I had a bit of a score to settle with Mt. Whitney. When I was in grad school at USC, a friend and I made an attempt on the standard East Face, but I was too out of shape - too much studying for qualifying exams. Then, on the summer solstice of 1998, I went up with the intention of soloing the Mountaineer's Route, but the high temperatures and mounds of El Nino snow put the kibosh on that idea. It's still hard to believe that I had to turn around at a creek crossing in the desert. So, the day before my birthday in 1999, I dayhiked up the trail. If you're a dayhike aficionado, it's a topper. The view from the top is spectacular, as are the views from Trail Camp and the "99 switchbacks". On the way down, there are beautiful views out to the east, as the late-afternoon light shines on the White-Inyo mountains.
Two climbers who'd just finished the East Buttress. Boy, was I jealous!
Wouldn't it be great to top out on one of the East Face routes, and kick
back and enjoy this view?
Hikers atop Mt. Whitney, silhouetted against the backdrop of the High
Sierra to the north-northwest.
Looking back up towards the Whitney Crest late in the day.
A view up the south fork of Lone Pine creek in the late afternoon.