Whitney Runup
Posted by bronson Sat, 22 Jul 2006 19:38:00 GMT
The afternoon before a Whitney day hike is a little surreal. You’re tired, you try to nap, but your head is buzzing and the eyes don’t close very well. Your backpack has been ready for hours and yet you’re still thinking if there’s something you’re forgetting. More food? How’s the first-aid kit? Will it snow?
(From a 2003 Whitney trip)
You’re surrounded by good friends except there’s not much to talk about. There’s equipment, and the hike, but those topics were exhausted hours ago. There’s a Star Trek rerun on but the TV just seems irrelevant. Time barely moves.
Even the last meal is alien. We headed to Angel’s at 8, just before they closed. You should select bland food so it won’t weigh you down or cause trouble. Food poisoning is bad enough at sea level; imagine a cramp attack in the bitter pre-dawn cold at 12,000 feet. Table discussion was weak, mostly idle chitchat or morbid humor.
Finally, at 10:30 PM, we piled into the car and started the drive to Whitney Portal. Suddenly we were in high spirits, talking and joking again. We won’t see the trailhead until midnight and the sun won’t appear for another 8 hours but finally the trip has started.
So… Are we assumed you all died there? Or at least most of you, leaving barely enough meat on their corpses for the rest to eat while hopelessly waiting for a rescue party that will never come..