Today I did a day hike to Heather Lake. My campsite us at just over 6,800 feet above sea level. While lower America bakes in record heat, it is very cool (cold) up here. There is snow on the mountain tops. Heather Lake is just over 9,200 feet. It’s only small with crystal clear water that trickles into the Marble Fork Kaweah River, which then drops into the Tokopah Valley, 2,000 almost sheer feet below.
The steep-walled canyon below is daunting from a walking path that runs far to closely to the edge for my comfort! Serious vertigo has me hugging the wall of rock away from the edge. The origins of this dramatic landscape can be blamed on glacial action.
There are no sequoias along this trail for some reason. The trees are mainly lodgepole pines I think and there are many dead ones. Fungal disease is a big problem with the pines here, as it is in parts of Australia. The sequoias seem to be able to resist disease and insect attack and live for more than 3,000 years!
I’m a bit disappointed with my stamina. I feel buggered from the walk today. The hips are tired, I have blister issues and my neck and back aren’t talking to each other anymore! To Lake Heather and back is about 23 kilometers, over a climb of 773 meters and it took me just under six hours, with a reasonably heavy day pack. Do I have an excuse for feeling sore? I’m not sure. Nothing like 100 pushups to restore my confidence. Here goes…
angusmccoll 
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