My brother and his friends have done the Pacific Crest and Continental Divide trails. How could I refuse a place on their permit to hike from Kearsarge Pass to Whitney?

My wife Kathy celebrated her 50th at Charlotte Lake, with Leslie providing the wine and chocolate! A few tough spots like Forester Pass and then the finale came a bit early. A 3 am start from Guitar Lake with a big moon, so we didn't need headlamps. The whole Sierra seemed at our feet.

After an 8 am visit to the peak, the trip down the dusty and congested Whitney Portal trail seemed a bit of a fall from grace.

Here's the slide show on the hike:

http://www.vimeo.com/5747807