Jonathan Stouffer
Tax & Financial Group
Francisco "Cisco" Rodriguez
Outdoors Club
After having breakfast at the High Sierra Cafe, I take Cisco and Jonathan to Whitney Portal. Garv stays back at the motel.
As we drove up Whitney Portal Road, Jonathan and Cisco were very anxious. They couldn't believe that they would embark on the hike of their lives.
They were in awe of the Whitney Portal area.
Before heading out on the familiarizaton hike, we stop by the Whitney Portal Store to look around.
We then take off heading up trail reaching the John Muir Wilderness. Both were mesmerized by the beauty of the place.
We then descended along the Mt. Whitney Trail.
We crossed the North Fork Lone Pine Creek and took a detour up the Mountaineer's Route to survey that trail.
After reaching the trailhead, we put away our hiking gear and view the falls.
We return to the Whitney Portal Store and I ordered two orders of the infamous Portal Fries for the three of us. We leave some for Garv.
We headed back down to Lone Pine in time to watch the Angels baseball game at 1:00 p.m. It is hot in Lone Pine. Temperatures in the high 90s.
I try to squeeze in a catnap, but to no avail.
Joe Magruder arrives shortly thereafter.
All team members present.
We have dinner at the Totem Cafe. We go over the checklist making sure everyone has what they need as we wait for our food. Cisco needed to get sunglasses. We are a go.
We return to our rooms and hit the lights around 6:30 p.m. hoping to squeeze in 4 hours of sleep. We set all alarms making sure we will not miss our marks.
We wake up at 10:30 p.m. I managed to sleep intermittently for 2 hours.
Garv gets me a cup of coffee from the High Sierra Cafe. I down a quart of Gatorade and eat two chocolate-covered macadamia nuts for "breakfast." Might as well get sated and hydrated.
We meet in the motel parking lot. People swimming in the pool. People leaving the Pizza Factory. What is wrong with this picture? Everyone relaxing in the evening air. Everyone going home for the night. We are not them. Our day of days is just beginning.
We drive up in separate vehicles to Whitney Portal around 11:30 p.m. I take Garv and Jonathan in my truck, while Joe and Cisco drive their vehicles.
The skies were clear. We were able to park near the Mt. Whitney trailhead sign.
Around us, there was nothing but pitch blackness.
Above us, there was a canopy of stars.
Before us, there was a hike of a lifetime.
Time on deck...11:59 p.m.
We prepare to move out...
