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Sierra's 2017 - Part Two

My reading friend, as you enjoy my Sierra blog posts, by now I’m sure you get the impression that I’m obsessed with age. And maybe I am. Now that I’m on the north side of 60 honestly, I find it difficult to do what seemed so effortless just 10 years ago.

Committing to an annual Wilderness Mountain Adventure is my way of reminding myself that daily activity, regular exercise, stretching your imagination, proper diet, and a positive approach to living are what allow me to live life to the fullest. 

As Zig Ziglar would say, “You don’t pay the price for good health, you enjoy the benefits of good heath.” So, when I see someone older than me, (older than me, you understand, is 10-15 years my senior) engaged in the same challenging activities it gives me hope that you and I will be exploring life’s mysteries well into our 80s and beyond, God willing. So, let’s get to Part Two of this years adventure.

We left our heroes kicked back gazing into a starlit black velvet sky watching the Milky Way appear with millions of tiny twinkling lights above. The temperature was dropping quickly now.

“I’m turning in for the night.” Thinking, the warmest place for me right now was the comfort of my down sleeping bag, away from the wind, in my tent.

Those of you that know me well, know that I’m an early riser. About 4:45 am. I start pulling clothes into my sleeping bag to warm them before leaping into the morning frost. It was still dark, (about 36 degrees) the moon had risen in the east, illuminating the landscape, the skies crystal clear. You could see Orion's belt and a multitude of Constellations.

We have a tradition during these Mountain adventures. Our goal is to capture the golden glow of “first light” as it creeps down the peaks. In September, in California, this happens around 6:30 am. To my surprise, I watched daylight come without fire on the peaks. That’s odd, I thought. Looking at my Topo Map I realized that our campsite on Upper Lamarck Lake was nestled behind a much higher range of the Sierra’s and the Sun was still hidden behind that horizon.

So, I decided to carefully traverse the lake to another vantage point. For those not familiar with high elevation terrain, this means bounding between very large boulders, paying close attention to each step, or you  end up in a freezing cold lake. It was about 6:40 am, by then. So, when I stopped and looked up suddenly, very unexpectedly, the mountain began to glow! No creeping down the peaks, just POW there it was - Fantastic!

Now, the best part of having a base camp is exploring the Sierra’s without a 35-40 pound pack. It’s also a huge advantage when your backpacking partner is a seasoned Mountaineer and Geologist. So, with a small fanny pack, the 10 essentials, lunch, water, and our hiking poles we set off to explore an area North West of our camp, the Wonder Lakes (click the link to see Google maps location).

According to the map, this area was about one mile from our campsite, no problem, right . . . wrong. Day hikes are ‘off trail” adventures where very few venture. The challenge is to carefully pick your way UP and Down sheer cliffs; over huge boulders, getting trapped in a crevasse formed by an ancient glacier, working your way to a higher elevations, exploring verdant hidden meadows, and to our surprise discovering 10 beautifully hidden waterfalls not visible from the trails.

What an epic hike!

“Let’s go up just one more level,” Brendan would say after conquering a waterfall.

Apprehensively, “I don’t know, How do we get back to our camp from here, I’m exhausted?”

“No problem, we’ll drop down to Lower Lamarck Lake and take the trail back to our campsite.”

“Are you sure that’s the best way?”

Sounds easy enough, well, by the time we get back to camp it’s five hours later and my FitBit had recorded over seven miles of hiking. Needless to say I was beat.

Well, as you probably surmised by now we made it home. 

Today, as I reflect on this years Sierra adventure I’m reminded once again of natures potential; exquisite solitude, exhilarating experiences, a beautiful companion, the delight of discovery, yet contrast with the harsh reality of survival.

 As John Muir so eloquently stated, “Take a course in good water and air; and in the eternal youth of Nature you may renew your own. Go quietly, alone; no harm will befall you.”
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