Whitney
Junction is where the JMT meets the Whitney route; one hangs a left
here to hike 2 miles to the top, then returns and then goes right to
Trail Crest and then down the other side. Because you return to the same
spot, everyone drops their pack and carries a small waist pack or
something with just their valuables, water & jacket for the final
1000' assault on the peak.
It
was the strangest thing! Walking without 30 lbs. on my back. At first I
wobbled like a 109 year old drunken cowboy getting off a month-long
cattle drive. My legs just wouldn't work. Altitude sickness? I checked
my mental faculties and I seemed as crazy as normal so I pushed on.
Eventually I found my feet and I was flying! Wow, so light, so free!
This was wonderful! The trail was difficult & scary with vertical
drops of 3000'-4000' and "windows" with chutes dropping off to infinity;
narrow & rocky with patches of large boulders and conversely, easy
sand. I was very late in the day to attempt summiting and a couple of
people warned me it'd take 2-2.5 hrs (one sweet girl said it took her
3h45m!), but they didn't know how invigorated I'd just become - I made
it in 1h10m. Not bad after 16.5 miles and who knows, 5-6000' feet gain?
I
hit the summit at 4:15pm and was the only one atop the world! (okay,
poetic license) It was amazing and emotional - the end of a long, hard
journey. Whitney is the terminus of the JMT; bit silly as that strands
you 14,500' in the air, so really, it's a bit longer than advertised.
But I couldn't stay long; the weather was a gift as it was clear as
could be but storms roll in quick in this part of the world and the
highest point in the continental USA was not the place to be. I also had
4.1 very steep miles with 99 switchback to get down to safety. I took
some selfies (wish my arms were longer!), then ran back to my pack.
Reality
hit me like a sledgehammer when I put the big pack back on. Ooph! I
immediately dumped 1 litre of water but I couldn't go 3 steps without
torturous breathing, like someone was trying to pull out a lung with
each breath I took. The .2 miles UPHILL(!) to Trail Crest were the
hardest steps of my life. What happened? Thank God for the downhill
switchbacks. The long sandy & teeny weeny 3-step long rocky
switchbacks. Every one closer to camp and my bed.
Whoa!
Who turned the lights out? The switchbacks are almost in the dark. The
Whitney ridge runs north-south and so about 5:45 pm the sun disappears
over the edge and the east is in twilight. With no plans to try to find a
site and set up my tent in the dark I scurried faster. Whew, 7:30pm I
find a little walled-in patch, threw up my tent, had a salami sandwich
and called it a night.
Today's Miles: 20.7
Day 17
3:19am: So close to done. 6 miles and 4000', can I leave now? Nope, still dark.
4:30am: how 'bout now? If I have a coffee then pack the tent, will it be light enough then? Let's try.
5:15am:
the first set of little headlamps bobbing in the greyish light start
coming up the trail, heading for peak. Soon I'm on the trail too,
pushing against the tide of dozens and dozens and dozens of Whitney
attemptees as I'm trying to descend. I wish every one a good morning and
secretly hope they know what they've gotten themselves into.
8:10am:
I'm at Whitney Portal ordering the biggest breakfast ever, buying a
shower, and charging my phone so I can figure out how on earth to get
home!
Today's Miles: 6.1
2-Day Miles: 26.8 which makes it a Marathon Ending for me!!
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