Mt. Whitney - Trail Camp

We reached Trail Camp around 4:00 PM. The two miles leading up to Trail Camp were beautiful but also strenuous. That was the first real test the altitude had placed on our bodies. Rhonda and I set up our bags on a piece of plastic and then spent the rest of the day eating as much as we could to bulk up on calories for the next day. We didn't bring a tent and were really excited about seeing the clear sky and the stars. We were not disappointed as it was the most perfect sky we had seen in years. Back home the lights from Atlanta and the haze and humidity have washed out the night sky. Here the air was dry and clear. The stars and the Moon illuminated the sheer rock faces of the mountains around us. It was an incredible experience sleeping in a place so different.

Trail Camp - Above the tree line

The Trail Camp has a nice little lake that provides a good source of water and the campsites have been molded over time to protect you from the wind. Get there early and pick out a good spot. We had no encounters with bears but did see a few sneaky marmots. Those cute little fat mountain beavers would wait for us to walk away from camp and then invade. Cute but deadly!

Mt. Whitney Trip Report Page 6 >>