It was another cold night at camp, according to my Govee, the low was 27! However, my legs were feeling great after our hike up to Cottonwood Lake. I had hoped they would recover enough during the night to feel comfortable about climbing Mt. Whitney on Tuesday, but when my right calf cramped some, I knew that I had to call it before we began. I felt awful about it. It was solely my fault for overdoing it.
We still went up to Whitney Portal like we had planned and enjoyed our pancake (yes, single) and eggs. We wandered over to the trailhead and watched a group of backpackers weigh their packs before heading off. The mountain will be there, and no need to create an incident if my legs aren’t up to the task. It was a hard lesson to learn, but there will be a next time! The drive home was uneventful; that pancake kept us mostly full for the entire drive! I hope my friends who are trying to summit in the coming week have better luck than I did.
I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. I am the co-author of Urban Trails:San Diego, coming in Spring 2026!
In 2019, I became the third person to complete the San Diego 100 Peak Challenge. Not stopping with that accomplishment, I set my sights on the harder San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list, which I completed in 2021. In addition, I have conquered several Six-Pack of Peaks challenges (SoCal, San Diego, Central Coast, and both the Arizona-Winter and Arizona-Summer). I am looking forward to exploring new summits and new adventures across the southwest.