What's with the attitude? Whitney may not be the hardest climb in the Sierra, but why would you go out of your way to crap on a guy who is showing some enthusiasm for making a climb that he has probably been planning for months?
He never said he was going to get to the summit even in a lightning storm, he just said he wasn't going to let beaurocracy stand in the way if attempting it, especially considering the red tape one has to go through in order to even be able to attempt the main trail.
Congratulations if you've done harder mountains. But why pooh-pooh someone else for whom this might be the biggest trip of their lives?
Not really crapping, but tongue in cheek for sure. (Bee, do we have *that* emoticon??)
I didn't read it as simply enthusiasm, but more someone who is hell-bent to get to the top because "I did all the work, dammitol, and nothing will stop me now!" (I'm not really quoting anyone or anything here, just using it as an illustration) Bob wrote it up much more eloquently than I, fo shizzle. I think of all the training I've done, time spent in planning, etc, and then been completely skunked due to one factor or another.
You can't deny that the blinders-on attitude is pervasive when it comes to The Blonde, and even the most recently expressed sentiment of having more reliable cell service in the area (g-d help us)speaks to the general ignorance of a good deal of people heading up and away these days. Training away from the mountain is just one piece of the puzzle. Do people have contingency plans should the shit hit the fan? Who are you climbing/hiking with? Do they have any inkling of what to do in case you go down? Are you willing, despite the months of training/dedication/booked flights/booked cars/etc to turn around for whatever reason presents itself?
I don't care if you're on Whitney, or any other area of the Sierra (or anywhere else wilderness-wise, for that matter), the level of enthusiasm needs to be equally balanced with sound judgement.
So, go, climb your mountains, have FUN, gol-dangit. But don't forget to take care of the place you're in: Leave No Trace, respect the mountains and the wilderness, help someone else out who might need it back there. If the USFS and NPS can't be around to help, we need to police ourselves.
