por Elias Naser
On July 1, 2024, six Latinx individuals, led and organized by Latino Outdoors’ Los Angeles outings leader Elias Naser, began their ascent up to Mt. Tumanguya (aka Mt. Whitney). Tumanguya is the name given by the Northern Paiute tribes, in rough translation, “old man” or “guardian spirit”, of the highest peak in the lower 48 states of the contiguous United States sitting at 14,500ft (4419.6m). It is situated inside the Sierra Nevadas and the Great Basin Divide in California.
The six explorers, Elias, Remigio Mateo (LO Los Angeles), Ruby Aguirre-Gutierrez (LO San Francisco Bay Area), Rosa, Alonso, and Danny, set foot at the Whitney Portal the day before ascending (June 30, 2024) to acclimate at approx 8,333ft (2540m). The portal serves as an entrance into the “guardian spirit.” The six explorers on day zero also recognized and acknowledged the lands home to the Northern Paiute and Shosone peoples who were there, are still there, and forever will be the original stewards of this beautiful and prosperous landscape.
Mt. Tumanguya can be summitted in a day, yet Elias was able to secure the overnight permits after years of applying for the US Forest Service lottery. At the Portal Campground, Ruby (LO San Francisco Bay Area) expressed thoughts and feelings of excitement, nervousness, and anxiety, yet feeling grateful for the adventure. The party ate in the town of Lone Pine, right below Mt. Tumanguya, gathering there prior to the ascent up to the Portal campground. The sound of the rushing water of Lone Pine Creek next to the party provided soothing white noise. The smell of an extinguished campfire where they all gathered to express their gratitude for being present with one another on an incredible journey they would all share and never forget.
Day 1 (July 1) was full of excitement, and they all made a plan to rise by dawn and get moving with all their equipment. Many of them had an average of 35 lbs on their backs while ascending approximately 3800 ft (1158m). The first day they passed by Lone Pine Lake as their first stop, then “Entering the Whitney Zone” to ascend to take a break at Outpost Camp. They made their way to Mirror Lake, dipping their feet or body to freshen up. Danny and Ruby enjoyed the dip in cold clean water, looking up they were able to witness the peak’s edge of Tumanguya. This location was the last of the trees before the ascent up to Trailside Meadow, which had water rushing down with beautiful Sky pilot plants growing adjacent to the water melt coming up from Trail camp. The granite slabs of Tumanguya were caused by a fault system that runs along the Sierra’s eastern base, which felt like being on a lunar landscape. The last 2 – 10 million years of this granite rose underneath what is now the “guardian spirit”, enabling glacial and river erosion to reveal what they saw.
The temperature conditions were perfect all the way up. Remi was the first to make it up to Trail camp, our most experienced hiker ascending Tumanguya multiple times, with Alonso was right behind him. Elias and Rosa were at the back of the group enjoying the views. The stars came out, showcasing the Milky Way clearly near midnight. The 7.5 miles (12.1km) were not easy, especially with the backpack weight, yet Elias described the satisfaction of being at Trail camp as an accomplishment in itself. He expressed the sights of snow along the peaks leading up to Tumanguya. With food in their belly, they hit the sleeping sacks, ready to rise when Sol showed its face. Alonso was able to stay up snapping great pictures, with his media-rich equipment, of those hiking through the night on their one-day excursions (typically between 12-16 hours).
Day 2 (July 2), was a split party up to Tumanguya, with Remi, Ruby, and Alonso leading the way at sunrise, Elias, and Danny right behind. Rosa’s main goal was to make it to Trail camp where she heard the “old guardian spirit” call her name to make it up for the ultimate goal. Upon the ascent known as the 99 switchbacks that rose 1700 ft (518 m) in about 2 miles at about 13000 ft (3962 m), the air was a lot thinner yet they witnessed some spectacular sights. Remi described viewing Guitar Lake about a mile to the summit,
“we are quite a special life form on this planet, where we are able to live and experience such beauty and share it with great amigxs!”
Ruby described Day 2 going up in elevation surprised by her own body’s strength. Danny and Elias made their way up the 99 switchbacks, as the two have been friends since high school, sharing stories of their youth playing music in a band together, and discussing their next adventure in Mt. Rainier National Park. As all party members summited Tumanguya, all felt the energy radiating from this amazing source, believing great weather conditions throughout the trip were in part from the positive energy placed on day zero (June 30).
The sights from the top were nothing but spectacular, imagining what the first peoples of this land may have witnessed and experienced when up there. One can only imagine as well how far Nuestra Madre Tierra heals herself, while human-made climate changes are affecting her without a solution in sight from our “progress” in human development. Chief Seattle of the Duwamish and Suquamish peoples, who Seattle, WA is named after, once stated,
“The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”
Upon this reflection, Elias came to the conclusion that, although this moment in time, however short or long it is, we will need to protect our sacred earth for generations to come, in urgent speed. The mandated use of wag bags which they abided by, was simply one piece in the solution to respect the “old man”, yet the urgency to preserve nuestra madre tierra is even more prevalent as human-made climate change is affecting so much and for generations to come.
Upon their last night at Trail camp before finishing out the trip, rest was a priority but so was celebrating the ascent up the tallest peak in the lower 48 contiguous states. LO leaders and party members were humbled, fatigued, and excited to get back to “civilization” all while reflecting on the strength and resiliency of what their bodies just went through.
Day 3 (July 3) back to the Portal campground from Trail camp, they hit the ground running at sunrise, ready to witness the trail coming down. The Tumanguya portal store was their reward where they had a real cooked meal. They were grateful to come back unharmed, confident, and with a sense of accomplishment in their hearts. This was something special for Elias, who had a vision and organized a party worthy of Tumanguya’s spirit.
They couldn’t have done this without our collaborated support for one another to push through, and for the help Latino Outdoors, as an organization, provided this party of six explorers. They are forever grateful to experience meeting Tumanguya with their tired yet strong feet.
Elevation Gain: 6769 feet (2063.2 meters)
Distance Hiked: 22.8 miles (36.7 kilometers)
Cute Pikas Spotted: Six