The trip of a lifetime, continued

Welcome to a log of personal discovery in the High Sierra.

Over my life, from time to time I'd get a look at Kings Canyon's backcountry, but never really experienced it completely. So when a writer friend asked me on a 105 mile backpack trip from Lake Edison down the John Muir Trail to Roads End that would traverse the heart of King's Canyon's incredible backcountry, I couldn't wait to go.

But first, myriad logistics had to be worked out; equipment, car shuttles, food re-supply, permits, motels, and vacation days blocked out. Fortunately David excels at planning things out and the detailed trip plan he developed was excellent. The trip team would reconstitute 3 of the 4 of us who had started this journey with JMT1: David, Susan and myself.

After months of preparation, both mental and physical, we found ourselves waiting for the water taxi at Vermillion Resort in the best shape of our recent lives. The next 105 miles on the trail would bring us views of mountains and alpine valleys without end, as we worked our way south towards the Highest Sierra. It would also bring some anxious moments, and critical decisions in the face of ursus americanus.

As luck would have it, the panoramic scenes shot along the trail have resulted in some of the best work I've done. So even if you don't read the text, I hope you enjoy seeing some of the incredible territory shown on the following pages.

    --erik goetze

PS--I want to thank Greg Merrell for his generous help that enabled the logistics to pan out.

Evolution Lake, Kings Canyon

Equipment

View the overall trip map

Select (non-pano) Views from this trip

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