Mt. Whitney

In June, I started brainstorming things to do for my birthday.  Some of the ideas were to go on a cruise, go camping, go to Santa Barbara or other areas in California for wine tasting, etc. etc.  I asked my girlfriends if they wanted to come along but it was too hard to put it all together.  It seems like the main problem was that they either couldn't afford it or they couldn't take the time off.  So I decided to go with the very last option, which was to go camping with a different friend(s).  They go to the Mt. Whitney area every year with friends and family and I was invited several times already. 

When I say Mt. Whitney, I don't mean climbing the mountain.  I did some research and found out that it's super hard to climb to the top.  My friends rent campground every year in an area called Whitney Portal.  It's a few miles from Lone Pine.  The whole drive was about 3 hours + breaks in between.

I think the one with the arrow is Mt. Whitney.

The group this year was about 20 people and every year they have assignments for each participant.  They threatened me that I will never be invited again if I didn't fulfill my duties.  They don't f*ck around.

I was included in my friends' group and their job was to cook dinner on Saturday.  Friday night was potluck.  I cooked curry chicken and rice and put them in small ziploc bags.  I wasn't sure how we were going to heat it up but I figured that was the easiest way to take it there. They told me not to bring too much food because of the bears and we can only fit so much in our bear boxes.  Yes they know how much they eat, so they assured me that there would be enough food.

Unlike other  campgrounds I've been to, this one had lots of trees and a stream running through it.  and no showers!!!  I packed body wipes and dry shampoo just in case.

First night we pretty much didn't do anything but unpack and have potluck.  The potluck had so much good food, and many creative ideas for camping.  One family brought DIY California rolls.  They put rice in a bowl with ingredients layered on top, and nori on the side.  and yet simple, ordinary food like pasta tastes so good when you're camping.  yum!

The first night, I was so tired I went back to my tent at 9:30!!!  I don't know what I was so tired from but it must be the climate.  So very dry up there.  To be continued...