Ansel Adams, Winter Sunrise, The Sierra Nevada

Having hiked and climbed much of my life, I didn’t realize that any of my adventures would be considered extreme. I didn’t pay much attention to that aspect. Venturing deep into the back country was something I enjoyed doing. The more adventurous the better.

I’m not talking a Mt. Everest expedition, although that would be the ultimate adventure in my book. In case you don’t have the 50K or so for an Everest expedition, how about a weekend trek into your local mountains?

My favorite time of year is winter. The Sierra Nevada mountains make for a great destination any time of the year but  winters are special.

It’s almost a magical experience to be deep in the midst of snow covered forest trekking through miles of fresh snow to eventually gain sight of the distant snow covered peaks of the neighboring mountains.  Once free of the forest and atop the mountain, you start looking for the alpine lakes. These are the frozen gems hidden behind nearby slopes. You may catch a glimpse of sun light sparkling off the distant frozen water falls and visually map the rivers or streams leading to or from these lakes to help reveal their location.

As with any magical experience the dark side is not far behind. Now that you’re on the summit, the weather can be severe and change with little warning. When the clouds appear, you’re in them. Visibility can be a few yards at best. Hail storms and lightning all pose a safety risk. The winds can whip around ice crystals pelting exposed skin. Sections of your return route can ice over complicating what other wise would be a safe retreat. With out the proper gear and training to safely back track to a lower and more hospitable elevation , you could be at serious risk.

This is my idea of fun and adventure. I enjoy treks of all kinds but this would be about as extreme as I would get on an extended weekend.

Recently a co-worker approached me with an idea to summit Mt. Whitney, having no first hand knowledge of the mountain other than it being the second highest in the United States, I’m thinking to my self…she’s not sure of what she’s suggesting.

The more we talked, the more I knew she was serious. We researched it and determined that we in fact could do an extreme summer hike.

A summer hike would help insure that the higher elevations would be passable and being our first hike together, the Mule trail seemed our best and safest route up.

The plan is for a group of friends to safely summit 14,496 ft. Mt Whitney in approximately 15 hours time. The 22 mile trek will be scheduled for next summer with a start time no later than 3AM.

In preparation, I started by organizing a check list of minimal gear based on the helpful advise of fellow Hikers, Climbers and Trekkers alike. The list is certainly not as minimal as it could be, but a good start for my needs and can easily be modified for each hiker according to there needs. To Be Continued….

1. Trail Shoes or Light Weight Hiking Boots
2. Pants
3. Synthetic T-Shirt
4. Light Weight Gortex Jacket – Shell Only
5. Light Weight Fleece Jacket
6. Wool Socks With Synthetic Liners – 2 pair
7. Light Weight Gloves – Similar to Arc’teryx Polartec Wind Pro
8. Hat – Beanie
9. Sunglasses
10. Sun Block
11. TP – WetNaps – Mt. Whitney visitors must pack-out their solid human waste. Pack-out kits are distributed with wilderness permits.
12. WAG Bags
13. Food – Energy Bars – Gels
14. Water – 3 liters – Water is available as far as Trail Camp. Carry water to the summit, as there is no dependable source of water after Trail Camp.
15. Oral re-hydration Salts
16. Minimal First Aid Kit With Focus on Blisters and Headaches
17. Water Micro filter – Katadyn Hiker Pro
18. Quality Technical Day Pack – Arc’teryx – Gregory
19. Quality Trekking Poles – Leki
20. Headlamp – Petzl
21. Camera – Extra battery’s.
22. Knife
23. Lighter
24. Whistle
25. Topo Map of Area.