Peace on the mountain top

On Sunday, our team captain, the illustrious Spiderwoman, decided that it is time for the Whitney Summit Team to do some “real” training in preparation for our 14,505 feet Mt. Whiney hike – the highest peak in the lower 48 states. So off we were to Mt. Baldy (10,064 feet), which is only about an hour drive from Diamond Bar. The team started the 18 mile hike in high spirit, Master Lee was running up and down like a school boy; Da Bull was taking pictures of the various wild lives (Lizards) along the mountain trail; the chemist was telling her Husky adoption stories; and the Spider woman was deep in thoughts to make sure we don’t get lost. The easy atmosphere at the start prompted me to believe that the hike would be as easy as the one we did at Crystal Cove! Wishful thinking. After about 1 hour on the main trail, the team decided to take a more challenging ascend to the summit. And it became one of the most interesting and challenging hike the team had ever faced. The start of the summit trail to the actual summit is only about 7 miles; however, it took us more than 5 hours to get to the top. The Dentist, who did not have the proper equipment, was the first to succumb to the high altitude. Soon after, all the team members began to feel nosiating headaches and shortness of breath. Nevertheless, the team fought on and kept on going. Soon after 2:30. The team finally reached the summit, and the view was spectacular making the entire experience worth it.