Friends and I just completed a very fun hike yesterday, Sept 30, 2010. We camped overnight on the Whitney summit, watched the sunrise, then descended and drove to Death Valley to watch the sunset. Sunrise from the highest point and sunset from the lowest point of the contiguous 48 states. It was (almost) the 80th anniversary of a trip Norman Clyde did ...in 1930!
Sunrise on Mt. Whitney -- 6:38 AM Back: Tom W, Bob R, Bee, Jay, Dave G. Front: Bob H, Steve C, SnowNymph
Sunset at Badwater -- 6:02 PM
Overnight, the temperature dropped to 20 F. Five slept outside. It was windy, so bivy sacks were the best items to have. For SnowNymph, Dave G and myself, the hut was quite cozy! As we drove through Furnace Creek, the car's thermometer reported 106 F. It cooled down to 105 at Badwater.
Great adventure Steve.That is one for the books. Might have to put that one on the "bucket list" for myself.
Why is Bob R always pictured hugging girls on the trail?
I'm tellin' ya Rod - ChickMagnet. That's all there is to it. Put Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise on one side of the room and Bob on the other, the ladies will gravitate to Bob every time. The guy has "it".
Very cool adventure guys. How'd the sleeping at 14.5K' work out? Anyone run across catpappy while on the mountain? Bee, congrats on the summit! Steve, that sunset photo of the hut is now my new desktop wallpaper!
They were going up on Thursday, while we were coming down. We met up with them on the switchbacks, which, by the by, has sort of a coffee shop social atmosphere like one I have never encountered on a mountain.
The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
The two times I've been to Trail Crest have been wonderful "party like" events. Everyone is so happy to have just made it to Trail Crest and take a break. Congratulations go out to everyone as well as advice, stories, "where are you from" - "where or how did you train", etc. Trail Crest is a great place to relax, take some time to get ready for the summit and meet people from all over the country.
Great video Steve. i hate to admit that the exposure didn't look so bad in that section. Maybe this chicken could do it after all.
Bee congratulations. I really looked at the picture on the summit in a hurry and didn't read your name on the list. Waaaaay to go girl!!!!!! I knew you were going to do it soon. I haven't seen your TR yet. Is there one posted yet? I haven't been paying attention to the board much lately. Too much going on in my own world right now.
I loved looking at all your photos,I felt like I was on vacation again, what a wonderful trip you all had. How wonderful it must have been to sleep over night at the summit and how lucky you all are for having made this trek when you did because I just looked at the weather on the portal site and see that snow is in the forecast. Looks like you all "climbed" out and up to the top of what I call a minaret at the windows on the backside near the summit, am I correct? You're all in great condition...I have a fear of heights so I'm not sure I could do that. The sunrise at the summit and the sunset in Death Valley is a fantastic trip. I'd love to do it someday, but I'm not sure I can hike down fast enough to make the sunset in the same day. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL.
I haven't seen your TR yet. Is there one posted yet? I haven't been paying attention to the board much lately. Too much going on in my own world right now.
I, errrr, don't think that anything I have to say meets up with the pictures & narratives that Steve C & Bob R have in their posts
Seriously, I am a very private person, so the expression of personal experiences (outside the look-back on frostbite) is a very difficult thing. Perhaps later on as things slow down, while looking back at the pictures, some expressions will come to mind. Thank you very much for the kind words and commentary.
The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
Seriously, I am a very private person, so the expression of personal experiences (outside the look-back on frostbite) is a very difficult thing. Perhaps later on as things slow down, while looking back at the pictures, some expressions will come to mind. Thank you very much for the kind words and commentary.
Congratulations Bee!
I can relate to not being the most expressive person. My "stories" from my first trips to the top were about the people in our group who had problems. They did not have a message board that they could turn to for information. A lot has changed since then.
Bee, sorry I broke the news of your summit before you got to do the "shortest trip report on record". I still think you should post it... (My suggestion is that four letter acronym and a picture. ).
I think that enough has been said about the trip without any more contributions on my part (I did post a pic over at WPS). If you and others had waited for me to get something together and post it......you might still be waiting.
The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
I think that enough has been said about the trip without any more contributions on my part (I did post a pic over at WPS). If you and others had waited for me to get something together and post it......you might still be waiting.
