My desire to hike Mt. Whitney on what would have been his 55th birthday, Sept. 28, 2021, lived vaguely in the back of my mind for a while. I had no idea how to accomplish this task.

If you’re thinking about applying for a permit to hike Whitney and wonder how to train, here’s what I did. 1. Frequent short conditioning hikes (1,500-3,500 feet in elevation, 1-2 hours each) ...

The sun started to rise, bathing the Sierra Nevada in a red glow that I had seen only in postcards until then. I leaned in silence against Mt. Whitney’s granite rock face, taking in the view ...