High Sierras Trip, The First Couple Days

As you already know our trip in the High Sierras came off quite well I eont say without a hitch but that us getting sheadvof the story. Let us instead start mirevor less at the beginning.

 On our first full day Andy, Matt, and Konrad took on the necessary if inorous chore of shuttling a car to Whitney Portal. That left Ad and me with the day to ourselves. We couldn't get a park shuttle until 1:00PM so we had a languid morning at the hotel pool. The shuttle is effecienr and hair raising. The drive up the twisty mountain road, The Dragon, could make some carsick. Adam and I scored a bit of luck when the driver told us tobstay on as hecwas going the Lidgepole Pibd campground for lunch. We saved quite a bit of time.

 That left us the chance to check out the Dakoopta (sp) Trail. After a wrong start that had us going off route across the river we found our way to the nice trail. Sad to say the big waterfall and pool we were expecting didn't appear but on put return hike a mother bear and her cub did. Quite a sight and fairly close and clearly unconcerned by our presence.

 Our next day, day two, would mark the stsrt of the actual hike. We began at Wolverton creek taking theWolverton Creek trail, I think, to Panther Gap (photo 3). That hike through open pine forest was a real treat and the expansive view at the gap was an excellent indicator of things to come. We would hike down to the High Sierra Trail and once on it never leave it until the end of the trip. We fell into our style of hiking qu kly with Adam and zmatt pushing ahead while the rest ofvus maintained a slower pace sometimes with me playing the tail sometimes Andy and zkobrad holding that spot (though as a rule I'm the slowpoke of the group). When we eventually came to the granite slab shores of Buck Creek we quicly decided to the on to Bearpaw. That meant suffering a steep climb into the woods and s meandering hike to Bearpaw but the reward would be a better campsite, a shorter day tomorrow, and some good camp chatter with neighbors around their campfire.

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** Ken **
 
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