Last weekend we drove to Lone Pine, CA with a group of friends to enjoy the mountains, run, hike and camp. We also wanted to support the inaugural John Wayne Grit Series in the Alabama Hills.
We arrived early in the day and went for a run in the Alabama Hills. It was pretty unreal to run in an area where many movies have been filmed, from classic John Wayne movies to Gladiator, Django Unchained, Iron Man, Star Trek and more.
After the race we drove to Horseshoe Meadow, the trail started at 10k elevation so it surely felt like an effort to run at this high altitude.
The sun already started to disappear behind the mountains. The only way we were able to get more sunlight is to get across a river and meadow.
All our feet were completely soaking wet from the ankle deep water, but it was all worth it to catch the last day light.
After a beautiful and cold night camping, we woke up early to set up a Path Projects tent at the John Wayne Grit Series Half Marathon and 10k. The sunrise with Mt Whitney in the background was a spectacular sight. Race director Molly Kassouf shared some thoughts before the start.
After the race we made our way to Mt Whitney Portal. About 2.5 miles past the Portal you reach Lone Pine Lake. It is located at 10,050 ft in elevation with great views of the Sierras. No permit required up until this point.
