Think About It Thursday: Look For The Lessons.
We recently returned from our final backpacking trip of the season.
Every trek and adventure is different.
This adventure was spectacularly gorgeous. We started at 10,000 feet and climbed to around 11,200 feet at Cottonwood Lake #2 where we chose to camp for the first night.
Jason experienced some altitude sickness and our group of 3 chatted about options… both of which included getting up to Cottonwood Lake #1, which we did.
Jason felt like he could stay the night at the lake and we’d make our way back down the next day.
Rather than be bummed, disappointed, or frustrated, etc., we took this as an opportunity to be grateful for this space we got to camp in.
The color of the rocks around us showcased dramatic beauty at both sunset and sunrise.
We got to see Jupiter at its closest to the Earth in 50-something years… that was pretty cool!
We got to see a bald eagle flying over the lake.
The changing temps at this altitude also afforded us the opportunity to push our gear and our snow camping experience to the limits of cold weather camping. We stayed warm! WHOO HOO!
This opportunity to pause and hang out at this beautiful set of lakes also allowed us the time to reflect on the remaining miles we have to achieve our goal on the Pacific Crest Trail (along the Sierra Nevada Mountains). Those remaining miles are all high elevation. We have started to create loose plans for next year’s hiking season to include lots of peaks and as much high-altitude training as we can get in.
Jason’s altitude sickness subsided completely once we got into the town of Lone Pine (which is somewhere around 6,000 feet below where we were).
In all of these, we have no regrets in cutting the trip a little bit short (safety first), and we are allowing the teachers that showed up on this trip have provided us many awesome lessons we are excited and grateful to have received.