A day late and a dollar short (really late for those that are counting)...

OK - pictures from the trip out west. It wasn't as fantastic as driving out west in 2014. I have been a little lackadaisical in posting this pictures or even updating the blog. Work got in the way.

The pictures...

 The road up to Mt. Whitney - yes that is smoke from the forest fires. Made the air thick.

 At my campsite in the valley. I spent the night at the trail head.

 The creek coming down the mountain behind my campsite. It made sleep sort of peaceful. It is hard to believe that California was in a drought with this much water coming off of the mountain in September.

 A view above the valley.

 A view along the trail.

 You can see the smoke filling the valley - Lone Pine, CA is down there somewhere.

 This will break your ankles if you are not careful. Plus it was hard to do this with a fifty pound pack on my back.

 Starting to rethink my 50 pound pack and the climb still ahead of me.

 Lovely water fall.

 This is where I gave up. This is around 11,500 ft. I just wasn't into the climb and felt uneasy about my fortitude in making it all the way up with my gear. It is hard to pack everything for a solo climb.

 Same spot but up just slightly. I laid in the sun for about an hour at this elevation.

 The moon above Mt. Whitney from the bottom of the valley in Lone Pine, CA.

 Sand dunes in Death Valley. It was hot this day; about 120 degrees.

 A look at Death Valley near Painted Rock.

 Painted Rock - pretty cool.

 The lowest point in the USA, well actually you have to hike about three miles straight out to get there, but it was 120 degrees and you should only hike in the very early morning hours in Death Valley. You don't want to die - hence the name.

 There is actually water in Badwater basin.

 The salt flat. I am not sure if this is just from people tramping it down or what.

 10 second timer on the camera - see the shadow - the sun is almost directly above me - hot!

 There is a sign in the middle of the picture that says "Sea Level" - it was way up there.

 The south end of Death Valley.  I had an extra day to kill and decided to head to Las Vegas about 1.5 hours away instead of going back to Los Angeles just yet. I got a room at Treasure Island for very cheap - used Trivago. I spent several days in LA. Very nice weather there, but traffic sucked and there are a lot of odd people out there. The only famous person I ran into on my trip was the history guy with the beard and hat in Pawn Stars. He was in the parking garage at Treasure Island. I didn't see any movie stars when I went to Hollywood. If I did run into one then I had no clue who they were.

Weather...? Packing the gear.

It is amazing how much the weather changes when you go from sea level to above 10,000 ft.

Right now the forecast is calling for 90 degrees in the Los Angeles area (yes still two weeks out, but I am looking at averages). Lone Pine, CA sits around 3000 ft above sea level and it will be in the mid 80s at this time. From Lone Pine I will travel to the trailhead called Whitney Portal which sits around 7800 ft above sea level. The weather at that elevation will be in the 70s and low 60s overnight.

The trail camp is only 6.3 miles from the trailhead but it sits around 12,000 ft above sea level. The weather should be in the mid 50s during the day and only dropping a few degrees overnight (surprisingly).

The trek to the summit will put me at the highest spot in the lower 48 states sitting around 14,505 ft above sea level (I say around because they keep measuring the mountain and it has grown from its original 14,496 ft measurement in the 1930s and some say it is at 14,508 ft now). The weather at this spot will be a cold mid 30s. Right now the wind patterns seem to keep it in the 5 to 10 mph range, but that could change very easily. The worst wind I have ever experienced was Guadalupe Peak in Texas which is only around 8700+ ft above sea level. I am not sure what was going on that day to make it that windy.

So with this weather it looks like I will need some long pants and my warm climbing jacket (North Face - on its last legs). This will be one of those climbs that I will have to put layers on as I go up and take layers off as I come down.

Great - more weight in the backpack. Plus I had to buy a bear resistant container so that adds more weight and bulk. The biggest weight will be the two days worth of water. I am pretty sure my pack will approach 50 pounds when all said and done. Nobody else to carry parts of the tent, food, and water. I will not have to carry all of the 50 pounds up to the top and through the 99 switchbacks. So I've got that going for me.

Guess what?

Back to the west, but this time I am flying instead of driving 4000+ miles.

The trip out west will take me to the highest spot in the lower 48 states and to the lowest spot in the United States. All of this within a matter of days.

A lot of driving took place last year and I really did not feel like driving that much this time around. Hopefully the flight option will make life a little easier and allow for some down time by the pool and the beaches of southern California.

I will hike Mt. Whitney - 14,505ft - which is the highest mountain in the lower 48 states. It will be a two day trek with a 22 mile round trip. I hope I can avoid the bears and the fires. I finally obtained a permit after trying for several years. The US Forest Service limits the number of people on the mountain. It isn't a hard hike, but it is a very long one. I do plan to camp at the Trail Camp around 12,000ft.

I will then make my way to Death Valley to visit the lowest spot in the USA. Before anyone asks - I will not be hiking from Mt. Whitney to Death Valley. I am a little too old for that. I believe it has been done though.

From there I do not really know where I will go. I believe I will see some of the sites in and around Death Valley.

I will make my way back to the Los Angeles area for a shower and some relaxation. I have been to LA a few times, but only as a day trip coming out from Palm Springs. Maybe I will stay and get into acting? Nah...