Mt Whitney in a day 7-8-14 Part one - The Preparation

[TollerMom]

I am a planner. I read books, studied maps, poured over trip reports hoping to glean the one obscure tip that would be my salvation. I fretted, obsessed, analyzed, memorized. I watched youtube videos of the trail, did a virtual flyover on Halfmile Maps google earth. I worried over hikers who fell off the trail wondering what tripped them up. I dreamt about things I could not control and wondered if my trail runners were going to be sufficient. I left no stone unturned.

I did a reconnoiter road trip to Lone Pine the month before to check out the portal during daylight hours and hiked up to Lone Pine Lake and around Horseshow Meadows. The 3 mile hike to Lone Pine Lake normally should have been a piece of cake, but I felt fatigued. It could have been the 5 hr car ride or starting the hike at noon in the 90 degree heat, but it kinda shook my confidence. At that point I gave myself permission that if I could not make the summit bid, it would be okay. In fact, I would consider the trip a success the minute I buckled on my pack and stepped onto the trail. My friend and I made a pact that we would have fun no matter what and that it would be a great adventure - however it turned out.

Two weekends in a row before Whitney, I camped and hiked at around 10,000’ at 20 Lakes Basin and Virginia Lakes. I took Ginko Biloba for about 7 days prior after reading antidotal stories how it might help with my oxygen usage. I am not sure it really worked; certainly didn’t hurt though.

My gear: A lightweight Osprey daypack decorated with prayer flags and with a 100oz hydration bladder, Steripen Ultra, SPOT Gen 3, Garmin GPS, Nikon 9300 point n shoot, iPod, map, compass, whistle, trail notes: milestone distances, switchbacks and water sources, headlamp, extra batteries, first aid supplies (copious amounts of Advil, a hunk of moleskin, duct tape, roll of gauze, sunscreen, antibacterial gel), 2 WAG bags (what if I get a stomach ache from the excitement?) and a gallon ziplock baggie for WAG portage, TP and Wet Naps, eyeglasses and sunglasses, emergency Sol bivy, plastic poncho, silver emergency blanket (mostly to wrap around myself in case I had to use the WAG bag out in the open) and Black Diamond Ultra Distance trekking poles.

Clothing On: Brooks Cascadia 8 trail runners, leopard print dirty girl gaiters, Smartwool hiking socks, REI long pants with zip-off legs, two layers of thin performance shirts (one short sleeved, one long sleeved) in bright colors, because bright color is energizing and makes me feel good and a visor.

Clothing in the bag: A new pair of Incredisock for the trip back down, down jacket, compression tights, buff and gloves, waterproof Tyvek jacket.

Food: Separated into two giant baggies (one for the trip up and one for the trip down because I like to eat!! A custom trail mix blend (Fritos, Chex Party Mix, bacon jerky (yes, BACON! a kickstarter project I kicked in for), nuts, M&M’s, chocolate covered goji berries, Hot Tamale candies, Jolly Rancher gummy chews, wasabi peas), assorted Fig Bars/Trail Bars, some Babybel cheese, Electrolyte/Energy chews, Electrolyte tabs for the water and GU. Lots and lots of GU. Highly recommend the Salted Caramel flavor. ...to be continued...see part two The Hike

Edited July 31, 2014 by TollerMom