Alabama Hills
Sunday, October 27 - The Afternoon
Since the rest of the day was open for exploring, we made our way to Alabama Hills earlier with promise of clear skies and getting out of the wind storm. During the drive up we made quick stops at Father Crowley Overlook, Nightmare Rock (with a very cool tree hidden behind it), and the trailhead for Mt. Whitney Trail (thanks to a wrong turn). So, in 24hrs we made it from the lowest point to the highest point in the United States.
The change in landscape from Death Valley to the Southern Sierras was stunning. One minute we had sand dunes and the next were high alpines and huge boulder formations. Although they weren’t wrong about the clear skies, the wind did not let up and the newly found cold air brought quite the shock to our systems.
While at the trailhead for Mt. Whitney, flurries started to come down. In true southerner fashion, the soon to be blizzard had us quickly enter panic mode, so we got back in our van and drove back to the bottom of the mountain. As if the flurries weren’t enough, Bambi decided to run out in full speed alongside the van. Although Kelly’s butt puckering nearly formed a stellar black hole, we made it safely down to the bottom and went to find our camp for the night…always keeping an eye out for tremors and Kevin Bacon. For those of you that might be lost at this point, Alabama Hills is a popular filming location, such as Tremors, The Lone Ranger, Bonanza, and How the West Was Won.
Mobius Arch with alpenglow on Mt. Whitney in the background
Monday, October 28 - The Morning
Another early morning, another amazing sunrise. We made the very short hike over to Mobius Arch and setup for the alpenglow we were both so excited to see for the first time. This was probably the coldest stop on the trip. The air was crisp and the wind was strong. Nearly frozen to death, the sun finally made it’s appearance…and what a show. A new life goal for me is to eventually move to a place where I can wake up to this with a cup of coffee every morning.
Jumping into the van to warm up, we made a short drive to Alabama Hills Cafe for breakfast. This is by far one of the best, most inviting cafes we have ever been to. The food was great, people were super friendly, and the coffee kept pouring. And pouring. Aaand pouring. While there, we saw a man that was also with us at Mobius Arch and chatted for a few minutes. After he left, a couple came in and sat next to us and offered all kinds of advice for our stop coming up in Yosemite. They were super helpful and seemed to be almost as excited for us as we were.
Owens River
With a full belly and functioning fingers and toes, we headed further north to Mammoth Lakes. On the way, we made short detours at Owens River and Keough’s Hot Springs for a quick “dip”. While at the river, we chit chatted with a snake sun bathing by the edge of the water. I think he thought Kelly was a little too chatty for him that early in the day, so he moved on to a different spot.
The hot springs provided a new sense of life after a few days of camping. Although the pool was hot, the pre-pool shower was not. I don’t think I hit the minimum required time in the shower before getting into the pool, but no one said anything…and I don’t mind the glares.
Having a little extra time before getting to our first of the Mammoth Lakes, we grabbed lunch and some hiking gear in Bishop. The food was great, I found some awesome hiking (err, climbing) pants, and Kelly grabbed a new hat with Half Dome printed on the front. More to come from that guy later.
