Mt. Whitney From Cottonwood Lakes

The view over Crabtree Meadow early morning can't be beat. This is a picture I anticipated before the trip.

Back to Crabtree Meadow

Mt. Whitney Trip from Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead. June 2000.

Day 4, July 2nd, 2000: 13 miles, about 2500 feet accumulated gain and loss.
The hike back to Soldier Lakes was all I expected and less.
We wasted little time having breakfast and packing up. As I was finishing packing, Dave headed out and I would not catch up with him until Rock Creek. Not a problem because the day would just be a grind back to our next camp. As I swung down the trail at a fair clip, I began to pass groups of panting people heading higher in preparation for hiking Mt. Whitney. I only stopped to chat once, but mainly concentrated on getting down the trail in good order and speed. The second creek crossing was a little tricky but I managed to get across with dry feet. The third crossing was a wet one, but I did not mind the excuse to take off my shoes and wade across. As I dried my feet I watched in amusement as a woman furiously pumped her water-filter with little to show for her efforts. That was a chore we missed this trip, but our filter was better than hers…when it was working. (REI replaced my SweetWater filter and my MSR fuel pump when I got back. Great company.)