Spending the evening on the Kearsarge Pass Trail in Kings Canyon certainly has its rewards. Here at elevations nearing 10,000 feet, the setting sun seems to concentrate the wide variety of colors found in this enchanting view from the High Sierra. Cast in a warm glow, Deerhorn Mountain, West Vidette and Mount Brewer provide the backdrop for the reflective blues of Bullfrog Lake, center stage. The stunted conifers add a rich green to this scene of earthy hues of browns, reds, oranges, yellows and grays.
   From the town of Independence, in California’s Owens Valley, Onion Valley Road climbs over 5000 feet from U.S. Route 395 to the trailhead parking lot in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Bearing an appropriate nickname, the Gateway to Discovery (Independence, CA) is the stepping off point for the Sierra backcountry, including the Pacific Crest Trail and John Muir Trail. Long before white explorers and ranchers moved into the area, Native Americans used Kearsarge Pass and trail as a trading route, their only avenue to Owens Valley. It was John Muir that so eloquently described this majestic scenery in the 1870s, bringing it to America’s attention. It was Muir, George W. Stewart and Daniel K. Zumwalt that received considerable credit for establishing Kings Canyon National Park. Its 800 miles of backcountry trails are among the most awe-inspiring lands in America.

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