Reflections of 2015 High Sierra Backpacking

For many years, I had been wanting to join the Sierra backpack because it sounded fun and adventurous, but I was too young. This year is my first year of scouting and I realized that it was a perfect opportunity to do the high Sierra backpacking since we would hike in the Sierra mountains from Mammoth to Yosemite which is the most scenic route.

Preparation

All the hikes I had done with the troop had prepared me for this trip. I had done day hikes, 2 & 3 days backpacks, cross country hikes, and hikes with high altitude. Mt. Baden-Powell & Mt. Baldy prepared me for climbing up mountains with large elevation gain and hiking in high altitude. San Gabriel Mountains backpacking got me ready for cross-country. Doing all these hikes made me feel prepared for Sierras.

Daily Routines

Every morning in the Sierras, the troop woke up, had breakfast, and broke camp in about 2 hours. We then started hiking until lunch at around one o'clock. We would pass around crackers, jerky, and other dried food during lunch break. Then we would hike until we found a good campsite for overnight. During the period between reaching the campsite and making dinner, the hikers would pitch tents, wear extra clothing such as thermos, fleeces, jackets, and beanies, get out headlamps, and get ready for their dinner duties, either cooking, cleaning, or water. After dinner, it was about time to sleep and get ready for the next day.

The Backpacking Merit Badge

In the evening at the Discover Lake, Mr. A insisted that every scout that didn’t have the backpacking merit badge and wasn’t an eagle scout do this merit badge. We sat on a rock and answered questions that Mr. A asked. Some of the requirements included earning the first aid merit badge, going on 3 3-day backpacks and 1 5-day backpack, and explaining 2 ways to treat water.

The next morning, after reaching the top of Rafferty Pass, about half of the group went to attack Rafferty Peak. From the peak, the view was awesome! We then went down Rafferty Pass and had lunch. Next, Mr. A taught us how to find our location by taking compass bearings off Rafferty Peak and Cockscomb Mt. as part of the backpacking merit badge.

Hail, Lightning, and Thunder

It started raining when we were on our way to the Yosemite Sunrise campground, our lunch spot. Pretty soon, the rain turned to hail. There were many pros and cons about this. For cons, it made our trip delayed and we weren’t able to camp at Cloud’s Rest for the night, meaning that we would have to hike more the following day. On the bright side, it was my first time experiencing hail and using my backpacking poncho. After around half an hour of hail, we saw a flash of light in the sky. Lightning. Some scouts were counting the amount of time it took for the thunder to be heard after the lightning flashed to determine how far away the lightning was from our location.

Forest Fire in Yosemite

On our way to Half Dome on the last day, we saw the effects of a forest fire in Yosemite the previous year. It was sad to see the remains of the burned trees and how much damage the fire had caused. Most of the forest fires are caused by lightning strikes. Mr. A told us that the forest fire had destroyed many trees, causing erosion and silt falling into the river. Mr. A also said that it would take a long time for area to be restored and be as it was before.

Half Dome

Our finale of backpacking was to climb Half Dome. The first part was a bunch of steps that we had to take to reach a spot before the second part. The second part was a part where the rock was almost 90° so people had to use cable to get to the top. It took us a while to reach the top because of a traffic jam. The panorama view from the top of Half Dome was amazing! We took the group pictures on the famous Diving Board rock. A marmot was eating other peoples’ food under a rock on the top.

Overall, the trip was very successful and full of adventures. While on this trip, I learned about friendship by staying with my buddies and looking out for one another, and teamwork by carrying part of the troop’s food. It was a trip that I will never forget.

Gallery 2015 June Lake - Yosemite Sierra Backpacking