Mt. Whitney lit by moonlight

Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the contiguous United States, at 14,505' elevation. It is also the terminus for both the John Muir Trail, which runs North South from Yosemite National Park, for 230 miles and the High Sierra Trail, that runs East West, for 80 miles. This photograph was taken from Trail Camp, at an elevation of 12,039 feet, on the seventh night of hiking the High Sierra Trail. We had summitted Mt. Whitney that day, by walking along the trail along the ridge from left to right on that photograph. It is 1.8 miles and you are hiking from 13,645 feet at Trail Crest (left edge of this photo) to Mt. Whitney at 14,505 feet to the right (second from the right most peak). As anyone who has done this walk would attest, it is the longest 1.8 miles for a typical hiker. The infamous 99 switchbacks are to the left of the screen here. The 99 switchbacks take you from Trail Camp to Trail Crest. We had started at Crescent Meadow at Sequoia National Park and hiking East. We had come down the switchbacks and on that full moon night, Mt. Whitney range was lit by the moon almost as it was daylight. The stars tell the story otherwise. It was a very pleasant night to spend at that high altitude, it was not very cold and being there brought a sense of calm that I have not experienced a lot.

September night in the Sierra Nevada, and the moonlight was just bright enough to bring out the textures in the granite faces of Mount Whitney. The stars were sharp and clear, even at 30 seconds. I could make out the Milky Way with the naked eye.

Trail Camp, Mount Whitney Range, Sierra Nevada, California · 2019