Today I climbed to 10 067 ft, 3069 m, properly into the High Sierra. My distance today was 9.6 miles, 15.4 km, and I could feel the effects of elevation from about 8300 ft, 2500 m.

I woke up this morning to the first cold morning I could remember in weeks. I made breakfast at camp and packed up slowly, knowing that I wouldn’t go far today and had plenty of time. Once I left camp, I stepped out of the trees into an absolutely beautiful meadow. Long green grass covered the valley from one side to the other, rippling in the breeze. The meadow extended all the way to the mountains at the end of the valley, with snow capped peaks behind those.

The trail followed the meadow for a few hours, taking a small shortcut over a low ridge to the Kern River. There was a bridge over the river, and from the bridge I could see at least a dozen golden trout in the water below. These rivers in the Sierra are the only places in the world the golden trout are found. I’m told that when they’re taken from the water, they shine so brightly it’s as if their scales are really gold plated.

After the bridge, I began my 2000 ft ascent to camp. The grade was gentle and I climbed through grasslands into a shady pine forest. The trail wound up the foothill and crossed a small creek several times. It was nice not to worry about water sources, I could pass these crossings with only 500 ml on my pack.

As the air thinned, the climb steepened, and I allowed my body to slow down. I took smaller steps, and averaged just half a mile between stops, every half an hour. I comfortably walked at this pace through sparse sequoia forest. The terrain became more rocky as I climbed, and high ridges covered in boulders surrounded me.

Eventually, I broke through to a clearing and stream crossing. This was the last water for 6.5 miles, so I took 3.5 L with me, including 2 L for camping with. The water here was beautiful and fresh, with the spring only a hundred meters farther up the mountain.

I climbed for another hour to reach camp. Setting up here would make the highest I’d ever camped. From a rocky outcrop nearby, I could see a view over the whole valley, and where I came from even before that. I appreciated the view for about 20 minutes before returning to camp and calling it a day.