In early 2024 I moved to San Francisco for an in-person job. It was a nice change from the remote work I had been doing for the past two years, but it also limited my time in the mountains. As summer approached, I itched for a grand adventure. Having secured two weeks of time off, I began scheming with my friends Emma and Isabel. We set our sights on Steve Roper's Sierra High Route, a 195 mile long off-trail hike, a "best of" the high sierra of California. We all had some experience going cross country and route-finding at high elevation, but this was going be a challenge for everyone involved.

The High Route begins in Roads End, Kings Canyon NP and ends at Twin Lakes Mono Village. For logistical reasons, we decided to reverse the route and start at Twin Lakes instead. This gave us the option to bail out early, using the many trails in the Bishop area, if we didn't finish on schedule. In the weeks leading up to the hike, I drew out the line, referencing Steve Roper's book, Andrew Skurka's maps and other online resources.

The day-by-day writeups that follow are only told from my point of view! See Emma's perspective here and Isabel's perspective here.

Click "next" to begin the journey with us!