The Sierras

Plans Change 

So I wasn’t actually planning on doing any of the Sierra Nevada. Mainly because I didn’t have the money for a plane ticket down. Thanks to my Aunt I was given a plane ticket to So Cal. Shout out Hot Aunt Stephanie for the ticket, thank you so much.

Was It Worth It? 

Am I happy I came back to trail for a short “victory lap” through the Sierra. Absolutely, it was the best decision I could have made. I got to do 2 shorter sections of the PCT with my tramily and it was the best way to finish the trail.

My journey on the PCT felt incomplete ending without getting to hike in the Sierra. I had gotten to hike at least a little part of each section. So, it only felt natural for my hike to end in the Sierra.

High Passes 

We hit a few of the high passes, Kearsarge, Forester, Glen, and Sawmill passes. All are 11,000+ feet in elevation. Glenn had the most beautiful view. We could see many different lakes below, all a different shade of blue. Forester is and iconic pass on the PCT, and is the highest point on the PCT, so that was a very special moment.
Sawmill pass was an accident. A couple of us were sick and pushing further on trail to Mather and Pinchot pass wasn’t a good idea. So we decided to exit out Sawmill pass, and it was beautiful. Kearsarge pass was really nothing special to me. While it was pretty it couldn’t compare to Forester, Glen, or Sawmill.

Mt Whitney

This was our ending point for most of our tramily. We were nervous, excited, and a little sad as we went up the mountain. Knowing this 5 month adventure was coming to an end was hard.

As we began our accent up Whitney the dark blue clouds brewed in the distance. Skeptical we got to the junction where we took the left to head up Whitney. We got just about halfway up and the hail started coming down. We kept going agreeing if we heard thunder or saw lightning we would turn around. Shortly after this decision the clouds rumble, and the hail came down hard. So much for my Whitney summit.

We got down to the junction again, took our photos and headed down to the portal. Finishing our 2,650 mile trek from Mexico to Canada. 2,000 miles walked, and 650 miles driven, biked, and done via plane. It didn’t go the way I thought it would, but I’m happy I got to hike it with the people I did. In the end the people are all that mattered.