Post #3 in the series...
The darkness was a mixed blessing. We just kept looking down at the trail where we put one foot in front of the other. About two miles in, I said to Kim, "Do you realize that we are about two feet from the edge of the earth the whole time we are walking?!?!" I knew it would tough. I knew it would be a challenge. I had no idea, in the words of Kim, that it would be life threatening!!!! Make no mistake about it, people don't say they hiked Mt. Whitney. They say they climbed Mt. Whitney. You are forced to continually pick your legs up and over these HUGE steps made from rocks. It never ends. You are fighting your way through rocks, gravel and sometimes sand. Or, in our case, SNOW and ICE! Remember that little lightening storm from the night before? Well, it made this mountain even more treacherous.
About 2.5 miles into the climb, my right knee felt a weird twinge. I didn't say anything to the group for a while about it. I am a runner. I get weird aches and pains all the time while running. You just play through. You just keep going. This decision would haunt me well into the night. In retrospect, it would have been much better to tell the group about this pain as it got worse. I should never have attempted another 8.5 miles up to the summit, not to mention the simple fact, "What goes up, must come down!" No matter how far you go up the mountain, you must turn around and go back the same mileage. There is no other way!!!
Only fools rush in...and our crew, The Four Fools, continued on...
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