Day 34 - Arriving to Escalante

Escalante was the last unmapped region of the lower 48 because of its remoteness and difficult terrain-- making it an ideal training ground for a backpacking guided 5-day training course. Just northeast of Grand Canyon, Escalante is as known as Grand Staircase for its colorful geological layers.

I arrived to Escalante by 9am, did some email and blog updating, and set off for a small hike up Lower Calf Creek falls to test out my new shoes.

The drive to Calf Creek was stunningly gorgeous and gave me a chance to survey the area I would be backpacking in.

The hike to the falls was sandy, easy and packed with people. There are very few official trails in Escalante so this one is popular. And deservingly so. The falls were set in a shady corner and the mist made the falls chilly and refreshing.

On the trail back I gazed at the three warrior petroglyphs across the canyon and was immediately transferred in my mind to the times of the Indians of a thousand years ago-- defending their farms and homesteads from other tribes and living amid such towering colorful canyons. I took a pic on the way out overlooking the canyons and Cottonwood trees lining the creek.

I drove the highway 12 scenic road to Boulder in search of a place to shower and eat dinner. The vistas along the road were sensational as the road ran impossibly steep ridges seemingly hanging from the sky above. Boulder town was small so I drove back to Escalante, got an RV spot with wifi and showers, cleaned up, packed up my gear for tomorrow's hike and went to bed. Tomorrow I would enter the wilderness for five days.

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Day 171 - JMT Guitar Lake

Wow, was it cold this morning. After waking up and eating breakfast, we packed up quickly and found this scenic sunspot to warm our bones. We had a short eight mile hike to Guitar Lake today, the last viable campsite before the five mile hike to the 14,505 foot-high Mount Whitney summit. We stopped at this lovely meadow and looked for bears. We only saw deer but were able to enjoy the incredible peace of the far mountain range. Steady hiker traffic, the most of the entire trip, including one group of twelve elder hikers, passed us as we rested, and jumped! Views of Mount Whitney finally came into view at Timberline Lake, a quaint lake where camping was unfortunately forbidden. We passed a group of twenty Taiwanese hikers. The summit of Mount Whitney looked heavily defended when viewed from below. We were going to wake up tomorrow at 230am and hike up to the summit for sunrise-on-the-top-of-the-world*. The thought of this dark task was a bit foreboding. We made it to Guitar Lake by

Day 172 - JMT Mount Whitney

Our day began in silence, at 315am in pursuit of the summit. We walked carefully, looking for slick, sandy rocks and icy sections--not wanting to fall. Hiking along a cliff edge in total darkness was thrilling, vividly black and white. By 5am, we had reached the three mile marker and the turnoff up to Whitney summit. We removed the heavy items from our bags and set off towards the summit sunrise. The trail was spectacular, a special creation of this nation, winding from one side of the mountain to the other, going down and around one side before coming up to another, creating anticipation with each turn. Looking back, the sloping ridges caught the early sunset delicately. As we hiked along the two mile upper trail, the views east would open up for the narrowest of moments. This opening was my favorite. 14,000 foot cathedrals of nature thrusted towards the heavens at each turn. The summit was almost in sight, the highest peak in the lower 48 states nearly attained, the end of our 2

Day 170 - JMT Forrester Pass

The mountains had a surreal glow this morning as we climbed up towards the 13,200 foot high Forrester Pass. One of the wonderful things about the mountains is that they change appearance as the sun changes height, creating a movie-like experience as you walk. I felt so free and happy this morning--just in love with this light. After sixty minutes of walking, we stopped in the first sunny spot we could find to thaw out and rest. Another hiker came bustling up the trail behind us and stopped at the sunspot to shed a layer of clothing. Sly was a Canadian hiker, just turned 40, who seemed happy to see us. We struck up a conversation about travels and when we pushed off Sly asked if he could join us. We said yes of course. We hiked quickly up the trail, reaching a high plateau with epic alpine views. Selfie time! We skirted around a high alpine lake and then went up a ridge line ever further higher. We were at 12,000+ feet now and the world began to look small yet vast.

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