Mt Whitney Zone Forums Trip Reports Sunrise, Sunset -- 80 years after Norman Clyde

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.

Pictures are here:   Sunrise Sunset 9-30-2010

I climbed via the MR (Mountaineers Route), and took some videos in the final 400. They're here:  Mountaineers Route, Final 400 chute videos

And my pictures are here. Steve went up the Mountaineer's Route, and I went up the trail. So I had experiences he didn't. An example:



CMC2 is my litmus test. I hope he approves.


So a range of 86 F. for the day

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Jay sent me another picture:



I have no idea where this is going....

Wow....that was FUN. Thanks so much for sharing your adventures. Such a great time with friends.

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 - Chick Magnet. 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!

BeeCause he is irresistable!

Thank you, Joe! (I only had two weeks notice)

BTW, Froggie my favorite pet of all saw YOUR frog on the bottom of your post, and instantly was interested.

found a few interesting things on the trail...

> Why is Bob R always pictured hugging girls on the trail?

I dunno. Maybe just because he can?

But I want you to know.... While he was over on the trail schmoozing with the chicks, I was on the other side hugging rocks.



(Set of 7 videos climbing the final 400 chute is here.)

Very cool Bee. Where did you run across them?

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 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, 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.

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.

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?

Honest, my only question.