The first good shot of Whitney is taken along the road from Lone Pine, CA toward Whitney Portal.  Whitney peak is pictured in the right center, framed from below by a pass through the near mountain range.  No photo-retouching has been done.  The sky is really this blue!

Whitney Portal is the usual takeoff point for day hiking to the peak.  Our plan this trip is to end our 6-day hike at the Portal.  One car will be dropped off at the Portal some 10 miles ahead of where this photo was taken.  The other vehicles will make their way south along the mountain range (left) to Cottonwood and the trailhead.

What a great way to start a hike, first a view of the main objective, then a scenic drive to the trailhead!