view of the incredible peak. Watching other hikers ascend and descend the switchback trail near our camp was a captivating form of evening entertainment for us. Many other people were also realizing one of their life goals.


Now that it is all over, our bodies are truly communicating to us the full extent in which they were abused during the past few days. In many ways, however, I believe that we are all a little stronger and justifiably proud of what we achieved. We climbed up to 14,497 feet. Crazy!