In the Sierra I go

When leaving Kenndey Meadows, we feel renewed and excited to start entering the flesh and potatoes of the Sierra. We plan a few days of low mileage to take ourselves to the Cottonwood Pass area for 4 days of walking to be collected for July 4. Every year we spent the room in Bridgeport with my partner’s father, being just a few hours on highway 395, he felt too well to let him pass. In addition, our sweet puppy, Bonnie, was stopped leaving, so we also wanted to be there for her, of course.

Kennedy Meadows A Cottonwood Pass

Each mile was bringing us closer to the true ‘high Sierra’, the views become more fantastic and the elevation rise. We enter the camp area in Horseshoe Meadows at the bottom of Cottonwood Pass just in time to put our store before it rolls a storm. Between the collapse for me. I don’t like thunder and rays. The thunderstorms are one of the few things in the field that scare me absolutely. Our Boy Scouts troop of our hometown had a fatal lighting accident 20 years ago in the area of the Crabtree Meadows, Whitney area, one of the victims as the brother of our dear friend, so this is always at the bottom of my mind when thunder and lightning appear. You can’t control lightning! The storm was quite directly on top, but fortunately it moved quickly, and so my tears were of short duration.

The next morning, my partner’s father arrived to take us to Bridgeport for 3 zero days. When we arrived on the path 3 days later, our plan was to get to Kearsarge Pass, and walk to Mount Whitney in 4 days. Then replenish in the Onion Valley.

Cottonwood Pass to Kearsarge Pass

The first day of return on the path began slow for me. Although we spent the night to almost 10,000 feet, I still felt the altitude walking again Cottonwood Pass. My period was also making an appearance, and I definitely feel a lower energy at this time of the month. Regardless of whether we still get to the Crabtree Meadows area for the camp, after dusk. The next morning, it started a little more slow for us, and we moved our camp near the ranger station, where our PCT permit allowed us to camp. We set our base camp and head to walk to Mount Whitney. The prognosis was clear, so we feel sure that our ascent was safely, even with a later beginning.

Monte Whitney

Let me say that Mount Whitney kicked my ass. I thought that with a lighter package it would not be a problem, but climbing 2 hours more than we project. The positive side, we totally enjoy the summit. We had crystalline views and bright blue skies. We also learned that we are not people ‘mountaineer’. Nobody of us really likes heights, and there are some inducing moments of vertigo throughout Whitney’s rise. Of course, falling, although he did not take so long to climb, he still took a long time. We arrived at the camp around 9 and we still needed dinner. UPS! However, a successful day. We invent it safely, and we do not captivate ourselves. That is a victory.

Bighorn Plateau

After 2 exhausting and long days, we let ourselves sleep late and did not leave the camp until about 11 in the morning. They pocketed us. Ian had a headache due to Whitney’s elevation, so we took it easy. However, the highlight of this day was Bighorn Plateau. The panoramic views of the high Sierra were simply impressive. We both find ourselves a little drowned, only amazed. We decided to call it the Tyndall Creek area. This was the last really good camp before the Forester pass, and we were not eager to sleep more than 10,000 feet of elevation. Tomorrow it would mean a longer day, but we also had a small backup meal just in case.

Forest pass

We had an early start to give us the time we needed to overcome Forester and, hopefully, Kearsarge on the same day. That morning we were the first people who headed north to reach the base of the pass, we stopped at bars and cream cheese before our ascent. I had been really nervous about this pass. He had just seen and listening a lot about it! The previous day in Bighorn, we thought we were looking directly at Forester (which seemed to be a reasonable chair to cross), but, of course, we were corrected while we turned to the valley and looked directly at a granite wall. Oh! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! I had to laugh because it seemed the most ridiculous route to take care of a mountain. Leaving aside, the construction of the path of this pass is incredible. Being the second week of July, we were blessed without snow on the southern face, the side that usually has an unpleasant cornice. But Wow, you are up at the top!

On our way down we stopped in Charled with a hiker who approached while we ate our Bars. Once we talked, we realized that we went to the same University and School of Nursing in Oregon, and she had just finished a travel job where she worked with someone else we know, and had just spent on July 4. A small connection of the lovely world!

Kearsarge Pass

We walked the rest of the day with our new friend Meghan, who was out during a one -week solo trip. The miles flew, and it was time to separate us at the Kearsarge crossing. We were determined to overcome the step. The mileage of the Ceber Valley camp was misleading, since each source said something different. We knew it was between 6 and 9 miles basically. I think they are 7.5 miles officially. The miles to the pass are impressive. Lakes and granite mountains that rise. I just wanted to stay, but I knew there were good things waiting for the pass for us. Once we got to the pass and start our descent, we found some hikers who confirmed that Ian’s father was in the parking lot with the dogs and cold beer. We gather our diminishing energy and try to hurry. It was becoming evident that we would not get there until dusk. But we succeeded, 20 miles and 2 high passes later. Yee Haw.

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