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•; *?»% I Mfc*- Mim i ^ ill M# \Af ,. -.3-,v,^^ ' * ** ‘ ' vif ♦-v ^ ^titT**^PP?|^Fwit ?■■*;? ^• sPiN « cv #? ■Shatter teens climb to thetop of state’s highest peakNo one is sure how thetitle of being the highest peak inNorth America -• standing at 20,320highest peak in the world, Mt. Everest, in the Himalayan Range at the Nepal-Tibct border, stands at afresh water - in which they had to titii Delate using”**h*L* bod ^ water and put medication in it.** he said.riaMMlMUIMftb* =* **►lt;** Si r- ^ : **** • .**? ' V: ■ IcQS/Since time began, it has been human nature to chBltenft*11^!r_:____^iat be - including irioiuctNature.it’s an instinct as common as it iscomplicated.The answer to the question, of course, is “Because it’s there.”In California, the peak of choice for those who desire to put this age old question to the test is Mount Whitney.And for local teens Calletano Gutierrez, 18, Jerry Prado, 18, and Chris Chewning, 17, they saw this as an opportunity for a one of a kind adventure.But, these friends since the sixth grade had many different reasons for wanting to conquer the peak.“In fifth grade I learned it was the highest mountain in the 48 states,” Gutierrez said. “Ever since then Iwanted to do it.”“We did it to accomplish something in life,” Prado said.“We wanted to have fun while we were still young,” Chewning added. “... and able to do things like this.”So, on Sunday, Aug. 4, die trio's adventure began.Located at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada Range, Mt Whitney stands at 14,495 feet above sea level - making it the highest peak in the continental United States.The only mountain to reach higher in the country is Alaska’s Mt. McKinley, which also holds the distinctstaggering 29,028 feetTmc pcist fcr !h? **•»*« wasat an elevation of8,000 feet hat that quickly rose.However, on the first night of their trip, they weren’t quite ready to give up the comforts of home they’d become so accustom to.“We stayed in a hotel the first night” Gutierrez said. “It was our last breath of civilization. ’ *Also, on the first day, Gutierrez noted, the group got their permit to go into the protected area and rested up for the journey ahead of them.On day two, the teens hiked the three mile gaunt to the first camp at Lone Pine Lake at 10,00 feet.“This was our first night of roughing it,” Gutierrez said. “We went for a swim - the water was cold, but it wasn’t unbearable.”And, according to Gutierrez, this is when the three encountered their first adventure of the trip.“At about 2 a.m., we were awakened by a bear who came sniffing through our camp.”On Tuesday morning, the group packed up their gear and were on this trail by 6 a.m. to reach the next stop - a trail camp five miles away at 12,200 feet.“ There were no trees, we had gone beyond the tree line,” Gutierrez said. “It was just all rock.”The camp was near a pond where, as Gutierrez noted, the teens gotVBright and earty the next morning at 4:30 ajm., when the temperaturewas a dully 35 degrees, the triotwwan their final accent to the summitGutierrez said it took roughly three and a half hours to reach the top - and the top was a welcomed sight “When we reached the top, I called my mom and dad, and girlfriend on my cell phone and tokl them we made it,” Gutierrez said.“My head started to hurt and I felt nauseous from the altitude.” Gutierrez said the trio remained at the summit for about 20 minutes before descending the peak.“It took about two hours to get back to the camp, and another four hours back to the starting point,” he said. .♦ ,And, the trio agreed, this was an adventure they won’t soon forget “I plan to do it again someday,” Gutierrez said. “It was a good experience.”Prado and Chewning echoed that sentiment.“It was fun,” they said in unison. “It was great being at the top — the top of the world,” Prado said.“Well, the top of the country.” “We’ll do the top of the world next year,” Gutierrez said.“Skydiving!” Chewning exclaimed.The others agreed - the adventure of choice for next year would be skydiving.
Newspaper Details
Shafter Press
Shafter, California, US
Wed, Aug 21, 1996
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USA 14 May 2019
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