Mount Whitney (14,497')
August 11, 2005
By Lonnie DeCloedt
Hike Stats from GPSr:
Distance: 21.35 Miles
Starting elevation: 8,443'
Lowest elevation: 8,376'
Highest elevation: 14,498'
Total elevation gain: 5,570'
Total elevation loss: 4,976'
I got a permit for the Mount Whitney Trail for September 15 during the lottery earlier this year. A little while later I decided I also wanted to try the Mountaineer's Route, and decided I would do it a month before that hike. I called the Lone Pine Ranger Station to reserve a permit for the Whitney Trail for this trip also, so I would have a backup plan in case I decided against the Mountaineer's Route for some reason, and also so I could return to the Portal on the main trail instead of heading back down the MR. (Although there is often some confusion about that, a permit is not needed to take the main trail down after ascending the MR. I knew this, but just wanted to keep all my bases covered.)
I headed north after work on Tuesday and arrived at Horseshoe Meadow in the rain. That didn't bode well for the trip, and I almost turned around and headed back home right then. For some reason, I just wasn't looking forward to this hike. I forced myself to stay, however, and the rain soon stopped, allowing me to set up camp. For the previous couple weeks, I had been wavering about my decision to ascend the MR, concerned about the Class 3 section near the top and the snow still said to linger there, and the rain I found on my arrival made up my mind -- I was not going to do the MR. Maybe some other time.
My original plan called for me to hike the first two or three miles of the MR on Wednesday, as a conditioning hike and to check out the route, since I would be hiking in the dark for a while. With my decision to not take the MR, that left Wednesday free, so I drove north to Manzanar for a visit, then a little further north to Independence to check out the museum there. Heading back to Lone Pine, I stopped at the Mount Whitney Restaurant for lunch, then headed up to the Portal, where I slept in my car before the hike. Several times I put the key in the ignition, intending to go home and just skip the whole thing. I just wasn't into it this time. I didn't leave, though, and did end up doing the hike, reaching the summit of Mount Whitney for my second time. Despite not really wanting to be there, I managed to have a good time anyway.
Sierra Nevada Mountains
(John Muir Wilderness)
-- August 9 --
Horseshoe Meadow from the Cottonwood Pass Trail.
The cabin.
I accidentally discovered this cabin two years ago, last time I was up here acclimating before hiking Mount Whitney. It's kind of hidden in the trees, so I'd bet many people don't notice it. When you're on the Cottonwood Pass Trail, just under a mile and a half in, as you make your way over the first creek crossing, it's on the left (south), down a faint use trail.
Whoever built it must have been pretty short. That doorway is only about five feet tall.
The cabin in Horseshoe Meadow.
I saw this little guy duck into a hole on the side of a log and stopped to see if he would peek back out.
I pre-focused the camera on the log, switched to manual focus, and waited. It only took a minute or so for him to get curious enough to see if I was still there. Too bad pre-focusing like that only made sure the log was in focus, not the squirrel. At least resizing for display here on the web makes that less noticeable.
If he had a door, I'll bet he would have slammed it on me...
-- August 10 --
Since I had decided to cancel my plan to hike the Mountaineer's Route, there was no need for me to do any route finding the day before the actual hike. Instead, I headed north to Manzanar, a "Relocation Camp" (a PC term meaning "Concentration Camp") for Japanese citizens during WWII. There's something about the place that draws me like a magnet, especially the tiny cemetery at the back (west) end of the mile-square compound, every time I'm in the area. They recently added a new exhibit hall in the old school building that I hadn't seen and wanted to check out.
Manzanar was completely dismantled after the war ended, but they appear to be at least partially rebuilding the camp to restore it to its original state.
It's fascinating to see some of the things people leave in the cemetery(ies). This faded old "Winnie the Pooh" book was on a grave in the Pet Cemetery, just north of the small "human" cemetery.
A rock and duck at the cemetery entrance.
Sometimes I wonder just how much money is scattered throughout this cemetery. I'm sure it's a significant amount. I know I've left several dollars in small change here myself over the years.
[There were] paper (origami) cranes tied to a fence rail at the cemetery's entrance. [There is] a monument in the middle of the cemetery. Mount Keith (13,977') looms in the distance to the west.
The bottom symbol on the front of the monument.
The entire inscription, when translated, reads "Soul consoling tower." Inscriptions on the back read "August 1943" and "Erected by the Manzanar Japanese."
A beer bottle left on the tower.
It was full, but since the cap is gone, I'm assuming it was rainwater, not beer.
Rocks, coins and other items left on the monument.
That snail was there a month ago too, but someone has since rearranged it and added yarn reins around its neck.
There are only about a dozen marked graves in the cemetery. Most just have a simple wooden cross as a marker, but three of them have actual tombstones, like this baby's.
One of the other legibly marked graves.
A wide angle shot of the cemetery, looking northwest.
After visiting Manzanar, I drove north to Independence, to see the (free) museum there that I've heard about numerous times. While there, I found out that [the] sign [at Manzanar is] a replica. There is another replica in the museum. Nobody knows what happened to the original.
By the way, if you have a chance to drop by that museum, do so! There is a lot of interesting history on display there, not only about Manzanar, but also related to the history of the Owens Valley and surrounding desert area. I'll be going back there again.
-- August 11 --
[Note: Unfortunately Lonnie's full captions from summit day could not be retrieved.]
- Looking east from the top ...
- Zoomed in on Lone Pine Lak...
- Another picture of the Gol...
- One last Golden-mantled Gr...
- Lone Pine Lake.
- The outlet below Lone Pine...
