Skyliners meet on Whitney Sept 10

[Torben Thomsen]

I had wanted to visit Crooks Peak [the second needle just south of Whitney] named after our famous local mountaineer Hulda Crooks, who climbed Whitney more than 20 times starting at age 66 [my current age] and finally died at age 101. At 91 she became the oldest woman to Climb Fuji in Japan.

I was on the trail at 2:30AM with the moon high in the sky and illuminating the sheer granite walls. Because of the brightness and elevation of the moon there was only a few instances where I needed to use my headlamp.

When on the swithbacks I was overtaken by Doug and later by Tinaballina and we soon discovered that we were all regulars on Skyline. They continued to the top while I scrambled over boulders just a short distance from the trail to Crooks Peak which is just 1,500 feet as the crow flies south of Whitney and 300 feet lower. That peak is not for the faint-hearted. It is made up of large boulders and you are not sure which of them are overhanging the precipitous drop below. I imagined that an earthquake would send both the boulders and me tumbling. The views in all directions [including down if your stomach can tolerate it] are spectacular.

On the way down we three Skyliners walked together with delightful conversation arriving back at the Portal before 4PM at the end of a nearly perfect day.

Whitney with an elevation gain of only 6,145 feet is easier than Skyline with an elevation gain of about 8,000 feet. But since there is less oxygen it will take you about 50% longer than comparable hiking at sea level. At the top of Whitney there is only 58% of the oxygen compared to sea level. At the top of Everest there is only 31%.

[tinaballina]

it was quite the delight to come down with fellow skyliners. Finishing whitney at the time we did was the second delight. thanks again torben and doug.