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The first morning we awoke in one of the most perfect campgrounds on Earth - The Whitney Portal Campground. You can make reservations by following a link at the Whitney Portal Store web site We went to the Portal Store and Rhonda and I shared the largest pancake I have ever seen in my life. The pancake was probably 18 inches across and was topped with a side of eggs and bacon. We didn't finish half of the enormous pancake. The folks at the Portal Store are the most helpful people you will encounter on your journey to Mt. Whitney, and you won't find better food for the price for hundreds of miles. We started hiking
just after 9:00 AM and from the beginning the trail was steep and constant.
We tried to keep our gear to the bare minimums, but once we added the
bear box our weight plans and packing perfection were totally thrown
off. The bear boxes should be a different shape to fit the contour of
you back. The round shape is not very ergonomic. |
| After a few miles we had consumed most of our water and stopped by a creek about 30 feet above a waterfall to filter water. My PUR water filter has one tube that goes into the water source and then into the filter, and another tube that comes from the filter and to your water bottle. The creek was very fast moving due to the waterfall and the undertow managed to suck the tubing off of the filter and take it downstream before I knew what had happened. Jim had a theory that it probably got stuck on a limb so he headed off downstream in search of the lost filter tube. While Jim was gone I was trying to figure out how to make the filter work without the tube. I didn't think that he would ever be able to find that small, clear plastic tube in a waterfall - but he did! After a few minutes Jim came back with one boot and pants leg soaked and the filter in hand. Rhonda couldn't believe that Jim had found the tube either and her disbelief combined with the altitude made her laugh so hard her stomach hurt :) |
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Mt.
Whitney Trip Report
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