After a nice warm night we were up about 5. Hot drinks at 5:30 followed by breakfast of bagels (warmed in butter over the stove), cream cheese, hazelnut butter & bacon. A good substantial breakfast to accomplish the 7-ish miles and 3200' to the pass - with full bear canisters once again. I think this was the driest morning for all my stuff - nothing was packed up wet today!
We started out following Bubbs Creek and in the trees, which was nice because it kept the temps cool on this beautiful sunny morning.
The climb to the pass was pretty tame. Not too steep, although lots of switchbacks. Very stark and rocky. Lots of work went into building this trail!
We have certainly met some interesting characters on the trail................
The climb continues.........
Our last stop before the pass was about 1000' below the top, at a pretty little lake where we could top up water bottles.
Forester Pass (13,200') is actually quite small - just a notch, really. Lots of people up there, including our smiling guide, Alex. We were up there by about noon. Beautiful views both ways, including more lakes ahead. Forester Pass is the boundary between Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park.
Hard to believe there are flowers thriving in this harsh environment - skypilot.
And wildlife - a curious marmot, undoubtedly looking for snacks.
Time to head down.............
A nice long lunch stop at this little lake. Even time for a nap.............
The journey continues...........
Our first glimpse of Mount Whitney - the highest point in the contiguous US and our objective 2 days hence. In the two pictures below it is the sloped ridge in the middle in the background. It is not a classic standalone mountain; just a high point on a ridge. Apparently it is only 5 feet higher than the second highest "mountain" - Mount Muir, which is another point on the same ridge.
A beautiful but desolate day. We didn't see our first tree again until about 4PM. It's not hard to imagine that Death Valley is probably no further than 100 miles to the east.
Our camp tonight is near the Tyndall Creek Ranger Cabin. Apparently the ranger says the forecast is for "monsoonal" rain on Thursday afternoon (our Mount Whitney day) - yikes! But - still a clear sky tonight and the moon is almost full - really bright and beautiful!
Stats for the day: about 14 miles, 4140 feet up, 3260 feet down. Elevation at camp about 10,900'.
No comments:
Post a Comment