Left Orange County at 8:30 PM Wednesday night made it to Horseshoe Meadow by 1 AM, got to sleep at 2:15, up at 8 on the trail by 9 headed for Mount Langley. I headed up New Army Pass and on the way down I took Old Army Pass. It’s funny everyone always says that the Whitney Main trail is a zoo, but I counted 72 people on the trial coming and going between trailhead and the New Army Pass, then two more coming up out of Sequoia National Park, then another hiker that was returning from the summit of Langley and two that were a mile or so out in front of me headed in the direction of the summit of Langley. But on the way down there were only two guys on the trail when I went down Old Army Pass, with a few overnighters off in the trees by Cottonwood Lake #3, that's it, a 77 to 2 ratio from going up to coming down, kind of strange when you think about it.
I always find Langley to be as big a challenge as Whitney as the sandy material that makes up the trail from either pass heading towards the boulders that make up the final approach to do that scrambling you do to reach the summit, it makes you feel like you are going backwards. The day was warm but not excessively hot, by the time I reached the last two miles on the high plateau one cloud was hovering over me looking menacing, dark and threatening but nothing came of it. Later when it was time to head down more of the same type of clouds moved in but no rain or lightning ever materialized. It made the down hike cooler but humid and much appreciated.
Pictures here – http://s728.photobucket.com/albums/ww28 ... =slideshow
Friday was a rest day hanging out in Horseshoe Meadow talking to all the other hikers.
Saturday I spent two hours driving down Horseshoe Meadow road taking pictures from every pull out possible as I wanted some family members in the Midwest to get an idea of how crazy that road is but how truly safe it is as well. At 11 AM Saturday I met Bryan and his wife at the Visitor Center to pick up our Permits for Whitney.
Once they were settled in at their hotel we did lunch, drove to the Portal to take the pictures that everyone likes to get with no worries because we would be starting at 2 AM they wanted to see what the portal was all about. Having never done the hike they both were fairly excited to get going. The portal was packed and we had to park way down the road. The crowd around the fishing pond always makes me laugh; some of them folks actually try to catch fish in that silly little pond.
Everyone got to bed by 7 PM up, then I was up at midnight, down from the Alabama Hills to their hotel at 12:30, back up and on the trail by 2 AM. Made trail camp by 5:15 AM, everyone there was just beginning to stir. Not as crowded as the last time I was there in 2006. Made trail crest by 7:45 AM as Bryan’s wife was feeling the effects of the altitude, took big break there, and kept moving after that all the way to the summit. Summit, which had at least 40 people on it, sunny, beautiful not a cloud in the sky. My second time up, this was there first, they really were amazed at the views. It just doesn’t get any better on a clear day.
In case no one has told you they closed the “Starbucks” that was up there, you know what I’m talking about
We made it back to the trailhead by 4, down to Lone Pine for late lunch, on the road by 5:30 and home to Yorba Linda by 9, cleaned up my gear and to bed by 11 – that was one long 23 hour day but well worth it.
Pictures here – http://s728.photobucket.com/albums/ww28 ... =slideshow
Four days of fun, now it’s back to the grind.
