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Sunday, September 7, 2008  (Day 3)

As planned we were up early this morning. I was up at 3:45am, the rest of the group were up and about at 4:40am. We ate a quick breakfast and broke camp. It was still dark, tho the sky was starting to get light. The climb up isn't difficult, so full daylight isn't necessary. Martin and I were first to the top of Crabtree Pass (12,560'), and as we did last night, went about trying to figure out the best route. Linh & Doodah Man arrived a short time later and we asked for their opinion on a possible route. We couldn't seem to come to a consensus on which would be the best route. I was cold and didn't want to stand around, so I picked a route and proceeded down the pass. I was working my way towards the 'chute' closest to the lake, as it looked like the least technical route, which I was hoping would allow me to climb faster.

The initial climb was a lot easier than I expected. It was mostly sand and talus, but it was going by quicker than I anticipated. I'd been climing for about 30 minutes and decided to take a break and see how the others were coming along. They were working their way down the pass with Martin in the lead. It was a large boulder field, which made their progress slow. Lots of loose rocks, talus and boulders.

I decided to push on the Discovery Pinnacle (13,753') and wait for the the group there. I was really enjoying this climb. It was tough, technical and long. Another hour of climbing and I arrived at the base of Discovery Pinnacle. I dropped my pack, grabbed my camera and climbed up to the top. There were rock cairns marking the top, and I couldn't believe the views! Excellent view of Mt. Whitney, Crabtree Pass, Consultation Lake and Trail Crest. The trail was packed with day hikers. They were passing by the dozens. I was enjoying the time on Discovery Pinnacle, as the weather was beautiful and I was finally getting ready to start the official JMT trail.

A couple of hours had passed and still no sign of the group. I started to worry that they hadn't been able to make the climb and could be looking at alternate routes. I grabbed my pack and started working my way back down the way I'd come up. I'd gone maybe 15 minutes when I saw some specks below me - Martin and Linh. But I didn't see Doodah Man anywhere. Martin reached me first and filled me in on Doodah Man. He decided against climbing up Discovery Pinnacle, and would follow the lakes below us to a side trail that would lead him to the Crabtree ranger station. The ranger station is where we had agreed we'd camp for the night. I had mixed emotions on this decision. I support Doodah Man in doing whichever route he feels is best for him, but I was apprehensive about us splitting up. He was taking a 'cross country' route, and worried that something could happen to him during this solo section. Linh arrived a short time later. The three of us continued on up to Discovery Pinnacle, where we would drop down the other side to Trail Crest. I was completely out of fluids, and fortunately, Linh was able to give me 3 liters. This would give me plenty for the climb up Mt. Whitney and would get me to the ranger station without having to stop and filter water.

We started down the trail from Discovery Pinnacle to Trail Crest. I use the term trail 'loosely'. It was nothing more than a sand and talus scramble with large rocks just waiting to be knocked loose. We took it slow and tried to keep from turning loose any rocks. There were hikers coming by, so this made it even more difficult. I made it to Trail Crest as a ranger was rounding the corner. He was a friendly person and was quick to help us. He stopped all the hikers on the trail until Martin and Linh were able to get down to the trail.

This is where we parted company. Martin and Linh were hiking down to Whitney Portal, where they would grab the cars and drive back to Los Angeles. I would summit Mt. Whitney and head to the Crabtree Ranger Station to meet Doodah Man.

It was a short walk to the side trail to Mt. Whitney - I think it's less than 2/10ths of a mile. There were a handful of hikers hanging out, waiting on others who were at the summit. I dropped my pack next to the other packs, grabbed a water bottle and headed up the trail. I simply love the first half of this trail! Beautiful views and shear drops! The second half of the trail was boring to me. I just wanted to get to the summit. The wind was really picking up and the temps were dropping. I'd forgotten to grab my hat and jacket before starting the climb, and now I was getting cold. I ran the last 1/2 mile or so to warm up. I arrived at the summit (14,505') and went straight for the registry next to the Whitney Hut. Wow, this thing is huge! I signed my name and went about getting some summit shots.

After roughly 10 minutes on the summit, I was freezing my arse off and decided to hike back down to get my pack. The hike down was uneventful, but went by quickly. I grabbed my pack and began the 2000' decent down to the Hitchcock Lakes. I passed several thru-hikers on the switchbacks, finishing up their JMT thru-hikes. After passing the Hitchcock Lakes, I arrived at Guitar Lake. Aptly named as it resembles a guitar. This is a beautiful lake and there were over a dozen people camped at it. Shortly down the trail is Timberline Lake. I continued on my hike and was rolling along when I heard "You must be Brian!". I looked up and there was a group of 6 guys coming towards me. I had no idea how they knew me and it must have shown on my face. The guy in the lead explained they had recently left the Crabtree ranger station area and had spoken with Doodah Man. He'd been there for about an hour and was concerned that I hadn't arrived yet. I was thankful to hear he'd made it to camp ok, and I picked up the pace from this point. It was only another 40 minutes or so when I rolled into the camping area and saw Doodah Man setting up camp. It was a nice little campsite, not far from the water source, and next to a group of fishermen from Raleigh, NC out for 5 days of fishing.

Moments after I arrived, I saw what looked like a ranger coming up the trail. The person looked to be 'waddling' more than walking, so I was a little curious as to what the heck wa going on. As the ranger got closer, I realized it was a female ranger and she was pregnant. She stopped and said she was glad to see I had arrived, as she had spoken to Doodah Man earlier and they were wondering when I'd be arriving. She was due to give birth in less than 3 weeks and was still out walking on patrol. She said she carried a scalpel, clamps and a bulb syringe with her, in case she had to give birth on the trail. Gutsy woman!

I set up my 'cowboy camp' while Doodah Man set up his camp. As we were eating, several of the fishermen arrived back in camp. They said they were hit with some ice and snow up at one of the local lakes they were fishing. There were some dark clouds overhead and some thunder, but nothing ever developed. As the evening wore on, we were hit with the most delicious smelling scent in the air. We looked over to the fishing camp and they were cooking fresh trout. I'm not much of a fish eater, but damn, this was shear torture! The smell was making my mouth water. After the fish, the guys fired up cigars. I'm not big fan of smoking in the woods, but if I have to smell something, I'd rather it be a cigar than a cigarette.

I get restless in camp, so I decided to take a walk around and look at the ranger station and the meadow near our campsite. The ranger station is nice little set up. There was a male and female rangers staying at this one. I have no idea if they are a 'couple' or not, nor did I feel the need to ask.

I next headed down to the meadow and I heard rumors that there was a toilet somewhere near the far end. As I was walking along, I found the toilet and it was not what I expected. It is a toilet seat on top of a wooden box, with no walls or screen or anything for privacy. It had a beautiful view of the end of the meadow, but I wasn't about to use it in the daylight hours. So I waited 'til it was getting dark and then made a trip back to it.

As in the previous nights, I grabbed my journals, guide book and reading book and headed for my sleeping bag. I was up for several hours after the sunset writing in my journal and reading.