DAY TWO
Most hikers finish the Mount Whitney Trail in 10-18 hours, and the members of our contingent left at various time intervals to reflect that range of paces. Some left as early as 10 pm the previous night, but my dad and I, seasoned veterans as we were, chose to begin our trek at the ungodly hour of 2am.
It's interesting how psychology plays such a huge role in backpacking. When you leave in the pitch black of the night, you can only focus on one thing: "Man, I hope I don't trip on something I can't see!" The thought is so pervasive that you don't realize you've been at it for several hours and already traversed half a dozen miles until the sun starts to rise, calling your attention back to the world outside the microcosm of illuminated wilderness provided by your handy mag-lite.
As you might imagine, we were both incredibly tired by this point, and most of the hiking done in the dark was a blur. (See above picture for proof...) But we had made it past Mirror Lake by sunrise, and the view was well worth the extra effort.
It's interesting how psychology plays such a huge role in backpacking. When you leave in the pitch black of the night, you can only focus on one thing: "Man, I hope I don't trip on something I can't see!" The thought is so pervasive that you don't realize you've been at it for several hours and already traversed half a dozen miles until the sun starts to rise, calling your attention back to the world outside the microcosm of illuminated wilderness provided by your handy mag-lite.
As you might imagine, we were both incredibly tired by this point, and most of the hiking done in the dark was a blur. (See above picture for proof...) But we had made it past Mirror Lake by sunrise, and the view was well worth the extra effort.
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