I worship the mountains, my religion is cultivated directly through my relationship with the Earth. Making the pilgrimage to these magical spaces rejuvenates my spirit and reminds me of how brilliant this planet is. I forget about the trivialities of living plugged into the modern world, and give myself the freedom to let go of all responsibilities and eventually thoughts. My mind slows down, my breathing becomes more conscious, and my heart feels more open.

This trip was a unique and memorable one, as I was spoiled by my family joining me to camp and hike at Horseshoe Meadows. The most memorable moment was getting poured and hailed on suddenly while at camp, two nights in a row. The first night it hailed, my Mom refused to abandon camp and continued to get soaked while we tried to take shelter underneath a makeshift cover. Eventually, we all became nearly hypothermic, so we followed my Dad’s and the dog’s footsteps and warmed ourselves up in the car. The next night Josh and Avery got to experience the storm with us, however, this time we were more prepared with a popup canopy to keep us a bit drier. One by one we started to crack, everyone tired from the long hike that we just finished. Parents retreated to the warmth of the car and tent, then Javery joined as well. Soon it was just Kian and I huddled under the canopy, attempting to cook pasta amidst the howling winds and rain. I am grateful Kian remained smiling the entire time and continued to cook in the midst of chaos.

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The first destination was my first time at Devil’s Postpile National Monument. We (me and the doggies) woke up at 5am, got into the park by 6am, hiked for a few hours, and left the park by 11am. We are glad we left when we did because by 8am the parking lot had completely filled up with tourists and yelling children, which does not make for a silent walk in the woods. One of the best parts about Devil’s Postpile is the small trail that leads to the top of the formation, so you can stand on top of the honeycomb columnar basalt. I learned that this area was protected only back in the early 1900s because one man protested the future plans of another to dam the river and destroy the natural area. One person was so moved by this beautiful space that they took action to save it for future generations to appreciate, how beautiful!

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Then, we set our intentions on seeing Bishop and Chidago Petroglyphs, which accidentally winds us through the breathtaking rock formations of Chidago canyon. We drove from the Eastern Sierras across the desert plains and into the volcanic tablelands at the foot of the White Mountains. This little graded gravel road wandered through these magical towering rocks; we were enchanted by natural stone arches all around us. At the bottom of the road we came to a few secluded and isolated petroglyph hot spots. These petroglpyhs were unlike any I had come into personal contact with because they were not roped off, and there were tons of large rock faces covered from head to toe with these symbols. Sadly it was 100 degrees when we visited, so our visit was shorter than we would have liked. These two sites are part of a large piece of history waiting to be remembered in this sacred valley, I will definitely be returning one day to give my respects and awe.

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The next hike is actually what started this entire trip. A wonderful woman named Rebecca is hiking the John Muir Trail, and needed help with filling a gap in her resupply. Kian’s Boss, Anne, asked if he knew anyone fit and crazy enough to want to take on the job. Luckily I am just waiting for any invitation back to the mountains, so this opportunity became the outline for this trip. After going back to work, Kian met back up with me and the dogs and we set out to hike Kearsarge Pass via Onion Valley Trailhead. Total we hiked about 13 miles and around 3,000 foot gain, yet it was worth it. Dogs are not allowed in Kings Canyon/Sequoia, so Kian and the dogs waited at the tippy top of Kearsarge Pass for three hours as I hiked 6 miles down the other side of the pass to meet Rebecca and back.

 

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Next adventure brings us to Big Pine Creek, just North of Onion Valley along the Eastern Sierra. Kian is escorting (day hiking) me and the dogs up part of the trail, then he will hike back and return to the working world for the week. Buddy, Luna, and I are fortunate that we will spend the night in this wilderness at the foot of a teal glacially-fed high alpine lake.

Deer skull, notice the eye duct in the back of the eye socket which is unique to deer. Also notice the large herbivorous chompers

This was my most favorite memory of this trail. A ginormous boulder, bigger than my living room, was gently placed at the foot of about fifteen Aspen trees, all growing around the rock in a circle. Sitting in the middle of this grove of trees felt alive and sacred, I hope to come back once again to this spot.

A family of deer that me and the dogs silently greet just before getting to our car to finish the trek.

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Our last adventure of this trip is the grand finale, because Javery and Mom/Dad and Kian are joining us at Horseshoe Meadow Campground for a few nights.

 

Day Hike to Chicken Spring Lake

Who knew Josh is secretly ingeniously creative? He took one look at these trees and instantly said that the burned stump ” looks like Oogie Boogy” (from The Nightmare Before Christmas), and the two trees leaning onto one another looks like a fight scene. He will be a good asset when Kian and I write our book together.

Reminds me of being back in devils postpile

What the heck made these markings on this rock? Chicken spring lake , just as we started hiking back it began to rain, we were lucky to get up there before it did.

behold the beautiful purple cones of the foxtail Pictured below is Dad using his chopstick skills to pick up Luna’s poopy present, such skills he has! Neolentinus mushroomDingy Skipper butterfly

We slept outside under the stars for as many nights as the weather permitted. Nothing like a good morning howl to greet the day.

Luna is a minx and somehow ended up snuggled in my sleeping bag

Above is a camoflauged photo of a yellow bellied marmot sitting on the rock, sunbathing in the morning sun

 

Below are photos from a solo hike while waiting for parents to arrive, Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead

magical leaf shaped tree scar Peucedanum

Wonderous flowers growing out of a matt of aquatic plants

A field full of Alpine Gentians