Insights of 2015 High Sierra Backpacking

Planning

The Thursday before Sierras, a couple of older scouts, including me, showed up at Ralphs to help plan the meals for seven days with Mr. A. We had to factor in the number of scouts and adults going on the hike and read the serving size for every single ingredient we bought. We got to choose what to eat for each meal, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This was our first time planning the a backpacking trip menu with Mr. A, so we learned those considerations about choosing the right food for backpacking.

Hail Storm

On the penultimate day, as we were heading towards Sunrise Camp and wishfully thinking about buying the store’s entire stock of candy and soda, a thunderstorm appeared over the peaks of the mountains to our left, and it began to severely hail. Flashes of lightning began to streak overhead, followed a few seconds later by sonic boom-like thunder. Soon, it began to hail, and marble-sized pieces of hail began to rain down on our ponchos, disintegrating on impact. The ground soon turned into a field of white, but luckily, we got to the Yosemite Sunrise campground without any accidents. The warmth from the Cup Noodles raised our spirits, but we were delayed and could not camp at Cloud’s Rest for the night.

Half Dome

The final highlight of our Sierra backpacking trip was Half Dome. We dropped our backpacks off at a junction and had to hike one and a half miles up before we could start climbing Half Dome. Half Dome was divided into two sections; the first part was a series of large granite steps that led up to the second section. The second section was an almost vertical climb, supplemented with metal poles stabbed into the rock, cables strung between them, and a rickety wooden beam foothold. It took close to an hour to climb up, as we had to wait for hikers walking down. The panoramic view at the top was awe-inspiring, and we took pictures at the famous Diving Board. There was also a large, fat marmot stealing our troop’s food.

Leadership

Because this trip was so strenuous, the older scouts had to demonstrate responsibility and leadership for the younger scouts. As a results, the elder scouts carried most of the food and the bear canisters. They also helped Mr. A find a trail through the cross country section of the trip. On the last day, when the adults and scouts were separated into different groups, Eagle Scouts Alex, James, Nathan, and Brandon made sure that everyone was accounted for, and stopped to make sure we were on the right trail when we got confused on our location.

Gallery 2015 June Lake - Yosemite Sierra Backpacking