Holy cow...just holy cow. It is really hard to describe how amazing the high sierras are. Every day since I left Kennedy Meadows I have been blown away with spectacular views. Each morning I wake up to some magnificent cliff overhead and in a pristine alpine forest. I have attempted to take photos to share but I already know that A) my dinky little camera won't do them justice and B) photos can't capture feeling of being out here.
Well for this leg of the journey hikers have one of two options. They can either spend five-six days in the back country, hike/hitch to a town and then spend another five-six days in the back country. The other option is to do one big strait shot of 11 days to Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR) and resupply there. Since I have never done a super long stint in the back country before I opted for option two. Not to mention that there isn't a better place to hang out in the wilderness than when hiking through a national park.
As of right now I am in Kings Canyon National Park just after Mather pass. In the sierras you basically hike through one valley climb over a pass, and then hike through the next. Thus far I have done four, Forester (the highest part of the PCT at 13,200ft), Glenn pass, Pincho pass, and Mather. Each one is a heck of a climb and the elevation isn't helping, but the views are in incredible. My favorite part is each time you come to a pass all you see is cliff face all around you. It always seems like the trail is impassable right until you arrive at the start of the climb. Forester was my favorite because it really looked like a dead end.
Lastly I have to admit that I am now apart of the 14,000ft high club. I took a zero day at Crab Tree meadows so that I could summit Mt. Whitney. At about 14,500ft it is the highest peak in the lower 48. Jugs and I left at 12:30 am in order to see the sunrise and man was it worth it. I will upload photos and the video I took when I can. Banana Pants (another hiker) also took photos and his camera is way better than mine, so I will try to get those as well.
Well I have more pressing needs right now like enjoying some epic scenery, so until next time.
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