There have been 28 previous trip reports for Mount Whitney, so I won't repeat my words.

Due to a different hiking team makeup this year, we headed up to the mountains for a few days of hiking and acclimatization. The region around Tioga Pass seemed appropriate. One day was spent up and down on Mount Dana (13,053').

Mount Dana, as viewed from Saddlebag Lake

Looking up from the Alpine Gold wildflowers to the summit of Mount Dana

I had to get up to the summit early to get the good sun angles on Mono Lake and the Inyo Craters

I don't know which was better, the Mount Dana wildflowers, or the hummingbirds sitting upon them

The Crimson Columbine is more common, but Coville's Columbine can be found in these parts also.

We located an excellent waterfall that was surrounded by yellow, red, and magenta wildflowers

After a few days in the thin air, we were ready to continue our trip on toward Mount Whitney. The next required stop was at Hot Creek, near the Mammoth Airport. Over the years, I have seen the Hot Creek change its geothermal makeup somewhat. The hot spot seems to be moving eastward, but the same warm water is a delight for swimmers.

After picking up our Mount Whitney permit at the ranger station in Lone Pine, we drove up to Whitney Portal for a little test hike on the bottom mile of the Whitney Trail. This seemed like a good time to see the stream crossings and wildflowers before we start early the next morning.

Anyway, after a great deal of thought, we rearranged our plan to begin the hike early on Monday morning, before 2 a.m.  Sure, this seems like an impossibly early hour to hike, but this would give us cool air temperature and less hiker traffic on the trail. After a few hours of sleep, headlamps would have to light the way.

The North Fork of Lone Pine Creek crossing wasn't too bad, even at 2 a.m.

Around 6 a.m., we were treated to a sunrise.

In the west, the moon was preparing to set over the mountain crest.

There was enough light on the trail now, so I took off solo toward the summit, and the other hikers continued on their pace. There was no snow directly on the trail, and new ice was present in only a few spots, so it wasn't much of an obstacle.

When I got above Switchback #80, I got a surprise. It wasn't long after sunrise, and a little animal had come out of its 13,500' burrow to warm up in the early light. This little mammal is the American Pika, (Ochotona princeps), also known as the Alpine Rock Rabbit. It was only about five inches long, and was obviously related to rabbits or mice. Cute little thing! I've seen these only a few times previously, but never for more than a few seconds, and generally out of camera range. This little furry thing posed for the camera!

American Pika

Anyway, continuing ever upward, I got over Trail Crest and to the last mile or two of trail before the summit. At 8 a.m., the weather was quite pleasant. There wasn't too much breeze, and the sky was clear. It was a nice contrast to those few years when a cold storm was hitting all around.

The trail hugs the Sierra Nevada Crest along here. The steep east side is lit by sunlight, and the west side has the shadowy trail. With the end in sight, I sped up my pace and vowed to photograph the wildflowers on the way down. I could see the patch of snow just a few hundred yards from the summit hut, and I hoped dearly that it wasn't too icy.

This photo was taken around 9 a.m., and it was still pretty chilly at 14,497'. You can't see the synthetic layers, warm shirt, or insulated vest.

The standard Mount Whitney caretaker was present on the summit, waiting for hikers to pay him tribute. Mister Marmot, the yellow-bellied marmot, (Marmota flaviventris), seemed perfectly content to circle me with suspicion and kept his distance. Finally, another hiker came up and gave him a handfull of trail mix, despite the National Park rules.

If you get too close to the edge and look over, this is the sight to behold. One fall would take you down about 2000 feet.

On down in the Owens Valley, you can barely see the town of Lone Pine (in the green patch), and you can see the road cutting through the Alabama Hills, location of many of Hollywood's best Western movies of the 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's. Far off on the right horizon, Telescope Peak is sticking up above Death Valley.

I started hiking down at noontime so as to have plenty of time for the wildflowers. The afternoon light is better, anyway.

Alpine Gold flowers (Hulsea algida), of the sunflower family, happily growing at 14,000 feet.

Sky Pilot (Polemonium eximium), also grows here. These little flowers grow in round clusters of maybe two inches in diameter. Several clusters grow in a clump that seem to find a bit of dampness in the sandy soil.

It is always a long hike down. I got down to Whitney Portal around 5 p.m., and the other hikers arrived after dark. I suspect we were all too tired for the full experience to sink in for a while.

See you next year.