I don’t even know how to begin, or end this tale. To recap the day... Pl, Learning Curve and I were up at 0445 and out of camp shortly after that. We had packed our gear for the day, the night before, so it was just the quarter mile walk back to the trail to begin the last of my 1200 mile journey. PI and Learning Curve lagged behind, but at half my age, there was no question they would pass me on the way up the mountain. I signed in on the assent at 0550. This climb was an interesting mental conundrum. I knew it wasn’t the most challenging climb I’d made, that would go to Mt Madison from Wildcat, or maybe even Mt Washington, but it is certainly the most significant. My journey would be made or broke in the next 5.2 miles. I was concerned about how long it would take me to climb the 4600 feet to get there, would it rain, would it beat me and most of all HOW WAS I GOING TO GET BACK DOWN!!!!!
No turning back now, so off I went. The first mile or so only took 20 minutes. l passed a couple of hikers already struggling with the grade. The first challenge was the “boulder field” much talked about, but really just another scramble over vehicle sized boulders. Now that I’m warmed up, I enter the “Gateway”. The gateway is like the boulder field only almost perfectly vertical. Yup, almost straight up, but the good news is it’s only several thousand feet through to the next challenge. I made pretty good time through there. This was not hiking, but pure climbing. The trekking pokes got tossed from one boulder to the next and you needed to use handholds to pull yourself up over rock after rock. A few places there was rebar imbedded in the boulders, but not near enough.
My only regret in this section was not taking more pictures, but the problem was when you’re hugging a rock with one arm, sucking the thumb on your other hand and sobbing for fear of falling, there wasn’t enough hands to get the phone out to take a picture. The good news was that if you fell there was no chance of getting hurt and being in pain, it was simple; you’d die up there on the mountain. One life lesson I’m obligated to pass on, especially to the younger readers, is that in many, many instances you’d struggle to mount one rock and there’d be no “white blaze” in sight. Now what do I do? You can’t go back; you can’t give up; so you push forward and there, like magic, the next trail marker would appear. Like life, just persevere and the right path will show itself. Okay, so now I’ve survived the gateway and I’m onto the table lands. The table lands are a plateau leading up to the last climb. Quick work of that, and the final climb, and there I am, done, at the northern terminus, it’s over! Well almost, now I’ve got to get down.
My hiking buddies and I took our pictures, called home, shed a few tears, ate some candy for energy and started down. My time of assent was 3 hours and 10 minutes my assent, by an alternate route, was 3 hours. So by 1300 hours I was done, back at the ranger station, waiting for the van.
Would I do it again? Yes. Would I do it differently? Don’t know, I wasn’t offered that option, but no one can ever take away the fact that I walked 1200 miles through some of the most difficult terrain the the US, and never got hurt, or lost faith in my ability.
Whistler will see you all soon. Anyone who wants to share an adventure, next year, the signup sheet is open.
45.5 years later, you continue to amaze me. You are truly one of a kind. 🥾🏔🥰