Getting High: Mt. Whitney Madness Part II: Impressions (Emo Girly Version)

Does that scare you? heehee Well, it should…for as structured as Part I was, this will be a complete disjointed rambling of  silly thoughts and meanderings of my mind as my feet took me to new heights.  Who wants to hear about the emotional facets of this climb?  Well, my mom and sis will read me, for certes 😉

How did I accomplish this black diamond extreme one day hike? Well, a certain amount of fitness and conditioning helped, for sure.  You’d think a large part would be will power, but actually, I don’t have much of that elusive and highly prized commodity in my repertoire; I tapped in to pure, unadulterated enthusiasm!

Entering the Whitney Zone at dawn - hikers w/permits only beyond this point

Some of this is part of my operational package, and some of it was infused in me by the mountain itself. Yup. At the very moments when I expected Mt.Whitney to be its ugliest and most barren and present me with sheer difficulty, it rewarded me with unexpected delights ranging from the varied and colorful lichens clinging to the giant tumble of boulders or grand vistas that brought my breath back, rather than take it away.

Marauding marmot, Mt Whitney

Early in the hike, at about mile 5 to mile 6,  I was losing steam and getting a little worried about how much more steam I would need to complete this trek.  We stopped at the lake at 12,093′ where a handful of hikers who have acquired the coveted overnight permit were camped. Hey, they had to carry more gear!   We were immediately were accosted by feisty chipmunks and marmots, who seemed to be chattering at us, not only for food, but really lecturing us, as if to say, “Yeah, I see your day hike permit from the forestry service, but did you clear it with US!?”

After we had rested, eaten and peeled off another layer of clothing, we set out again and I felt strong once again but still dreading the highly notorious 97 (yes! ninety-seven!!!) switchbacks.  On first nervous glance, they seem like they compile a desolate, barren, boulder strewn path, which is daunting merely in it’s monotony.

Splashes of color

But once on them and making progress, I was delighted to discover cheerful, vibrant lichens interspersed with these Martian-like purple flowers called ‘Sky Pilots”. How appropriate and wonderfully unexpected!  They graced the entire pathway and these colorful adornments were further enhanced by the occasional water gushing out and over the rocks…and even better, sometimes under the path, gurgling and moving past like some determined subway system perpetually busy transporting goods under our pedestrian progress.

I think these seemingly mundane but beauty-in-barrenness elements infused me with a surge of energy to keep plodding along – up, up, up… That, along with my iPod playing a backdrop of some very motivating, “moving” tunes that I started at about this point. I only used one ear piece so I could tune in but not tune out. I was enjoying the sounds of high Sierra water, chirping birds, and of course the groans of my fellow climbers! At one point, a welcome breeze fluttered my permit affixed to my backpack against my right cheek, as if to goad me on: “You got the day permit – whatcha gonna do with it?! Hmmm?”

At the top of the switchbacks, just when we were all thinking we were tapped out, we were welcomed by the most glorious views of the sierra mountain range – a pure, unadulterated wilderness stretching out with snow dusted peaks as far as the eye could see. Wow. Thank you, Whitney, for this second powerful infusion of beauty and inspiration.  I felt that, graced with such stunning scenery, I could walk along the ridge towards the summit for hours! Funny, it DID end up taking many hours to go the last 2 1/2 miles…as there was some tough and tedious terrain and some in our group were struggling a bit with the effects of altitude. I almost felt guilty for the surge of energy and enthusiasm I was feeling: almost!

Top of the switchbacks, Mt. Whitney

One terrific surprise at the summit was an “Easy” button awaiting us when we signed the summit log. I pressed it and, yup, the batteries were still working and it exclaimed: “That was easy” lol! I love it! You can see my chicken scratch Gina SuuperG Stark signature scrawled into the log book with the ink-challenged writing utensils available up there.

Mt. Whitney summit log

By the way, in case there is any doubt: it’s NOT easy for peanut’s sake! Sheesh. And thank you, readers and friends, for indulging me in my mini moment of triumph. This does represent a small personal triumph in that I have spent the first forty years of my life…well…having fun! Maybe some things I’ve accomplished have been considered difficult by some, but this was the first physical feat that I had to train for and build up to and test my mental mettle as much as anything else. And you know what? It feels purdy darned good!  I feel like I have this “nugget” of achievement that I can carry around, hold close to me, and tap into and remind myself when things get tough that, hey! I AM tough! 🙂 I can do stuff. I think I may need this “nugget” for my Mera peak climb in the Himalayas next year.

A big thank you to my friends, family, readers, Twitter friends, for your suggestions and encouragement. It seems some of you had less doubt I’d do this than I did. And to Kathy – Special K! – who trained diligently with me in the weeks leading up to this climb and who made it also!  BIG gratitude to all!

Beyond the mountains there are mountains again. Haitian Proverb

View from the ridge, 13,600', Mt. Whitney

All Photos by G. Stark unless OF me

See also: Getting High: Mt. Whitney Madness Part I: Technical Details (Guys’ Version)