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| Brandon Haynes & Marcy Sherwood |
On September 6th, Brandon Haynes Golf Course Superintendent for IGM at Bear Valley Springs summited Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the lower 48 states. At 14,505 feet, the peak is a prominent feature in the Sierra Nevada range.
This was Brandon's second attempt at the summit. During his previous attempt he and his climbing partners made it within two miles of the top and were forced to turn around due to inclement weather. "This year was about perfect weather for us and our successful climb" Brandon commented.
Brandon and five others in his group covered 22 miles in approximately 14 hours starting their trek at 3:00AM to reach the peak at the ideal time. "There is a section of 99 switch backs at 12,000 feet that leads to trail crest. It took us about 4 hours from the bottom of the switch backs to the summit."
Of the accomplishment, Brandon said "I am not going to lie, it was a strenuous hike and it took a lot of intestinal fortitude to make it the whole way". With his first summit of Mount Whitney under his belt Brandon plans to return to attempt the Mountaineers' route in the future.
Congratulations from the entire IGM Team!
