San Gorgonio two ways with a side of Whitney – 6 of 6 part 2

Vivian Creek route – Solo adventure

July 28, 2021

The original plan was to turn this hike into a backpacking trip with an overnight stay at Vivian Creek camp. I ended up changing my mind (and permit) at the last minute for the convenience of summiting with a light pack. I arrived to an empty Vivian Creek trailhead parking lot late evening, giving me a few hours of altitude acclimation at ~6'080ft before setting out at dawn.  Another breathtaking sunrise over the mountains. Vivian Creek was an excellent training hike for Whitney with its shortest but steepest route to the summit. The South Fork-Dry Lake-Dollar loop is still my favorite overall but I appreciated the different views, terrain and vegetation that Vivian Creek had to offer from this side of the mountain.

Mt Whitney Summit Trip – it's a go!

August 16-20, 2021

Grateful to my hiking friend for the invite to tag along on his Whitney permit.  We were incredibly fortunate to be there during a rare window of opportunity where the air quality was good and the weather conditions were ideal (sunny w/ no storms in the forecast).  The advancing fires forced the entire region to close down 10 days later.

• Day 0: Travel & camp setup at Cottonwood Pass (~10k')
• Day 1: Cottonwood Lakes TH to Lake #5 solo acclimatization hike (~13 miles/1920′)
• Day 2: Cottonwood Pass – Horseshoe Meadow to PCT loop solo acclimatization hike (~ 7 miles/1175′)
• Day 3: Mt Whitney summit day hike
  • Set out at 3am and summited around noon. Hiking at high altitude is a whole different ballgame… Incredible experience
• Day 4: Travel home from Tuttle Creek campground in the Alabama hills