What began as a trip out to California in the early Spring of 2018 ended up becoming a trip to the highest point in the lower 48 States. While in California, I...
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What began as a trip out to California in the early Spring of 2018 ended up becoming a trip to the highest point in the lower 48 States. While in California, I was invited to hike Mount Whitney and I gladly accepted. Having never done anything like this before, I wasn't sure what was in store for me, but I knew it would be hard. I began training in May (the hike was set for the first week in September) and spent the rest of the Spring and most of the Summer in training. All went well until early August when I hurt my ankle during a run. I thought I would be well in a few days and as a precaution, canceled my 16-mile hike that weekend. I had planned a high-altitude training hike in Colorado for the following weekend and thought I would be healed enough to go on that hike, but I had to cancel that too. I finally broke down and went to the doctor and as I suspected, the doctor wanted me to stay off the ankle. I got an ankle brace and took the next 10 days off to heal. By the time the end of August rolled around, I was training again but had to take it easy and not push too hard but didn't want to lose my conditioning. I spent the remaining time I had left doing as much cardio as I could to make up for the lost time and that had to be good enough. September had arrived and I was on my way back to California.
The plan was to begin the hike at Whitney Portal hike to the campground 6 miles from the trailhead and at 12,000 feet. The hike was great, and every bit as challenging and exciting as I had expected. The ankle was holding up fine and did not give me too much trouble. We reached the campground hours after we began and made camp and settled in for the evening around the campfire.
2 AM came quickly (I had stayed up past hiker's midnight so I could take a photo of the Milky Way). After breakfast, we started the 4 or 5-mile hike up the 99 Switchbacks and on our way to 14,508 feet. The hike up was tiring. It was cold, windy, and dark. We made the hike up to the top by sunrise and what a view! As the summit came into view, I forgot all about the fatigue and hunger. I was excited! Suddenly, several months of hard work and training came to an end. I felt like I was on top of the world because I made it to the top of Mount Whitey--Triumph!
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The plan was to begin the hike at Whitney Portal hike to the campground 6 miles from the trailhead and at 12,000 feet. The hike was great, and every bit as challenging and exciting as I had expected. The ankle was holding up fine and did not give me too much trouble. We reached the campground hours after we began and made camp and settled in for the evening around the campfire.
2 AM came quickly (I had stayed up past hiker's midnight so I could take a photo of the Milky Way). After breakfast, we started the 4 or 5-mile hike up the 99 Switchbacks and on our way to 14,508 feet. The hike up was tiring. It was cold, windy, and dark. We made the hike up to the top by sunrise and what a view! As the summit came into view, I forgot all about the fatigue and hunger. I was excited! Suddenly, several months of hard work and training came to an end. I felt like I was on top of the world because I made it to the top of Mount Whitey--Triumph!
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on the Summit of Mt. Whitney, which is at 14,508 feet above sea level and is the highest point in the lower 48. Disclosure - That's me in the photo.Time
This photo was taken on the morning of September 8, 2018, after a 3+ hour hike from basecamp.Lighting
The lighting here was spectacular and I was the highest point that the light could hit. Having a 360-degree view of unobstructed scenery was amazing.Equipment
I used a Canon 5D Mark IV and the EF16-35 f/2.8L USM II lens.Inspiration
--from the caption of the photo: "What began as a trip out to California in the early Spring of 2018 ended up becoming a trip to the highest point in the lower 48 States. I began training in May (the hike was set for the first week in September) and spent the rest of the Spring and most of the Summer in training. The plan was to begin the hike at Whitney Portal hike to the campground 6 miles from the trailhead and at 12,000 feet. The hike was great, and every bit as challenging and exciting as I had expected. The ankle was holding up fine and did not give me too much trouble. We reached the campground hours after we began and made camp and settled in for the evening around the campfire. 2 AM came quickly (I had stayed up past hiker's midnight so I could take a photo of the Milky Way). After breakfast, we started the 4 or 5-mile hike up the 99 Switchbacks and on our way to 14,508 feet. The hike up was tiring. It was cold, windy, and dark. We made the hike up to the top by sunrise and what a view! As the summit came into view, I suddenly have forgotten about how tired and hungry. I was excited! Suddenly, several months of hard work and training came to an end. I felt like I was on top of the world because I made it to the top of Mount Whitey--Triumph!"Editing
Lightroom and Photoshop were used to make minor adjustments for tone, color, and contrast. Photography was a secondary goal for this hike.In my camera bag
I normally carry my Canon 5DIV and my 2 or 3 lenses with me, and for this hike, I needed to leave all the heavy gear behind. My pack was 35lbs, including my camera and lens. I wanted to be sure to travel as light as possible for the 22-mile roundtrip hike.Feedback
This photo was never intended to be posted or shared, I didn't have any specific goals for the photo other than I wanted to take some photos while at the top of Mt. Whitney and I simply wanted a photo of me at the top. Since this photo was taken, cameras have gotten smaller and lighter (mirrorless and much improved mobile phone cameras) so it is easier to capture these kinds of moments, so don't hesitate to give someone else the camera and let them take a photo of you doing what you love.