An Amazing Weekend Hanging in the Alabama Hills
I've been three times within six months and I wouldn't mind heading back again!
We were headed south to the Alabama Hills to meet up with my friends Brent and Brandon. These guys live in San Diego, which is about eight hours too far south for my liking. I was really stoked that they were able to make the trip up for a couple of days!
We found a super cool camp spot that was away from other people and offered a great view of Mt. Whitney! By the time we got all set up it was a little late in the day for too much exploring, so we settled in and kicked it until bed.
Nicolette made me a delicious birthday cake for the weekend. It melted a bit and the frosting didn't want to spread quite right, but it was tasty all the same!
The next morning we woke up with the sun. Naturally I had to snap some photos of the morning light hitting the Sierras. I love how red the first glow on top of the mountains is. It's been surprisingly difficult to capture it in camera. Pictures just don't do these things justice sometimes.
Before we went anywhere, my friend Jay flew out from the Bay Area. Yes, he's a pilot. And yes he flew his own badass war plane from the 90's out. He offered to take me up for a quick flight around Mt. Whitney. I couldn't say no. Obviously.
We did some hiking around the Mt. Whitney base camp. We made it part way up the trail before it became super flooded from all the snow runoff. At this point, we had been hiking for a while. Jay had to get back to the plane and fly home, and we wanted to make sure we could get back and eat before finding our spot to watch the sunset. So after taking a few product photos we made our way back down.
Lems Shoes are my boot of choice for most things exploring. Except for when I need a waterproof boot, or really need the ankle support on a long backpacking trip, I'm wearing these. They're minimalist boots. Being flat footed, having arch support isn't always the best. These boots feel natural, they provide me with great flexibility and stability. I can feel what's under my feet, and they're beyond comfy. I highly recommend them if you're in the market.
The water bottles are from Miir. Really cool company with fantastic products. They also contribute to a number of great organizations providing aid to those less fortunate. If you're looking for a great product and a company you can stand behind, check out Miir.
After eating dinner, Tim, Nicolette and I climbed up the big boulders near our campsite and watched the last bit of light on the White Hills while the sun dropped.
The desert offers some of the most beautiful colors I've ever seen. I love the pastel blues, pinks, and purples. We were really happy to get some great photos during blue hour. Nicolette started a fire with the Duraflame logs we bought at the store. Pretty funny that we ended up using these, but they were half the price of the firewood we bought the day before, and they worked ten times better!
As you can see, Nicolette had her priorities straight and got right to the roasting of the marshmallows!
It seems like all of my trips keep getting planned around the full moon. I haven't gotten one Milky Way photo yet this year. Here is a photo I took while we played around in the moonlight.
As per usual, it was a great trip with great friends. It's always hard to come home from trips like this one. I'm already planning and looking forward to the next time we can all get together for another adventure.
We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on. Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!
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