Deep breath. Totally ready; my back has been kinked for a week, my heel is degrading and needs frequent icing (snow) or creek soaking, and I'm unsure if my body or head is breaking down. Totally not ready; I don't want to go back. At all. I don't understand and fear the drastic difference in people and life in these two realities.
Nate and I decorated Max in a crown made of emergency blankets, and sang a happy birthday song. He loved his cards and paper fortune teller, and was as excited about his gifts and oatmeal breakfast with a match to wish on, as he has been on birthdays past. Smiling.
We woke early in the cold, which helped keep us quick and moving. Sadly we did not see Max's rock name, which stunk. Still, the boys will tell you that today was our easiest and most fun hike. We topped trail crest in two hours, and the sign for Trail Crest snuck up on us. We passed about five tents cozied right into the side of the mountain (which is where we would have slept had we forged on from Guitar).
We excitedly dropped our backpacks and began the real climb up to Whitney's peak. Night and day. Backpack and backpack-free. The guys ran up some of the mountain, super happy. About halfway up, we hit some trickiness and real narrow paths. "Away from the edge" and "hold the mountain boulders" were repeated every other minute. I stood on the outside of Nate, and Max scaled with his strong arms and feet at all times. If any of us looked down, or away even from our feet, we would have dizzied. One foot in front of the other was never more true than here. We reached the top in two hours, and Max proudly told hikers, " I turned ten TODAY!"
The top was surreal, and we were stunned I think. Ate our promised Hershey bars and signed the great registry book at the Whitney hut. We were done.
Chatting the whole way down, we finished our day in Trail Camp. From here on out, our trip would be different from the preceding 30 days. This was our first yucky camp, filled with day hikers and less friendly people. Not less friendly, more that they were "normal" people. Litter, smelly, crowded, entitled. We were returning back to civilization.
Max and Nate enjoyed giant bowls of ramen, and went to bed full. Much to my amazement Max said,
"Best birthday ever."