Back to the Sierra

It’s been an interesting year for sure.  After taking time off for an overuse injury and avoiding fires and smoke, we are back south in the Sierra. Summertime is running out, so we obtained a local permit and started in Tuolumne to go south to Whitney. To be back in the Sierra is exciting! I love it here! We began our hike south through Lyell Canyon. The trail was flat, and we both felt good. After a couple miles we looked left into the meadow and spotted a bear! How lucky we are to see a bear! After a few more miles we began our climb toward Donahue Pass. I felt slow. I didn’t have much energy and I stopped often to catch my breath from the altitude. After about 10 miles we set up camp to climb the pass in the morning.

Over Donahue

In the morning we woke up, completed our morning routine and then began our climb over the pass. The step ups were hard on my aging body and the altitude made it hard to climb very fast. I should be in shape; I’ve hiked most of the summer. But I felt slow. After a few miles we made it to the pass and began our climb down to the valley. We hit some snow on the pass. It’s the end of August and there is still snow! Then we climbed up Island Pass and down to Thousand Island Lake, where we would camp for the night.

Reds Meadow

The following morning, we packed up and headed toward Reds Meadow. When we arrived, we inquired about a cabin. They had two left. So, we reserved one. We took showers, cleaned up our gear, charged our electronics, did laundry, bought a few things for resupply, and had a burger and some fresh fruit. Other JMT and PCT hikers were hanging around the picnic tables. We talked to them about their journey so far. It was fun talking to everyone.

Next up, Reds to VVR. Thanks for following along.