In order to prepare for our upcoming Sierra Trek, and to 
have lots of fun, We had two different preparation
backpacking trips for the two different treks. For the Whitley/Langley Sierra Trek four scouts and 3 adults hiked from the Cold Spring trailhead all the way to Cottam which is about 7.6 miles.
The hike to the top on the first day was definitely the hardest part. With the most elevation gain and the longest distance of the hike it was very tiring. Once we had reached the top of our climb to the Cold Springs Water Tower we stopped for lunch. We also played a great game of go cat with an interesting cat themed 
deck of cards. While playing the intense game we also shared some incredible bread made by the Harman family. On the way down to Cottam we stopped at a bench next to a creek where we needed to fill up water. We were
lucky enough to go on this great trip when there is enough water to fill up our bottles! Typically, there is barely any creek along the trail and you can’t get more water but this year there was tons.
Cottam was in great condition with some incredible views and had a nice river next to it. Scouts went swimming and played a couple games before finishing the day off with some freeze dried beef stroganoff and a campfire.
After packing up camp and eating breakfast the scouts were eager to get to the other side of the mountain before all the fog rolled away so it wouldn’t be as hot as the day prior. This trip was about the average day that scouts going on the Whitney/Langley Sierra Trek will be expecting with lots of elevation and distance. This trip showed that everyone was ready to go for the real thing later in August!
Written by Tarkan Ezal
Posted By JB
