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| Hiking | 23.38 Miles |
7,103 AEG |
| | Hiking | 23.38 Miles | 10 Hrs 24 Mns | | 2.60 mph |
| 7,103 ft AEG | 1 Hour 24 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Finally the day for Mt. Whitney. I was up early and started up the trail ~2:45AM. The first three and a half hours of the hike were in complete darkness, so I couldn't see much besides stars overhead and headlamps moving up the switchbacks higher on the mountain. The sound of flowing water was almost constant, but I could rarely see where it was coming from except for a couple of early creek crossings. Similarly, Route Scout would occasionally announce which landmark I was passing (Outpost Camp, Mirror Lake, Trailside Meadow, etc.), but it all looked the same in the dark.
The sun was just coming up as I approached Trail Camp Pond, and I could start to make out the cliffs and snowbanks. I took my first extended break there and drank a bunch of water and refilled my bottles with the purifier since that was the last reliable water source before the peak. The only problem: cold. I'd packed light on clothing and was shivering uncontrollably in shorts and a sweatshirt while I sat there forcing myself to drink cold water and pump from the pond. But seeing the sun rising and the first light hitting Mt. Muir and the cliffs was spectacular.
[ youtube video ]
The benefit of the cold was that it provided an incentive to keep moving, and the effort of going up 99 Switchbacks was a welcome relief just to warm up. There were a few icy patches on the trail lower on the switchbacks, and some snow banks along the sides, but the switchbacks were behind me faster than I expected, and the views opened up to the west into Sequoia National Park at Trail Crest. I took another short break there and had to fend off an aggressive squirrel before I got moving again.
[ youtube video ]
The rugged miles between Trail Crest and the peak provided some of the best views of the day, overlooking so many lakes and peaks. It was cool to hike along the base of the back side of the jagged ridgeline that's visible from Lone Pine, and occasional gaps in the cliffs offered views down onto lakes and snowbanks [ youtube video ] . I passed a few groups along that stretch, and there was one short section with some snow on the trail before the final the turn northeast toward the peak.
I hit the summit just before 8:15AM (could've slept in after all), and it was relatively quiet up there. A small group of Europeans were hanging out in the shelter, but I had the peak to myself for a few minutes and enjoyed the silence and the views while I took a break. The Europeans asked me to take a group picture for them before I started back, and the hiker traffic had picked up on my way down.
Going down 99 Switchbacks felt longer than it had going up despite gravity working in my favor, and I was happy that it had been as cold as it was when I'd gone up in the morning, because a lot of the people going up now didn't look very happy. I stopped again at Trail Camp Pond to drink water and refill my bottles as aggressive marmots hassled people for handouts.
The benefit of hiking the first 6+ miles in the dark was that it felt like uncharted territory on the way down--I was seeing everything before Trail Camp for the first time. And there was a lot of great stuff to see, including cascading waterfalls along Trailside Meadow [ youtube video ] , nice views of Mirror Lake, and another large waterfall near Outpost Camp [ youtube video ] . I detoured over to Lone Pine Lake for a short break on the hike out before finishing off the last few miles, and I was back at the trailhead at ~1:15PM, with perfectly clear skies and comfortable weather all day...as long as I was moving  .
Overall, this was a fun hike from start to finish and one I'd gladly do again someday. I'd originally planned to try this with my brother, but I was only able to get a single permit, so I may return with him sometime. Regardless, it was definitely worth the long drive from Phoenix to finally make this happen. |
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