After months of debating layoffs and million-dollar budget cuts,
Councilman Perry Woodward ventured into the wilderness alone this
morning, embarking on a 211-mile journey from Yosemite Valley to
the top of Mt. Whitney.
After months of debating layoffs and million-dollar budget cuts, Councilman Perry Woodward ventured into the wilderness alone this morning, embarking on a 211-mile journey from Yosemite Valley to the top of Mt. Whitney.
A Gilroy native who grew up tromping around the city’s rural periphery, Woodward lit up as he described the rugged John Muir Trail that he will take. The popular path runs along the spine of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Like Woodward, most backpackers take the trail from its northern terminus at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley – about four hours northeast of Gilroy by car – down to its southern end at the tallest summit in the contiguous United States – Mt. Whitney, which rises to 14,505 feet.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Woodward said Tuesday afternoon before he crammed 15 pounds of food and other supplies into his backpack. He left early Wednesday morning and originally planned to go with his brother and a friend, but they had last-minute scheduling conflicts, leaving Woodward with a heavier pack than he planned to carry, he said.
Aside from the food he will tow, Woodward said he would use a fly rod to catch fish along the way in some of the thousands of lakes dotting the terrain between sharp cliffs and steep canyons. The majority of the trail, named after naturalist John Muir, coincides with the longer Pacific Crest Trail and runs through three national parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia. The trip will take him more than two weeks.
More on Woodward’s hike will be posted when he returns.
