Teen Trekker, Tucker Cullen, hikes the John Muir Trail raising funds for Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT)

Day 22 - Mile 220.4 - - Mt. Whitney to Whitney Portal

8/7/2015

Video recap of our 22 day trek below. Click the gear icon to 720p. for highest quality.

We awoke to the sound of other hikers briskly pushing past our camp; many of the trekkers camping near us had already hit the trail by the time we were out of our sleeping bags. Although we were not the first ones up, we definitely did we sleep in; in fact, it was still only 2 AM.

The night before most of us had forgone the tent and slept out under the stars in anticipation for the early wake up call. From what we had heard from our fellow thru-hikers, the best time to summit Whitney was well before the sun had come up in order to experience the sunrise from the top. We bought into this plan and decided to awake at two and hit the trail as soon as possible. From our campsite just above Guitar Lake, we could already see lines of headlamps zig-zagging their way up the switchbacks carved out of western side of Whitney. After taking down camp and having a few snacks, we joined the ranks of these hikers as we began our slow ascent up to trailcrest Although it was still very early I felt energized. Today would be the last of 23 days in the mountains, and I was excited to finally experience the long anticipated Mt. Whitney.

After an hour or two of hiking through the darkness, we finally arrived at trailcrest and were greeted by some friends that had left earlier than us and had decided to wait the junction in order to avoid submitting before the sun was ready to rise. We dropped off some of our gear here to lighten up our packs for the out and back trek to the summit. We set off again shortly and began working our way North along a ridge towards the top. As we reached the sawtooth, a jagged section of Whitney’s ridge that provides occasional glimpses through to the East, we were left awestruck by thin but intense red glow emanating from peaks East of Lone Pine. It was by far the most incredible color I had ever witnessed in a sunrise.

The morning stars still sing together,
and the world, not yet half made, becomes more beautiful every day. - John Muir

As the trail continued we began to reach more exposed areas, and we had to layer up in order to escape the wind. It was brutally cold but the incredible views and colors that began to expose themselves as the sun rose kept our spirits high. Finally we reached the summit. As we stood on top of the highest peak in the continental US I couldn’t help but feel exhilarated. The thought that we had trekked all the way here from Yosemite 220 miles away was almost unfathomable. The sun had crested into view by now and all around us we could see forever. We took out our sleeping bags to keep warm and sat down on the summit to soak it all in.

After signing the summit log we began our descent back to trail crest. Although we were doubling back for a few miles, the trail looked completely different as the drastic alpine views were no longer shrouded in darkness. I felt wonderful in every way on this first part of the descent; I was in a constant state of awe from what we had just accomplished and the sheer beauty of our surroundings. We got back to trailcrest fairly quickly and retrieved our bear canisters and the other supplies we had stashed there. After a quick climb up and over to the eastern side of Whitney we began a descent down a seemingly endless amount of switchbacks. Although our destination appeared so close, it was in reality many hours of hiking away due to a 4,000 foot drop in elevation and the incredibly numerous switchbacks that make that kind of descent possible.

The descent to the Whitney Portal trailhead was quite a slog. We were excited for the food and hot shower that awaited us at the bottom, and the never ending descent did a number on our tired legs. After many hours of switchbacks we finally arrived in the Lone Pine parking lot completely exhausted but satisfied with ourselves. Like the end of any long adventure, our arrival was bittersweet. We were excited to have accomplished such a great feat and we were more than ready to get cleaned up and get some good food in our stomachs, but it was still sad to leave the trail. There is something meditative and beautiful about the simplicity of life on the trail, and we were not necessarily looking forward to rejoining our hectic everyday lives. But all adventures must eventually come to an end; all we can do is start the next one.