August 17, 2010 – Schulman Grove, Inyo National Forest, CA
I did not die on the mountain.
Too busy working to be wowed by the trees. Or maybe I was in a constant state of wow?
Don’t think I worked my body this hard ever. Lots of trees. Four and 1/4 mile trail but backtracked to Methuselah Grove, location of the oldest living tree on the planet. (Not picture here.) Physically strenuous with all the stop-and-go, the rough terrain, the heavy and bulky gear, and mentally strenuous with all the looking and mental framing of shots. Thankfully, it wasn’t 100 degrees, more like 70, but the sun was strong at 10,000 feet.
When I made it back to the car after 10 hours on the desolate trail there was a bottle of warm water and an apple waiting for me. I downed the water. I bit into the apple. It was the most delicious apple I had ever tasted and I savored every bite. The fish and chips I ate at a restaurant in Bishop, however…
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Here are some stills pulled from the video.
Next installment: August 18, 2010 – Inyo National Forest: Patriarch Grove