At 14,494 feet, Mt. Whitney is taller than any mountain in the contiguous United States. Not surprisingly, it is also the most climbed high elevation mountain in the United States. This summer, I along with countless other climbers, felt the urge to stand on top of this lofty place. And so, Nicholas Brinker, Nicholas Coonrod, Sky Kramer and I, all members of Beta Theta Pi, journeyed to the town of Lone Pine to prepare for a summit attempt. In the words of Nick Brinker, "It was a perversion of humanity. You know those places in movies that shouldn't exist? Well they do and it is in Lone Pine. I don't know what's worse, the food or the people." When we did arrive in the illustrious township of Lone Pine the temperature was well above 100 degrees. We spent the rest of the day finding a hotel, buying supplies, and exploring the limited points of interest throughout the town. The one redeeming factor of Lone Pine had to be the scenery (see below).
This was the view outside of our hotel.
From left to right: Orlando Giumarra, Nicholas Coonrod, Nicholas Brinker and Sky Kramer.
We started hiking up the summit trail at 3:00 a.m. and we quickly passed several large groups of climbers.
After hours of hiking in the darkness, the sun finally rose and we could see the gorgeous surroundings. (10,000 ft.)
Alpenglow on Mt. Whitney.
We stumbled upon this furry Marmot at around 10,000 feet. He made us all cheerful.
Nick Brinker Strikes a pose at the start of the infamous "Hundred Switchbacks."
Nick Coonrod smiles on the trail at 11,000 feet.
Nearing the summit at 13,800 feet. At this point we had run out of water and we were all hit hard by altitude sickness. Symptoms included: severe headaches, nausea, extreme fatigue, and irritability.
After 11 miles of hiking and over 7,000 feet of vertical gain, we finally reached the summit!
Triumphant, I am temporarily the tallest person in the lower 48 states!
Brinker is stoked to be so high!
The walk down was unimaginably long and painful. When we finally reached our car we had just walked for over 22 miles and had travelled over 14,000 feet of elevation change. What a day!
This was the view outside of our hotel.
From left to right: Orlando Giumarra, Nicholas Coonrod, Nicholas Brinker and Sky Kramer.
We started hiking up the summit trail at 3:00 a.m. and we quickly passed several large groups of climbers.
After hours of hiking in the darkness, the sun finally rose and we could see the gorgeous surroundings. (10,000 ft.)
Alpenglow on Mt. Whitney.
We stumbled upon this furry Marmot at around 10,000 feet. He made us all cheerful.
Nick Brinker Strikes a pose at the start of the infamous "Hundred Switchbacks."
Nick Coonrod smiles on the trail at 11,000 feet.
Nearing the summit at 13,800 feet. At this point we had run out of water and we were all hit hard by altitude sickness. Symptoms included: severe headaches, nausea, extreme fatigue, and irritability.
After 11 miles of hiking and over 7,000 feet of vertical gain, we finally reached the summit!
Triumphant, I am temporarily the tallest person in the lower 48 states!
Brinker is stoked to be so high!
The walk down was unimaginably long and painful. When we finally reached our car we had just walked for over 22 miles and had travelled over 14,000 feet of elevation change. What a day!
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