High Sierra Trail part 6

This is the concluding episode of my series documenting a six-day journey along the High Sierra Trail. The previous segment took place at the August 25 newsletter . In this final chapter, I will share details about our sixth and concluding day.

We began our day bright and early at Guitar Lake, fully aware that this would be the longest and most challenging segment of our trek. To ensure we arrived before the grill shut down at the Mount Whitney trailhead, we needed to get moving early. Thus, we set our alarms for around 5:00 AM, when it was still largely dark outside. Utilizing the moonlight and our headlamps, we took down our camping gear and hit the trail. It was freezing, likely the coldest I had felt throughout the entire adventure.

After about 15 minutes of hiking, we began our ascent towards the Sierra ridge, reaching an elevation close to 14,000 feet where vegetation was nonexistent. Nevertheless, the thrill of being at the highest point of the Sierras and heading towards the tallest peak not only in California but across all the contiguous United States pushed us onward.

As we ascended and the sun began to rise, we could gaze down and distinctly see the guitar-like shape of Guitar Lake, alongside the western slopes of the Sierras we had traversed earlier. This perspective truly highlighted our prior accomplishments, which had been somewhat obscured when we were surrounded by dense forests.

After roughly two hours of climbing, we arrived at a junction known as the Trail Crest Junction. As noted in part 4 of this series, we had now merged onto the John Muir Trail, which famously begins at Mount Whitney. Although we could have bypassed the final few miles and descended the Mount Whitney Trail, allowing us to claim we completed the High Sierra Trail, the prospect of summiting Mount Whitney was too tempting for us to resist, leading us to opt for the extra mileage.

The final miles on the John Muir Trail were nothing short of breathtaking, offering magnificent views of the Sierras stretching out on both sides. I was so caught up in the excitement that I neglected to take photos during this incredible stretch, so I apologize for jumping straight to the moment we reached the summit of Mount Whitney.

After capturing the usual summit photos, we began our descent. As previously mentioned, it was going to be an extensive day, meaning our breaks were limited and brief. Furthermore, having hiked this section of the trail between Mount Whitney and its trailhead three times before, I didn't bother snapping many pictures.

The lengthy drop from Mount Whitney while carrying hefty packs took a toll on my knees. Had we allotted a week for the journey, we would have divided this last day into two, resting somewhere along the scenic Mount Whitney Trail. We had planned for this contingency in case completing it in one day proved too challenging. However, we managed to stick to our schedule and made it back that same day.

We all hoped the grill at the Mount Whitney Trailhead would still be available. While the store was open, we arrived just about five minutes after the grill closed. Alas! We made up for it with an abundance of pizza and beer at the Pizza Factory in Lone Pine. Subsequently, we took turns driving back to Las Vegas, reaching our destination around 2 AM.

In summary, the entire expedition was an overwhelming success! Each of us completed it independently, without encountering significant issues or injuries, and we never lost our way. I would gladly embark on this adventure again, and I likely will.

To remind everyone, our trip kicked off on June 15 and concluded on June 20, 2022. I'm writing this 4.5 months later, on November 2. I've seen Tina a handful of times since then, and she’s doing great. I haven’t caught up with Nolan, though I didn't expect to, since we belong to different social circles. I hope this adventure has motivated at least one individual to experience the High Sierra Trail for themselves. I cherished it so much that I'm eager to tackle the entire John Muir Trail in the near future.

Written by: Michael Shackleford