[pct-l] Off the beaten path

[Reinhold Metzger]

Huh?
Diane,
Which Sierra are you talking about?
Are you talking about the Sierra Madre mountains of the South Coast Range in your neck of 
the woods, with its gray-green oak valleys?

We are talking about the High Sierra with the gray granite..."The sky-scraping Sierra Nevada,
John Muir's "Range of Light" which has no equals".
You know, the one with "eight national forests and three national parks".
You know, the one where "eleven peaks top 14,000 feet and some five hundred top 12,000 feet".
You know, the one who is "home to sixty glaciers".
You know, the one who is four hundred thirty miles long and is the "largest continuous block of 
granite on the planet". 
That is the Sierra  "WE"  are talking about.

There is tremendous beauty in those jagged, "sky-scraping", gray granite peaks.
There is also beauty in forests, but I can't wait to get above the tree line when hiking the 
Sierra.
I know, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and, like with women, some guys like'm blond, some 
lik'm blue eyed, some like'm brown eyed....Me, I like'm all....but I like "Sierra" the most.

JMT Reinhold 
Your hopelessly in love with the Sierra trail companion

---------------------------------

Stephen wrote:

Huh?
Yup, the moutnains in WA blow away the Sierra.  Everyone please go there !

---------------------------------
 
Diane wrote:

>/ The guide book lists alternate routes from time-to-time. I enjoyed
/>/ taking those marked as "lake-blessed". Since the PCT tends to stay
/>/ away from water, it is nice to have a change.
/>/
/>/ I, for one, did not feel energetic enough to go on side trips bagging
/>/ peaks or sightseeing, with the exception of heading down to Yosemite
/>/ Valley and taking the Mist Trail. And once on the trail, I did feel
/>/ hesitant to leave the trail for fear of either not finding an easy
/>/ way back, missing part of the trail or falling too far behind friends
/>/ I hoped to see again, etc. So the alternate routes recommended in the
/>/ guide book fit my needs well.
/>/
/>/ As far as the Sierra goes, they are quite beautiful. But they are
/>/ kind of gray. I really thought when the rocks had more color the
/>/ beauty was more amazing to me. At Sonora Pass I thought the views
/>/ were spectacular. And now, having seen the PCT2008 Video, I can't
/>/ wait to see Washington. Those mountains appeared to blow the Sierra
/>/ away in grandeur, brooding and fecundity. I cannot wait!
/>/
/>/ P.S. I sent a message about how much I enjoyed the PCT2008 video but
/>/ I think I used the wrong address. Great job you guys. I really
/>/ enjoyed it. I felt homesick, excited and sad to see all the wonderful
/>/ people I met without ever knowing their real names. I'm thinking I
/>/ might carry business cards with me this year with my real name, email
/>/ and web site so I can see friends again in real life later.
/