Let the Beauty of what you Love be what you Do...
~Rumi

Thursday, August 23, 2012

High Sierra Solo~ Part 3 of 3: Over Donohue Pass & into Lyell Canyon


"I thank you God for this most amazing day,  for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes."     
  ~e.e. cummings

The perfect quote for my 3rd day of hiking in the Sierra! I have to admit, this is my favorite section of the trail... I'm hiking through trees & meadows, and then gradually higher into the wide expanse of granite that reaches up to touch the pure blue sky. The following pictures were taken as I left my campsite & began hiking towards Donohue Pass. Gorgeous beyond gorgeous these views are, and while the pictures never do it justice, try clicking twice on any image for greater detail.
:)







Above, the clouds appear to be converging over the pass itself.


Climbing the pass, I look into the immense basin below, dotted with trees, streams & rock.


Higher still, everything below becomes "miniature," except the looming mountain ranges.


These views feed my soul, I stop often to breathe it all in.

Donohue Pass~ Elev. 11,056

Reaching the crest of Donohue Pass- it's a big pile of Granite & I love it!


The view to the left...


and to the right... simply awe-inspiring!


Looking to the valley below, I see how far I have to go to my next camp way off in the distance. I also have to descend 2,500 ft or so... a fair amount of down hill.


But that's not a worry... I have miles & miles of spectacular scenery along the way.
:)




Eventually I finish my descent from high & lofty places,


 and walk along Lyell Canyon for the last few miles before setting up camp.


Looking back over the mountains I've travelled, I am glad I am now lower as a quick storm passes through at higher elevations,


while I am settling in for the evening.



When morning comes I am treated to watching the sun come over the mountains to illuminate the day.
:)
My hike out was an easy & flat 6 miles, which gave my body a rest from the previous days of higher mileage with some major climbs & descents. I didn't take any pictures on the hike out, but if you'd like, you can see Lyell Canyon here, as my nephew & I used this trail as a starting point for our backpacking trip last year.
...
On a side note~
I am now back home & have started new clay classes already! I hope to get something clay related posted soon, but I'll also be daydreaming of a really BIG hike I'd like to do next year.
Stay tuned...
:)




6 comments:

Barb said...

What? A BIGGER hike than this? (Goody...) The sky put on a spectacle for you on this hike. Your photos show the drama of a high pass so well. I like seeing that green meadow when you descended. There seems to be more remaining snow at high altitude there than here in CO. Glad you made it back safely, Becky. Enjoy your class.

Annie said...

Becky, Just catching up here. You amaze me with how brave you are to do this hike alone, I know I said it before, but you are awesome. Thank you for all the wonderful photos, stunning.
I hope you can make it up here soon so we can do a hike!
xoxo

Randy said...

This trail is just amazing and so beautiful. You must have had a great time. So far the first night of class was easy. A lot of work and it should prove to be a good challenge. I can't wait to see what you make this semester. Tuesday, my blog will be 5 years old. I've been wondering if it's time to move on. We'll see what happens.

John Brisson said...

Wonderful, wonderful photos. It is a fantastic place!

Kate said...

It's been AGES since I've visited your blog, and what a treat to see these wonderful nature photos. Haven't been in SF since last April. We're skipping winter there in 2013 and are going instead to Charleston, SC. A lovely place, but I know that I'll miss SF. Glad you're back in clay class again!

PS. Did you know that you can get rid of the pesky word validation in you setting?

PSS I LOVE that eecummings poem and have it on
the first page of my last journal!

DAMN! I just can't get the word varification right today! 4th try!! 5th try!!!!!!!!!!!!

clairz said...

I always enjoy your adventures, Becky!