PCT day 35 - mile 751 to mile 766

"I accidentally lost one of my lungs on the summit of Mt Whitney! It's one of my favourite internal organs - if you see it please let me know!" Mimigold

Short day of walking in preparation for mount Whitney ascent tonight. We agreed with Ice and Axe on the previous day that we will climb it together. I started walking quite early and arrived at the Crabtree Ranger Station aka little Hikertown at around 3pm.

The scenery was amazing today, you could really feel that you entered high portion of the mountains with peaks staring at you menacingly, green and peaceful meadows dotted between them and many beautiful and clean streams with tiny trout's swimming in them flowing through the landscape. If there was ever time for a slower day to enjoy the surroundings that was it. Crabtree Ranger Station campground itself was also all of the above, very scenic a perfect 'base camp' for tonight's climb.

Ice and Axe arrived here at 5pm with the news that they are exhausted from the last few days of hiking and they won't be doing the night ascent but rather go in the morning. They been cowboy camping until now, but the severe weather finally convinced them to set up a tent for tonight to have a better sleep. I decided to stick to the initial plan and start early, try to climb mount Whitney by the sunrise and be back at the camp before midday.

Good news is I will be able to leave my tent up here and most of my stuff inside of it as well. I will do so called 'slack packing' hiking with only few necessary items then coming back to the camp and packing it all up, it should in theory speed up the ascent but we shall see how it will work out.

After coming down I will try to hike another 12 miles to the first 'pass' called Forester Pass, they are the main reason for slower pace in the mountains as they are very often covered in snow and the best/safest way to cross them is in the early morning, so you have to plan your whole day around them (and also around your resupply points). This is completely new to me and perhaps tomorrow will be the first day I will be wearing my micro-spikes. Hopefully it won't be as difficult as people trying to describe it.

"Close this gate to protect wilderness":
express socks drying:
Crabtree Ranger station (unfortunately closed):

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