Prophetic sign at Dow Villa Hotel/Motel
Yes, Mt. Whitney awaits...
Mark Garvin and I leave for Lone Pine around 8:00 a.m. and arrive around 1:00 p.m. We have lunch at the High Sierra Cafe before checking into the Dow Villa Motel.
After unloading our provisions, we head up to Whitney Portal. We go up the old stock trail to the John Muir Wilderness sign on the Mt. Whitney Trail.
The stock trail is approximately 3/4 miles in length and has 27 switchbacks. It is steep and poorly maintained.
This is the trail we will use since it bypasses the 3 stream crossings starting from the Mt. Whitney trailhead.
At the junction of the two trails, we meet 2 hikers who had been in the wilderness for over 220 miles. I told them take the stock trail to avoid the streams. They didn't.
We later met them at the Portal Store. One of them inquired about the yellow band (Livestrong) I had on my wrist. He asked who won the Tour de France and we told him.
Imagine being in the wilderness for weeks without any contact with the outside world except those other hikers you meet along the way. Fascinating. Isolation. Severing ties with the outside world without a care. Enjoying the wilderness. Yes, I would like that.
