Rasta Tree, Again

  

Mt. Whitney

Day hiked to the summit of Mt. Whitney yesterday and was home by 9:30pm.  The drive home was four and a half hours.

The Canadian Maple by the Chapel

Every year I say I am going to take its picture.  This year is one of the first times, thanks to Laura and Holden walking with me.  Hopefully I can take a few more in the next few weeks as it changes towards fall.  Enjoy these postcards.

The Retreat from Mt. Florence

We approached Mt. Florence from Merced Lake, leaving the trail towards Isberg Pass and heading up the West Ridge route.  The last saddle in the middle postcard is where we sat down, ate some food and at noon turned around to be able to get home in a reasonable amount of time.  No summit on this second attempt.  There was still 20 miles to go before a hot shower, food, bed and seeing our loved ones.  There will be a third journey to Florence and it may be in the middle of October if my plans and the planets align.  If not this year, then next.  Enjoy.  The last postcard shows how far from the Valley we were, as Shane hikes down the alpine tundra with the east face of Mt. Clark being miles away.

The Approach to Mt. Florence

Friday afternoon we hiked to Merced Lake to camp for the night and approach Mt. Florence from that direction the next day.  Mt. Florence is the pyramid shaped mountain in the center of the top and bottom photos.  The hike is 20 miles each way from the valley.  The middle photos are some of the views along the way Saturday: the 2nd postcard is looking towards Volgalsang Pass, and the 3rd postcard is looking towards the Clark Range.  Enjoy these today, with Part 2 coming tomorrow.

Soul Cal Summit

A labor day weekend trip up to Cucamonga Peak last Sunday.  Next hiked back when I lived there growing up, but wish I had.  This was fun.

Back from the Dead (The Starr King is Alive)

Meaning, this blog has been resurrected for the 3.5 individuals who follow it.  Today, I took a trip towards Mt. Starr King carrying a lot of heavy stuff in the backpack with hopes of climbing the Southeast route with Bryan.  Grey skies all morning and occasional mini drizzles made me call a halt to the trip.  We ate our sandwiches under a tree at 945am and then headed back the way we came.  We did talk of returning in a month or two so keep your eye out for the sequel.  These snapshots, hopefully, are the beginning of a return to taking Yosemite postcards again.  Thanks for your patience.

PS- The Dead reference in the title is because I find myself with no one home and an awesome Grateful Dead show from 10-17-83 coming through the speakers loud and clear in the living room.   Good ol' Grateful Dead!