This weekend was a very compact with a lot of naps, time in the car, and my highest peak so far!
Friday evening I drove to Temecula to meet up with 5 others and start our trip. Thankfully, for this trip I was a passenger and didn't worry much about the logistics. We got all of our stuff in the truck and were off. I was pretty tired and took a few naps along the way. We made a couple stops and made it to a camping area in Alabama Hills area/Lone Pine a little before midnight. Most of us cowboy camped under the bright moon and stars. It was warm and just the right amount of wind to keep the bugs away. We were all up pretty early with the rising sun, packed up, and headed to breakfast in Lone Pine. We ate at Alabama Hills Cafe and it was delicious. Great way to start off the morning! We then drove to Grand View Campground to find our next site for the night. We got set up and had a few hours to kill because we didn't want to start hiking until about 2pm.
I read, took a nap, and ate some lunch. We all got ready and headed out. The drive to where we would start hiking was up a windy road that turned into an unpaved windy road. It took about an hour to get from the campsite to the gate where we started. It was pretty warm and we were pretty steady most of the climb. I was sure to drink a lot of water because I didn't want to get altitude sickness. I snacked along the way on Stinger Energy Chews and a kind bar. The trail was pretty easy however the altitude gets to you a bit and it's hard to breathe. We took a few short breaks and ate dinner around 5:30. I had a tortilla, hummus, tomato basil cheese, and pepperoni. It was pretty good and I needed something to get up the next big climb. It seems like the last 2 miles of the peaks always seem like the hardest. These two miles took about an hour and half. I did put on music for the last 20 minutes or so and that seemed to help. I got up there and Dan was already there. I could see his bright green shirt most of the time when we were going up and it was a nice to see where the switchbacks were going. There is also a building at the top so it was good to know that was the peak. I climbed on top of the roof to take some pictures. It was a really beautiful view. I was really happy with how well I did and how my body felt. I changed into my capri pants and had every other layer on and was getting cold. We waited for everyone to join us and hung out for almost an hour before heading back down. The way back wasn't too bad until it was completely dark. There were areas where it was really cold. The sky was so incredible. When we would stop and break, we would turn off our lights just stare at the stars. I don't know if I've ever seen the Milky Way so bright before and that was really awesome. I wish I had the ability to take a picture that would turn out. The road seemed to go on forever. I am not sure if it's because we couldn't see very far in front of us or because we were just tired. We had one more long climb before getting to the research center. We knew that meant only 2 more miles and all downhill. We made it back to the car drop our bags and got in the truck to try to get warm. We had to wait a little bit for the rest of the group to finish and then we're on our way down the bumpy road back to camp. I'm not really sure how but I fell asleep on the drive back. It’s pretty normal for me to be asleep in a car but was surprised with how bumpy it was!
When we got back to camp I heard some people talking about hanging out but I just went to my tent, cleaned up, put on sleep clothes, warm socks, and was done! I woke up a couple times once the sun came out but didn't hear anyone else so stayed in the tent a little longer. I eventually got up because I had to pee and was hungry! It was nice to have some luxuries car camping and enjoyed a peach for breakfast #1.
I packed up my stuff and as I was waiting for everyone asked how far of a drive the next place we were going was... Then was told it was a 4.5 mile hike. And it was already getting hot. I didn't realize we were hiking today and wasn't excited about it. We got all packed up and got to the visitor center about 9:45 (they open at 10). Chad & I were debating what to do and said we would go for a bit. I know the trail isn't long or anything compared to yesterday I just wasn't prepared for it mentally and didn't drink my water. About half a mile in Chad and I decided to go back and chill and relax until they were doing. We enjoyed the visitor center for a while, an early lunch, cookies, and a little nap. They were done about noon and we left. I'm sure it's a cool place to see and maybe one day I'll be back. But I don't regret my decision.
We drove back down the mountain and stopped in Lone Pine for lunch at the Pizza Factory. The Hawaiian pizza looked the best. I had enough bread for the weekend and wasn't feeling great so opted for a salad that was just ok. Then all got back in the cars and headed south. I had a great nap and was thankful I didn't have to drive. I got home around 8. Crazy what you can do in a weekend. I was really happy to have completed my 2nd 14er and excited for the next one which should be Mt Whitney when I officially start the JMT!
