Jeremy Jones’ Journal: Day Seven in the High Sierra

The view from Basecamp on day seven.

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” ― John Muir

Sucked every last drop of marrow out of the day. Two new peaks and a sunset party lap down a granite couloir in a magnificent pink light – a fitting end to a memorable Easter day. Halfway up the boot pack of the first line of the day, I am reminded of all the amazing Easters I have had raging down Alaskan spine walls. Up until three years ago, without thought – this time of the year meant one thing: Alaska.

This Easter Jones traded his typical Alaska spines for some rocky couloirs. Nick Kalisz photo.

I never really made a conscious decision to migrate away from Alaska so hiking today I was a little startled when I realized it was Easter and I was mentally and physically so far from Alaska. Is the shift because I have gotten as close to that edge as I ever want to and am not comfortable moving the baton further than I have already done in the great white north?

Or is it that I have found a ton of open space and blank spots on the map and it does not require a plane ticket, tiptoeing over bergschrunds or waiting out ten-day storms?

I am not concerned with my shift in focus. I am 30 miles to the closest road, and none of the peaks out of my tent have names. Being Easter, the day was not done with the sun. After dinner, the boots went back on and we hiked a ridge above camp to see the full glory of the rising of the moon.  

Pastel pink skies made for an unforgettable Easter Sunday. Nick Kalisz photo.

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