Normally on the same week every year my 2 hiking buddies and I go to the High Sierra Camps in Yosemite and we do the 50 mile loop. The beauty there is awesome. However this year due the Rim Fire west of Yosemite, we had to cancel due to the smoke. With my buddies deciding to do other things, I had to decide what to do. So at the last minute I decided to go hike in the Sierras by myself since I had the week off from work.
Fortunately, my son decided to skip his classes and join me on a 4 day, 3 night adventure. On September 4-8 we enjoyed some pristine scenery and weather! This was my son's first real backpacking trip and I didn't really know how he would react to the altitude and the hike. He was a club soccer player for over 10yrs but has had no real physical activity in the last 2 years, but I figured he had youth on his side, so I was quite pleased he volunteered to go with me.
We acclimated at the Onion Valley Campground the first night. Altitude here is about 9100 ft. The next morning we ascended to the Kearsarge Pass at 11,760 ft. This part of the hike is all exposed to the sun with little tree cover so I was most worried about my son as I didn't know what kind of shape he was in. He did quite well with his 30lbs backpack and hiked slower and slower at the top as the lack of oxygen kicked in. My original plan was to hit Charlotte Lake on the other side of the JMT junction but I was flexible in that I knew I just wanted to get my son over the pass. He did quite well but was very tired. We stopped at the first lake (Kearsarge Lakes, 10,700ft) we came to and decided to call it a day. We camped here 2 nights. The next day we dropped our packs and made it down to the JMT junction and Charlotte Lake. We had a great time bonding together. Our time together is something I will always treasure.
What beauty. You can't imagine the scenery unless you have been there in person to see it yourself. Video won't do it justice. But if you want to watch our adventure, the link is below. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
After these 4 days we went home and I resupplied for another 3 days of backpacking and camping on Santa Catalina Island. More of that at a later time....
Link below if you want to watch it in Full HD
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/pfr...wsjGxVQ%26hd=1
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