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Sept. 22, 2009
I just got back from hiking for 11 or 12 days in the High Sierras. We hiked the High Sierra Route from Road’s End in Sequoia National Park to Twin Lakes, CA but we added a few days of mostly cross country travel at the beginning by starting at Whitney Portal to make logistics easier. The hike was really pretty and it was a great time of year to be out there. I had been planning a longer hike with two friends but decided to put that on hold when one of them broke his leg. So the other one and I went out and did this hike and scouted out a little for possible routes on future trips. It was definitely short compared to all of my other hikes and I just felt like I was getting into the swing of things, but it was a good trip and it was good to be off-trail in the Sierras and going over some class 2, 3, and maybe a little class 4 terrain. Check out the photos below.
2009 Trips
I have some really exciting plans for this spring, summer, and fall. I am super excited about the upcoming trips, as always, but this time it is mixed with even a little bit of extra nervousness. I always feel at least a twinge of nerves when I am setting off on a trip, but that is part of the excitement of it all. It is great to step out of the bubble, into a new realm, and live simply with just what you have in your backpack. The first trip, from April until August, takes this to a new level and provides some new challenges.
As I write this I am still planning and researching the exact route, but basically I will go through Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho, South Africa, and possibly Zambia, and Zimbabwe, ideally following the mountains of East Africa and the Great Rift Valley escarpments. I am still figuring out visas, routes, resupplies, how to get myself gear (i.e. shoes, socks, batteries) as things wear through, and many other logistical aspects. This should be a really interesting and educational trip. I will keep you all posted so check back to the website to see updates and photos (Click here to jump to Africa Trip page).
In September and October, I am planning on hiking with two hiking friends and making a loop, mostly cross country, around the Owens Valley in eastern California. We haven’t come up with any fancy name for the hike. The loop will entail following a mix of the Sierra Crest Route, the Sierra High Route, a connector to Death Valley, a route through Death Valley to a traverse of the crest of the White Mountains, then a connector past Mono Lake and Bodie back into the High Sierras. This should be another great hike through an awesome variety of scenery.
~Justin Lichter