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.