"not to hijack this thread, but since you mentioned whitney, tom – i had relatively low expectations for the highest point in the 48, and was utterly blown away. i'm not sure photographs do it justice, especially the views west-ish, back into the park. hiking up in the dark and spending an hour or so at the seeming roof of the world is something i'll never forget…also we were lucky – the middle of the week in late september meant there were only six or seven other folks up there with us. though a couple of them spent the entire time barking at each other about the pizza they were going to eat in lone pine. a less discussed form of acute mountain sickness i guess. ;)." Definitely not hijacking, Ben. More like a natural extension of a conversation that Whitney was already very much a part of, and your experiences fit right in. I will also say you really got it right, from how you made the final ascent to your good fortune in finding the summit practically deserted. That is about as good as it gets up there. If those guys were babbling about pizza at The Pizza Factory in Lone Pine, it was definitely acute AMS. No healthy person would wax ecstatic over their pizza. ;0)) @Ken Thanks for the kind words, Ken. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
