The Good: I summited Whitney, returned in one day, and lived to write about it. I felt like I was really ready for this. In recent months I had done various hikes that were longer, steeper, and had more total altitude gain than the MWMT. What I couldn't do in Southern California was train above 11,500' but doing 11,500 wasn't a problem. I had done the MWMT in one day last year, when I was only 75 years old, and thought I might make this an annual event for myself.
I leapfrogged one group when they took a break and then I did. The 3rd time I saw them, when they were on a break between Mirror Lake and Trailside Meadow, the man said "You make this look easy," and for me, at that point, it was easy. From the Portal to switchback 23, where I stopped to get water and take a break, it was all good. I was on track for making the top in 6 hours or so which would be a personal best.
The Bad: I did the rest of the switchers in good time but I was slowing down near the top, (roughly 13,000'). I stopped for a break at the JM trail junction. Sitting there, I knew that if I went to the top it would take every bit of energy I had, there would be nothing in the tank for getting down, and if I had any brains at all I would turn back. I kept going to the top.
The Ugly: I really struggled up the summit block and I was in no shape for the return trip. My legs were shaky and my stomach was unsettled. I was afraid I could make a bad misstep at any time. I was particularly worried about the rough patches on the west side around the windows where there are big steps up and down and zero room for error. I had to consider every foot placement, pause, then consider the next one. I did take one fall, tripping on an exposed root on the trail coming down to Mirror Lake. I scraped my knee and elbow a bit, nothing that made walking difficult, and considering that I landed with my head inches from a big, angular chunk of granite I considered myself lucky. It wasn't until I got to Outpost Camp that I could relax a bit and just put one foot in front of the other. My total time was 16'15". It took me almost exactly the same time to go up and come down.
The Kindness of Strangers: Coming off the summit block I felt that the best thing I could do was get some real rest, not just 5 or 10 minutes sitting on a rock by the trail. I found a recess formed by 3 rocks that offered some shelter from the wind. I put my pack in for a head and back cushion and lay down. I actually did sleep for a few minutes. Two separate hikers coming off the summit saw me there and asked if I was OK and did I have food and water. One of them stopped a guy coming up the trail, described me, and gave him a space blanket to offer me. When that guy met me I was already on my feet and headed down the trail so I didn't need the blanket (and I always carry one, anyway) so I thanked him and since neither of us would see the donor again I said I guessed he had a new space blanket. If the man and women who asked if I was OK read this I want to say "thank you for your concern."
The Conclusion: I'm not ready to say I can't do a 14er any more but it's clear that I can't handle the altitude combined with the length and difficulty of the MWMT. I did a 14 in Colorado last year and it was a piece of cake but it was only 7.6 miles round trip. The view from the top was superb, too. (See Mt. Handies, in the San Juan range.)
The Bureaucratic Details: I got to the Lone Pine IAVC at 9:15 on Sunday and asked a woman at the desk if she had a one-day permit for the next day. After first saying yes she went into the computer and said no. It used to be that you would go to the Visitors Center, sign in, and wait until 11:00. If they had any cancellations they would call people in the order they signed in. There could be another chance at 2:00 if there were no-shows. They don't have a sign in book anymore. You can go in anytime in the morning and ask about cancellations. If they say no you can hang around and see if one develops. BUT, if you are over looking at a book about the lizards of the Sierras when a cancellation is received and someone else walks in and goes up to the desk right then they will get it despite the fact that you were there first. Because of that, I hung around the desk and about 20" later I talked to another woman who said that yes, there was an open slot, and gave me my permit. I went up to the Portal and staked out a hiker's overnight camp site, then went to the store for lunch.
Friends: Doug makes a gourmet grilled chicken breast! It could be served in a white tablecloth joint on china with silverware for $25 and you wouldn't feel overcharged
