Episode 13: Mt Whitney Night & Day

Have you ever hiked in the pitch black night with nothing to guide you but your headlamp and a somewhat reliable GPS?  We've done more than our fair share of night hiking, but Whitney wins for being the most impressive, oppressive, and exhilarating! 
We scored a single-day permit for Mt. Whitney for July 31st of 2022! Now, what this means is that we were blessed with a 24-hour period in which to hike the tallest peak in the contiguous U.S.A., 14,505 ft of forests, creeks, and granite over ~23.5 miles up and back down with ~6,400 ft of total hiked ascent (according to my Garmin; 20.9 miles, 6,600ft according to AllTrails).  This trip was made extra-special by some dramatic weather that opened up on us with ~5 miles to go in our hike, resulting in washed out trails, washed out selves, and rockfalls booming down the mountain as though Thor was having a temper-tantrum. 
We loved a lot, learned a lot, and lucked out a LOT on this trip! We hope you enjoy hearing about our experience!

Gear List - a lot of this is our tried-and-true standards:
Osprey Tempest 20 & 22L daypacks (his & hers) with hip belt
Platypus 2.5L bladder with hose and Camelbak bite-valve
Gregory 2L bladder/hose/valve
el-cheapo trekking poles off Amazon (we will be replacing after this trip, but they've lasted 10+ years)
T-shirt-turned bandana from our church (gotta represent!)

Amanda:
Danner Trail 2650 Gore-Tex boots (LOVE!)
L.L.Bean hiking zip-off pants and anorak 
Mountain Hardwear tank top and Ghost Whisperer packable down coat
Mammut med-weight jacket
Ex-Officio unders
VS wireless medium-impact sports bra
SmartWool Liner socks and Merrell wool-blend hiking socks (extras packed for wet feet)

Dan:
Asolo Agent Gore-Tex (his go-to boots)
Mountain Hardwear hiking zip-off pants 
Mountain Hardwear Gore-Tex raincoat 
Mountain Hardwear buton-down and med-weight jacket
SmartWool liner and hiking socks
Ex-Officio boxer-briefs

Food:
Stinger Waffles, Clif Bars, Clif Blox, Quest bars, some gross high-protein cookie Dan got excited about, Kind bars, dried fruit, candied nuts, Stinger Gels, candied ginger (for the win!), Justin's Nut Butter individual packs, bagels