The Sierra High Route: A Wilderness Adventure

In 1921, Aldo Leopold wrote of the need for legally designated wilderness areas in the United States. He argued that a “wilderness” area should be "a continuous stretch of country preserved in its natural state, open to lawful hunting and fishing, big enough to absorb a two weeks' pack trip, and kept devoid of roads, artificial trails, cottages, or other works of man." The Forest Service created its first wilderness area administratively in 1924, and forty years later Congress passed The Wilderness Act. Today there are about 762 federally designated wilderness areas, totaling 111 million acres.

My older son, Sam, graduated from high school this year, and we decided that we should celebrate with a memorable wilderness adventure. We have hiked in dozens of wilderness areas before, but always on trails. So in July, we spent 14 days hiking the 195-mile Sierra High Route. It runs the spine of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, from the southern part of Kings Canyon National Park to just north of Yosemite National Park; it goes over 33 passes that exceed 10,000 feet in elevation; and best of all, only half of it is on trail. The other half is cross-country route finding with a map and compass and plenty of class 3 scrambles over rocky terrain. The elevation profile gives you some sense of the effort required.

I’ll admit that the Sierra High Route involved some suffering, but its was more than worth it. In the midst of an outdoor recreation boom in the United States, which has flooded national parks and forests, Sam and I experienced the kind of wilderness adventure that Leopold wrote about. In the 100 miles of cross-country hiking, we met five people, and we camped in solitude each night. As we hiked, I was reminded daily of the remarkable gift our National Wilderness Preservation System is for both current and future generations.