Samuel Butler
I have been invited to some of my co-workers' homes for Thanksgiving. They are trying to coax me out of going to Whitney alone. Bless their hearts. I thanked them for asking me into their homes, but my mind is set and I am going to do what I set out to do.
Alone, possibly yes. Lonely, no. Alone is a state of being, lonely is a state of mind. I am going to have fun!
I had planned to leave at 2:00 a.m., but I will leave at 4:00 a.m. instead. Instead of heading up the 405 to the 5 and to the 14, I will take the 91 to the I-15 to the 395 and northwards to the holy city of Lone Pine. I feel in my heart this may be the better way to go, but I won't know that until I am on the road jamming to the sounds of Metallica, Steve Earle ("Copperhead Road"), Ozzy, Nugent, Dio, REO Speedwagon. Sunrise will be around 6:30 and I hope to be in the middle of nowhere as it peeks above the eastern horizon.
I expect to be at "base camp" around 8:3o a.m. My first stop is the Sierra Cafe for a big, and I mean big, breakfast. I will keep my ears open for any bit of information. The ranger station is closed this time of year and the locals aren't exactly a good source of information. To them, Mt. Whitney is just another mountain. After gorging myself, I will head up to Whitney Portal to claim my spot. The early bird is going to get his "worm."
It doesn't matter if I am the only one at Whitney Portal or one of a few dozen camping up there on Thanksgiving Day. I hope to meet some interesting people. You never know who you might meet.
If my fellow campers are experiencing their first visit ever at Whitney Portal or have never been on the Mt. Whitney Trail, you can guarantee it I will provide them with as much information as I can. I like to share my Mt. Whitney experiences. I am a valuable resource. I am almost a docent in these here parts.
I will take the time to show them around some of the great trails in the area. Meysan Lakes trail. Whitney Portal National Recreation Trail. The Mt. Whitney Trail where I will show them the "dry" route (old stock trail) and the "wet" one (the current trail).
If trail conditions are favorable, I will take them to the John Muir Wilderness sign, Lone Pine Lake and Outpost Camp. I will show them the secret spring near Big Horn Park.
I will tell them about other places to visit while in the area like the town of Lone Pine (the film festival occurs the first half of every October), the Alabama Hills (where some of the greatest western movies were filmed), the Manzanar War Relocation Center (Japanese internment camp during WWII 8 miles north of Lone Pine), and the ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (home to Methuselah, the oldest living thing on this planet at 4,767 years-old). There are other places too many to mention. They, too, have a rich history.
On the flip side, should I be the only soul on the mountainside, then I will make good use of my time. Come and go and wander whenever I want. I am bringing a lot of food. The my breakfasts I am bringing bacon, eggs, sausage, muffins. For my lunches and dinners, I will dine on various entrees by Mountain House, hot dogs, hamburgers, potato chips, chili. One thing is for certain, if there are any bears hibernating up there, they won't be as long as I am there. Yes, I will be bringing Minute Rice. Can't bring my small rice cooker. Can't find an extension cord long enough to reach Lone Pine. There are plenty of bear lockers in the area so my food will be safe. I just have to make sure I don't cook, eat and sleep in the same clothes. Wouldn't be prudent!
No portable CD player, portable radio, cellular phone (it will be turned off), musical instrument, newspaper. Just me, my digital camera, and the sights and sounds of the Sierra Nevada. I may bring a book or magazine, but I doubt I will ever open up the pages.
I am looking forward to this trip no matter what the circumstances are. Snow or no snow.
To all my fellow bloggers out there, if there are no more posts on this blog long after the Thanksgiving Day weekend, you can assume that I had died enjoying what I like to do most. Common sense will dictate my actions during my stay. I did not request permission to die on this trip. By God, if I had to drive 5 hours to get here I am going to get my time worth!
Accidents do happen. If something does happen, all is taken care of. My organs are to be donated so that others may live to enjoy life the way I have. My body is to be cremated and my ashes scattered at a pre-determined location. I do not want to be buried in a stainless steel box six feet under with a granite marker telling the world when I was born and when I died. No one is going to care in 20 years anyhow. The world is one big burial ground as it is. My ashes will make great fertilizer!
It is said that when people are born, their hands are clenched. When they leave this world, their hands are open. Upon entering life, they tend to grab everything. Upon leaving, everything they had possessed has slipped away.
The only marker I ask is that a bristlecone pine be planted so that others can marvel the beauty of my tree 4,000 years from now.
Move over, Methuselah!
