Mt Whitney Zone Forums Trip Reports Whitney M/T 6/19/2013 Fail (no pics)

Well, I was hoping to summit today but my body had other plans. I've been fighting some kind of virus since last week, Doctor took me out of work for a couple days and said I might want to wait on the hike (what does he know anyways, right), but I thought I felt fine enough anyways. The day started off ok, figured I've got this. This would have been my 4th summit in the last year and a half. As I got closer and closer to Trail Camp, I realized I was getting kind of (pretty) slow. So, when I got there I figured I would take a break and eat some snacks. I thought if I got off my feet for a bit I could continue. So, I started up the switchbacks. A few hundred yards later, my nose clogged up (couldn't breathe), I started coughing, and my legs got pretty tired. That's when I threw in the towel. I wasn't going to push it any further.
Funny thing is, is that my Wife told me not to go. Now all I hear is I told you so. Hindsight, I should have listened, canceled my permit and gave someone else a chance to summit. Lesson learned.
Other than that, it was a beautiful day up there.

The mountain will always be there! And you can almost always get a walk-in permit.

You will be back in shape next time. Thanks for posting the short report.

Yes, wives have intuition. I should know!

Fail? In my book, there ain't no such thing as "fail" on a hike. Turning around was the right thing to do. That "beautiful day" cost you $15! It was money well spent and worth every penny, worth every step. The question you have to ask yourself is this: Did I have fun? If you answered "yes" to that question, then it was a good day considering the circumstances.

Hope you get better. There is a lot of that virus going around. Maybe that good Sierra Nevada air will help you shake it off. I have had this persistent cough and annoying chest cold for a couple of weeks now. My wife has had it for a week more than me. We both can't seem to shake it off.

Maybe a hot toddy will do wonders!

Like Steve said the mountain will always be there. Just make sure you listen to your wife!

Better yet, take her with you the next time you go! If she has never been on the trail, she will see for herself what she has been missing. And as both of you pause for a breather while taking it all in, you can tell her...

"I told you so!"

You are both correct, thanks. I would love to take my wife sometime, just need to get a babysitter for the 4 little ones. Yes, $15 well spent. It's always nice to be out on a trail. Any trail for that matter.
As far as Whitney, I will see her next month. Going on an overnighter with my wife's brothers.

Yup, finding someone to take care of the kids is tricky! (We're farming out our 4 so that my husband and I can go up together next month.) Maybe, since you've done it 3x already, you could stay home with the kids & your wife could go up with her brothers? I wish my siblings were in good enough shape to do the hike with me...