Travels in Geology: Walking toward Whitney: A journey through the Sierra High Country along the John Muir Trail

Tue, 18 Feb 2014 09:26:19 -0500

From atop Mount Whitney — the tallest peak in the lower 48 states — ridge upon ridge of Central California’s Sierra Nevada range stretches out before you, the topography blurring into the northern horizon. My travel companion and I arrived at Mount Whitney’s peak after a 340-kilometer hike through the High Sierras along the John Muir Trail (JMT) — climbing up and down many of the ridges that now fade in the distance. Having just traversed the trail, one boot-step at a time, you can appreciate the scale of the scenery all the more: You’ll understand just how high you truly are and that those ridges, their severity now softened by distance, are anything but tame.

Mount Whitney on EARTH Magazine

Travels in Geology: Walking toward Whitney: A journey through the Sierra High Country along the John Muir Trail