Nice trip Bob. Good luck on Whitney. Word is that Langley is less crowded (but not as high).

Agree, Langley is a great hike. Just barely over 14,000 ft. When I solo'd it, there was no one there, anywhere up , at the top or down so it's a pretty empty peak but right next door (south) of Whitney. I have a great shot of Whitney from Langley but need to scan it. I'll hunt thru my piles of stuff. BTW we never did hiking permits for anything back then. Just fishing permits. :-)

Bob, you already have your permits, you got space in the lottery? We used to do the mountaineers route when it was permit free but now you need one for any ascent (apparently). We also did Langley one year, I almost preferred it, much less of a crowd. If you have time, I recommend spending a day or two up at the portal or doing a couple of day hikes up to lone pine lake to get used to the altitude. Leave early, 2-3am.

I too do local hikes in preparation for a greater goal. My first and only time on Whitney was in back in 1987. It's a great hike. We climbed it from the west side coming up from the Kern river basin after coming over Shepard pass from the north. Climbed Mt Tyndall and Mt Williamson two other 14 teeners also. So when we summit Whitney, here are these 5 Germans speaking German and all smoking cigarettes. Go figure?

Whitney is a good goal. Have you done it before?