Hello sierras, hello father.

6/17

Mile 766

Summited Mount Whitney! 14,505 feet. The highest peak in North America! Wooohooooo :) it wasn't so hard. 8.5 miles to the top, and 8.5 back down. It was challenging and absolutely breathtaking. I Slack-packed and left my tent and food behind at Crabtree meadow. I felt strong and dedicated to myself. Not dependent on friends or tied to others schedules. I'm learning. Learning more and more what independence is. "Rugged individualism" as Emerson or Thoreau would call it.

it. 

Trooper, M80 and Willow the pup

Grounded up in the sky

Bold. On the edge. High. Upsidedownski.

After hiking down, seeing Birdbath and Michael catch rainbow trout with their hands and headnets, I came back to my tent and my dad at camp. Ready to eat and sleep. I fucking Summited mount Whitney and it felt like no big deal. Hike yeah!

Awww. My papa :)

6/16

Mile 766

Hiked 16 miles from chicken spring lake. Lots of climbing and elevation gain. When I arrived at Crabtree meadow, a search and rescue helicopter landed and asked us if we knew or heard of either a missing person or someone with altitude sickness. I tried to convince my dad then that he shouldn't attempt to climb Whitney. 

 

The hike into Crabtree meadow. The light! Ah!

My dad came along on the hardest part of the pct... All day I was feeling many things.  Wanting to stay at my fast and acclimated pace, I felt scared leaving my dad behind. I had anxiety about him slowing me down and preventing me from finishing the trail in time for the northern snow. I had to reevaluate my intentions. What are my intentions? Hike to Canada, yes. Stay with the friends that I have been hiking with, yes. Keep my mileage at a challenging yet comfortable average, making the most of the days and my energy, yes. Enjoy spending quality time with my dad during the three weeks he is out here in the sierras, yes. So I struggled yesterday battling with my intentions and emotions. I am proud of my dad for being out here and pooping in the woods for his first time, and for pushing himself in more ways than he realizes. I decided that I need to be more patient with him and not so hard on him for not acclimating the first few days to the culture of thru-hiking. In fact, I think he's doing amazing. He hiked 16 miles with me today. After he wanted to stop at 2 pm after only doing 8 miles. You go papa! 

6/15

Mile 750

Woke up anticipating seeking my dad. We planned to meet at cottonwood pass, which both of us had no idea what it would be like. I hiked 10 miles to the pass, expecting him there. He was not. I started worrying and asking day hikers if they had seen him. Apparently DJNS was asking middle aged men if they were the "pussy doc" (my dad is a cat vet, not a pervert). By the time I met up with my friends I was blubbering like a baby because I couldn't find my dad. Then I realized he was probably down at horseshoe meadow campground, with my heavy bear can and 10 days of food and my new tent, struggling to make it up the mountain. That was the case. I felt so terrible he was struggling so much carrying my resupply! Ah the guilt! But I slack packed down to find him and rid him of the burden of his heavy pack and my stuff! And the reunion was so glorious! Both of us so relieved! So happy to see eachother. Happy Father's Day! 

6/14

740

Camped by a creek 10 miles away from where I'm meeting my dad tomorrow! I laughed so hard at risky business "landscaping" a place for our tents. Kicking around dirt to make it flatter, his leg and arm movements were too much for me to handle. I couldn't stop laughing. Risky and I tend to have contagious and never ending laughter sessions all the time. It's great.