• Expedition: Nov 30 - Dec 5, 2003
  • Expedition 2
  • Sierra National Forest: Hite's Cove
group at campfire

We spent our first day hiking four and a half miles in to the beautiful spot that would serve as our base camp for the next 3 nights and four days. The weather smiled on us for the majority of the trip, delighting us with warm, sunny afternoons and magical, misty mountain mornings.

We spent our first day exploring Hite's Cove from above by taking a challenge hike to the ridge overlooking the Merced. We gained an altitude of about 1600 feet in a few short miles, and discovered a shaft of a well used gold mine on the way! We spent the afternoon journaling on the ridge, sketching and exploring.

On our last full day in the backcountry, we worked on a variety of stewardship projects, including some GLOBE water quality testing studies on the Merced River, a photographic archaelogical survey of the area, and even found time for some field journaling on some local plants. We were also joined by videographer Kristen, who gave us an opportunity to express our feelings about wilderness for an upcoming PBS special on diversity and wilderness. The long predicted rain finally came our final evening, lulling us to sleep and treating us to a truly beautiful...and wet...hike out to the trailhead. We truly had a week to remember!

misty mountain camp
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