Day 47 - A Taste of the Sierras

Mile 702.2 to Mile 725 - 22.8 miles

The Kennedy Meadows vortex seemed to have taken hold & there were only a handful of combatants gearing for an exit. Banjo & I left at 5.30 am and we were soon swallowed up the Southern Sierras. Our first climb of the day up to Haiwee Trail Junction saw us climb 1700 feet often in burnt forest with numerous fallen trees over the trail. A half mile over the crest and wow...

All we needed was bison to roam in to view. Lunch was at the upper Kern River again in a delightful spot that was hard to leave given we had an 8 mile climb ahead of us from 7845 feet to 10400 feet.

With some shade it made the climb bearable as we sweated out way toward the high point near Olancha Peak. Before topping the climb you could look back to see where we had come from

We had crossed the pass to the right of the pointy mountain.
I've coped with the altitude better than San Jacinto and even camped at 10200 feet. An excellent day then with the hazy mountains looming large and seeing & hearing new animals including the odd booming sound made by grouse. One downer - the arrival of swarms of mosquitos at my tent site...Weta