A few days prior to my Eastern Sierras birthday trip I poked around the #easternsierras hashtag on Instagram looking for some ideas and inspiration on what to do. I was pretty much stumped and so beyond planning a detailed itinerary at that point. My friend, Sarah, suggested the Black Point Fissures at Mono Lake. A quick click on this link and I was sold.
After a couple months of non-stop craziness, I decided to take a few days off and enjoy my birthday in the quiet and solitude of the outdoors. Squamish and Crater Lake were close contenders but in the end, the Eastern Sierras won out because hot springs. Seriously, what better way is there to rejuvenate than in the mountains soaking in a hot tub?
You know when people buy Christmas presents for their significant others that they totally want for themselves? Yeah, guilty. I’m that person. When it comes to gift giving, I’m of the belief that experiences are so much better than physical items. Things break, get lost. Memories are forever.
This year for Christmas, I scoured the internet for a good deal on an adventure. I like to start my Christmas shopping early, so just happened to be browsing around and googling ice climbing courses in California when I came across SWS Mountain Guides. Checked their Yelp reviews. Googled some more. Then hit the jackpot. They were having a fall sale on their trips! 20% off everything! I whipped out my credit card and signed up for a class over MLK weekend.
Fresh from sea level and running on about 6.5 hours of sleep, the beastly David Wherry and I set off with a friend on a Friday morning to acclimatize for our Whitney hike back in September. Our destination was Meysan Lake at approximately 11,500′. The trail begins at the Whitney Portal Family Campground by the summer homes, a short walk across Lone Pine Creek from our campsite. Starting elevation is 8360′, so if you’re not used to the altitude, expect to be huffing and puffing.
At some point last year, I decided that I wanted to tackle Mt. Whitney as a day hike. Applied for permits in February, got one, and assembled a crew of crazy folks, David Wherry of Hiker Adventures & Christopher Sunnen the Last Adventurer.