We climbed some pretty high passes, Forrester at 13,200ft, Mather was a b**** climbing 4000ft to 12,000ft on a really rocky trail in just a few miles. Mt Whitney is the very end of the whole JMT, it's the highest mountain in the continental US at 14,500ft. We got up at 2am, started walking at 3am, got to the peak at dawn, there was just 5 of us with the sun rising (it's complicated but we met 2 other guys who we hiked the 2nd week of the trail with, then my dad didnt come up to the top of Whitney as his headlamp broke that morning-but he's been up it 3 times before). I ran the last 2 miles up to the top for dawn and thought I was going to be sick or drown in my own sweat when I reached the top, then these guys who we'd been leap-frogging along the trail for the previous 2 days handed me some scotch (which they must have carried the whole way just for that moment) and I looked out at the view and it was the best feeling in the world. As soon as you reach the top everything immediately gets covered in a thin layer of frost and it is freezing so I put on about 5 layers and still thought I might get frost bite, and had a few more glugs of scotch, and watched the sun come up over the miles of mountains I had just passed over the last 2 weeks. You can sign a book in the hut at the top to record the fact that you've summited and so I signed to say id completed the JMT and achieved another one for the Stoke-on-Trent massive. We had the top of the mountain completely to ourselves for over an hour before anyone else started arriving. Best feeling ever.
As you start to descend you know you've got 11miles of steep descent with a pack on (mine and dad's still weighing 33-35lbs). It really is the longest 11 miles ever and the worst part of the whole trail. You don't want to eat or drink anything just knowing you've got a burger and a beer waiting for you at the bottom!! I just tried to run down as fast as I could.

The JMT- been dreaming of doing it for years, Ive succeeded in completing it finally. Enjoyed every minute of the wilderness. Met great people along the way. Never felt fitter. The most beautiful scenery. It was tough.....next time JMT plus some grade 3 scrambles?! Who's in?