OK, I can see how this is going to work, Bee. It'll take direct questions, won't it? Here's the easy question (and really the only one of true consequence): how did it feel to finally stand on Whitney's summit after all the time and effort you've dedicated to this mountain and the Whitney Zone?
OK, I can see how this is going to work, Bee. It'll take direct questions, won't it? Here's the easy question (and really the only one of true consequence): how did it feel to finally stand on Whitney's summit after all the time and effort you've dedicated to this mountain and the Whitney Zone?
Oh, gosh -- ask away; I do not mind answering questions! I just do not have the knack (yet) that the others have to put together a readable report. It IS easier if you have a particular question to answer, so here goes:
I very much had in my mind, the anquished descriptions of those who had to turn around at Trail Crest, so that I almost feared/dreaded this looming check-point. I saw many ill people as we got closer, and I had to beelieve that the followed advice of those who came before me would lift me up and over any foreseen obstacles. At the end of the very last switchback -- after following Bob R thisclose beelieving that his presence was drawing me up the hill -- other scenery(see above) distracted the boys, so that I pushed on to my most dreaded/magical checkpoint all by myself. The view was glorious. I felt glorious. The summit was a sure shot. After "conquering" Trail Crest, the summit was icing on the cake, really. I was more terrified of not reaching Trail Crest.
One of my favorite solo moments
The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
I agree wholeheartedly about Trail Crest - get there feeling good and it's all downhill from that point (figuratively speaking). Once the summit hut comes into view on the backside, even though it's still quite a distance off, it's a done deal.
Looks like that additional muscle you put on over the winter worked out perfectly for your plan - even if you did wait till the last possible minute to squeeze in a dry-footed Whitney summit! Gonna bee back for a little winter fun with crampons, ice axe and handwarmers?
Gonna bee back for a little winter fun with crampons, ice axe and handwarmers?
Up until two weeks ago, I thought that I was not in good enough shape for Whitney (TWO DAYS ACCLIMATIZATION REQUIRED) But with a little help from my friends, it seems that all is possible.
I forgot to mention(goofy things come to mind)that hikers should bee bannned from starting before daybreak, because everytime they rustled past our camp area(below us)I would sit bolt upright, thinking that it was a bear. It was the first time that I had camped out in the open -- no tent or bivvy -- and I was, ummm, a little paranoid.
Given the right company & circumstances, I would now consider darn near anything -- snow and otherwise!
Let's face it: With a Ranger as a personal guide, a SAR guy riding shotgun, 4 experienced Mountaineers doing sweep, and a chauffer driven transport by an experienced Sierra Club Leader....one can get a tad bit cocky!
The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
Well, at least you got to experience the Whitney norm - heading for the summit on very little sleep! I'm guessing you probably didn't make up for it at 14.5K' the next night either.
You definitely had a killer entourage for your first summit. How cool is that? I knew summitting Whitney was a goal of yours, but was trying to recall if this was your first time up the mountain? John (catpappy) mentioned that he had met you during a group hike, last year I believe, but something is telling me that you had not seriously attempted Whitney before. Is that right?
Regardless, the first one is in the books, and a memorable one it was!
Well, at least you got to experience the Whitney norm - heading for the summit on very little sleep! I'm guessing you probably didn't make up for it at 14.5K' the next night either.
I arrived Monday night with Steve, and we car camped at Horshoe Meadows for the first night of acclimatization. The next afternoon, I met up with Bob R (while Steve went back to HSM) and we camped just beyond the log crossings. It was just the pace/arrangement that I had been waiting for.
Originally Posted By: Bulldog34
You definitely had a killer entourage for your first summit. How cool is that? I knew summitting Whitney was a goal of yours, but was trying to recall if this was your first time up the mountain? John (catpappy) mentioned that he had met you during a group hike, last year I believe, but something is telling me that you had not seriously attempted Whitney before. Is that right?
I participated in the WPS Annual Group Hike & Ashcraft Memorial Hike, which accessed Thor by way of the Mountaineer's Route, so that I was introduced to the E-Ledges. I have never actually made a summit bid until this last week. Yes, indeedy, I had a killer escort for my first summit. I almost felt like I had been carried up on a litter....I said ALMOST.
Originally Posted By: BullDog34
Regardless, the first one is in the books, and a memorable one it was!
