Sun, Sep 6 2015 - Westward Bound - Nevada and Mt Whitney (View Original Event Details)
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This was a very tough trip indeed! Couldn't be more proud of our group of 6 (Myself, Bill, Mike, Mara, Aaron and Kevin).
The weekend started with local warm-up hikes and we decided to stay at the Resort on Mt. Charleston which sits around 7000 feet. Aaron and I hiked the Bristlecone trail with some extra miles...the rest did a portion of the Mt. Charleston hike. We elected not to backpack to cut down on gear we needed to bring but day-hiked everything.
Monday we all tackled Mt. Charleston which lies in the Spring Mountains north of Las Vegas. This is a 20+ mile round trip hike with over 5,500 feet of total elevation gain and it's just tough. The peak sits at nearly 12,000 feet...for some in our group this was the highest they had ever been. This hike is no joke. But we all did it and enjoyed a hearty meal together later that night.
Tuesday was a zero-day as we left the Vegas area and headed to Death Valley for our 2-night stay at the China Ranch. What a magical place!! A lush date garden sits tucked into a small valley in the middle of the desert. We enjoyed comfy acommodations in air-conditioned teepees, toured Death Valley and a few us enoyed the natural Hot Mineral Springs in Tecopa.
Wednesday was Telescope Peak (11,049 feet), the highest peak in all of Death Valley. Thanks to Mike's awesome driving we quickly crossed Death Valley and successfully bagged this awesome peak. The trailhead is around 8100 feet, so the air temp was a pleasant 72 degrees when we started. We even got rained on for a while! The hike was a litttle over 12 miles with around 3500 in total gain. A good mid-week tune up..I absolutely loved this hike. Very beautiful trees and plants with breathtaking views.
Thursday we got up, said goodbye to Death Valley and drove to Lone Pine, CA. I picked up our Whitney permits and we all settled into our rooms at the Whitney Hostel. We tried to go to bed early best we could.
Friday am we got up around 12:45 am, loaded up and drove up to the Whitney Portal to begin our final summitt of the trip. Mt Whitney sits at 14,508 ft (or 14,496 ft depending on your source). As a day hike, you typically start around 2am since it's 22 miles round trip. The trail head sits at around 8100 feet. We started at 2:25 am and made an eery descent through the John Muir Wildnerness wearing headlamps under a New Moon. The stars were clear and as bright as I've ever seen. It was magical seeing a sliver of a new moon with Venus as bright as ever. We watched the sun rise as we climbed up, up and up. It was a special moment for me as I had tried Mt. Whitney in February in the snow, alone, and turned back at 12,500 because I couldn't find the trail. This time, there was no snow and I wasn't alone!
We all made a steady pace...the weather was just perfect all day. Clear skies and warm temps the entire way. Eventually, we ALL made it to the top and spent a long time at the peak snapping photos and sharing snacks and drinks (thanks Aaron for carrying extra special stuff).
Finally, we all headed down, 1 by 1. If you're going for speed it's possible to bag Mt. Whitney in less than 7 hours. We took our time and all did it between 13-16 hours. This trip was about enjoying ourselves. Kevin had the cool idea to bring cardboard for making signs, so we found some in Lone Pine and used electrical tape to make the letters. It worked out pretty well actually.
This was a totally successfull trip and I am proud to have experienced it with this great group of people!
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