Mount Whitney’s distinction as the highest peak in the contiguous states draws hikers and mountaineers from around the world who seek the challenge of climbing to the top of California. At the southern end of the majestic Sierra Nevada range, Mount Whitney’s granite peak rises 14,505 feet above sea level. John Muir made the first ascent of what is now known as the Mountaineer’s Route on the eastern side of Mount Whitney in 1873. When he returned with companions two years later, he took a different route but was no less impressed by the mountain: “We left the summit about noon and swooped to the torrid plains before sundown, as if dropping out of the sky.”