It will take a while to digest the whole thing. BTW, it is the first time that I have been to Death Valley, too. (the second part of the trip)
The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
Bee, You were certainly in elite company but don't diminish the fact that you alone made every step up that trail. I am proud of you Bee, it is an amazing accomplishment.I knew you were in great shape, more than enough to conquer Whitney.
Dang, I've been discovered. Guess I'll have to whip up some kind of trip report now. Bulldog, I'm kinda shy like Bee so you may have to draw me out with some line of questioning. As Wagga would say "there's a photo, so it must have happened". Chad, Kristy and I made it to the summit on Sept 30 around 2pm. It was such a pleasure running into Bob "The Tom Sellick of Mt. Whitney" R, Buff and Beeutiful Bee and Steve "The final 400 Destroyer" C. about 3/4 of the way up the switchbacks. Our original plan was to summit on Fri., but because of incoming bad weather we headed up on Thur. Glad we did because the mountain was cloaked in clouds most of Fri. Another highlight was a very brief incounter with Richard "the human stairmaster" P right before Trailside Meadow working on #98 I believe. OK bulldog start the questions.
It was such a delight to run into you on the trail, again!
For any of you who do now know this story, it is a neat one full of coincidence & serendipity. Last year -- the one and only other time I have been on the WMT -- I was hiking with Bob R. on our way to the Kent Ashcraft Memorial gathering on Thor (the day before the annual WPS group hike to Thor)It was a couple of days after the big cyclone carryover that caused a huge dumping of snow on Oct 19t, so there were not many people on the trail, however, we did manage to meet up with and chat with Catpappy. That weekend, he joined us for the WPS Potluck, and we had a chance to talk further.
Fast forward almost a year later....
At thee very last minute -- two weeks before, last minute -- I was invited to go along on Bob R's Big Adventure. I had told no one that I was doing Whitney, that way if I failed, it would just bee between myself and a few friends. To my delight, two days before the trip, Bulldog34 posted "Catpappy in the House" and I realized that there would be a good chance (even better since he changed his summit day) that Catpappy would be coming up the trail while we were coming down. Little did I know how much of a social atmosphere existed on the trail AND how often people DO leapfrog and run into each other over and over and over (that is another story.) Anyhow, short story long: Once again, Catpappy at I were on the trail at the same time and had a chance to see each other!
Happy hiking, Catpappy!
The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
John, congrats on another Whitney summit! And all day Friday I was telling my wife, "John's probably at so-and-so by now", "John's probably signing the summit register now", etc - and here you had already summitted the day before and were probably enjoying a burger and a brew at the WPS! Glad you had a great trip, and hopefully didn't lose the house deed at the Vegas tables! Also very happy you ran into Bob, Bee, Steve and Richard. Steve and I were PMing back and forth a couple days prior trying to determine if your paths would cross. Richard is the only one of that group I've met, so maybe next year for the other three.
Q1: What was your pack weight at the Portal when you started? Manage to keep it under 35? No bird seed, I'm assuming . . .
Q2: How was Consultation Lake? Any marmots or wind? Joe and I experienced neither in July.
Q3: How'd the foot hold up?
Q4: Did you finally chow down at the Portal Store?
Q5: Did you take the DV shortcut we talked about?
Q6: Any altitude struggles with Chad or Kristy? I know they had very little acclimation time compared to you.
Q7: Where are the photos?!
Got your voicemail but I've been buried at work the last couple of days and haven't had a chance to call back during a civilized hour. Maybe we can catch up this weekend. Taking the family for a hike somewhere Sunday - just don't know where yet.
Remember the little girls with the matching barbie cases/lunch boxes/shoes? That was me -- Princess all the way. If you look at Bob R's pictures , you will see a shot called "'Mornin', Bee" THAT was the first morning shot in a million years that I have allowed ANYone to take.
BTW, I always wear turquoise just in case..
1. I get lost, you can see me from far away
2. Friends on the mountain can pick me out (not a popular color amongst all of the khaki)
The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
Finally got a chance to look at both Steve's and Bob R's albums. Loved the pics. It was nice to see everyone, even if just in pictures. Looked like it was a great time. I'm sure sleeping on the summit was a memorable experience.
Bee - Congrats on your first Whitney summit!!
