The mountains here are absolutely beautiful and I am thankful every day I get to work in them. The mountains of the High Sierra have a historical, geological and physical grandeur that can be felt with every exploration.

I met Mark and Walt in Bishop. The two had enrolled in AAI's four-day Mt. Whitney ascent eager to try a new medium of alpine rock and excited to make an attempt on a classic Sierra peak. Previously they had some mountain training, and both had done a little climbing in the Cascades, but in all they were fairly new to the big-mountain scene and were ready to try it out.

Because of the altitude here, we spent the first day acclimating on a multi-pitch ascent of Cardinal Pinnacle (9500'). It was a great warm-up. I think of Cardinal as a miniature version of Whitney - it allowed us to start phase-one of acclimatization, get introduced to multi-pitch alpine rock climbing, and cover terrain comparable to the Whitney environment. Before we began our ascent we went over some essential basics: crack climbing, how to second a traditionally protected pitch, and how to work a belay stance.

The climb started out lovely. The warm white granite was enjoyable and fair-weather cumulus clouds sat pleasantly overhead. Unfortunately this didn't last long and the fluffy clouds soon developed into thunder cells. It didn't seem too bad yet so we continued on with another 200-foot pitch.

Poised to commit to the final 500 feet on the best rock of the whole climb, I turned to tab the weather and noticed an almost opaque wall of rain spreading across the waters of Lake Sabrina. The nice view of the Evolution Mountains had also disappeared. "Boys, that's the business right there!" I shouted to Mark and Walt. "I think we should get out the Gore-Tex!"

They acknowledged the rapid change in weather with both humor and disbelief. Before we had time to set up the rappel we were caught in a full downpour, and the wall began to clap and flash. We made a hasty retreat to our camp at Lake Sabrina. Later that afternoon we were able to finish some skill workshops between two more storms and sun breaks. That evening we packed for our three-day trip into Mt. Whitney. We ate a hearty meal of sausages over our campfire and speculated about what the trip would bring.

The following morning we packed up camp and began hiking to Whitney via the North Fork drainage. For a July weekend it was surprisingly deserted. We had splendid weather and the wildflowers were abundant due to the long spring. We meandered through and over polished granite, large erratic boulders, and ribbon waterfalls. As we turned the corner of Upper Boy Scout Lake, we saw the amazing towers of the Whitney Massif. The glacially carved sheer east faces of Day, Keeler, and Whitney stood like sentinels and dramatically held our attention while we finished the approach to our soon-to-be base camp at Iceberg Lake.

Once at base camp, we set up the cook tent and started dinner. Over food we prepped for the next day's objective. The full moon shone florescent on the granite. The evening air around us was cold and clear, though distant storms occasionally painted the sky in violent flashes of light.

We woke at dawn and were immediately rewarded with a warm sunrise in pinks, oranges, and yellows. I could see why John Muir called this the Range of Light. We rounded up our gear and started up the 1,00-foot chute at the beginning of the Mountaineer's Route. I was surprised by the sheer amount of snow still left on the mountain by this time in July, thanks to last winter's 150% above-average snowfall. The snow was still firm from the cold night and in all, the route was in excellent condition.

At the top of the chute we took a nice break on the saddle at 13,800ft and let the O2 sink in. Once we were ready we changed gears to rock climbing and surveyed the route possibilities in front of us. We opted for the climber's left side of the northwest face in search for solid, dry granite. Mark and Walt were climbing very well that day, and we decided to scale the final 700 feet of moderate rock to gain the summit via an exiting variation that was slightly more technical than the normal route.

Once on the summit we joined the many hikers that had come up the Whitney trail and socialized while signing the register. The view was astounding. Even the climbing ranger was kicking back and painting a watercolor of the dramatic scenery. We celebrated, had a snack, then decided it was time head down. Nearby, clouds had started to develop into heavy, dark thunderheads.

The descent was uneventful and fast. We had just reached base camp and zipped the fly shut when heavy rain began pounding the tent, lasting for the next several hours. We laughed about how perfect the day was and relished our much-deserved hot food. After making plans for the next day's hike out, we fell asleep dreaming of our forthcoming descent upon the infamous Whitney Burger.

This was among the most enjoyable trips that I have led in the Sierras. Despite the changing weather, we managed to summit on two very notable climbs and have a blast doing it. Both Mark and Walt climbed in great style and were fun to be around. I look forward to working with them both again in the future!

Mark Allen