to the mountains

Thursday my husband said he'd like to get one more mountain climb in before he leaves for the Grand Tetons tomorrow. A practice climb, is good idea since we live at sea level and he needed some time at altitude...


...I thought it would be a good change of pace since all I've seen is our couch this past month! I love road trips, even if this was going to be a quick one...



...so Thursday after he was done working we took off for the Eastern Sierras,

and Mt. Whitney...


...the drive is about five hours from our house, I love passing through the Mojave Desert and a beautiful place called Red Rock, we camped there once and climbed and hiked all over. No one was there now, the temperatures in the high 90's...


...we arrived at 11pm. And by 11:15 we were asleep. Our bed was pads and sleeping bags in the back of our open pickup truck. Did I mention that the Whitney Portal car park is an Active Bear Area? yes. There are signs everywhere to empty your car of food so as not to entice the bears. There are pictures on display at the Whitney Store of the damage these hungry bears do. Like peeling off the tops of cars or pushing through windows to get inside. There are bear boxes available to put all your stuff in, even toothpaste, so the bears won't come.

We do this.
Plus, I say a little prayer.
Don't get me bears.

Amen.




...so at one am my husband got up to leave. He was climbing the mountaineer's route, at one am, by himself, in the middle of the night. And...there isn't really a trail.
Most of the way anyway.

But he said "There is a full moon".

I think my husband is very brave. And a little kookoo...


...so, when he left and it was pitch dark (you definitely could not see the moon where we were parked, so many pine trees). I got a little nervous. So into the cab I went with the sleeping bags and rolled up the windows, locked the doors,
put the keys in the ignition, just in case,


and fell back asleep...

...in the morning, climbing out of the truck at around 6am, it was time to go have a look around! I was alone, everyone else was already up the trail, save for a few late starters...

...here is a map of Mt. Whitney. It used to be the tallest mountain in the United States, until Alaska joined the union and then Mount McKinley took that distinction. Now Whitney is tallest mountain in the contiguous U.S. Still pretty smart heh?

Most people go up the yellow trail. My husband did it with me once because I didn't want to go up the crazy way. The way he likes to go. That would be off to the right of the yellow...

...I was so happy to be here, but the altitude was affecting me,

maybe since I still feel out of sorts...but how could I just sit in the car when there was so much to see? I compromised and walked really really slowwww...

...to this tiny little lake across from the Whitney store. I saw two fishermen and smiled. Good, I thought, now the bears have a choice. No, not that the fishermen would get eaten! The fish! Bears love fish right?

...then continuing on to this waterfall. It is so loud it sounded like a freight train, but it's good to see all the streams full. Doesn't this look like a good place to sit and think? or just sit and drink your morning tea?

...or pray? I sent out many little prayers for everyone I could think of, a friend who is sad after losing a best(four legged) friend, another who is in pain from a horrendous accident, a friend who wishes for a job that'll give her the life she dreams of, a friend bonding with the newest member of her family,a friend struggling to find out what ails them (no, not me!) my kids, all five who are stepping off into new adventures,

my husband up on that mountain, oh dear!

...then, I took myself back to our truck to rest and wait for husband. It wasn't long, at exactly 10am, he was back. We lay in the back of the truck looking up at the trees and told each other about each of our adventures. His was much more exciting, I'll admit. But the time we shared in that morning, looking up, talking, listening and just being silent,

that was the best of all...

...heading back home, waving good bye to the mountain...

...and the bears...

... sorry Val, Smokey is the only one we saw!...

...passing thorough the Alabama Hills, the list of movies made here is a mile long ...

... to the town of Lone Pine. There is a Museum of film history, and a

Lone Pine Film Festival, also here in Inyo County is the home of the Paiute and Shoshone Indian Reservations ...

...one quick detour to the Owens river...

...cool heh? my husband and one of my sons paddled this for miles...

...leaving Lone Pine now...

...just as soon as we stop for a yummy lunch, see the cowboy hats hanging over the bar? This quick trip takes us through the mountains, to the country,

to the desert and finally back to the sea..

...I searched through every sugar packet for my favourite saying (while my husband rolled his eyes), do you like this one? for more lovely sayings go to http://www.sugarforthesoul.com/ ...

...dirty windshield going home photos...

...no matter, it always looks so good to me...

Have a great day whatever you do!

love, lori