The Start of the Sierras

Back on Trail 

After enjoying two days of rest in Kennedy Meadows it was time to start the next section of our hike, the Sierra Nevada range. This means I needed to add a new addition to my pack… a bear can! After attempting (and failing) to fit 7 days worth of food in the can, it was time to get back on trail. We left in the afternoon and hiked as dusk brought orange hues over the sky. We camped on the South Fork Kern River that evening.

A New Environment 

The following day we hiked into the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park (our first national park on trail!) This new environment brought views of granite mountains, alpine lakes, and old growth forests. We also had a little visitor during a morning break. A small (and very curious) black bear peaked his head over a fallen down log. We yelled “HEY BEAR” but he didn’t seem to mind. We had to pack up and find a new break spot without a furry friend. Every mile got me closer to some of the biggest milestones on the trail. I could feel the anticipation looming as we approached Mt. Whitney.

Summit of Dreams

We arrived at the Crabtree Ranger station to set up camp before our ascent. I set my alarm for 12:00am to prepare for a sunrise summit and that afternoon I napped and dreamt about what challenges may lie ahead. This was the beginning of our big climbs, starting with the biggest. Mt. Whitney sits at 14,505 feet making it the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. As I dazed in and out of sleep that night, I awoke with a palpable energy to get up the mountain. Our red lights guided us as we made our way up the nearly 100 switchbacks to the summit. The darkness made the hike up very ominous, as I wasn’t able to see the steep cliffs to my side. After some hours of climbing, we made it to the summit around 4:30am, just in time to watch the sky come alive. All around us the neighboring mountains glowed in the dawn light. This was the tallest mountain I’ve climbed and I felt eternally grateful to experience the beauty of this range. The descent brought to life all the views we weren’t able to see on our way up and I was amazed by the jagged rock and steep drop offs. I was grateful to have my trail family along for this journey, and the rest of the passes to come. That same day we made our way to the base of Forester pass, the tallest point on the PCT at 13,200 feet.

Sunrise and Summit

We had an early start to the day as we approached Forester and were greeted by another sunrise with pink and orange tones. The snow was minimal on the way up and the early morning meant hard snow and no postholing. We made our way to the top of the pass and celebrated briefly before ascending down, this side of the pass being much more snow covered. Microspikes came in handy as I took caution with every step.

Weight in Pastries

That same day we also took on Kearsarge pass. This pass is an exit point to the town of Bishop, where we planned to stay to rest and recover. I was eager to make it into town and eat my weight in pastries at the Schat’s Bakery. I finally saw the parking lot from trail and essentially sprinted down the mountain with what energy I had left. After what felt like the longest two miles of my life, I made it to the trailhead and hitched a ride into town. It was now time to sleep in a real bed before tackling more passes in the Sierras.

See you back on trail,

Emma