A weekend tour of my favorite places to visit in the Eastern Sierra area around Lone Pine, CA, from Whitney Portal to just inside Death Valley National Park.
I like this video because it captures the basics of the area and invites me to return again to my favorite national park, Death Valley. To anyone who is considering following the route of this video, I highly recommend it. Thanks for posting your travels to the park.
Wow, so you were there 4 1/2 years ago. I've hiked to Mt. Whitney 6 times, my first time in 1979 via Mountaineer's Route, the 3rd in a one day hike. I remember when the Portal store was just a little shack and now a nice selection of souvenirs, trinkets and SHOWERS. For those non-intrepid hikers the 2 mile hike to Lone Pine Lake is a treat. Beyond the lake you will need a wilderness pass.
On my first trip to the top my friend and I slept inside the hut after going up the Mountaineers Route. We had intended to climb the East Face but developed AMS so we opted to hike up instead of going back to the Portal. We had a miserable night with trouble breathing. I became aware of how someone with asthma or congestive heart failure would feel gasping for air. The hike down the trail was exhausting but once we reached the parking lot all symptoms disappeaed. The hut It is now closed after some hikers several years ago were killed by lightening while inside the hut. There used to be a toilet near the hut and you could look over the Sierra while relieving yourself. The NPS shut it down after people would not heed the instructions not to dump trash into the pit.
Thanks for watching and sharing your experiences! My one and only, and fortunately successful attempt at summiting Whitney was a day hike back in my college days when I had a lot more energy. Two lessons I learned: Next time start my hike well before sunrise, and bring good lighting with spare batteries. I went with a group of friends, left at sunrise, and we became delayed because a friend was developing altitude sickness. I parted with them at Trail Camp and reached the summit around sunset, and then made a harrowing dash back down the mountain in about 6 hours, the last bit with an exhausted flashlight! I've hoped to make a better planned return, though my brief moment at the top was unforgettable! The Whitney Portal store is a great place, and the owners have written a book with a lot of great stories and tips. Happy adventuring!
Thanks for your video. I love Lone Pine and the whole Owens Valley area. And when you zoom in on Mt. Whitney, you make a very common mistake. You're zooming in on Mt. Mallory. Whitney is to the right of Mallory and further back. That's why folks make this mistake. Whitney is the peak in the background that has two smaller pointy peaks just to the left of it.
I like this video because it captures the basics of the area and invites me to return again to my favorite national park, Death Valley. To anyone who is considering following the route of this video, I highly recommend it. Thanks for posting your travels to the park.
Wow, so you were there 4 1/2 years ago. I've hiked to Mt. Whitney 6 times, my first time in 1979 via Mountaineer's Route, the 3rd in a one day hike. I remember when the Portal store was just a little shack and now a nice selection of souvenirs, trinkets and SHOWERS. For those non-intrepid hikers the 2 mile hike to Lone Pine Lake is a treat. Beyond the lake you will need a wilderness pass.
On my first trip to the top my friend and I slept inside the hut after going up the Mountaineers Route. We had intended to climb the East Face but developed AMS so we opted to hike up instead of going back to the Portal. We had a miserable night with trouble breathing. I became aware of how someone with asthma or congestive heart failure would feel gasping for air. The hike down the trail was exhausting but once we reached the parking lot all symptoms disappeaed. The hut It is now closed after some hikers several years ago were killed by lightening while inside the hut.
There used to be a toilet near the hut and you could look over the Sierra while relieving yourself. The NPS shut it down after people would not heed the instructions not to dump trash into the pit.
Thanks for watching and sharing your experiences! My one and only, and fortunately successful attempt at summiting Whitney was a day hike back in my college days when I had a lot more energy. Two lessons I learned: Next time start my hike well before sunrise, and bring good lighting with spare batteries. I went with a group of friends, left at sunrise, and we became delayed because a friend was developing altitude sickness. I parted with them at Trail Camp and reached the summit around sunset, and then made a harrowing dash back down the mountain in about 6 hours, the last bit with an exhausted flashlight! I've hoped to make a better planned return, though my brief moment at the top was unforgettable! The Whitney Portal store is a great place, and the owners have written a book with a lot of great stories and tips. Happy adventuring!
Tha year we were there were most enjoyable. However the few summit we would like to visit were closed due to snow.
Thanks for your video. I love Lone Pine and the whole Owens Valley area. And when you zoom in on Mt. Whitney, you make a very common mistake. You're zooming in on Mt. Mallory. Whitney is to the right of Mallory and further back. That's why folks make this mistake. Whitney is the peak in the background that has two smaller pointy peaks just to the left of it.
Thanks for watching and commenting - yes, I think I realized that error after recording! Things in the foreground can appear quite bigger.
panning your camera for video is a good idea, but shaky hand held and too fast speed... may be you can use a tripod next time.
Good ideas - thanks for the feedback!