Icicles: Mt. Whitney #1

In October, 1977 Mike, Joe Mundy (his brother) and Joe Grant (his brother-in-law) climbed Mt. Whitney. (Actually, the route they took, strictly speaking, is not a "climb" but rather a strenuous hike. But "climb" sounds better.)

So, there was the possibility that the weather could be very cold: down jackets, parkas, the Sierra Designs tent and such-like were stowed in the backpacks. A large freeze-dried spaghetti meal was purchased. All was in readiness, and then the escape from Los Angeles: the miles leading to BLM’s Tuttle Creek campground just outside of Lone Pine zipped by.

Next morning: the road heading up to the trailhead at Whitney Portal, when the innocent question was asked:

"I wonder if the dinner will fit into the pot you brought."

And then the immediate response:

"Whuddya mean, the pot I brought. You were the one bringing the pot!"

"Hell no! You were bringing the pot!"

After many amusing back-and-forths, it finally turned out that, of course, no one had brought a pot for cooking the wonderful pasta dish. So: U-turn, back to Lone Pine for the purchase of a pot.

The first day’s hike featured a great icicle find by Brother Joe with pix by Mike.

Photo: Icicles—Sierra Nevada, 1977