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First of all, I want to thank Hao, Su, Wei C., and Hua for organizing the trip and driving.
At about 10pm on May 11, we took off for Mount Whitney -- the highest point in the contiguous United States.
We arrived at Whitney Portal, which is 8,360ft (2,548m) above sea level, at about 3:30am on May 12.
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We packed food and gear up, put on hiking clothes, extended hiking poles, turned headlamps on, and then started hiking toward the summit (14,505ft or 4,421m).
It's silent and dark. The rhythmical sounds from our steps, our breath, and hiking poles hitting the rocks composed a special symphony. The crescent moon's light went through the clearance between two cliffs and, along with our headlamps, lightened the stage. What a wonderful concert!

At about 5:30am, we arrived at the Lone Pine Lake. The sun was waking up and opening his eyes.

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