Kings Canyon National Park Hiking Trips
Two day ascent of the highest peak in contiguous US.
On the longest day of the year - five letshikers took off to scale Alta Peak. Bright clear crisp day - perfect for climbing. Peak is at 11,200 ft - Net vertical climb is 4,200 ft - but with ups and downs we clocked 5221 feet up.Exhausting and Exhilarating - the vistas and views are to die for!
Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the lower 48 states, at 14450 feet high, is a big challenge for most people. I got the chance to take this challenge, and finished this total trail in 12 hours. This is also my first high mountain hike in my life. The view from the top of Mt. Whitney and on the trail is amazing, plus the fact that you are on top of everything...
drove up to Sequoia National Park. To find the trail head, look for Wolverton Skie and Recreation Area. The trail starts right there from the parking lot.There many trails that branch off, but there are signs at every fork, so don't worry about finding your way. The first 4 miles are mid-difficulty, very nice views, mostly between trees.The last 2 miles are the most difficult part, 29% grade, you go up 2000...
On Oct 4th, 2009, my friend Manish and I turned around a mile short of the summit of Mt Whitney on a very cold day.11 months later, I got the opportunity to try again when a cancellation made a permit available for a day hike on Sept 5th.This time, thanks to excellent weather and a very early start (12:30
am), I was able to summit Mt Whitney at 10:15 am. I felt...
The Garmin must have had problems on this trip and the elevation doesn't seem right nor is the path back to Whitney Portal.
A friend and I took a quick hike out to Big Baldy while our families stayed back at the lodge where we were staying. We started at the trailhead, and went up along the ridgeline. There was evidence of recent fires along the way; I wonder if it was a controlled burn. The view from the top was great, even on a hazy day. We tool a different trail back, and enjoyed...
