Bears, Hummus, and Mt. Whitney with the Grandchildren

July 16, 2009

I love road trips and last month I took one with my daughter, her husband, and two of my grandchildren to Mt. Whitney to camp, hike, enjoy some clean air, sit by the fire, make s'mores, and enjoy some much needed time off.

Their 2008 Dodge Caravan minivan was stuffed to the brim with camping gear, food, clothes, toys, fishing reels, two grandchildren, and us! The drive took about three hours from our house. I love passing through the Mojave Desert and a beautiful place called Red Rock on the way there, the kids happy as clams safely tucked into their car seats with plenty of snacks and books to help pass the time.

We arrived at Lone Pine and drove through the Alabama Hills stopping for me to take pictures all the way up to the Mt. Whitney Portal campground, arriving to our destination around noon to make camp. Did I mention that the Whitney Portal campground is an Active Bear Area? There are signs everywhere to empty your car, tent, and backpacks of food so as not to entice the bears. There are pictures on display at the campground of the damage these hungry bears do: like peeling off the tops of cars or pushing through windows to get inside. There are bear boxes available to put all your stuff in, even toothpaste, so the bears won't come.

The bears became a big part of the excitement of our trip. There were 15 of us altogether camping in three spots as a group. The first night I saw a bear walking up the road and did not mention it when I returned from the clean but non-flushing open pit toilets, I did not want to alarm the group our first night out!

The second night, although many signs are posted about using the bear boxes, one of our families left an ice chest out and went to sleep. Suddenly we see them running toward the campfire and sure enough a black bear was sitting maybe 10 feet from the tent snacking on a container of hummus and gallon of fruit punch and he was not leaving until he finished his snack. No one was hurt other than smarting from embarrassment for leaving the ice chest out. The rest of the trip was sans bears but we are all still laughing about it! My grandchildren got Mt. Whitney stuffed bear souvenirs that were firmly kept under one arm at all times throughout our time there, how cute is that?

The stark beauty and overwhelming serenity of Mt. Whitney and the surrounding area was breathtaking! From Whitney Portal at about 8000 feet, it's about two miles to Lone Pine Lake. This marks the start of the Mt. Whitney trail, where, among other things, you have to pack out your own poop! You also need a permit to enter the Zone, so Lone Pine Lake marks the end of the line for day hikers like us without permits to climb to the top. Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous U.S. with an elevation of 14,505 feet and the hike to the top is about 22 miles round trip with an elevation gain of over 6,100 feet. Would love to take that hike one day.

My daughter and son-in-law are wonderful parents and even had little mini fishing rods for the kids. Hot Spring Creek runs through the campground and all the way up the trail to Whitney Portal Store to a beautiful waterfall. At the pond near Whitney Portal Store not only did we enjoy a pizza-sized pancake breakfast one day, we also had fish galore! We were there to watch them stock the pond with trout a treat for the little kids to watch and for the bigger kids to make an easy first catch.

The entire five days was magical and completely relaxing and refreshing for the body, soul, and spirit. I had so much fun taking my grandchildren hiking, pine cone collecting, bird watching to name a few of the joyful times we had in the shadow of Mt. Whitney together.

The drive home was unfortunately punctuated with a rather ghastly car accident when we were just near Red Rock. The wreckage of the two demolished cars was partially blocking the road with no official help there yet. People were getting out of their own cars helping with traffic control while help was on the way, it was an eerie and disturbing scene. As I looked back and double-checked the car seat harnesses of our precious cargo, my grandchildren, I again realized how important it is to make sure your car is serviced properly and tires checked before that summer road trip to prevent an accident due to neglecting this important road trip preparation step.

Taking these important steps along with safe driving skills, slowing down to the speed limit, wearing seat belts, and making sure you have the correct car seat or booster for your child's size and weight can make a happy ending to your road trip this summer. The end to our vacation was a stop for lunch at Mickey D's, as my family calls it, for the new Ice Age Kids Meals and retelling all the adventures of our trip as a family.

Enjoy all my Mt. Whitney trip pictures on Flickr here and be safe on your road trip this summer.

Jody DeVere
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