99 Problems or 97 Switchbacks

Post #5 in the series...
 Little did we know, this would be the last photo of all four of us. As we made our way onto the 97 switchbacks, Kevin fell behind. He shouted for us to keep going. Later, we would learn he began vomiting on the trail (doesn't that sound like fun?!?!). Thanks to the kindness of strangers, he was helped back down to Trail Camp, given food and drink and a warm sleeping bag to rest until he felt well enough to continue his journey ALONE back to the Whitney Portal. He would not arrive there until 4:00pm! Again, he had to do this ALONE! Kevin's adventure had come to the end. He may have been the lucky one!

 A switchback, as defined in the dictionary is: a highway, as in a mountainous area, having many hairpin curves.These Mt. Whitney switchbacks are up a narrow granite buttress. It is unrelenting in its climb to the crest, gaining 1620 feet in 2.2 miles. What made our climb even more difficult was the fact that it was covered in most areas by ice from the previous night's storm! Kim led the way as I followed her, trying to step exactly where she had just stepped. She did everything possible to step on dirt & gravel, rather than ice. She didn't always succeed, slipping and sliding at times! Eric brought up the rear of our group, constantly calling out instructions on pole placement and stepping carefully. He was our biggest cheerleader ever! More about Eric later.
The switchbacks were the place where I first began to cry ~ sob really. I was more scared than I had even been in my life! I was climbing a slippery mountain just feet from falling thousands of feet. What part of this sounds fun?!?! I am not a daredevil. I don't bungee jump, climb out of airplanes or hang glide. I am fit and strong, but this made me feel scared and weak. Remember my knee problem? By now, it had become much worse and each step up made me wince in pain. There is a lot of stepping up when you are on a mountain. My knee let me know how unhappy it was to be there! 

A few words about Eric. I really didn't know him very well before the climb. He is the brother-in-law of Kevin and also of my dear friend, JoEllen (married to one of Jo's many sisters). Eric had done the climb before. Without his knowledge, we never would have made it. It wasn't just what he knew about the mountain, it was his unrelenting cheerfulness that kept us going. "You guys are doing great!" "Ladies, you are making fantastic time!" "We can do this!" "We are awesome!" "What a beautiful day!" He deemed himself the official, "Blow Smoke Up Your A** Leader". I would tell him later, he had a master's degree in blowing smoke! There is something about a person that can maintain a positive attitude under extremely negative conditions that either irritates the shit out of you, or keeps you from going stir crazy in these  terrible conditions. He handled our fears, our tears and our doubts with style and grace. Kim and I cannot thank him enough for this! Eric or DJ Rockslide (mountain name), we owe you one!!

Biggsuzi
 

Is No One Listening to Me?!?!?!

Post #4 in the series...
 After over six hours of darkness, we were rewarded with a spectacular sunrise. Kevin (BIL) had been watching the sky for something more than a sunrise. He kept seeing lightning in the distance. He said he was worried about it. He said he thought it wasn't a good idea to continue the climb. He wanted us to think about turning back. Eric, our 4th person on the crew, would not hear of it. He said it was early and when the sun rose, better weather would be the result. We two women silently trudged on.

 This photo says it all. The three of us are watching the colorful sunrise and Kevin is turned in the opposite direction staring at the occasional bolt of lightning he kept seeing. This is when he cried out, "Is no one listening to me?!?!" Looking back, I wish we had.

Although six hours had passed, we had only just begun this adventure!

12:17am The Cloak of Darkness

 And so begins the climb...in the dark....with headlamps on...

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...
 

Poop Package - Musty Motel

 

Picked up our day permit and...what...excuse me... I'm sorry, did you say I am supposed to poop in this bag of chemicals?!?!?! I have trouble being regular at a five star hotel. What makes you think I could ever poop in this?!?!?!

 

 I say a silent prayer I never have to use it!

Checking into the Best Western Lone Pine was a stark wake up call. We are not in the OC anymore! I am no longer Susan, but must go by my mountain name, "Big Red" ~. Gulp!!

Our plan was to leave the motel at 11:30pm for the drive up to Whitney Portal (13 miles away) and be on the mountain at midnight. Yes, midnight. Or as my BIL said, "No one ever said they started too early. People just regret starting too late." These words would haunt me later.

