Miles Hiked: 15.5 total
JMT miles Hiked: 4.9
Hrs Hiked: 15
Tossing and turning noises rouse me at 0500 hrs, the unique smells of shoes that have been used for too many miles invade my senses. I quietly rise, wash up, pack and head out the door before anyone is up. Across highway 395 and up 200' is Whitney Portal Road.
My hike has started.
I pass the Alabama Hills, interesting shaped rocks that have been used as backdrops for many of our early waestrerns. They are somewhat of the road so I'm showing a similar picture taken close by.
The road is just over 12 miles to the portal, I have completed about 6 when the portal cook, Meacher Beechem, stops to give me a ride. I had planned to have breakfast at the portal, but Meacher won't be able to have food for another 45 min or so. I'm anxious to start so I thank me driver and head to the trail. 8.7 miles of mostly virticle climbing to get to Trail Crest, then another 1.9 to the summit. The portal camp is quiet, only a lone women walks the road back to her camp site. A take my breakfast, as I am about to dispose of my trash I notice a sign stating " no trash - human waste only ". Further reading informs me the Forest Service removes 3000 lbs of human waste a year from the Whitney depositories., I guess one could say " that's a real sh** load. When you are issued your permit you get a WAG bag to use for waste hauling. Anyway I spy the trash and carry on.
Beautiful hiking weather greats me, cool with a cloudless sky. The trail is wide and well cared for, smooth and easy to hike. I'm surrounded by granite, willows, and sugar pines, I feel a deep refreshment as I walk. Small streams cascade every so often adding their song to my crunching of decomposed granite. My lack of adaptation to the thin air is noticeable, as I stop frequently to catch my breath. I marvel at the subtitle beauty of a mountain meadow displaying many rustic colored grasses.
Soon I am at Outpost camp, I count 4 tents and see several hikers heading down the trail. A breeze has begun, light and refreshing, but a portense of what is to become, forcast for Whitney, 15-25 mph winds. Arriving at Trail Camp, I find 2 tents and several packs, hikers leaving their gear to summit with less weight. I think about my 25 lb pack and sigh. Now the wind has picked up and cooled down, maybe 10 mph I alway use the rule of thumb 15 mph makes a flag stand straight out. Seeking shelter behind a huge boulder I add layers to my clothing, under layer warmer pants, my wind breaker, and my gloves. Time for my lunch, I enjoy my Manchurian chicken noodles, they are delicious. I launch forward into the wind surveying the huge mountains ahead. After switch backs to many to count I parallel the mountain side through a snow field. This section is very shear as there are cables installed to assist the hiker through it.
The added complication of snow creates some concern as I pick my way along this section, at one point having to step up high onto the snow pack as it is against the cables tight. More switchbacks great me followed by another snow field, not as shear, but if you consentrate on the down slope you might change your mind about crossing. Many points on the trail can scare you away if you let the void at the edge grab you, just concentrate on the trail and get it done. The snow field ends at Trail Crest now my final 1,9 miles to Whitney, a trail I know. More snow this year than my ascent in 2012, but all easily accomplished even the 6 ' high drift blocking a turn in the trail.
The last bit if trail is a gradual climb through a boulder studded terrain. I see the hut on top with 4 othe hikers, no these are climbers and they actually climbed the east side vertical wall to get here, I'm impressed. The lightening/warming end of the hut is operational allowing me to seek shelter from the persistent wind , that now has increased to 15 mph or more. A climber takes my photo and I his as we stand upon the highest mountain n the lower 48.
The warming hut is the right door.
I enjoy the splendid views marveling at the grand mountains surrounding me. After chatting with the climbers and two new summiteers I sign the log and officially start the John Muir Trail heading north. It is now 1730 hours, I've taken 12 hrs to summit and must seek a lower camping spot about 2000' below. I reach the lower valley off the steep Whitney trail, it's now 2030 hrs and I make my camp at a higher elevation than I had planned, 15 hrs on the trail for the first day out, don't have to mention how tired I am. The wind is less intense, almost gone at this elevation, 12,000'. Glad to be in my tent in a warm bag, a great day hiking.
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