Mount Whitney 8-29-2013

Mount Whitney wasn't even on my radar until Joel suggested we apply for the lottery back in February. I hadn't researched the climb until I found out we won a spot, and I was surprised to learn that although it is the highest piece of earth in the lower 48 States, nothing technical would be required to reach the top. The length and elevation of the climb was nothing new to us, and there is a well-constructed trail all the way up which made altitude adjustment our biggest concern.





We reserved a site at the Whitney Portal Campground for the day before the climb and started the long drive from Seattle late Tuesday morning. 3 of our buddies dropped out on the trip which allowed Joel, his brother Johnny and me to fit comfortably in one vehicle with all our gear. Leaving I-5 and crossing to the East side of the Cascades just south of Eugene Oregon cut over 200 miles off of the trip and improved the scenery. After about 12 hours of driving we pulled into the Laufman campground near Honey Lake and slept in the truck for a few hours. We were back on the road before sunrise and arrived in Lone Pine with plenty of time to pick up our Whitney Zone permit and to get quality meal in town. I hear the Mount Whitney Restaurant serves a damn good buffalo burger,and the elk isn't bad either.

Cave Ridge 8-23-2013

Ben and I made a last minute day trip to explore a few more caves. Not much to write about, but here are some pics:

Cave Ridge 8-17-2013

Ben and I again joined a few other members of the Cascade Grotto on Cave Ridge to explore some erosional caves requiring a bit of vertical ropework. The weather was more cooperative than two weeks ago. We managed to get to the far lower end of Hellhole. Here are some pics: