Day 49 - Sierra Time!!

Mile 747.9 to Mile 767 - 19.1 miles

Actually it was 20.1 miles as we did an extra mile up the John Muir Trail to be within 7.5 miles and 4000 feet of our Mount Whitney climb tomorrow.
Today felt like we had really reached the Sierras as the mountains started to surround us.
After a fitful nights sleep (at altitude I reckon the body wakes you up anytime you are short of breath) Banjo rocked up having camped 3 miles back. We soon climbed to 11500 feet just past Cottonwood Pass before our first water stop at Chicken Spring Lake with its surrounding mountains - the brown coloured water presumably my mineral intake for the day

The trail took on a familiar scene all morning as we headed towards Rock Creek

To our left was Siberia Flat

and we soon hit the boundary of our first National Park - Sequoia & Kings Canyon (the previous Parks being Californian State Parks). GK  "Happy Trails" posed with me for the obligatory photo

After fording (no bridges out here) Rock Creek we climbed steeply towards the John Muir Trail/Whitney track junction. Just before getting there we opened out in to this amazing meadow

With a bit of work it would make a brilliant cricket ground.
We are camped near Crabtree Ranger Station in a beautiful setting including a number of resident marmots - a curious creature about the size of an overgrown opossum. Our goal tomorrow is hidden from view but Becks and others who had ascended today assured us it was worth the effort...Weta