I was working as a Lead Server at Stovepipe Wells Village in Death Valley National Park.  It had been a long work week and I had set my sites on a cowboy camping adventure above Tree Line.  I had pre-packed my Jeep with gear for the weekend, and once I was out of work,k, I headed off into the night.  Driving through the long roadways of Death Valley and climbing up to the higher elevations in Lone Pine, California.  The gateway town to Mount Whitney and the highest mountain in the lower 48 States.  After Lone Pine, I pushed on toward Yosemite and Lee Vinning.  Lee Vinning is a gateway town to Yosemite National Park and Mono Lake as well.  I stopped at the lovely famous Mobil Gas station to fuel up my tank before pushing on.  I took a nap at a rest stop to gain some energy and continued driving.  As I neared Topaz Lake I turned off to drive up Monitor Pass.  I planned to spend the remainder of the night up on the pass somewhere and then hike into the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness in the morning.  I had noticed some dispersed camping sites off of Monitor Pass a few months prior when I was driving from Lassen Volcanic National Park to Death Valley National Park for work.  My trailhead was just down the road at this point. 

I set up one of my tents and went to bed once I had found a good spot off the main road…  The next morning I awoke and had breakfast.  It was time to climb another mountain!  I began my journey one foot in front of the other, this new area of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range blowing my mind.  Carson-Iceberg Wilderness was like a combination of Lake Tahoe” ‘s Desolation Wilderness mixed with Lassen Volcanic National Park volcanic landscapes.  I felt that I had found a gem, and to my joy, I had the mountain to myself too!  I walked a few miles on the Pacific Crest Trail until I came to Nobel Lake.  A place where I would eat a snack and continue off-trail for the rest of the day.  I climbed up through the trees to Ridgeline and walked until I connected to the saddle of the mountain.  From here, it was a short and careful walk around boulders and shale to the summit of Highland Peak.  Looking the opposite way of where I came I saw Silver Peak and a beautiful view.  In the opposite direction, one could see some smoke on the horizon; the trailhead I began my journey at early had a Wildfire Posting, and Highland was just outside of the Forest Closure.  I photographed Sunset and ate dinner.  My dinner was not hot this evening for I was soon to buy a backpacking stove (Jetboil).  A little one-burner lightweight stove I have come to trust with my warm Backcountry meals for years now!  I went to bed under the stars snug in my Thermarest 0°F Sleeping Bag.  The mountain did not have a lot of moisture in the air this evening, as condensation was not an issue when I awoke to sunrise. 

It was now time to walk back to the Trailhead and drive back to Death Valley National Park.  On my way home, I grabbed some coffee in a small town and grabbed groceries in Mammoth Lakes, California.

-Sky