Conquering Mt Whitney

For the past four summers, my dad would present me with the same question year after year. “ So, are you ready to take on Mt. Whitney”. I would start getting invested into the idea for a few days but then the excitement would start to fade and reality of summer vacation would take its place. Although I always thought it would be an amazing trip to go on with my dad, there was never any urgency to go. I knew there was going to be a lot of training, planning and hiking involved that would be very time consuming for my limited number of summer days. With that being said, our trip seemed to burn out before it even got the chance to spark into the preparation stage.

So what made me climb Mt. Whitney this summer compared to past summer attempts? Well, a few months before I came home from college for summer break, I got a phone call from my brother who delivered me the bad news that my dad was rushed to the hospital due to some severe short-term memory loss. Without any hesitation, my sister and I got in the car and headed home to see him. That drive home made me reflect on all the future plans I had with my dad. I was already starting to feel guilty that we never got around to that backpacking trip to Whitney like we had planned for so many years. Thankfully the memory loss was only temporary for my dad and his illness went away within 24 hours. I was very shaken up by the whole experience of seeing him in the hospital. It put a lot of things into perspective for me. I realized I cannot take anything for granted anymore and there is no time like the present for going on these adventures with him. The day after he came home from the hospital, I was already telling him that this was going to be the summer for climbing Whitney. No excuses this time.

 

Within the first month of being home from college, we had our first training hike planned from Chantry Flats to Mt. Wilson. I expected this hike to be just like all the others I had done, with the exception of an extra couple of miles. Let’s just say that it was a harsh reality check. I quickly realized half way up the mountain when it was straight up hill that I had a very skewed perception of what I had really signed myself up for. By the end of the day, I was already starting to second guess whether or not I wanted to do this at all, but let’s be real, there was absolutely no going back now that we had started.

The following week, I had forgotten all about the previous hike from hell to Mt. Wilson and was eager to get on the trail to climb Cucamonga Peak. Since I was mentally prepared for what I was getting myself into this time, I thought this hike wasn’t as bad as the previous one. With this new confidence in my hiking skills, the third hike to Mt. San Jacinto seemed sort of easy and I finally felt like I had the capability to take on Whitney.

With the remaining two weeks before our departure to Whitney, we had one more chance to squeeze in a harder training hike. My dad had warned me this hike would be by far the toughest hike I had done and may possibly be harder then Whitney itself (which I personally think it was). Our destination would be a northern approach of Mt. Baldy, but before we got there we would have to climb three other peaks. The peaks were named Wright Mountain, Pine Mountain and Dawson Peak. Within the first 30 minutes of the hike, I was already thinking to myself that there is no way I’m hiking anything harder then this, and it only got worse from there. It seemed that there were only two types of terrain on this hike. Straight up and straight down, no flat land what so ever. By the end of the day, I couldn’t hold back my developing nervousness over the thought that Whitney would most likely be harder then what I had just endured.

Then the big day finally arrived. We drove up to Whitney portal to find a parking lot full of hikers beginning the same adventure we were about to embark on. Our plan for the day was to hike four miles into the backcountry and set up our tent at Outpost Camp. We started 10:30am just to give us plenty of time, considering now we both had full backpacks to carry. Within the first 5 minutes, the beauty that surrounded the trail pleasantly surprised me. I don’t know why I had this expectation, but I thought the trail would be deserted of any plants and in its place would be miles and miles of boulder fields. In reality, we were greeted by waterfalls, streams, and wildflowers that guided us along the trail, almost as if it were pointing us in the right direction.

Within an hour, we had made it to our designated lunch spot at Lone Pine Lake. Once again, the beauty of the landscape was absolutely breath taking. The lake was hidden from the main trail, which made it very peaceful and quiet. While enjoying our lunch, we watched the lake’s reflection of the clouds glide across the water, which completely transformed me into a relaxed state of mind. Although I could have spent the rest of the day watching the clouds, we decided that we better get a move on if we wanted time to set up camp before dark. So with full bellies and a cleared mindset, we continued on with our journey.

Finally after another hour and a half of uphill climbing, we came across Outpost Camp where we would be setting up our home for the next two nights. That afternoon we set up camp, filtered water, and made our first backpacking dinner. We sat around for a little bit waiting for it to get dark, but by 7:30pm we were both ready for sleep and knowing we had a big day ahead of us, neither one of us were opposed to going to bed early.

The next morning I woke up to the sound of my dad wrestling in his sleeping bag. I figured it had to be morning so I asked for the time. He said it was 5:04am, which meant it was time to start getting ready. He got out of the tent to go retrieve our bear can and I decided to get up as well. I opened our tent to find the sky painted bright pink as the sun started to wake up over the horizon. I sat there for just a few minutes enjoying the most magnificent sunrise that was starting to shadow over the mountains. After some time, I had enough energy to get dressed and eat my breakfast just in time to be on the trail by 6:00am.

Within the first mile, I could tell I was a little more sluggish than the previous day. Whether it was from the early morning or the increasing elevation, I don’t know, but by the time we got to our first rest stop, I was already beat. We stopped at Trail Side Meadow for a quick snack, but the thought of food made me feel sick. I quickly became distracted from my fatigue when I found myself surrounded by purple wild flowers blooming all around us with a spring running through the center. This spot was by far the most beautiful meadow I had ever seen. The sun was still rising over the mountains and casting a shimmer along the meadow’s bank. After about 30 minutes of relaxation, it was time to continue our climb.

About an hour later we had made it to Trail Camp. Only four more miles till the top. The 99 switchbacks followed after Trail Camp. This part was known to be the hardest section of the entire hike. I don’t know if it was my adrenalin or the Gu Gel I took right before hand, but what ever it was made me go through those 99 switch backs with maybe a little too much enthusiasm. Even my dad made a comment how I was on fire and he’s always much faster then I am going uphill. Just a little over an hour we were already approaching Trail Crest. This marker on the hike meant only two more miles before the summit. I felt as If I was actually almost there. But that delighted thought quickly vanished when the trail turned from a moderately smooth dirt path to a field of uneven boulders.

As we continued toward the summit, hikers who had already hiked to the summit kept stopping us to give us a few words of encouragement. Some would talk about how beautiful the views were at the top, while others would tell us that we were almost there. This was one of the best parts of the entire hike for me. Strangers would go out of there just to give me a few kind words. At this moment in time, I seemed to forget all about my exhaustion and was just so motivated to get to the top thanks to a few friendly strangers. Encouraging words from my dad and the little inspiration from fellow hikers pushed me to continue on.

Before I knew it, we reached THE SUMMIT OF MT. WHITNEY!

What an incredibly feeling to scribe my name in the summit registry along-side my father’s. I could only help but feel overwhelmed with happiness to have completed such an amazing experience with him, especially on his third summit.

As we trekked toward the summit marker, I felt an immediate urge to sit, relax,  and reflect on our journey. We watched the horizon as the clouds danced around us. This was the pivotal moment when I realized I had finally achieved a long-time goal of mine:  I climbed the tallest mountain in the continental U.S. (at 14,505 ft elevation).  Though, I couldn’t help but feel an even greater sensation, and it was sitting right beside me. It was a feeling that my father and I connected in an entirely new way. This newly established bond was by far the greatest highlight from our incredible trip and I will never forget this priceless feeling.