Mt. Whitney

July 27-28, 1997

We arrived at the Mt. Whitney Portal (trailhead) Saturday evening, July 26, after a “carbo” meal in Lone Pine. We slept out on the ground near the trailhead (altitude 8,200 ft.) to acclimatize, then got started early Sunday morning, hiking with full packs to Trail Camp, six miles up, at an elevation of 12,000 ft. — arrived six hours later at 3:00 p.m., lounged around and enjoyed the rest of the day.

Early Monday morning, we donned our day packs and headed for the summit, hiking through snow storms and hail, with lightning not too far off. Arrived at the summit (in a cloud) four hours later — the highest point in the lower 48 states: 14,496 ft. It was snowing and blowing on top, but this just made the event more exciting. Otherwise the views were spectacular, looking at the desert to the west and the Sierra to the east. After that, we headed back down the mountain, picking up our overnight packs and hiking back out. Mt. Whitney is beautiful every step of the way, and I urge people to sign up for this annual trip in 1998. Climbers were: Obsidians Buzz Blumm (leader) and Dick Snyder; non-members Carl Oslund, Bob Shaw, Jesse & Elaine Pattison, Gerald Kempenich, Cecile Blumm and Kelly Snyder.

Home About Us Our Activities Contact Us Join Us Gallery Outdoor Links Members Only