It has been nearly two months since my trip to California to climb Mt. Whitney, and I'm finally in the right mindset to write about my adventure.
Let's be honest, I was pretty pissed about this climb not happening for the second year in a row, especially this year since I was physically there, could see the mountain and felt strong mentally and physically, as I had my best ever training this spring. I was also craving adventure, as 2021 has proven to be even crazier than 2020, making my trip to California the first adventure of the year, which is unlike the years past.
To top off the frustration, two weeks after being back home, I went rock climbing. After climbing, still not getting my fill of adventure (which I blame on not being able to climb Mt. Whitney), I decided to end the day with a quick trail run, which ultimately landed me in the emergi-center with my arm in a sling due to a sprained shoulder.
Despite all of that, the more I process the trip, the more I realize that although the Whitney climb never happened, I still had a pretty good trip. I had some really cool experiences while I was in California and Nevada, helping me to forget that I didn't even get an attempt at the summit of Mt. Whitney.
The Story...in case you missed it.
My adventure began with an awesome day in Death Valley National Park in the most eerie landscape I’ve ever seen. I hit one of the lowest points on Earth as well as one of the hottest on a near record breaking day of heat. Funny how the high point of the trip was literally the lowest at -282 feet below sea level and a toasty 127 degrees F.
The figurative low point of the trip? When lightning started a fire in Whitney Portal…the only road to access the trails to Mt Whitney’s East Face pictured in my last post.
The fire looked pretty minor when I got to Lone Pine, CA, just below Whitney Portal, but then again, helicopters were continuously dropping water on the fire. But the portal was still open, and I was able to hike and acclimatize two days in a row, getting up to 10,000 feet and enjoying the views from Lone Pine Lake, which was absolutely gorgeous. I felt great and was beginning to clear my mind and decompress in prep for the climb.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans, as the 100+ degree heat and a five-year drought in California fueled the Whitney Portal fire like gasoline.
Coming off the mountain after a beautiful hike to Lone Pine Lake, the National Forest Rangers were evacuating everyone from Whitney Portal. The road to town was already closed, and you could only get out. As I was driving down the switchbacks, I could see that the fire had worsened, as planes were now dropping red fire retardant, and the firefighters in their infamous yellow shirts and helmets lined the road, ready to attack the flames in some very rugged terrain.
This was not a good sign two days before my climb, which is why that next morning, the National Park Service pulled all climbing permits for the rest of the month, as the fire was now out of control and had jumped across the road, making it impassable and even stranding climbers who were on the mountain.
Ultimately, I flew back home on the day I should have summited the tallest mountain in the contiguous USA.
Looking Back:
Honestly...I was lucky that the climb was cancelled, as my last night in Lone Pine, the entire Western sky was an eerie orange glow as the winds fueled the fire and lit up the entire portal, which ended up burning for weeks before it was brought under control. I was lucky to be on the Eastern side of the fire, because if I had been on the mountain, I would have been stranded and most likely had my rental car torched. The stress of having to change flights, hotels, cars, etc., sucked, but it could have been a lot worse.
Although I didn't get an attempt at the summit of Mt. Whitney, I still saw some cool places like Death Valley National Park, had some great hikes in the Inyo National Forest, and saw Area 51 and lived to tell about it all! Also, seeing the California Wildfires in person gives you a whole different perspective of how massive and powerful they are compared to what you see on the nightly news. Plus, along my travels, as I always do, I met some cool and interesting people and still got to see some great views in some of the most remote places in the country. Not a bad deal.
Better yet, I had a really great winter and spring of training to the point I'd say I was in the best climbing shape I've ever been in. That's thanks to my buds Dave and Andrew, who helped push the pace (and pain) on my weekend workouts. I feel like I have really dialed in the cross-training and have found the most effective approach to training that doesn't destroy my body yet creates significant strength and endurance both mentally and physically.
Mt. Whitney, however, remains my nemesis with last year being cancelled due to COVID, and this year cancelled due to the forest fires. This year however, was even harder, because other than the fire, every single day was a bluebird day without a cloud in the sky. But now I've done my recon and know what to expect in the future.
Being in California and seeing how beautiful Mt. Whitney is, was definitely a tease. It left me wanting more adventure this year, as I have yet to do a big climb in 2021. It was so close and I felt so good that it continues to motivate me to stay fit for another attempt. After all...isn't the third time the charm?
In mountaineering they say it is not about the summit, rather, it's returning home alive. That bodes true as this adventure was truly about the journey and having a change of pace and scenery and not about the summit or final destination.
Climb On!