A = A brass USGS benchmark on the summit lists the elevation as 14,4(A)4 feet high and is the highest point in the contiguous, lower 48 states.
B = Mount Whitney Trail starts at Whitney Portal at 8,XY0 feet. B = X+Y.
C = First ascent by Charles Begole, A. H. Johnson, and John Luca on August (C)8, 1873.
D = Mt. Whitney has an elevation gain of (D),136 feet.
E = Mt. Whitney is only 8(E) miles from the Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the lower 48 states at 280 below sea-level.
F = Residents of Lone Pine financed the first trail to the summit, engineered by Gustave Marsh, and completed on July 22, 19(F)4.
N 38° 41.ABC / W 121° 11.DEF
You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.
Some other interesting facts about Mount Whitney:
A round trip up and down Mt. Whitney is over 21 miles.
A round trip up and down Mt. Whitney usually takes between 14 and 20 hours.
Mt. Whitney has two major trails, the heavily trafficked Mt. Whitney Trail and the more strenuous North Fork Trail.
Mt. Whitney has strict codes, quotas and permits for visitor use.
The closest town to Mt. Whitney is Lone Pine, California
Mt. Whitney’s most crowded in the summer, but hardy hikers also tackle it in the winter as well.
The 2 biggest pests hikers are likely to encounter are bears and marmots, both of which are enamored of human foods; it is illegal to feed Mt. Whitney’s animals.
A BIG THANK YOU for Team OV for moving her cache for this one.
As always… Enjoy.