2026 Mt. Whitney Hike: Day 8: Going Home

The end, of course, is not really the end.

Arrival at the Trail End is of course a reason for celebration:  This is a long, hard trip by anyone's estimation.  The van which dropped us off meets us there with soda, beer, water, and White Claws.  We also have salty and sweet (Potato Chips and Oreo Double Stuffed Cookies).  There is also the accompanying high fives, backslaps, and photos.

I forgo the alcohol, but load myself up with Oreos.  It is an excuse, I know - but justifiable in my mind.

From there, we repack the van and take the hour drive down to the nearest town, Lone Pine.  The descent is dramatic; the smell of 11 hikers after a week on the trail is probably only a little less so for our driver.

Arrival at Lone Pine is started by a shower at a local hostel.  There are not many ways at all that I can identify with folks that work long days or weeks in the field - the military, fire fighters, etc. - but one place I have a small intersection is the amazing sense that getting a shower after days of not having one feels.  The dirt sloughs off my body and my feet look marginally better (but not great).

After the shower, off to the final meal of the trip:  pizza and beer.

There is a fine art to discussing the first post-meal hike.

It is generally frowned upon to start discussing it within the first day of the hike.  When to start discussing is it a matter of delicate sensibility and conjecture and based to some extent on the hike.  For example, for this hike Day 4 is probably an acceptable time to start talking about "What I am going to have when I get back".  My go to meal is a burger and fries, and a vanilla milkshake figures prominently into the picture.

However, pizza and beer are also acceptable.  I eat five pieces, which is extravagant for me.

After lunch is consumed, the long drive comes to get back to the original drop off point.  For this hike it is almost 4.5 hours, since we need to drive South past the edge of the Sierras to the Tehachapi Pass and then head North towards our drop-off point.  Conversation tends to fall to minimum now as we are full and tired.  We are also in cell-phone range, so individuals are checking in and uploading things.  Up in front (I am in the far back, The Brit gamely wedged between myself and The Outdoorsman), there is a lively game going on.  I apparently take a nap, or perhaps more than one.

Midway during the drive, we stop for a fuel and snack break.  I get my milkshake.

 Another two hours or so and we get back to the drop-off point.  Here we grab our things, go through the somewhat odd and awkward phase of saying goodbye to our soon-erstwhile hiking colleagues, and saying goodbye to our guides (not nearly as awkward).  We wish each other well, knowing that - unless it is on another hike - we will likely not see each other again.

And then, another drive of about 3 hours to get back to The Outdoorsman's house.  He drives for the first part until we take a break for dinner (burger and fries, so I get both my meals); after which The Brit takes over.  Conversation ebbs and flows; we are starting to talk about the world again, mostly finance and work and upcoming events.  The time flies quickly:  something like 18 hours after we were close to being on top of the world, we are back into our ordinary lives.

The adventure, not quite abruptly but with a certain natural rhythm, ends.