The thought to climb Mount Whitney was embedded in my memories when a friend from Bend, Oregon recounted his trip up and down the mountain. I’m not sure if it was his stories that peaked my interest or just the curiosity if it was an attainable goal for me to accomplish. I’ve done day hikes but nothing close to the 22 mile distance of the Whitney Trail distance. A few days before departure, I learned that my friend, Leif’s luekemia came back and he was headed back to the hospital to begin chemo. Leif is the owner of the Fifth Season in Mount Shasta, California. His shop has outfitted countless mountaineers, climbers, skiers, and cyclist since 1977. He’s been outfitting me for years and gave me advice on what to pack for the trip. It was clear that this climb was going to be dedicated to Leif.
With Leif’s condition on my heart I began to fill up my gear bags. The hardest part about leaving on trips is not seeing my girls (my wife and daughters). I love that my daughters stash drawings or stuffies into my bag for me to find later. It takes the edge off of not being able to hug them. It’s difficult to be away and any parent out there knows the feeling.
Ever forget to pack something for a trip? Four hours of driving later, I pulled up to Justin’s house and realized my hydration reservoir was at home. Luckily the missing piece is readily available at any outdoor gear store so we headed out and picked one up.
My friend Justin and I used to race together on the Visenka Cycling Team back in the day. He’s an endurance junkie and has placed Top 10 in NUE races. He’s into endurance running and has slowly attempting to get my interested peaked in that area but without luck. For this trip he would be my travel and climbing company. We loaded gear into the car and headed off towards Lone Pine, California.
On the way south to Lone Pine we took a few detours to see some unfamiliar sites. The first stop would be the ghost town of Bodie in Mono County. Founded in 1876, Bodie was a booming gold mining town. When driving up the dirt road to the town it was mind boggling that they knew where to find gold in such a vast area. The rolling hills are deceiving and give no indication they sit at 8379 feet (2554 m). We walked around the abandoned buildings and peered in through windows to catch a glimpse of life in Bodie.
From what we gathered, life in Bodie was brutal during the winters. Old photographs of town only showed the tops of chimneys poking out of the snow. The record low for the area remains at -36 degrees F. If you could survive a winter in Bodie, you were one hardy individual.
Abandoned artifacts lay scattered everywhere. We found some interesting tools including a 100+ pound sledge hammer, the largest wrench we both have seen, and a massive table saw that held a 3 foot diameter blade. I came to the conclusion that residents of Bodie were giants.
Soon we were off again driving down dirt roads and ended up on the nicely paved June Lake Loop. A mixture of rain and forrest fire smoke made visibility hazy at times but we were still able to make out the views and see colossal boulders sitting roadside. It was such a relaxing drive that time flew by and before I knew it we were back on 395 heading south towards our destination.
9 miles North of Lone Pine we stopped at Manzanar, a Japanese Internment camp. The camp barracks looked to be recently built and looked clean and tidy inside. Signs sit at the location of other barracks and buildings and only give a hint of what the site truly looked like. While the camp looks nothing like what it did I could see traces of where the captives grew and maintained beautiful gardens and groves of trees. All that remains are tree trunks with their tips hacked off and lots of overgrown shrubs. Dirt paths and roads outline the grounds. We followed a dirt road to the cemetery were five graves remain and a monument, built by an incarceree, stands in the shadows of the Sierras. As the clouds and smoke loomed overhead you could feel the sadness that was once confined within the barbed wire fences.
As we drove off, the sky opened up and lit the way into Lone Pine. We picked up our day passes, checked the forecast, and headed up to the trailhead. Locating parking and the trailhead during daylight would prevent any surprises the next morning in the dark. Once we sorted out the logistics we headed back down the hill to check out the Alabama Hills.
The Alabama Hills are best known for their rock formations that have been in many Westerns. As you drive along the dirt roads the rounded contours of the rocks transport your thoughts back to the Wild West. As you drive keep your eyes peeled for arches. They are not large but they are out there for you to find. As sunset approached we made our way back to pack and prepare for the climb in the morning.
Justin and I got to sleep early for our 3AM wake up. Before I knew it, we were up and on the way to the trailhead. We started just after 4 AM and met people along the trail. As I looked up into the dark sky, headlamps seemed as if they were floating in the sky outlining the trail. It gave me a good indication of the ascent that awaited all that step foot on the mountain. Justin put me in front and we headed into the dark with our headlights.
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