CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES!

Day 2 Part 2: Heading Down

We returned to Outpost and quickly took down the tents and packed up camp.  Our hike down to the Portal was a lot harder than I had anticipated.  Our backpacks seemed to have gotten heavier as our bodies were pretty worn out by this time.  

We made it back down to the parking lot in a few hours and enjoyed a much needed cold Corona!  

6 women, 2 days, 1 Mountain.... AMAZING!!!!

Day 2 AKA: Bust Day

AT 4:00AM we set out for Trail Camp.... headlamps on, crampons and ice axes in hand.  As the elevation increased so did the snow, making it difficult to see the trail.  We arrived at Trail Camp just before 7:30am to find it buried in snow.  We spoke with a few campers that had made the decision not to continue and watched a few groups struggle up the switch backs (97 in all). Clouds were moving in from both directions and snow was beginning to fall. 

 At this point we made the decision to turn back, a very difficult decision but in the end the right one.  The hike back down to Outpost was bittersweet.  Although we all were proud of what we accomplished, deep down we were so sad to have been shut out by Mother Nature!

Day 1 PART 3: Outpost Camp

After a few hours on the trail we arrived at Outpost, our camp for the night.  WOW! We were surrounded by mountains, a waterfall and a creek that provided us with fresh drinking water.  We quickly set up our tents and turned our attention on to the important things: food and entertainment!

We enjoyed a meal of salami, ramen noodles and trail mix. (if I never see another bag of trail mix it will be too soon!) 

 Due to the lack of alcohol, I will have to blame the laughter on the a-a-a-a-a-a-litiude! or we could blame it on the group of campers next to us that didn't understand the meaning of "personal space" (clearly not "real men of genius")

Knowing we had to wake up by 3:00am to hit the trail by 4:00am we called it a night at 7:00pm

Into thin air

The trail to our camp was AMAZING!  I cannot begin to describe the feeling of being out there in the wilderness with no ability to communicate with the outside world.  The scenery was absolutely beautiful, it was so serene to be able to leave "home" behind for a while and reconnect with myself.  

We laughed, sang, and learned a little bit more about each other (some of us would rather be blind than obese, wear a permanent sombrero rather than moon boots and have 2 left feet rather than wear ortho head gear). All in all the time passed quickly and before long we were at our camp.

Day 1 continued: Hitting the trail

After a 5 hour car ride we arrived in Lone Pine.  We made a quick stop to pick up our permits and bear canisters and to check in on the weather conditions.We were told that few had been able to summit in the past two weeks but we decided to push on.  After a quick lunch in town (our last "real meal" for 24 hours) we headed up to the Whitney Portal, where the hike begins...

  

After weighing the bags (35-41 lbs) we hit the trail!

Day 1: Getting There

Leaving Dana Point 5:00AM 6/5/09
(Jessica, Kristine,Jenna,Kellie, Jill and me)

Making our way to Lone Pine, Ca.  

Setting out on the trail

Kristine: Our "Fearless Leader"
Jessica & Jenna

Jill takes a break to warm up
Kellie

Day 1:

We arrived at the Whitney Portal around noon and began to organize our packs.  The weather was beautiful at 8,300' and the adrenaline was pumping.  

"The Mountain"

Mt.Whitney Trail

   Elevation 14,497'

BUST!

Well... I am so sad to say that we were unable to summit.  The weather turned on us and made for very dangerous climbing conditions. We were able to make it to the Trail Camp at just over 12,000' and were able to see the peak of MT.Whitney for a few moments before the clouds and snow moved in.  We camped at just over 10,000' and woke up to fresh snow.

Even thought we didn't summit, this was an absolute amazing trip.  I enjoyed every moment of this and am so proud to have had the opportunity to do so with such wonderful girls.  

 I am waiting for the pictures so I can post our trip.   Stay tuned!

No turning back now!

4:OOAM house is quiet, coffee on, running through my mental checklist. I guess it really doesn't matter at this point, if I forgot something... no possible way it is fitting in my pack anyway!

So many people have asked me a lot of questions this week, thought I would take this time to answer.

Q1. Why are you doing this?

A1.  WHY NOT?plus... Sounded great after a few beers and Patron shots in Park City

Q2.  Have you done anything like this before?

A2.   Not that didn't include a Gondola ride up first, or a backpack full of drinks

Q3.   Are you prepared/ Trained?

A3.   Television, believe it or not has been preparing me....i will explain

-watched the movie ALIVE the other night . Lesson learned: we can survive off of each other. hmmm...who do we eat first???

-Man vs. Wild if Will Ferrell can survive the Arctic Circle, (he did however have Bear as   his guide, we have bear canisters, does that count?) we can survive. I can make us snow shoes from twigs if our crampons fail, climb a tree to asses position (I think we may be above tree line for most, but can and will do it if needed), grill us up a deer head if we get hungry, and most importantly, hang on tightly to the ladder while dangling  from the rescue helicopter!

(see, TV isn't all that bad after all)

-Entertainment: this is a must when attempting such an adventure.  My ipod is ready to shuffle me up the hill! We are stocked with every "real men of genius" (Bud   Light)commercial known to man and will probably have them all memorized by the time we return

So this my friends, is where I have to say ... "LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN"

Trying to fit a square peg into a round hole!

Packing Check List:

-crampons... CHECK

-ice axe      ... CHECK

-ability to use them... QUESTIONABLE

(however I did watch a video 0n how to self arrest)

Just finished packing, not an easy task!  Due to the weather conditions on the mountain, I had to include "snow gear" in addition to all the other necessities. This was like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole!  In the end it all fits and could possibly weigh more than I do. (should make for a fun hike tomorrow)

The adventure begins 5:00AM TOMORROW!!!

Updated weather forcast:

Friday: A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. Calm wind becoming southwest between 5 and 8 mph. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible. 

Friday Night: Scattered snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. Calm wind becoming west between 4 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Saturday: A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Southeast wind at 10 mph becoming west northwest. 

Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. 

Countdown is on...

Well... after weeks of preparation it is finally here!  We will be heading to Mt. Whitney on Friday with mixed emotions.  The weather forecast is not in our favor.  A front is moving in for the weekend brining with it snow, rain and thunder storms.

After much consideration, we have decided to rent crampons and ice axes.  We are all still determined to summit, however will put safety first.  I guess only time will tell...