4 days in the high Sierra

I took a couple of days off and went backpacking with four teammates from SMR from Friday morning to Monday afternoon. It was fantastic to dig out all my old gear and get outdoors. I did an overnighter as part of a team training over the winter, but this was the first real backpacking trip since I finished the AT last year. We camped above 10,000 feet in elevation two of the 3 nights, and hiked over 11,000 feet the last two days. We also spent almost half the time navigating cross-country, with no trail underfoot, which was a new and exciting experience for me. The high Sierra is truly awe-inspiring. We saw more animals than people, and everybody had a great time notwithstanding the typical blisters and soreness. I felt surprisingly good, and didn't feel the need for any Vitamin I (ibuprofen =). Here's our trip in pics:


The first day out our destination was a ranger station and campsite just over 11 miles in. There are no roads anywhere around, and we learned that station is resupplied twice weekly by pack mule. We encountered the mule train on their way out from Bearpaw Meadow Ranger Station, and it felt like something right out of the 1800's. There were three cowboys, and each rode a horse and led anywhere from four to six mules behind. They pack in food, clean linens, and propane, and pack out trash, dirty linens, and empty propane cylinders. We were taking a break and getting water at a stream just out of the picture here when they came by.

Here are Kristi and Matthew somewhere along the High Sierra Trail. We didn't see many Giant Sequoia trees, but there was still an abundance of other mammoth pines and other trees.

On the trail to Elizabeth Pass.

I wore this hat every single day and still got toasted by the sun. For two days we were above tree line and there was basically no shade. The thin air at that elevation doesn't filter much of the sun's UV rays either, and it was all I could do to keep from burning. I've never used so much sunscreen!
The wildflowers were everywhere. I really should get a picture guide to Sierra wildflowers so I can start identifying them.

We came across this grove of gnarled and weather-beaten pines after we left the trail and started climbing cross-country to an alpine lake to camp for the night.

Navigating one of many talus fields we encountered. Can you spot four people in this picture? Click on this (or any other) pic to make it larger. Granite everywhere! I'm pretty sure there will never be a shortage of granite ever so if you're wanting to replace your counter top, go right ahead.

This is called alpenglow, and it's magnificent. Unfortunately another mountain was blocking most of the sun in this particular shot. I got better ones later.

Yeah baby!!! This was probably the highlight of the trip for me- jumping in a pristine alpine lake. The water is pure snowmelt, and it's a sight to see. You can see in the top of this pic that not all the snow has melted. Needless to say the water was cold. One of the guys had a waterproof watch with a thermometer and it registered the water temp at fifty-five degrees.

The water was so clear! I picked up a rock and threw it about 20 feet out in to the lake, and I could see exactly where it came to rest.

A cozy little campsite.

This was the lake we stayed at Sunday night- Moose Lake. Again, it's over 10,000' and no trails lead to it so it's really quiet. I put up my tarp just to get some shade from the baking afternoon sun. The Sierras are famous for exceptional weather. Temps during the day were in the 70's I believe, and dropping into the 40's at night. There were a few mosquitoes, but they were manageable.

Alpenglow as seen from Moose Lake.

Sunset over Moose Lake, Sequoia National Park.

I snapped this one from my sleeping bag early Monday morning. It was just starting to get light but the full moon was still clearly visible. The moon was full or almost full every night, and it was bright! With no trees around we could have easily hiked at night without artificial light. I never turned on my headlamp once the whole trip (granted we went to bed before dark and woke up after light every night, too! =)

Monday morning, sun coming up. Talk about blue...

Heading out. It was a lot of fun using map and compass, altimeters, and GPS to navigate. That's something I really didn't do at all on the AT.

Another alpine meadow with a cool reflection in the pond.

more wildflowers

Emerald Lake

The Watchtower Trail, on our way out. This one was really cool- it could have used a guardrail for sure. We dropped almost 4,000 feet to get back to the vehicles on Monday.

This was the first time I had been more than a day's hike from the main road through the Park, and also the first lakes I've seen in the park's backcountry. We measured bear tracks, yelled at inquisitive marmots, listened to coyotes howling, and admired lots of deer, including several magnificent bucks with antlers in velvet. I came home tired and stinky, but filled with wonder and awe at the majestic beauty of God's creation. If I were to lose my eyesight tomorrow I think I could still say that I've been blessed to see some amazing sights.