Day 58: ⛺@ mile 760 - Guitar Lake

Day: 04.06.2018 Miles hiked today: +/- 10 miles (hiked off the PCT @ mile 767 to Guitar Lake in order to climb Mt. Whitney the next morning) Total mileage: Mile 767.0

Today is a short hiking day. Only about 10 miles. However, we still want to hike early so we can enjoy the afternoon at Guitar lake. Joanne and Peter however are still sleeping. I think they didn't hear the alarm clock due to the river next to them. I get ready and wake them up shortly before I start hiking. The first river crossing is coming up and luckily a guy tells me that a little upstream of the trail there is a log where I can cross the river without getting wet shoes. That's my first river crossing over a log, but i think many more will come up whike hiking the Sierras. After the river crossing I have to climb up the very steep trail. That above 3000 hm, I can only hike very slowly. It's hard work! The scenery is beautiful and reminds me a little of Switzerland. While hiking on I pump into stuck-on-the-ground. We pass a meadow where two deers are eating and marmots are running around. It's so idyllic! We hike on to the junction where we leave the PCT and hike into the valley to the Mt. Whitney trail. While having a short break there Philly turns up! I've last met her in Kennedy Meadows and as she didn't hike to Lone Pine I was not sure when I will see her next. She left Kennedy Meadows a day after me. She has hiked Mt. Whitney yesterday and could give us some useful information about the snow conditions, if microspikes or ice axe are required, how much water we shall bring etc. What a pitty we are not climbing it together!

The trail to Guitar Lake/mt. Whitney "Base camp" is beautiful and as I'm hiking along many other hikers hike the other direction. I chat with all of them, getting more information (some say you need an ice axe but no microspikes, others say you need the microspikes but no ice axe and others say you don't need any of these gear items). Mmh what shall I do? I think I will bring my microspikes but not the ice axe. The roughly 4 miles to Guitar Lake take me about 2 hours chatting to all other hikers plus it is also an uphill hike and so beautiful that I stopp often to take pictures. Around noon I reach Guitar Lake. Taking off me new shoes i bought in lone pine I realize that since ages I have no new blisters! These shoes are awesome and make my hiking day so much better and enjoyable! Shortly after stuck-on-the-ground arrives and later also Joanne and Peter. We enjoy the afternoon at the lake, sun bathing and skinny dipping while other hikers arrive. Also Gadget arrives later in the afternoon. Looks like that is going to be our group to hike Mt. Whitney. I'm so excited! I hope I'll do fine with the altitude. We decide to hike half a mile further up where there is another small lake and pitch our tents there. Every little step we don't have to hike tomorrow is an advantage. It's still early afternoon but as we want to start hiking at 2am tomorrow morning to see the sun rise on top of Mt. Whitney we are cooking dinner and go to bed around 6.30pm. The sun is still out, I'm getting a little nervous and excited and that makes it hard to fall asleep. In a couple of hours I shall be standing in top of Mt. Whitney!!!