Day 14: Guitar Lakes to Whitney Portal-15.7 Miles

"The Grand Finale"
We had rain/sleet/snow from 7 pm last night until we finished with a few 30 minute breaks. We were worried that we wouldn't be able to do Mt. Whitney because of the weather. Our tent dripped slowly on us all night, but we threw our rain gear over our sleeping bags and thought of the warm showers we'd take once we got back. At 2 am lightning struck very close to our camp, less than a quarter mile away. At 4 am we heard a group of hikers leave during a break in the weather. We decided to wait until sunrise because our flashlights weren't that great so we slept until 6 am. Woke up to find the whole area covered in a few inches of snow. We shook off the snow and broke camp quickly.

Our breakfast was 1/2 what it usually was, we each had a cliff bar (the last one) and a bag of cookies, but we were so excited to finish it didn't matter. We climbed through snow and ice from Guitar Lakes up to the Mt. Whitney trail junction and got there at 9:00 am. We dropped our packs and raced to the top of Whitney before the weather became any worse.

Beautiful day for a hike

We finally made it to the top of Whitney by 10 am. Hell yes. 

VICTORY!!

Nick broke out the Jack Daniels and we ate oreos on the top. Making friends has never been easier, everybody who came up to the top was thirsty. 

You haven't been drunk until you've been drunk at 14,500 ft.

We took several pictures, checked out the cabin at the top, and were ready to be off the top by 10:30. The weather didn't cooperate at all, it snowed constantly and visibility was horrible. Began our decent, 10.5 miles down from Whitney to Whitney Portals. Finally saw some blue sky for about 10 minutes, but then it closed up again.

We're leaving, cue the sunshine

Shortest 10.5 miles of my life, we flew down not stopping to eat lunch. Needless to say we had eaten enough trail mix and jerky and wanted to get some real food. Hailed and sleeted on us all the way down but we didn't care. Got into Whitney Portals at 2:30 pm. Nick and my packs weighed 25 lbs each, out of food and water. Dad's broke the scale at a whopping 16 lbs. Buck and Annie (the father/daughter duo who were stuck with a severe case of food poisoning) gave us a ride into Lone Pine where the five of us then finally got some real food at the Mt. Whitney Cafe (Nick, Dad, and I each had a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate shake. Indescribably delicious). We said goodbye to Buck and Annie, rented a room at the Dow Villa hotel, and then started the shower cycle. It took me 2 showers to finally get all the dirt off. Consequently I am now less tan then I thought I was. We called my mother, who drove straight from home to pick us up in Lone Pine. She brought our scale from home, and the final results are in: Nick lost 7 lbs, Dad lost 6 lbs, and I am the undisputed winner having lost 17 lbs. We ate again with her, waddled back to our hotel, and are just about to pass out. Nick is already out like a light.  


Looking back I can't begin to express how thankful I am that I was able to do this. I had an amazing time with my Dad and brother, and despite being sick, I would do it all again. The beauty of the scenery, the power of the mountains, the friendly people we met on the trail, and the time I was lucky enough to spend with my family are all things I will remember for the rest of my life. I will definitely be back. But now it's time to sleep. In my perfect, dry, clean, roomy bed that will never have to be re-inflated. Until next time. 

-Mark