A year ago in July, a group of 15 hikers (mostly Palisadians) set out to climb Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the continental United States with an elevation of 14,505 feet. But as Palisadian Lynn Borland told the Palisadian-Post, things did not go according to plan. ’The first signal was our sighting of a weather front forming from the southwest as clouds were building and the temperature suddenly dropped to a point that everyone put on another layer of clothes,’ Borland said. ‘Then, a massive and unpredicted storm of terrifying close-range lightning, pelting rain, pea-sized hail, heavy winds and flooding suddenly blew in. ’The creeks turned into raging mountain rivers and trails turned into raging creeks. Many people had to abandon trails and debris was cascading down the hills.’ These treacherous conditions forced the Palisades-based group to turn around and abandon their quest for the summit, while fellow groups needed search-and-rescue teams to bring them to safety. Team leader Jimmy Klein, who had organized the climb as a way to celebrate his 40th birthday, ‘wasn’t going to let the mountain beat him down,’ Borland said, and he quickly canvassed the group to see who wanted to try again in 2012. All 14 members said they were on board. For Klein and fellow Palisadians Borland, Bob Klein, Patrick Klein, Kristin Klein Keefe, Adam Keefe, Peter Hogan, Brett Brewer, Chris Francis, Mike Gallagher, Thomas Hathaway, Monica Kennedy and Joe Kennedy, as well as non-Palisadians Dennis Brewer and Dennis Kristan, their redemption came on August 18. This time, the group decided to climb Mount Whitney in one day rather than two, leaving the portal at around 2:30 a.m. The hike itself is 11 miles each way from the trailhead up to the peak, something that requires rigorous training, especially given the steep climb and unforgiving altitude. Everyone in the group exercises regularly as part of their lifestyle and would be considered well above average in terms of their level of fitness. ‘The uphill segment does get increasingly more difficult due to the elevation change and steepness of the incline,’ Borland said. ‘The primary incentive to fend off tiredness is dictated by the necessity of getting off the ridge line called ‘Trail Crest’ before noon because this is when lightning storms begin and their main target is the unexposed ridge line.’ ‘We had done everything to give ourselves the best chance we could both times but the person that truly rules is Mother Nature,’ Jimmy Klein said. ‘She gave us absolutely no shot of making the summit the first year, but she gave us some nice weather this year. It reminds you what the possibilities are and who’s in charge. You’ve got to be prepared for unexpected things to happen.’ When the group reached the top this time around at about 10:30 a.m., there was little time for celebration, however, because another weather system was approaching and they didn’t want to take any chances. Fortunately, this so-called storm lasted only about 90 minutes with no heavy winds or lightning. At the top, though admiration time was short, everyone was impressed with the beautiful views of spectacular alpine lakes, granite cathedral-like cliffs that rise up to 14,000 feet, views looking to the east over Sequoia National Park, the Great Western Divide mountain range to the west, and scary drop-offs that plunge about 2,000 feet straight down. Bob Klein, a lifelong Palisadian who played in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers, said he preferred to do the early part of the hike in the dark because it masked the fact that he was hiking the tallest summit in the country. ‘In the dark it’s not such a bad thing to hike,’ Klein said. ‘The more you hike in the dark the better it is because in the daylight you wonder how the heck you’re ever going to get up all those massive peaks.’ As is always a risk, Kristin Klein Keefe (Bob’s daughter) suffered from altitude sickness and didn’t appear likely to summit, but she managed to pull through. She had to overcome the fact that as she discovered last year, she’s allergic to Diamox, the medication that most of the group was taking to prevent altitude sickness. But such is the determination needed to summit Mount Whitney. Fortunately, Kristin’s bout with the altitude was about the only setback for the group. For Borland, who at 70 was the oldest member in the group, the climb has become old hat; this was his seventh time reaching the peak. ‘I think I’m going to hang up my spurs,’ he said. ‘Seven out of eight times, that’s enough.’ Bob Klein, 65, said that as far as his training for Mount Whitney, his most rigorous test prior had been Cactus to the Clouds, from the base of Palm Springs to Mount San Jacinto peak (elevation 10,834 feet). Klein played for 11 years in the NFL as a tight end, eight with the Rams (1969-76) and three with the Chargers (77-79). He married his wife, Jo Ann, 43 years ago after the two met in the first grade at Corpus Christi, where their three children all attended school. Never one to stray far from the Palisades, Klein remained a Palisadian all the way through his pro career, even during his three seasons with the Chargers. ‘Even when I was in San Diego, I commuted daily to San Diego for practice,’ Klein recalled. ‘It was 135 miles from the Palisades to the stadium in Mission Valley. You could set cruise control, leave from the Palisades at 7:30 and be at the stadium by 10.’ Jimmy Klein, also a sports star, played football and volleyball at Stanford University after graduating from Loyola High School. He now works at Morgan Stanley in a private wealth management group.’
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