Week 7: Big Rocks Wet Socks

This week marks the first official week of my time in the sierras. With roughly 18 thousand feet of elevation gain and 13 thousand feet of loss, this week i think had the most elevation change ive ever done in my life. Oofta. With all of that elevation change came some great views. I hiked this week with the same group of friends that i exited the desert with that way we could all summit mt whitney (highest point in the lower 48!!!) together and for someones birthday (trail name: lost and found). We started at different times on the actual summit push but the goal was to all be there for sunrise. As you can see in the pictures, we did in fact make it to the top :) woohoo!!! I recorded my hike up on strava and it said it took me 3 hours from where we had camped in crabtree meadows. Not actually in the meadow of course because that would be damaging to the plants. I really enjoy spending time at high elevation and in alpine environments. Very happy to have gotten to make the detour up to the top of mt whitney. The week did have some mixed feelings of course, i didnt feel as stoked to be in the sierras as people made it sound like i should be. Dont get me wrong, the views are fantastic, having alpine lakes to dip is quite fun and refreshing, and the abundant water makes for a much light pack than in the desert. Alas, i did enjoy this week and am very thankful to be out here. Im thankful for all of my family and friends who are reading this and/or texting me and tagging along with my journey. Its nice to feel all of your support, curiosity, and excitement for this thru-hike. Much love.