Mt. Whitney

So… over Memorial Day Weekend, we set off to the Eastern Sierras in search of an adventure. That adventure had a name and its name was, Mount Whitney! After applying for a hiking permit for the past 5 years, Matt was finally able to secure one this year! Even though it was still early in the season and there was plenty of snow on the mountain, we decided to try it anyways. The pictures never do this mountain or the surrounding areas justice but they sure are beautiful! (You should go and check it out too! Lone Pine, CA is the coolest little town and can boast to being the backdrop for many only, and new, western films).

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Matt and I at the rock arch in the Alabama Hills. This area is full of unique rock formations and is a free camping area! Come and park your RV, car and/or tent anywhere you would like and soak in the beauty around you!

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At the trail head! Here it was a balmy 75 degrees, but this soon changed as we continued our climb.

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We crossed many rivers and streams. This one had a nice log-bridge which made this crossing drier. And beautiful!

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Our camp for the night! After climbing for about 5 miles, we stopped at Outpost Camp for the night. This was a strategic choice since the winds at Trail Camp were expected to reach 70MPH that night and we did not want to be out of a tent at 11 PM when the winds were supposed to be highest. So we stayed put and I sat on a rock to soak up some sun.

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After a good (not great but good) night's sleep thanks to Matt's fast thinking and a well build rock all to shield us from the wind, we woke up to ½ inch of snow, ate and started up the mountain.

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We did not leave early since we did not think that making the summit was possible with all of the wind, but after just a few good hours of hiking, we had made it to the bottom of this snow shoot which is the last big climb before the summit!

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Matt looking very rugged and tough on this beautiful mountain!

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Although we were so close to the summit, my bad circulation kept me from gripping my ice ax to my liking and thus we enjoyed the view form the bottom of the shoot and then made our way back down.

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This photo accurately shows the slopes that we were climbing throughout the morning.

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On the way back down, the snow had softened up enough to be able to slide back down some sections! Here is me glissading down one such slope. (Note the impeccable technique with the ice ax angled just so, allowing me to easily control my speed and direction while sliding on my backside:)

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After breaking camp, we continued back down the mountain and passed some amazing ice falls while trail finding through the snow.

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It looked like the snow did not want us to leave because as were were getting close to the trailhead we continued to see snow flurries. By the time we got completely off the mountain, the summit and surrounding peaks were completely covered by clouds. I guess my cold hands knew something about the weather and wanted us to head down sooner than we would have wanted, and it turned out for the better.

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In all it was a great experience! I was able to learn some more technique and use new equipment (crampons, ice ax, etc.) and Matt was able to explore a new mountain. We both want to try and summit Mount Whitney another time, with the snow conditions, and hopefully my hands will cooperate this time! :)