A week ago today I was just arriving to base camp on Mt. Whitney. Since returning I have had lots of questions about my trip. To address them all I have set up a little Q&A for all general knowledge regarding my trip.
Q. Where is Mt. Whitney?
A. It is in California -- it's this whole other country.
Q. How tall is Mt. Whitney?
A. 14,494 ft. above see level making it the tallest peak in the continental United States.
Q. How long is the hike?
A. 22 miles round trip. As far as time to hike? I am not sure. Somewhere around 11,000 feet the air becomes thin enough that reality becomes a swirling vortex of bright colors, abstract thought patterns and air gasping, mindlessly staggering about.
Q. Geez, sounds tough. Why would you do that?
A. Simply stated, bragging rights. When I die, I couldn't imagine myself looking back and saying "I am sure glad I passed on THAT opportunity. That would have been VERY difficult!"
Q. What if any, special preparations did you take.
A. That is a good question. I found that growing the common Friendly Mutton Chops (or FMC, for short) was sufficient preparation for my needs.
Q. How long after my milk's expiration date can I safely consume it?
A. Who submitted this? This has nothing to do with Mt. Whitney. Let me tell you a little secret. Rotten milk and fresh milk smell exactly the same. Milk is gross fresh or rotten. Don't ever drink it raw. EVER!
Q. Would you hike Mt. Whitney again?
A. The more the pains and aches of the trip fade, the more that answer shifts to the affirmative.
In summary, it was a great trip. It might be my ego talking here, but I think sweet lady Mt. Whitney took a liking to me. At one point on my descent I looked over in a small indention in the snow and pristinely nestled and preserved was a $5 bill and this little note.
Upon returning to base camp I also found a penny that was minted in the year I was born and found that marmots had visited, urinated and crapped in everyone's tent except mine.
Being at that altitude gives you a good idea how it will be for yourself if you jumped forward 40 years. Small hills that you would otherwise scramble up, present formidable and air gasping challenges. I felt like superman when I returned to lower elevations.
Here is what I wrote in the guest book:
3 comments:
I must say, Sterling, I'm very impressed. After reading your blog to Jason and showing him the pics, he simply said, "I could do it." However, I've seen Jason try to grow facial hair before, and I don't have much confidence in his ability to grow the FMC. Therefore, I'm not so sure he could climb that mountain.
On the other hand, Jason did run the Top of Utah marathon on a whim and the only training he did was watching Chariots of Fire the night before. So, who knows.
Either way, I'm impressed with both your climbing and facial hair.
Well, my kudos to Jason. As we all know, I don't run. I might run Top of Utah if I were pursued by a bear. But at some point, I might just push someone down and hope the bear is appeased with my offering so that I could stop running. Although... I have a sneaky suspicion, I might be able to run it if I were to regrow the FMC.
It' too bad you're so dull and boring!!
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