July 21st - August 12th, 2016.
This hike was perhaps my favourite hike of all time. There are many hikes which I have enjoyed - all for different reasons - but this had the variety, the challenge, beautiful new friends and epic scenery!
We hiked for 21 days from Happy Isles (Yosemite NP) to Mt Whitney/Whitney Portal. We walked through 5 different national parks during the 3 weeks hiking. Evolution Valley has to be my favourite. Although, Lower Cathedral Lakes was also a highlight. Hang on, let's be honest...the list goes on. Mt Whitney...oh wow. It was bloody freezing but so gorgeously stunning!...taking off from camp around 4am to sit on top of the world for sunrise.
The food was my biggest challenge. Not handling the prep as much as I normally would & doing one large 10 day order online (which I could have doubled due to not knowing the products) made what I was eating unknown. I was hungry most of the time in the second half of the trip. But hey, I survived and also found food 3 days out from finishing...which boosted the moral of the whole group. Tortillas and peanut butter never tasted sooooo good! A couple of clean dehydrated brands I liked were Good To Go from Maine & Mary Jane's Organic (but the servings were untrue...2 servings = 1 meal). I would also look into Outdoor Herbivore - vegan selection. A friend on the trail had some great meals of theirs.
My pack weight varied being 20kg at it's heaviest (the only time I got to weigh it)...& the mountains varied...& my energy levels varied due to hunger... This made the trip interesting as no 2 days were the same. The days were really hot and the nights (in the second half) were really cold. I could have done with a puffer jacket (only had a puffer vest) and a better sleeping bag. But again, I survived...I just lay awake waiting for morning sometimes :)
There were endless lakes and oodles of fresh water streams, so fresh clean drinking water was plentiful. We only had to carry 2litres at a time. We bathed every day but it was bloody cold most afternoons. Occasionally we would stop half way and have a dip before lunch or morning tea :)
My 2 days in San Fran at the end were excellent!...amazing Ethiopian food, Nepalese food, second hand clothes store (which were epic!) & a juice bar...just topped it all off :) I loved catching up with Hayley in San Fran to reminisce about our time on the trail with the other amigos (Hector, Justin, Sarah, Paige & Ian) ...I couldn't have asked for a more relaxed crew.
Here are some pics.
This hike was perhaps my favourite hike of all time. There are many hikes which I have enjoyed - all for different reasons - but this had the variety, the challenge, beautiful new friends and epic scenery!
We hiked for 21 days from Happy Isles (Yosemite NP) to Mt Whitney/Whitney Portal. We walked through 5 different national parks during the 3 weeks hiking. Evolution Valley has to be my favourite. Although, Lower Cathedral Lakes was also a highlight. Hang on, let's be honest...the list goes on. Mt Whitney...oh wow. It was bloody freezing but so gorgeously stunning!...taking off from camp around 4am to sit on top of the world for sunrise.
The food was my biggest challenge. Not handling the prep as much as I normally would & doing one large 10 day order online (which I could have doubled due to not knowing the products) made what I was eating unknown. I was hungry most of the time in the second half of the trip. But hey, I survived and also found food 3 days out from finishing...which boosted the moral of the whole group. Tortillas and peanut butter never tasted sooooo good! A couple of clean dehydrated brands I liked were Good To Go from Maine & Mary Jane's Organic (but the servings were untrue...2 servings = 1 meal). I would also look into Outdoor Herbivore - vegan selection. A friend on the trail had some great meals of theirs.
My pack weight varied being 20kg at it's heaviest (the only time I got to weigh it)...& the mountains varied...& my energy levels varied due to hunger... This made the trip interesting as no 2 days were the same. The days were really hot and the nights (in the second half) were really cold. I could have done with a puffer jacket (only had a puffer vest) and a better sleeping bag. But again, I survived...I just lay awake waiting for morning sometimes :)
There were endless lakes and oodles of fresh water streams, so fresh clean drinking water was plentiful. We only had to carry 2litres at a time. We bathed every day but it was bloody cold most afternoons. Occasionally we would stop half way and have a dip before lunch or morning tea :)
My 2 days in San Fran at the end were excellent!...amazing Ethiopian food, Nepalese food, second hand clothes store (which were epic!) & a juice bar...just topped it all off :) I loved catching up with Hayley in San Fran to reminisce about our time on the trail with the other amigos (Hector, Justin, Sarah, Paige & Ian) ...I couldn't have asked for a more relaxed crew.
Here are some pics.
