Left to right: Tonya Sowers, Adrienne, Joe McKenna. That's me behind all of them.
It was their first summit on their first try along the Mt. Whitney Trail. It was my second on my third try. My first summit on August 6, 2004 took me 17 hours 12 minutes. This hike took me 13 hours 46 minutes.
At 11:35 a.m., Adrienne and I reached the top of the 14,497.61 foot Mt. Whitney. Tonya and Joe had reached the top before us. Joe and Adrienne reached the summit without the aid of trekking poles. That to me is a miraculous feat in itself. My knees ache just to think about it. We did see a couple of mule deer between the sign and Lone Pine Lake. No bears. Just mosquitoes, marmots, chipmunks, grey-crowned rosy finches, crows. There must have been 30 people on the summit when I arrived.
3:37 a.m.: Start hike
3:53 a.m.: John Muir Wilderness sign
4:53 a.m.: Whitney Zone
5:25 a.m.: Outpost Camp
6:43 a.m.: Trailside Meadows
7:25 a.m.: Trail Camp
9:35 a.m.: Trail Crest
11:35 a.m.: Summit
12:05 p.m.: Start descent
5:23 p.m.: End hike
Ascent: 7 hours 58 minutes
Descent: 5 hours 48 minutes (includes 30 minute rest at the top)
Between Trailside Meadows and Trail Camp, you do have to cross over snow pack. Watch your footing here.
There is snowpack at the lower part of the 99s. It is sloshy, but passable.
There is considerable amount of snow along the cables. I now know why those cables were put there. I found that out myself on the descent. I had to check my shorts!
Once at Trail Crest, you got a clean shot to the summit that is 2.5 miles away.
Other than that, no crampons or ice axe are required. Just determination.
Don't forget to bring the DEET. The mosquitoes are hungry.
On the descent from the summit, I experienced some acute mountain sickness around the John Muir Trail junction. I felt nauseous and dizzy. I kept belching hoping to find some comfort. Once I hit the JMT junction my body was on the brink of collapse, because I still had to "climb" to Trail Crest. I had to stop at least 4 times along the 1/2 mile stretch of trail. Once I reached Trail Crest, I sat down and regained my composure. As soon as I hit the 99s and started to get closer to the lower elevation, my symptoms disappeared.
At the conclusion of our hike, there was the first runner crossing the finish line in the Badwater Ultramarathon. The 28th Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon is a true "challenge of the champions," this legendary foot race pits approximately 80 of the world’s toughest athletes – runners, triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers – against one another and the elements. Covering 135 miles (217km) non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA in temperatures up to 130F (55 centigrade), it is the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet. The start line is at Badwater, Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere at 280’ (85m) below sea level. The race finishes at the Whitney Portal at 8360' (2533m). The Badwater course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 13,000’ (3962m) of cumulative vertical ascent and 4,700’ (1433m) of cumulative descent.
