Last year (2018) was the first time summiting Mt Whitney and I decided I was going to make it an annual event in the month of July moving forward.
I went thru the lottery again this year but didn’t get selected, but luckily a friend of ours Scott was able to get a hold of four permits. We can use his permits, in return we just have to pick him up and drive him back to the Bay Area as he was doing a 7-day thru hike on the Sierra Nevada trail and finishing at Whitney Portal.
Kelly, Kate, Kevin, and I started our trip on friday thru Yomemite Valley. Our first day of adventure included going up Mt Dana at around 5pm. This was a 13,000+ft summit and it was cloudy and windy at the top. But it was a nice 6 miler to shake off the legs and get some thin air into the lungs. Wed had dinner and headed to Mammoth Lakes and stayed the night at this nice Airbnb condo.
Day two of our trip consisted of running the Duck Pass trail. This was an out/back and we decided to just go 5 out and back to get 10 miles in … Since we want to save some legs for the following day.
At the turn around point, the girls decided to jump into the lake for a quick swim. The lake was basically glacier water from the mountain, but since they are used to swimming in the SF bay it wasn’t an issue for them. I am a wuss when it comes to the cold so I stayed away.
After we finished our run, we had lunch at Mammoth Lakes square hall as there was a BBQ/Line Dancing event going on. We hung around and the girls participated in some dancing before driving south to Lone Pine to meet up with Scott and get the permits.
Sunday morning, we decided to start the day early. The girls wanted to start at 4am (we started at 5pm in 2018) because they weren’t sure they can finish in 11 hours. We actually reach the summit in 5 hours. Weather was perfect, there were few patches of snows and streams but overall it was a fun 5 hour climb to the top.
Coming down was definitely something new for me … As you might know. Whitney is one of the few places where you aren’t allowed to leave ANYTHING behind. When you pick up your permits, that fee also included a “wag bag.” We all plan accordingly and hope not to use that thing but when nature calls, you gotta answer. It happened to me during the switchbacks on the way down. Luckily there weren’t a lot of people heading up at that time of the day and we gapped most of the hikers coming down. Long story short, my vest at the end of the run was 5lb! :P We ended up finishing ahead of our estimated time.
Overall it was another awesome adventure. I knew Kevin from few runs, but Kelly and Kate were completely new to us because I was just trying to some takers for these additional permits! Adventures are the best way to meet few friends! :D
- Distance: 21.38 miles
- Elevation Gain: 6,119ft
- Running Time: 7:57:225
- Strava: Mt Whitney Summit
