High Sierra Trail — First Nights

Sample trip — replace with your own write-up.

The opening stretch of the High Sierra Trail, east out of Crescent Meadow. Day one traverses the wall above the Middle Fork of the Kaweah with the whole Great Western Divide laid out across the canyon. Camped at Bearpaw Meadow, perched on the edge of the drop.

Big granite, bigger trees, and the quiet you only get a full day's walk from the nearest road. We turned around at Hamilton Lakes this trip — the rest of the route over Kaweah Gap is on the list.

• Highlight: first light hitting Valhalla and the Angel Wings.
• Permit: competitive — apply the day the window opens.