About 7:00pm that night before our trek, thunder and lightening began all around us. No clouds in the sky, no moon. Rain drops the size of golf balls began to fall. It rained for 1.5 hours only to have the electricity go out. The air conditioning stopped. Let me tell you how quickly a Best Western begins to smell musty with no air! What is that chemical they use? Do they think it is hiding anything?!?! I began to become a ball of sweat. It was pitch back in the room and I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. My friend, Kim, was trying to get some sleep, while I sat in the other bed unable to shut my eyes or my brain. Thank God for technology as I began to text my daughter. She continued to beg me not to go. She said it was too treacherous and dangerous. I told her, with as much false bravado that I could muster, "We'll be fine." She asked that I text as we left the musty motel. When I did, here is her text to me.

Little did I know as we drove off in the darkness, how happy I would be to arrive back at that musty motel.

You Were Supposed to Say "NO!"

As many know, we climbed Mt. Whitney this week. It was one of the hardest (worst) things I have ever done. I originally told my husband that, "We will never speak of this day again!!!", but after having a night or two to sleep on it, I find I must record, in detail, this entire event (ordeal).  So begins a series of posts, all Mt. Whitney relayed. Each will have it's own title that helps to set the tone.
Back in Oct of last year, my son-in-law, "Scout Leader One" himself, decided to rally the guys and plan a trip to hike for four days with the fifth day ending in the climb of Mt. Whitney. My brother-on-law hears of this and asks me if I would interested in trying to get into the lottery for the one day pass to climb the main trail, up and down, all in one day and meet them at the summit. Knowing that my husband had tried at least 5 times to win this lottery, I said, "Sure" because I never thought we'd get it. I could pull the, "Well, honey, I tried. We just didn't make it."
As you can see, we DID get in! No one was more surprised than my BIL. I have been running a ton, feeling like I am in the best shape of my life, and figured, we can do this. How bad can it be? Answer: worse than I ever thought possible!!
The final piece of the puzzle to this adventure was that I was supposed to confirm the reservation within two days of departure. Heck, it was on page three of the email. Who reads page three?!? Thank goodness (not really), Kevin saw this detail and called to tell me to confirm it or we'd lose our reservation.
So...the stars all aligned...1) I told Kevin "Yes" 2) We won the lottery 3) I confirmed the reservation
Strike three. we're in!!!

Get Going

 

"If you are clear where you are going and you take several steps in that direction every day, you eventually have to get there. If I head north out of Santa Barbara and take five steps a day, eventually I have to end up in San Francisco. So decide what you want, write it down, review it constantly, and each day do something that moves you toward those goals." Jack Canfield
American Author and Motivational Speaker

Whether it's life, a run, a hike, or a major change, one foot in front of the other is good advice. If I look at the BIG picture, I can get overwhelmed. But, a few steps in the right direction...I get that just fine!

Believing in myself can help. Having others believe in me can make all the difference.

True Love

I am a big fan of Pink. She sings songs that speak directly to my heart! She is very honest about the fact that she and her husband have had their ups and downs in their marriage. Marriage is difficult for most. I can't imagine how it would be under the microscope of celebrity fame. A few weeks ago she released a song called "True Love". I must share the lyrics with you because they are SO TRUE!!!

 

Sometimes I hate every single stupid word you say,
Sometimes I wanna slap you in your whole face.
There's no one quite like you, you push all my buttons down,
I know life would suck without you.
At the same time I wanna hug you, I wanna wrap my hands around your neck.
You're an as***** but I love you, and you make me so mad I ask myself
Why I'm still here, or where could I go? 

You're the only love I've ever known, but I hate you, I really hate you, so much I think it must be...

True love true love
It must be true love
Nothing else can break my heart like true love
True love, it must be true love

 Or, as one of my dear friends says....Marriage starts with a diamond & a heart and later on, all you want is a club and a spade!!!

For those of you reading this who think it is a terribly jaded view of marriage, I say, let me know what you think after 10, 20, 30 or more years!!!

Happy Anniversary, honey. You are my TRUE LOVE!!!