JMT-
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I call this guy the "Guardian of Bighorn Plateau" – wonder if this tree still looks like this today, 20 years later
The sun disappeared when we were finishing up supper at Crabtree Meadows.
This was the moment we decided that we should just keep going – the full moon came across the Whitney Crest around 10pm. We had rested long enough, the weather was perfectly calm, and our food reserves were pretty low, so what better than reaching the summit at night, and hiking out the next morning? We got to the top at 3am under an extremely bright night sky. Surreal almost – too bad I didn't take any more photos, but we were moving to the summit and had really only that one goal in mind.
Time to close the loop – final day, and I hope it is obvious from the photos why I prefer to make Mount Whitney the ultimate goal of the hike, not a first day drag:
Before sunrise, about 5:45am, -8.5 degrees Celsius, no wind, perfect. July 11, 1989. If you were up there, this might be you, because I don't know this person. There were maybe 6 people on the summit that morning.
Eventuall the sun came up – Owens Valley, 9000 feet below is still asleep.
I think I posted this before, but it has to be repeated here, in the proper order. Whitney's shadow with the full moon that illuminated the trail for us the night before
A very special place – can't wait to be back up there for the sunrise, some time around July 16/17 this year (twice)
Vintage Mt. Whitney Trail – these solar toilets do not exist any longer (it's now "wag bag" territory)
Afternoon at Whitney Portal – our second JMT was done, and we already knew we'd be back again.
Practically not JMT, but the end of our last day that began on Mount Whitney was a night at Mono Lake, with water levels about 8 feet below of what you see there today.
Our July hike that was supposed to be a yo-yo in pictures and video
Photo gallery
Video (Flash and Silverlight, 1.5mbps and 720p at 3.5mbps)
Tons of snow this year in July – this is July 12 below Muir Pass
I'm heading out Friday to do a solo northbound to complete my own yo-yo, no video this time, just a Nikon D40, which is an upgrade from the above point-n-shoot Canon quality.
On page 11 of this thread, "Day 16..continued", is one of Peter Burke's photos of this same section of the trail up to Forester Pass heading N to S. On this spectacular day in Aug. '09, the valley along Bubbs Creek was filled with clouds, but blue sky was breaking out above me and at the pass. The pass was under storm clouds as I climbed, but cloudless when I arrived an hour later.
along the trail to heaven? The pass looked threatening But, the trail down was clear with sun in the valley. the monster of Le Conte CanyonRead about these amazing trees that can live for thousansds of years. The Fox Tail Pines can be see along the Bighorn Plateau (map 1) One could spend hours just photgraphing the trunks and stumps. (I do not know why the photo is flipped) The trees adapt to the dry soil by just having a few of their branches live.
Fox Tail Pine They are like the Bristlecone Pines that can be seen in a forest just north of Lone Pine. Worth a visit.
along the trail to heaven?
The pass looked threatening
But, the trail down was clear with sun in the valley.
the monster of Le Conte Canyon
Fox Tail Pine They are like the Bristlecone Pines that can be seen in a forest just north of Lone Pine. Worth a visit.
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