My experience on The Sierra High Route (Summer 2016)

Check out a full video summary of the journey here!

Click here for trail notes and photos!

Several months ago, my close friend Shane Grace approached me with a dubious proposition. Shane had found Steve Roper's Sierra High Route and through osmosis, this curiosity was instilled in me as I was pitched more information about the trek.

In his words: “I found out about [The High Route] when I met a couple doing a section of it on top of Muir Pass last year while on the John Muir Trail. After loving my experience on the JMT I googled it right away when I got home. After researching the JMT for so long I was surprised and confused by how little information there was on The High Route and just put it in the back of my mind. It kept popping back up so I ordered Roper’s guidebook and began reading. The whole spirit of the route sounded like the perfect next step of progression after a solid intro to backpacking. The initial interests were the lack of people, the grandeur of the places it went through, and the difficult nature of it (and those crazy topo lines on the map).”

At first I didn’t think much. Shane often comes to me with trip ideas. Wild fascinations of backcountry routes in (insert national park here),a road trip crossing several states, or a surf trip up the coast of California are not uncommon topics of conversation between Shane and I. The thirst for adventure and passion for finding new, wide open places is alive and well in Shane, and as a consequence of my association with him, I am often dragged (without considerable force or persuasion) along to some of the most incredible places in the country.   

Shane and I have been friends for a fairly long time now, meeting originally through our joint passion for surf and landscape photography. We would often would see each other at the popular beach-break locales of Southern California: The Wedge, Crescent Bay, and Seal Beach to list a few. Our friendship developed naturally, surrounding the central themes of water, light, and adventure. We are both at the exciting stages in our lives. Adulthood is pending in the not-too-far-off future, but in actuality the responsibility and seriousness of “real life” has not fully come into fruition. I am 20 years old and starting my sophomore year at Santa Clara University. Shane is 22 years old, freshly graduated from The University of Hawaii. We are both young, naive, and wild with creative passion. We love our lives, comprised of balancing school, family, adventure, and monetary endeavors. Often, I picture jugglers in a family circus when I step back and reflect on our lifestyle. We are kind of all over the place. Exciting times lie ahead of both of us and The Sierra High Route came at the perfect moments in our lives.

The Sierra High Route (sometimes referred to as “The Roper Route) is a 200-220 mile trek that spans much of The Sierra Nevadas. The route was dreamed up by a man named Steve Roper, an acclaimed Yosemite rock climber, Sierra mountaineer, and writer. He has written several books and guidebooks, his most famous being Camp 4: Recollections of a Yosemite Rockclimber. Much of The High Route parallels the famous (and, in my opinion, overcrowded) John Muir Trail. While dreaming up the High Route, Roper wanted to design a trek that would allow adventurous hikers without any mountaineering experience to enjoy the upper reaches of the timberline country, mainly fluctuating between 9,000 and 11,500 feet. Since much of the route is above the tree line, vast panoramic views are available everywhere on the route. 

Overview of the trek:  

The Sierra High Route Wikipedia page actually sums it up nicely. (Click bolded for link)

• Cirque Country: Cedar Grove to Dusy Basin, traversing the Monarch Divide, Lake (Cartridge Creek) Basin, Upper Basin, Palisades Basin, Barrett Lakes Basin, and Dusy Basin.

• Whitebark Country: Dusy Basin to Lake Italy, through LeConte Canyon, Muir Pass, Evolution Basin, the Glacier Divide, Humphrey's Basin, and Bear Lakes Basin.

• Lake Country: Lake Italy to Devils Postpile by way of Bear Lakes Basin, Mono Lakes Basin, the Recesses, the Silver Divide, and the Mammoth Crest.

• Headwaters Country: Devil's Postpile to Tuolumne Meadows, crossing the Ritter Range and the Cathedral Range.(Roper calls this "Headwaters Country" because the route crosses headwaters of the San Joaquin River.)

• Canyon Country: Tuolumne Meadows to Twin Lakes through Yosemite's north country.

From south to north (the direction Roper recommends hiking it), the Sierra High Route passes through Kings Canyon National Park, the Inyo National Forest, and Yosemite National Park.

Follow the red “trail” (Keep in mind the SHR is NOT a trail but a route) 

Our full itinerary

RepoTravels: Vlog_001 !!!

Hey guys!

So I have decided to start vlogging. Vlogging is just blogging, but with videos instead of posts online. I think it is more expressive and allows me to show more into my life and the people I meet and places I go. 

That aside, I will still be keeping up this blog as well and updating it with links to my vlog and photos from my trips! 

Subscribe to my channel <--- here

RepoTravels: The Desert Southwest 2016

Hello friends!

Life is good! Summer is in full swing and I have already been to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Iceland, Amsterdam, London and Paris! I couldn't be happier with how things have been going, the people I have been meeting, and the memories I have been acquiring. I have thousands of photos to edit, hundreds of film clips to sift through, and dozens of stories to tell.

While I work on the rest of the editing (film + photo), here are some photos and an edit I made that tells the full and complete story of my time through The Desert Southwest:

Also, be sure to follow my new adventure Youtube Channel (RepoTravel on Youtube)

Enjoy! 

LOST IN BEAUTY: ICELAND

As I sit here in London thinking back to my 10 day journey through southern Iceland with The Green Program, I can't help but remain in awe of the utter beauty I was able to witness there. 10 days of perfect weather, amazing people, renewable energy, and countless memories. As a photographer, trips like these are what I live for. Being able to meet new people, share new places, and capturing moments with the lens is what life is all about. 

