Donahue Pass

Its the end of July, and Brandon has retreated back to TN for a wedding, an MRI and R&R. I will be spending the next 4 days here in Mammoth with my girlfriend Julia, who is flying in tonight, while Brandon is back home.

We've had a solid last 3 days, making the trek from Tuolomne Meadows in Yosemite NP to back to Reds Meadow near Mammoth. We made our first big climb up and over a snowy pass in the Sierras. Donahue set at just over 11, 000 feet and is under 15 of snow. Over the last 3 days, we've easily had our best vistas of the entire trip. From the top there are mountains in in every directions, some looking like our Smokey Mountains, others reminding us we are in the raw, jagged Sierras.

-- Message truncated due to power outage in the Mammoth Library --

The views helped mask the reality that moving through snow, navigating, and general walking is slow going and exhausting. You can physically feel the calories burning off your body each time you push yourself up and out of the snow drift that your entire leg just post holed into. While you wear your Seal Skin socks (waterproof socks), your feet stay dry, until your sweat pools up in them. There is no escaping we are in a new climate, facing a new obstacle.

We've climbed up above the treeline, coming from the lazy rivers of the Yosemite Valley. Brandon has stepped on lose logs and taking swims in snow creeks, while I have easily post holed no less than 50 times, once both legs going through the snow. It's been an amazing adventure leading up to our July 4th weekend.

And now, as we celebrate the awesomeness that is our country, we will be doing so with our significant others, before returning to our journey. God Bless You All. We are born American, and Southern by the Grace of God.