Getting pumped for the big climb!  Two helpful sites for those heading that way (click on the link):

• Orientation Notes for Whitney First Timers
• Mt. Whitney Weather Forecast
  

More to come...

--bk

Friday night, Tony and I took a commando trip up to Horseshoe Meadows in the Eastern Sierras.  Horseshoe Meadows is near Lone Pine, CA, south of Mt. Whitney.  The route is the same as one would take to Mt. Whitney, except that about 3 miles up Whitney Portal Road, you take a left on Horseshoe Meadows Road and wind way up into the Sierras until you end up at Horseshoe Meadows and the various campgrounds that are there.   Luckily for us, it was dark when we drove up because we were oblivious to the sheer drop-offs that are just feet from the pavement.  All in, it was about a 4 hour drive.  The driving ascent is slow and adds time to the trip. 

We "camped" in a fashion, which is to say Tony slept under the stars on a cot and I crashed in the back of the SUV.  FYI - sleeping in the back of the SUV was a bad and very uncomfortable idea.  That being said, there are beautiful campgrounds up there.  All of the campsites are walk-in, first come/first serve.  Bear boxes are available for stashing food and other items that might attract Yogi.  The altitude at the campgrounds is about 10k feet, so you feel it until you adjust. 

We rolled out about 6 a.m. to gear up and hit the trail shortly after.  Our initial mission was to climb Mt. Langley, but that is 22 miles and, practically speaking, is really a 2-day adventure.  We moderated the goal to hike the Cottonwood Lakes trail and see the various lakes along the way, which ended up being 12 miles round trip.  The trail is well marked and tends to be rolling.  You gain elevation and give it back throughout.   We both found it surprisingly challenging though, probably  because there was no time to acclimate.  The soil for a good chunk of the trail is sandy, which adds an extra level of difficulty to the walk, and also makes for a very dusty trek.  That said, it is an incredibly scenic trail through forests and meadows and over creeks until you finally come to a series of lakes.  You can wind your way up to 12,000 or 13,000 feet to see the various lakes, and on to 14,000 if you were to make it all the way to Mt. Langley.  We were limited by time, and turned back around 11,000 feet after having lunch by the lake in the company of a colony of marmots, which was awesome.  The altitude and tree coverage notwithstanding, the return trip was pretty warm, so hydration became that much more important.   Tragically, Tony did not get a chance to use his fancy new water purifier. 

By the time we returned to the car at 1 p.m., we were hot and beat even though we have done longer and steeper hikes, which I will chalk up to a long drive, poor rest and altitude.  It was a great training hike for Mt. Whitney though, and it's just a great hike generally.  I will have to make time to go back to really set up camp and explore the area properly.   As we drove down to Lone Pine we could see Whitney and the adjacent Needles, which we are looking forward to seeing up close in just a couple weeks.  The Cottonwood Lakes hike served as a reminder that Whitney is a tough-ass trek though and not to be taken lightly. 

After a much needed lunch at the Mt. Whitney Restaurant in Lone Pine, we headed south and arrived back in T.O./Westlake around 6 p.m. 

Sometimes you hear the call of the wild and just have to go.  This was one of those times.

So for those of you who haven't tried trekking poles or have a misperception that they are only for the timid, weak or old, check out this video from Leki.  It brings up several key points as to how trekking poles will increase your efficiency and help make your hikes safer and more comfortable as well!  

As a bonus this video (also from Leki), and this video from Chase Tucker discuss a few tools and techniques in fitting and using trekking poles.  In the Leki video, pay particular attention in the instruction as to how to properly use the straps.  It's not as easy as it looks!

The Mt. Whitney hike is looming near, so I'm feeling some anxiety about my training.  There is nothing like training at altitude, not only for conditioning but to get used to what it feels like to make an ascent when the air starts to thin and then push through the discomfort.  The ice house route to the top of Baldy is a leg crushing grind and one of the best training hikes in proximity to L.A., but it's only 10k at the top.  Whitney is 4500 feet higher at the summit, and in my experience, the real altitude fun doesn't start until you hit 12k or even 13k.  Mt. Langley, which is in the Sierra Nevada range and not far from Mt. Whitney, offers the opportunity to start the hike at 10k and get as far up as 14k if you get to the Langley summit (22 miles round trip).  It is also an opportunity to bag a 14er.  I'm thinking about doing a commando trip up there this Friday (leave after work / hike Saturday and return), so let me know if interested.