60 Days Out

You can't imagine how hesitant I am to announce what will surely be a very exciting and memorable undertaking. But I'm going to do it anyway...

Two months from today, on July 26, I plan to climb Mt Whitney. At 14,500 feet, it is the highest peak in the contiguous (lower 48) states.

Access to the upper trails is strictly controlled. In February each year, would-be climbers apply for one-day or overnight passes. By April, we're notified of acceptance, and are assigned the specific valid date(s) of our passes.

Six of us are going on this trip, four of whom have hiked to the peak before, and two of whom (my girlfriend and I) are newbies.

This trip is my idea. The four who climbed it before swore they'd never do it again. But I wanted to, and they all rallied around me, without hesitation. (Thanks, guys!) We're all preparing for the excursion by ensuring we have the proper gear, physical training, and mental expectations for the climb.

I really feel we'll be ready for this trip of a lifetime. So why the hesitancy?

Well, I tend to over-prepare for things, meaning I overdo it. Then I injure myself, foiling my own plans. This is exactly what happened last fall, while training for my first half-marathon.

Conscious of this tendency of mine, I'm trying to temper my trainings a bit this time around. I'm working out 4-5 days a week, but paying attention to my body. If something hurts or is over-sore, I cut back for a couple of days and let my body recover before pushing forward. Lord knows I don't want to repeat those 10 weeks on crutches! So far, so good this time.

But what I can't control is mountaintop weather.

This is a very real danger that will affect our success at reaching the peak. It's unpredictable. And it must be dealt with very seriously: If there is lightening, we come down. Period. There's no place to hide from lightening above the tree line on the highest point around.

So I just remind myself that it's the journey that counts, not the destination. This will be an experience of a lifetime whether or not we reach the peak.

But still, I really want to reach that peak. In a mere 60 days, we'll know.