Decided to do some hiking when we got up Saturday morning, and decided last minute “the Sierras”. So Christine and I headed up to Mt Whitney and on Saturday morning (Labor Day weekend!), walked into the Visitors Center, asked for permits for the North Fork, and they had them!!! Headed straight up to the Portal Store, said hi to Doug and Erlene, and took some to time to enjoy their amazing burgers, hot dogs and yummy fries. Got a late start Sunday, conditions were perfect in the morning, so we headed up the MR to see how far we could go before the weather came in. We had asked Doug what we might expect, and he said “rain, hail, lightning, who knows, been like this for 3 weeks”. He also said to take a jaunt up the MR instead of the main trail, so off we went. Ran into a couple from the Czech Republic, and followed them for a bit of the trail, but otherwise, no other hikers. Headed up the trail to the left above Lower Boy Scout, finding lots of trails, eventually heading to the slabs, crossing them and heading to Upper Boy Scout, where we took a break and snacked. Headed up towards Iceberg and the wispy white clouds from early started turning dark and ominous, a few sprinkles quickly turned in to a bit of a downpour, and then came some hail, occasional lightning and thunder. It was enough to turn us around and leave the summit for another day. On the way back, there was more lightning, thunder and some really good hail, so we stayed under a rock ledge and waited it out. The only problem coming down was the slippery granite rocks, so we had to go it a little slower and watch our steps. E-ledges were wet, but fine, water crossings low, and by the time we got back to the Portal, clouds were already leaving. Great day, great hike. And more hamburgers and hotdogs were waiting for us at the Portal! If your coming up, check the weather.
"Turtles, Frogs & other Environmental Sculpture"