The assault on Mount Whitney was to take
three days. The first camp at Long Lake-11,400 ft., then in the morning
up over New Army Pass- 12,300 feet then down to Rock Creek at 9,500
feet. On day three we went up to Guitar Lake-11,500 ft. On the fourth
day, the ascent of Mount Whitney and the beginning of retracement. I was
amazed at the beauty of the wilderness along the way; the cliffs of
stone above lakes and alpine meadows, the variety of flowers, even at
14, 000 ft. and at the high points, clear vistas of mountains stretching
as far as the eye could see.
This first day was a short 6 mile hike with only a 1,500 foot elevation
gain. An easy day to get us acclimated to the thinner air and the
weight of the backpacks. We experienced some light afternoon
showers that the Sierra Nevada mountain range is notorious for.
Good time for a nap in our tents. |