TRAIL JOURNAL
/ June 24, 2022
The ascent was spectacular. The trail up was like the Misty Mountains in Middle Earth (from the Lord of the Rings). Fighting stone-giants could have appeared, and it would not have seemed out of place. Morning was just a faint glow in the sky as we started up the switchbacks, and cold with a skiff of snow in places. It was quiet too, with no wind at all. Perfect conditions. We were so lucky!
We had gotten up at 1am and had a bit to eat. There were a few other hikers leaving base camp at the same time as us. A good thing too, because the battery in my headlamp died. I was walking behind Dad, trying not to stumble in the dark, and we had to slow right down. 🙁 Lucky for me, another hiker had a spare battery and solved my problem. Thank you!
As the sky got brighter, we could see the rock walls and jagged peaks around us changing from gray to gold. It was fast and silent, and I don’t think I will ever forget it.
Our first peek of the rising sun came soon after our trail joined the Whitney Portal Trail at Mt. Muir (elevation 14,012 feet). We looked between two giant fingers of rock and saw a bright orange glow spread across the horizon. The sun was just coming up in a clear blue sky. We were so high up that Lone Pine, beneath us, was still in shadow. The whole scene was just glorious.
When you look at these mountains from Lone Pine, they look jagged and sharp, even impassable. Yet here I was, walking along the ridge with Dad. Wow!
We got to Mt. Muir shortly after 5am. The hike from base camp took a bit more than 3 hours. But we weren’t at Mt. Whitney yet!
- Magnus!