to Whitney basecamp

Day 41 ~ mile 746 - 766

Oh, just another day in the most beautiful place on earth.  We took our morning break by a stream and lake surrounded by gigantic peaks.  We were concerned, as we had forgotten to print out a water report at our last town stop.  The PCT water report is a report of the status of water sources on the trail, kept up to date by hikers.  It's a fantastic and vitally important resource.  To our total surprise, we learned from some other hikers during our streamside break that there is no more water report!  The water report is only maintained for Southern California....that means water will be plentiful, and a water report is unnecessary!  What fantastic news, as water has dictated our hike for so long.  What a relief it will be to not have to carry 8-12 pounds of water at a time!

Our goal for the day was upper Crabtree Meadows, or Mt. Whitney basecamp, as we called it, with a group of hikers.  From here, we will make the journey up to Mt. Whitney tomorrow, the highest peak in the continental US.   Before arriving to upper Crabtree Meadows, we passed through lower Crabtree Meadows.  In this large meadow, we saw more wildlife that we have seen on the entire trail!  Several deer grazed, countless trout were feeding in the stream, and marmots playfully ran and hid from us.  We could've stayed in the meadow forever, but we had to get to basecamp.  Whitney tomorrow!