Day 55

4 (+16) Miles (Mt. Whitney)

Woke up a couple times around midnight from groups of hikers walking by the tent. They were headed up to catch sunrise from the summit. We got up around 3, trying to be quiet since there were a bunch of other hikers around and they weren’t planning to leave until 7. We slackpacked up, leaving the tent and some gear inside under some rocks. Starting with our headlamps on, we climbed up above Guitar Lake. It was great to watch the sun come up and gently light the valley. Eventually the far peaks were dipped in light. Up the switchbacks and across the shelves and talus, we summited. A couple had thought ahead and brought canned champagne and plastic champagne flutes to toast each other at the top. We eventually started down and reached camp around 1. Took about 4.5 hours up, an hour of hanging out on the summit, and then 3.5 hours down. We soaked our feet in the creek and then ate lunch under a tree. Naps in the sun-baked tent followed. Wanting to get closer to Forester Pass, our obstacle for tomorrow, we hiked another 4 miles to Wallace Creek. 20 miles with 4000ft. of gain & loss has us exhausted. Our campsite was nice, but swarming with mosquitos. We dealt with them with more layers and staying inside the tent as much as possible. A hiker we hadn’t met before offered us extra food because he was trying to cut some weight out of his pack, I accepted without even questioning what the food was (Peanut M&M’s).