The first picture is from the day before, on the way up to Whitney Portal, where Kat and I drove up to check out the trailhead. Then the next morning Kat dropped me off at 4:30 AM and I headed off with my flashlight. The brightness and number of stars visible overhead was amazing. It was a little disconcerting hiking alone in the dark, but I could see other flashlights up above me and below me on the trail, and in about an hour we started to get some sunlight.

One of my favorite pictures is number 14, from several hours later, up beyond Trail Crest, where the John Muir trail connects from the other side of the mountain, and the overnight campers leave their heavy packs for the last two miles up to the summit. The scenery is stunning, but that last mile was especially tough, with the peak just taunting me off in the distance. It seemed to take forever to get there. I didn't make the greatest time, about seven hours, but I was there and the sky was still pretty clear. Finally after hanging out for about an hour the clouds started to roll in and it was time to go. Going down was a lot faster, of course, but those last few miles I just wanted it to be over. Kat was waiting there just past 4:30, snapped a picture, and we went off for some Mexican food. It was a terrific day!