I have been talking about it forever and now is the time! I am currently in the Sierra Nevada to climb the East Face of Mount Whitney, 14,505ft.

I have already climbed the Mt Whitney Mountaineer’s Route with my hubby (never did the easy trail to the top, though I do hear it is beautiful!). But this time, I want to try to apply the rock climbing techniques I have learned with Dan and Viren, and go via the East Face (so, expect ropes, carabineers, chalk, and climbing shoes). This last part of the ascent has been said to take anywhere from 4 to 10 hours – depending on who I talk to! That’s either because people think I am very slow, or, more likely, because there are several different routes to the top once you are on the East Face.

I will most likely not be connected online while climbing, however, I am happy to share my GPS tracking map since I always carry my beloved Delorme inReach device with me. On top of creating these cool maps on which you can track me, the device also has a very useful and potential life-saving feature called SOS. Whatever happens to you – you get stuck, ill, injured, etc., you press the SOS button and somehow they come and rescue you ;).

Click on the map to follow my progress on Mount Whitney!

The direct link is: https://share.garmin.com/ValerieOrsoni

Of course you can send me support messages via the map (on the left side). I won’t be able to respond because the GPS device is not really meant for that (it takes anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes to receive or send a message depending on the satellite position), but I will be able to read your messages…and I must say that last time they really warmed my heart!

I am also posting photos and stories on Instagram @valerieorsoni, so follow me!

PS: Following your questions and requests, I am confirming that I will not vlog my Mount Whitney ascent for two reasons. The first, and the most important, is that I climb to see the world – not to be seen by the world. So yes, I take time to take great photos, but I don’t want to sacrifice intense moments by putting a lens between the world and myself, stopping every single minute to film or take a 3rd photo of the same landscape. I want to live the ascent in the now, not by proxy. The second reason is that I am not a professional YouTuber, I don’t know how to do this well, and last time I tried to produce blogs and other YouTube creations, they flopped! I believe it’s because you prefer to see my adventures live vs. edited!