Hiking Mt. Whitney

Last Thursday Bryan, Matt (brother in law), Cody Marrs (friend) and a couple guys from Matt's work went hiking for a few days on Mt. Whitney. Bryan and Matt have been hiking for a while now at the local mountains and have done a couple overnight hikes before (one in freezing rain and one in snow). They have all the hiking gear and were now ready to conquer the tallest mountains in the lower 48 states, Mt. Whitney. I thought Bryan was crazy at first because I know how in shape he is (not!) and I was a little worried he wouldn't be able to make it. He assured me that if he started getting headaches, vomiting, etc. (which is a sign if altitude sickness and can be extremely dangerous) he would turn around and head back down. I knew he wouldn't risk getting hurt. I just didn't think he would be able to keep up with the other guys and actually make it to the top. Well, he did make it to the top and I am very proud of him. I guess I underestimated him. He hiked up to an elevation of 14,496 feet. He had a step counter on during the hike and he took a total of 90,000 steps in 2 days. Bryan was happy that he made it to the top but was glad when it was time to come back down. The thunder storms were moving in and they ran into some hail, thunder and lighting on their way down which was a little on the scary side. He made it home safe and sound around 11:30 Saturday evening. He said he had a good time but it was the most exhausting thing he has ever done. He had blisters on his feet and some mosquito bites on his legs but other than that he wasn't too sore. I think he's in better shape than I thought he was in. When he got home I asked him if he would do it again and he said, "No, I checked that one off my list." We are all proud of him and glad he came home safely.

On the tallest peak in the middle of those mountains is Mt. Whitney, where Bryan was.

The larger tent is Matt and Bryan's. Nice and snug!

Little waterfalls and streams along the way. They filtered the water and Bryan said it was the best water he's ever drank.

Bryan and Matt

The sunrise one morning outside their tent.

Matt's ready to go.

On the way up the mountain. Getting a little closer to the top.

He made it! Yea! On the very top of Mt. Whitney.

Signing a book at the top.

Cody was nicknamed "The Machine" because that's exactly what he is. He was the first up the mountain and the first down. He had no hiking sticks and Bryan said a lot of the time he had his hands in his pockets walking up like no big deal. Do you also notice how he is standing as far out on the ledge as he can possibly get? This picture kind of makes me queasy.