Sunset Above the Sierras

I took this photo on the very last night of my John Muir Trail hike in 2022, and I honestly couldn’t have imagined a better way to finish the journey. Instead of doing what most hikers do—camping lower down and climbing to the summit for sunrise—I decided to cowboy camp right on the summit of Mount Whitney. Being so late in the season, I think it’s fair to say I may have been the highest person sleeping in North America that night. Many of the higher peaks farther north were already inaccessible because of snow. It was absolutely freezing, but watching the sun slowly disappear over Owens Valley made every bit of discomfort worthwhile. As the last warm light illuminated the granite around me, I found myself reflecting on the incredible journey that had brought me there. Looking out across the endless Sierra Nevada as the mountains slowly faded into twilight is a moment I’ll never forget. It was the perfect ending to one of the most beautiful trails I’ve ever hiked.