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Craig Makes It!

4/28/2014

Without a lot of fanfare, it appears that our friend, Craig Jolly, has made it to the top of Mt. Whitney, CA.

I'm assuming he posted his latest set of stunning photos from atop the mountain…but perhaps he's already back down.

In any case, it's a huge relief to his fans and family, and to Craig I'm sure, to have reached this goal.

For new readers to this blog, you should know that Craig left Mt. Mitchell, NC in July 2012 and has been California bound ever since. His goal was to hike from Mt. Mitchell (highest mountain in the Eastern US) to the highest mountain in the Western US (lower 48).

Congratulations Craig!

By the way, many of my students keep asking me if he's planning on walking back!

Check out Craig's latest set of photos here.

Click to read about the Summit Building on Mt. Whitney.

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87 Pound Pack and a 14,505 feet mountain...

4/22/2014

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Bob Rockwell, a hiker on the Mt. Whitney trail made the following comment yesterday regarding Craig's progress.

Craig is alive and well part way up Mt. Whitney. I met him yesterday afternoon (Easter--April 20) on the main trail at around the 10,000' level. He told me his pack weighed 87 lb because he was going to be up there a week and wanted to make sure he had everything he needed.

Craig Jolly was a MTA staffer in 2009. We've been following his amazing journey of his walk across America that started on Mt. Mitchell, NC in July 2012 toward a goal of reaching Mt. Whitney, CA.

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On the Trail to Mt. Whitney…almost there!

4/16/2014

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Craig Jolly, MTA staffer on the 2009 Europe trip, should be on his final leg of his cross-country walking journey.

I received a rare email from Craig yesterday and I'm sharing it with you.

Here goes:

"As you figured out, I've been here in Lone Pine since late last week, staying at the hostel and waiting for my winter gear to arrive from the East coast. Now it's here and packed, along with ten days of food, ready for my departure tomorrow morning for the final leg. 23 miles and 11,000' up from here! And then, of course, getting back down! At which point I suspect I will be more than ready for that cold beer. Or two or three!

About fifty mountain miles round trip, so...I'm figuring 7-10 days, just to be safe. Still snow up there, and it's a damned heavy pack, what with snowshoes and plastic boots and crampons and winter bag and all that! Not to mention the effects of altitude, which I haven't been at for awhile. At this point, discretion is the better part of valor, so...I'm not going to rush!"

And that's the report from Craig. Many of you have been following his adventure via his blog at www.bluemountainswalking.com or have gotten your Craig Jolly news here.

Why not help Craig celebrate this incredible journey by making a donation via his PayPal "support me" link. He would be mad if he knew I was promoting this, but I've sent a small donation for some good cold beer when he gets back down. You might think of other ways to support him. If you're so inclined, click on the link to his blog and look for the PayPal "donate" button. I'm sure you'll make his day!

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Craig Jolly is oh so close!

4/13/2014

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Former MTA staffer Craig Jolly is so close to his goal. If you're seeing this blog for the first time you should know that Craig left Mt. Mitchell (North Carolina), the highest point in the Eastern United States and started walking toward Mt. Whitney (California), the highest point in the lower 48 states. His first step was taken in July 2012 and now, thousands of miles, later…he's almost there.

Craig's last set of photos posted on his blog show that he's made it to Lone Pine, California. As I've mentioned in past posts about Craig's adventure, he's a man of little words. So I did a little research and learned that Lone Pine is about 13 miles to the trailhead for one approach using the Mt. Whitney Trail.

Craig will have to have a permit to make his assault and only so many are available on any given day. The web says that most people do this as an overnight trip though a few do it as one long day. Either one day or two…it's still no easy trek.

Best wishes Craig as you make that climb!

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Craig Makes It!

87 Pound Pack and a 14,505 feet mountain...

On the Trail to Mt. Whitney…almost there!

Craig Jolly is oh so close!

Mark Levin

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