From Cottonwood Campground to Kearsarge Pass, we had no cell phone signal for almost six days. I hadn’t even realized that I had been so long since I talked to some friends until the morning that we started walking towards the city. It is surprising how little you really need your phone and even forget to look at it when it immerses itself in the desert.
We return to Cottonwood camp around lunch time and decided to eat there and then start walking. We chose to make a shorter day since it is always harder for us to walk after a day off! Why is that!?
There is a lake in the mountains called Chicken Spring Lake, which is a popular camp place, so we put our eyes on that. It was a climb to get out of Cottonwood, but it was so beautiful. There are parts of the path that have stairs made of rocks and rock walls. I find it very interesting to find these areas in the middle of nowhere, knowing that someone walked there just to put so much work on the road!
We arrive at the lake and all I can say is wow. You see on some rocks and there it is. A snow -made lake melts and part of the clearest water you have ever seen. Until now it has been too cold for children to swim, but they hope that while the season is heated, they can jump!
The next day, we walk, admiring the new beauty of the Sierra and camping by another area with water. After the dry desert, being close to so much water is incredible.
We were received by our first rangers that was very kind. He didn’t ask to see our PCT permits, but I printed about six copies if he ever asked. 
A Summit Whitney or not Summit Whitney
I was quite inflexible about Whitney’s invention for weeks. Of course we would do it, it’s right there! The highest peak in the lower 48 sounds like an explosion. But like The miles approached Whitney, I started playing with my decision to go up.
I worried the possible altitude evil with children and comments about snow and conditions were everywhere. Nor did I want to start up and have to turn and waste miles that could walk along the PCT.
I spoke with Zach and we decided to jump it potentially. However, a few hours after that, we talked to so many hikers who asked us if we were walking on Whitney and people pumped and excited him, so we changed our decision once again.
We think we would not be in this area again, so why not while we are there?
We walked to the base camp and set the camp, planning to get up around 3 in the next morning, and most of the other hikers got up around 1 in the morning.
During the night my thoughts began to change. It was cold.
My 3rd woke up twice at night with nightmares. This never happens, so it was strange, but she was acting awake and scared. He broke my heart to see her like this and knew that there was no way he was willing to wake her up in a few hours to walk a cold mountain in the dark. In the morning, I was happy with our final choice not to get on the mountain, but after talking with others that day, I am so happy that we did not. A person declared that he had never been colder in his life and fearful of hypothermia. I do not use my garmin much for the weather, but it was 15F and approximately -10 ° C in the peak. The children would have been miserable and a repetition of San Jacinto.
Whitney, maybe we’ll see you again once children are older.
Water cross in abundance!
Water crosses are inevitable in Sierra.
Water in most crosses has been fast but higher above the knee. Some of them are configured with records or can walk upstream to where it has a less violent current. We have taken the children or we have helped them cross. My eldest son has been very useful to help his younger brothers! I was really nervous about crosses and I’m sure we have more intense, but so far they are a bit fun and help break regular hiking.
Forester!
Forester is always a big issue, since it is the highest point of the PCT, with its peak reaching 13,200 feet high. The comments for the conditions also vary, but it was not very worried about reviewing this pass. The walk was a gradual up, so it was not so bad to start our day.
With a snow landscape, streams and mountains, it almost seemed that we were in another place in the world.
Once we reached the approach, things got more steep.
Personally, as someone is not a complete fan of going uphill, I prefer to go here. The path was close to the limit and with the elevation makes you feel like a bad total A. Fortunately, it was mostly snow -free and we did not need our crampons for this part. The children climbed perfectly and rested a little at the top before going down.
The north side was full of snow, but only for the decent beginning.
My 3rd was a little nervous about the holes in Melt’s snow, since some were as deep as high, so we held his hand and helped her where the snow cleared. Many people walk early to avoid snow aquanieve, while we don’t reach the top until lunchtime. Fortunately, the day was cloudy and cold, so the sun was not doing its usual work with snow that allowed an easier time. We carried our crampons here to help with the slide, but we saw that some went completely without it.
The walk to the valley is simply incredible. Completely surrounded by mountains, small streams and even some waterfalls.
This was the point where we felt more sections but also in peace.
We walk almost 8 miles on the path on another pass with an elevation of more than 11,000 feet only to be collected and taken to the city to replenish.
We leave again for a stretch of 115 miles and we will be without service for that period of time. I am almost stunned with emotion about it.
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