June 7, Day 49: 750.8-766.3
Miles Hiked: 15.5
Gratitude of the Day: I’m thankful for green meadows with granite peaks as a backdrop
Woke up at Chicken Springs Lake with a calm and not too cold morning. Made breakfast in bed as the sun started hitting the peaks above the lake. By 6:25 I was packed up and headed down the trail. Today was a lot of down hill just to turn around and go all the way back up. The first 8.5 miles was primarily down losing 2000 feet. I took my time and even though I was losing elevation I was high enough that I needed to pressure breath (it’s a forced exhale breath to prevent CO2 retention).
All morning I walked in solitude just me and ancient bristlecone pines. I reached the water 8.5 miles later and it was absolutely beautiful. A small creek crossing and I sat down for the first time all day to eat a snack.
After about 15 minutes I was up and now heading uphill, the next 2.5 miles would nearly gain 2000 feet. It was a “put the head down” and go for it 2.5 miles, but I made it in what felt like no time. By 1pm I’d reach Crabtree Meadows and the Mt Whitney cut off 15.5 miles already for the day.
The reason I hoofed it today was I wanted to get to camp to relax as tomorrow (meaning 12am) I’m getting up early to hike up to summit Mt Whitney for a sunrise summit. By getting to camp early I was able to organize my bag for the things I want to take with me, eat and relax. Now it’s nap time for an early morning start time.
No comments:
Post a Comment