Mt. Whitney

I am always asking my friend Josh when we are going to go camping.

The phone rings one day and the voice on the other end says, "Want to go camping......on a mountain?"

After all the times I have asked him I didn't really think I could say no. So a few months later we were off to climb Mt. Whitney.

Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the continental United States at an elevation of 14,497.61 feet.

I did a lot of aerobic and weight training work before the trip, but that didn't really prepare me enough for this sort of hike.
The air is thinner than it is here in Ohio, so it was a bit harder to breath. I also was not prepared for the reality of my pack weight at 45 Lbs.

It was a great trip even though I did not make it all the way to the top. I figure that I can always try again!

Click pictures to see an enlarged version.

The view of Mt. Whitney

Mt. Whitney in the distance as we drove to our first camp site.

INYO

Entering the INYO national forest.

Mt. Whitney

The destination straight ahead in the distance.
It is an 11 mile hike to the summit.

Tent

This is the two man tent that Josh and I camped in on the mountain.
This is Trailhead camp at 8,637 feet. It is a drive-up camp at the base of the mountain.

Bear Canister

This is our bear canister. We each had one of these.
You have to put anything with a scent, such as personal hygiene items and food into these containers so the bears will not bother them.
The bears have learned that they can not get into these canisters, and so they leave them alone now.

Bear Box

At the Trailhead camp they also have these bear boxes that you can use instead of the bear canister if you want. We put our packs in there the first night.
You can also see my Thermarest air mattress sitting on top of the box. This turned out to be a very good extra pound to carry because it got very cold at night on the mountain. The mattress insulates you a bit from the cold ground while you sleep.

Wag Bag

The dreaded WAG bag. So many people hike this trail every year that the few bathrooms on the mountain very rapidly become overwhelmed.
In order to help combat that problem the rangers are requesting that you "pack out your poop" this year in the WAG bag.

Mountain Stream

A stream about 100 feet from our first camp site.

First Morning

July, 22 2005 6:55am - The sun coming up on the mountain the morning of our climb.

The Beginning

July, 22 2005 9:46am - Here I am standing at the trail head ready to start my adventure.

Josh

This is my friend Josh. I think he is grinning because he knows what he has gotten me into.

Hiking

This is a picture of me hiking the trail. The scenery there was beautiful.

Crossing the Streams

There were a few small streams to cross. There were generally rocks or logs to walk across.
Here is Josh making the crossing.

First Day Trail

This gives you a pretty good idea of what the trail was like on the first day.

Meadow

Big Horn Sheep Park - A large meadow on the way to Outpost camp.

Second Camp

This is our second camp site of the trip at Outpost camp.
Elevation 10,360 feet, 3.8 miles from the trail head.

No Bathroom

The bathrooms at Outpost camp were closed.

Pack it Out

Trying to convince you to "pack out your poop".

WAG Bag Stall

You pull the bag over the seat and go about your business.

Blisters

In the morning on the second day of the hike I had pretty bad blisters on the backs of my feet.
Josh duct taped some gauze to them and that seemed to do the trick.

Snow

This is Trailside Meadow with some snow cover on the way to the third camp site.

Tree Line

We start to see the last of the trees as we move above the tree line.

Second Day Trail

This is a good example of what the trail is like on the second day of the hike.

Far Up

Here I am, far atop Trail Side Meadow.

My Final Destination

Trail Camp, elevation 12,039 feet, 6.3 miles from the trail head.
This is unfortunately as far as I made in on my quest for the summit. My right knee was hurting real bad by this point. I am not sure what I did to it. Probably just a combination of the terrain and a heavy pack.

Last Day

5:07am on the last day of the hike.

Looking Bad

I stayed behind at the camp site while Josh went for the summit.
I did not have a mirror with me, and was curious how bad I looked, so I took a picture...Pretty bad.

Lake

A lake at Trail camp where we would filter water for drinking and cooking.

View of the Summit

Trail camp lake with a view of the path to the summit.

Switchbacks

This picture is in conjunction with the one below. It gives you a perspective on the enormity of this mountain.
There are people climbing the 98 switchbacks to trail crest between the two snow packs in the center of this picture.

Zoom In

This picture is a zoom in of the picture above.
If you click on this picture it will open in a bigger version.
If you look very closely you will see people on the trail to the summit.
After you see these people you can get a better feel for how big this mountain really is.

Josh Made It

My friend Josh made it to the summit.

Log Signing

There is a book that you can sign at the top.
Josh Rosenheck : First time - second try.

The Summit

The view from the top!