CaT
If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)
Gary, sorry about the slow response. Had a death in the family on the 10th. Was out of town for a few days and trying to catch up on some work also.
I could'nt have asked for a better hike. Spent 3 nights on Mt. Charleston. 9000 ft., 10,700 ft., and 7500ft. South loop trail very nice. It is about 4-4.5 miles from trailhead to ridge that leads another 4 or so miles to summit. Only prob.-no water on trail, so I had to pack in 2.5 gal. of water. about 20 lbs. of water. Pack was 47 lbs. on the way in. Felt strong the whole time, but my pace was snail like. Strange, but for some reason I was able to nose breathe vs mouth breathe most of the hike.
Met Chad and Kristy on the 4th day and drove to Lone Pine. The shortcut road from Pharump to Death Valley worked out well. Good sleep at the hostel as usual. Planned on getting a nice early start at the Portal, but Kristy said she was'nt stepping one step until she had one of Doug's breakfast works of art. So around 9 am after pancakes and damn near everything else on the menu we hit the trail. My pack was 31 lbs. for 3 nights out although we only stayed out 2 nights. We were not out to set any records and average about 1 mile per hr. Had lots of little breaks and one 45 min. lunch break at Outpost Camp. Rolled into Trail Camp at 3 pm. Not to many people at TC so we stayed there instead of closer to Consultation Lake. No wind and only one breif marmot sighting. I found some really nice camping spots on the other side of the ledge/bench that makes up the southern edge of TC. Had planned on spending all day Thr. at TC loafing to allow Chad and Kristy more time at altitude, but because of incoming bad weather on Fri. we decided to go up on Thr. Having spent most of my hiking life in the Appalachian Mts. I have no concept of the "alpine start". So at a reasonable 8am we started up. Chad and Kristy did well, no problems at all, helped out by our snail pace most likely. Reached Trail Crest at 10am. Spent 45 min lounging and snacking. Out to the west were low and laden clouds with rain streamers. Luckily the clouds were moving in a strict south to north pattern and I felt we were in no danger of being clouded out on the summit. Reached the summit at 1:20 with plenty of good views. Stuck around for about 45 min. then started the decent. A little below Trail Crest we were served up a little snow and sleet by mother nature. I loved it. Spent Thr. night at TC. Woke Fri morning to light misty rain. Broke camp and headed down to Lone Pine. Showered up at the hostel, drank a few at Jakes, pizzaed up at the pizza place then drove to Vegas with side trip to Badwater.
All in all things went smooth. I had been suffering with plantar fasciitis all summer so was not able to do the running I so enjoy. Most of my workouts were at the gym with free weights and some hikes in the local mts. with weighted pack. I managed my PF well and by the time of the trip was pretty much pain free. Slept well, ate well and drank well while on the trail and suffered none. Will post photos when I learn how. Hey Gary how about a tutorial?
Good TR dude! Sounds like things pretty much fell into place for you guys. Spending that time on Mt. Charleston was a very smart thing to do while you waited for Chad and Kristy to meet you in Vegas - even if you did have to haul 20 pounds of water! Also glad to hear the foot behaved and didn't give you any problems.
Let's hook up for a hike at our local mountain soon, and you can tell me more detail. I'll be out there tomorrow morning about 10:00 if you're game.
Total thread bump, but I followed a rabbit trail from where Steve C plugged this TR from the Huell Howser Video and I recognized the cloud over Mt. Russell in the photos from Whitney summit (and then the date from Steve's smugmug).
I happened to be on the Mountain that day on my first ever Whitney bid.
My dad and I started from the Portal @ Midnight, he made the summit just after sunrise, I'd end up turning around below Keeler Needle due to hallucinations.
Also I notice Calicokat summitted 9/30/10 a few hours before my pops. I'd meet him on the JMT that following summer.
Small world. That's the power of the WHA...
@jjoshuagregory (Instagram) for mainly landscape and mountain pics
![[Linked Image]](http://stevec.smugmug.com/Hiking/Sunrise-Sunset-2010-09-30/P1020957/1029982220_mdhbN-M.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://stevec.smugmug.com/Hiking/Sunrise-Sunset-2010-09-30/P1030031/1029847958_Xh3tx-M-1.jpg)
"Turtles, Frogs & other Environmental Sculpture"
saw YOUR frog on the bottom of your post, and instantly was interested.
).
