I’ve Peaked – The Walk

Today I reached the summit of the highest peak in the contiguous United States. I did it. I went up Mount Whitney. I think this day turned out to be not only a PCT highlight, but also a life highlight. It was incredible.

My alarm was set for 11:15 pm Our plan was to leave at midnight for sunrise. I jumped out of bed in anticipation and got ready to meet the boys. Rascal decided to take advantage and left before us. According to my garmin, we started at midnight sharp. The first few kilometers were pretty flat and easy. It was pitch black outside, but the stars were incredible. We took many breaks with the flashlights off to admire the night sky.

After passing Guitar Lake about 3 miles, we came to a snowy field. There were plenty of solid boot prints and crunchy ice to step on, so we didn’t need micro-spikes or axes yet. We kept going up and up and then we hit the curves. FarOut comments warned of an ice slide running around some of the curves. We decided to use our microspikes and axes since we were crossing in the dark. We all got through it easily and continued slowly climbing.

I kept giving myself landmarks to get to easy rescue points where I could turn around. But with each landmark I passed, I felt strong, capable, and had no signs of altitude sickness. Before I knew it, we were crossing the fins on the final push to the top. Through every rock window I could see the beginning of dawn. We reached the summit around 4:45, which gave us enough time to put on all our extra layers and wrap ourselves in our quilts to enjoy the show.

There were over 20 PCT hikers crowded on the summit. Interestingly, the top of Whitney is one of the only places I have cell service here, so I resorted to FaceTime with my parents to show them the view. Just before dawn I said goodbye and put my phone down to enjoy the moment. The mountain illuminated with the first rays of sun instantly made me cry. And the fact that so many of us shared that moment was very special. I couldn’t help but cry.

Jug, straight, rascal, and I took photos with the sign and began the descent. Walking in the sunlight was a little scarier than walking in the dark. You can see the consequences much more clearly. I’m always slower on the way down. At one point I was walking alone and took a wrong turn. Unfortunately, another hiker who was experiencing some symptoms of altitude sickness had followed me and we had to climb with her crying. I felt so bad.

My crew was waiting for me at a small rest point. They said they thought we should be together when we went over the sketchy parts of the curves. I told them the story of my mistake and guessed that the hiker had turned away not far from where we were to take a break. We collectively knew we had to wait for her. Her friends had let her leave the summit alone, but we didn’t think it was wise to let a hiker suffering from altitude sickness go alone. He walked with us the entire zigzag section and we offered him snacks, water, and plenty of breaks when needed. Finally her friends caught up to us and she felt well enough to continue with them.

The snowy section of the trail in daylight looked like a giant playground. We were sliding and making snowballs and having a silly time. I could have continued playing in the snow longer, but the 11:30 pm wake-up call was hitting me. I was exhausted.

The last 3 miles to camp dragged on. I instantly ate a snack and fell asleep in my tent. I took a nap for about an hour before joining a group chatting in the meadow under the shade of a large pine tree. The conversation died down and I fell asleep again right there on the grass.

We have one more hurdle ahead of us before we reach Bishop. Forest pass. I woke up from my nap in the meadow to a dilemma. I could hike 8 miles this afternoon and prepare to do Forester in the morning, or stay in Crabtree Meadow and hike 8 miles tomorrow to do Forester Pass the next day. Given my current food supply, I had to walk this afternoon; otherwise you would have to hike Forester and Kearsarge passes on the same day.

I decided to go out ahead of the team to walk a slow section alone. Every 2 miles I stopped to take off my pack and have a snack. I’m so glad I took it easy because the views were stunning. I took my time to take it all in. At one point on Bighorn Plateau, I once again had tears in my eyes. It was surrounded by wildflowers with snow-capped peaks illuminated in all directions. It was so beautiful. Truly a great ending to an amazing day.

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