Mount Whitney -- August 28, 2003 to August 30, 2003

    On August 27, 2003, Bill Urbanski (WCU), Ed Urbanski (EEU), Tom Karchesky (Tom), and I (SKU) embarked on an adventure to Mount Whitney.  Tom met us at the Thrifty Car Rental lot at McCarran (Las Vegas) Airport.  After a short stop at Wal-Mart to pick up some last minute supplies and a few nicknames, we proceeded to the Whitney Portal campground ( 8300 feet.)  We arrived there at around 1:30 am PDT, set up camp, and got a few hours of sleep.

    On the 28th, we woke and proceeded to the Ranger Station in Lone Pine in an attempt to secure some passes for overnight camping on the mountain.  We arrived at the Ranger Station around 8:30 am, and we just missed procuring overnight passes.  There were six available, but only three left when we arrived.  Much to our dismay, we discovered later that the three individuals who took the first three passes only went as far a Iceberg Lake.  We did have day passes for August 29th for the Whitney Trail.  (Day passes are not needed for the Mountaineers' Route.)

    Around Noon on the 28th, we took a reconnaissance trip of the Mountaineers' trail.  We were concerned about assaulting the Ebersbacher Ledges for the first time in the dark the next day.  We made it up to around Upper Boy Scout Lake (11,500 feet) before returning back to camp.

    Our assault on Whitney began around 4:30 am on the 29th.  We ascended the Mountaineers' Trail and returned via the Mount Whitney main trail.  Tom returned at 9:30 pm.  The rest of us returned at 3:30 am on the 30th.  Each of us felt the effect of altitude to a different degree, especially above 13,000 feet.  I was affected the most.  Several times above Iceberg Lake, I wondered why I was doing this.  Two things kept me going:  my brothers and the realization that if I gave up, I would have to go down the Mountaineers' Trail. 

    Here's the pictures.  Enjoy.  

004 Looking North from the campsite

005 Looking down from the road into campsite 39

006 Our chariot (the two-wheel drive Dodge Durango, blame

007 The Northeast view from the campsite road

008 Campsite 39 (Note the Bear container in the

009 Campsites are marked for anytime arrival

010 WCU at the entrance of Inyo National Forrest

011 Mount Whitney in the distance from the

012 The Ranger Station in Lone Pine

013 Mount Whitney from the Ranger Station

014 Mount Whitney from the Ranger Station

015 WCU, EEU and Tom outside the High Sierra

016 The Motel Dow Villa, Lone Pine

017 Lone Pine

018 The Mount Whitney Motel, Lone Pine

019 Mount Whitney from the Alabama Hills

020 An historical marker in the Alabama Hills

021 Mount Whitney from the Alabama Hills

022 Looking East from the foothills of Mount Whitney

023 The approach road to Whitney Portal

024 The Whitney Portal Store

025 A small pond across the way from the

026 A waterfall, just South of the

027 Tom and EEU prepare for our day hike

028 EEU examines the bulletin boards at

029 SKU at the main trailhead

030 Some wildlife near the trailhead

032 A lizard on a rock near the beginning of the trail