It is safe to say that Iceland and my experience with The Green Program changed my outlook forever. I turned 20 on the trip and finally feel like a quasi-adult (whatever that means)! This is the first time in my life where I can see my future coming together so clearly. I am so blessed to have a family that loves me, friends that stick with me, and stories to tell at such a young age. Whatever your dream destination is, GO! Find time, plan WAY in advance (I planned for Iceland more than 8 months in advance... cheaper flights and hotels etc!) 

Here are the photos from my most recent trip. Stay tuned for a video coming soon! 

The Lighthouse

Midnight Sun

South Coast

The Hot River

GoldenFalls

Trek into Thörsmerk

Man with Beast

Thörsmerk Valley

Thor's Lantern

Pure Nirvana

Taking to the open road...

Some thoughts and photos on the road to Oklahoma...

As I roll on this ribbon of black I try to turn my thinking into my work. My thoughts can become a book, a movement, an entire life!

Black Ribbons

Upon our journey under the sun

On the highways and byways

We travelled until we won

Our endless craving for adventure.

Hitting the open road,

As if it were our scripture.

The Desert leads us aimlessly,

On a course fulfilled by few,

Through a million Joshua Trees

And through a landscape of mystery.

The heat shimmering from the road,

Guiding us to the palace of plenty.

Although the ground is barren and dead,

Dried up from years of hot baking sun,

The desert kindles our ambition instead

And inspires us to explore the dry and hot landscape galore.

Much is hidden, much is found along these stretches of black ribbon we peruse,

But we search for much much, more

Than just the simple act of seeing.

We explore the coasts and valleys; we search the scenic byways,

We implore for freedom in this land to improve or soul and wellbeing.

We are men of the road, wanderlust, scruffy, and tired.

Our skin is leathered and sunbaked,

But our souls our rich with fire.

Until our bodies give out and our lives are timely done,

We will keep searching the open road

We will have done it, we will have won.

Adventure is what we look for, anywhere under the sun.

We ride in trains, planes, and automobiles searching for new frontiers.

We stretch our arms around the world leaving no dream undone.

I spent this whole year going slow... not much to show for a year but the first year is always slow... right? Time to move and roam finally. Time to live fast again.

The road is a heavily used metaphor, a drug to some, not most. The road is the path of life and life is pretty much just one long road.

The summer of my life has arrived. I am in it now and ready to grow. Give me sunshine and let me sink my roots into the land that surrounds me. Time to finally live.

What I care about and why...

Each generation is defined by the tipping point moments they face. Our current challenge is finding balance between nature and economic prosperity. Reconciling that global imbalance, using innovative solutions, is what matters to me. Without the fundamental building blocks of nature, we have nothing. Without the progress of innovation, we do nothing. The trees, oceans, and mountains provide economic value, but also beauty, sanctuary, and inspiration. Nature and its energy is vital for us on every level, whether it is the energy from the sun, the waves or the inner earth. Nature is an interconnected biosphere and if nature is healthy and prospering, humans are as well.

Shane at play in nature's playground. We need more people that love the earth like this guy. 

"I don't think we should abandon the system of capitalism. We should seek to improve it by creating healthy incentives and sustainable business opportunities."   -Parker Reposa

In order to rebalance our system, we must lead by example, innovate better energy systems, and create policies that place more value on the land. But most importantly, we must fall back in love with nature for reasons beyond its economic value. I strive to be at the forefront of this tipping point moment by expanding markets to take on the sustainability revolution. We can unite economics and politics using renewable energy, building sustainable cities, and striving for holistic economic growth.  

Nature gives me energy and inspires me to protect it. I am excited about the potential of our future relationship with earth and my part in finding a better balance.

"THE LAND ETHIC

As I finish up reading some essays by the famous Aldo Leopold, I am compelled to share some of the key points that struck me. Words in quotes are words from Leopold's essay titled "The Land Ethic" and words without quotes are mine. 

Photo: National Historic Landmarks

Ethics regarding the individual and how individuals are treated within communities has been developed greatly throughout the years. 
However, "there is as yet no ethic dealing with man's relation to land and to the animals and plants which grow upon it."

Most of our ethics deal with people in regard to other people. But what about people in regard to the very land that makes them able to live?

Community is a large theme in Leopold's writing. "The individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts. His instincts prompt him to compete for his place in the community, but his ethics prompt him also to co-operate. The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land." 
Why do we restrain "community" to only pertain to the human-to-human interaction?

Conservation efforts do not work well using current tactics because "It defines no right-or wrong, assigns no obligation, calls for no sacrifice, implies no change in the current philosophy of values. In respect of landuse, it urges only enlightened self-interest."

It essentially has "no teeth" and leaves everything up to economic systems and the self-interest of humans. Is there more than just the human perspective?

"One basic weakness in a conservation system based wholly on economic motives is that most members of the land community, have no economic value. Wildflowers and songbirds are examples. Of the 22,000 higher plants and animals native to Wisconsin, it is doubtful whether more than 5 per cent can be sold, fed, eaten, or otherwise put to economic use. Yet members of the biotic community; and if (as I believe) its stability depends on its integrity, they are entitled to continuance. When one of these non-economic categories is threatened; and if we happen to love it, we invent subterfuges to give it economic importance."

The value of nature is in the form of love and respect for it, something that economic value simply cannot offer us.

"A guide the economic relation to land presupposes the existence of some mental image of land as a biotic mechanism. We can be ethical only in relation to something we can see, feel, understand, love, or otherwise have faith in. The image commonly employed in conservation education is `the balance of nature.'"

In order to place value on something that cannot necessarily be bought, traded, or "valued," one must put value in it using other means... passion, love, enjoyment, and overwhelming respect.

Bottom line... Get outside more, fall in love with the whistling wind and the beautiful mountains... it is a relationship that will never betray you and will always leave you will a heart full of love.