Got up just as the morning light filtered through the trees. Trailhead camp is nestled in a bowl such that the morning light is not right in your face. Atleast it seemed that way where we were (spot 27).
We made some Coffee and Chai, as we double checked our gear, finalized what food needed to go up mountain, packed in a bear canister and got quick breakfast which was protein bars. We would have loved to get a legit breakfast at the Whitney Portal store, but we weighed that against time and post-breakfast lethargy that may kick in!! Anything not of use for the next 24-36 hours, were to be left behind in the steel Bear locker. About 9am we were at Whitney Portal, our starting point. The Ranger showed his morning alertness by checking our permit, ensuring food was secured from animals, gave instructions on water sources, basic do's and don'ts and reminded us that we were in a "leave no trace behind" zone. What goes up the mountain has to come back down with us. That included human solid waste. We had a few WAG bags packed.
I kept fiddling with my backpack. I was not using my regular Osprey Atmos 50 since I needed a bigger one to carry my sleeping bag, tent and accessories. After a while my brain gave up, distracted by the amazing landscape and beauty around me.
2.8'ish miles and we came up to a wooded rest spot, a quick left and 30 mins later we were at the serene Lone Pine Lake (elevation: 10,100 ft). It looked very peaceful and picturesque. A short break, some snacks — we saddled up to re-join our path upwards. Shortly thereafter we came across a waterfall coming down from Mirror Lake and dumping into the Big Horn Park.
Big Horn Park is a very picturesque meadow. Lots of lush green vegetation and a great spot to see some wild animals. We spotted a Deer at a distance, making eye contact with us and then disappearing in the tall grasses. We also spotted a bunch of family members belonging to the Squirrel, Rodent, Marmot clans. Outpost Camp is located at elevation: 10,400 ft. It's peaceful. We did have the option to camp here but that would only mean that on Summit day (tomorrow) the journey would be that much longer. Granted we might be lighter on our packs...we contemplated for a hot minute and decided to push forward.
Around mile marker 5.5, we came upon Consultation Lake (elevation: 11,600 ft) to our left. We are now above the tree line. It's all rocks all around, the mountain range appearing to grow in size and harder to frame its entirety in my tiny eyes. The lakes along the way add to the dramatic landscape. The wind has picked up all around us. There is no natural barrier or shield from the elements. Turning back and getting a birds eye view of Big Horn Park seems so far away. The visual of the distant meadow adding a good contrast to the dirty-white look of the rocks around us. There are still a lot of large swaths of ice visible. Some of this may not melt at all and then new snow will dump in the winter. It appears we are close to Trail Camp, another 400-some feet of elevation gain to push through.
We noticed the first of the tents when we turned the corner coming over a large boulder, hopes that soon we could put our packs down and rest. The cold wind has become a bit annoying honestly, but there is no option other than to 'deal with it'. Kevin having been here four times prior knows of some less obvious spots that could provide some break from the winds. We did find a decent flat ground with a stacked stone pony wall on one side and a big boulder on the other. We set camp here. This is Trail Camp (elevation: 12,000 ft), time: 5pm. We've been on the trail for 8 hours. Once the tent was up, our next task was to filter water from the lake next to us and get our bags ready for tomorrow morning's summit journey. Once we had water, we cooked some dinner — I had carried Hot Garlic noodles. Our light weight cooking pot also served as the serving bowl. In 2-3 minutes dinner was ready. Given the cold temps, eating the hot soup felt good for the system. Dinner done, we got our sleeping bags arranged.
Contrary to our ultra spacious residential arrangements at Trailhead Camp, our Flappy was bare minimum on real estate offering with very tight quarters — literally shoulder to shoulder. The wind seemed to have no sense of direction or path which meant it was whirling from anywhere to everywhere. It was hard to get over the sound of our tent, flapping at the mercy of the wind and simultaneously us dealing with the very cold breeze sneaking under the tent. We were huddled in our bags at 8pm. The count-down has started: 5.5 hours before we wake up. I started doing mental math "...if I get 15 min naps every 45 mins that would give me an hour+ of some sleep. Will be enough to recover and push." The mind then interrupting the equation with logic "Well, you are here, you can sleep when you go home. This is once in a lifetime. You don't have any altitude sickness. We are staying positive in our thinking...remember, you have to take the dedication flag to summit..."
Oh the battle between the Mind and Body with Purpose being the arbitrator.
Good night Moon and Stars!!
