Into four figures

Apologies for the long delay since our last posting! We've walked 220 miles since then, and passed the momentous (for us) 1000 mile mark. After doing the eight 11,000 foot high passes of the Sierra Nevada, we thought life would get easier north of Tuolumne Meadows, but it wasn't to be. The footpaths got rougher, twisting and turning, ascending and descending in quick succession through more beautiful scenery. Even though we got rid of our ice axes (posting them to ourselves further along the trail as they weren't needed), we were still carrying our 2lb 9oz bear-proof food canisters, as well as 7 days of food to start with. It was hard work keeping to our usual 20 miles a day, but we made it.

Now we are enjoying a good rest in South Lake Tahoe, posting some food resupply parcels to ourselves at addresses  further along the trail where we can't buy food, and catching up with emails from home. We've also posted on our bear-proof canisters as they are no longer required by national park regulations; from now on we'll be hanging our food from tree branches, out of reach of hungry critters (we hope).

Also enjoying the chance to eat good fresh food - although after our belly-busting experience at the all-you-can-eat buffet at Harrah's Casino (along with several other hungry hikers) we're looking forward to getting back on the trail, and back to our usual diet of Power Bars, tortillas and dehydrated rice meals!

Neil on Mather Pass

Neil, Collector and Knut on Muir Pass

Tanya near Sonora Pass

Unknown hiker and Oops near Sonora Pass

Truly awesome

"Awesome" is possibly the most overused and abused word in American English, but for the last week we've been hiking through scenery which would be hard to describe any other way!

After Neil's comment on our last blog entry about no more rattlesnakes, it was inevitable that we had one last rattler ambush the next day, but since then we'e climbed up and out of the desert and into the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada. Awesome, amazing, gobsmacking - we're loving it.

On Monday we went up Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet the highest mountain in the U.S. outside of Alaska. On Tuesday we walked over Forester Pass, which is the highest point on the trail at 13,153 feet. Words cannot describe how great this place is, so please, enjoy the photos.



Sequoia National Park



Timberline Lake on way up Mt Whitney

Pinnacles on Mt Whitney



Summit shot at 14,505 feet



View from summit of Mt Whitney

Forester Pass

View from Kings Canyon back to Forester Pass

Bullfrog Lake

Kennedy Meadows - Mile 700!

Glad to have made it as far as Kennedy Meadows! We are now 702 miles from the Mexican border, which means we are over a quarter of the way to Canada. Nearly through with deserts, water shortages and rattle snakes (maybe), and we are about to enter the Sierra Nevada and the Yosemite National Park. Mountains, snow, river crossings and bears. Just picked up our bear canisters (for storing food) and our ice axes so our packs are now several pounds heavier, but feeling excited about setting off tomorrow. Apologies for the short, rushed entry but internet access is very limited, hence no photos. Hopefully when we get to Bishop in about a week we will get a chance to upload some photos and post another blog entry.