We aren't big hikers, so our reasons for coming had little to do with the trailheads to the mountain. When my brothers and I were little, we went to Whitney Portal every summer to camp and fish. My father used to get us all set up with hooks and poles early in the morning, just at the perfect time to meet the stock truck. The back of the truck would open and a river of hungry trout would come rushing out, and three little nippers pulling fish out as fast as dad could get the hooks out of them. Camping at Whitney Portal has become much more regulated now, but it's even more beautiful than I remember. The altitude still makes me tired at first, but after a day or so, it wears off and it's easier to enjoy fishing and watching the chipmunks and seeing the stars twinkle in the crisp night air.

It's a bit more primitive than my favorite places to camp, but the beauty makes up for it. Not a fan of vault toilets, but that's how it goes.