After the challenging climb of Mt Whitney, we decided to take an easy day meandering our way to the base of Forester Pass. Although low in terms of mileage, the hike involved three large creeks that required careful planning to cross safely. At Tyndall Creek, we followed a pair of German hikers about a third of a mile upstream to where the creek split into three tributary streams. Stepping my sandaled feet into the icy, fast-flowing water was both exhilaratingly refreshing and slightly painful at the same time.
As I started to doze off for the night a sudden shaking rocked the tent, jolting me fully awake. A magnitude 7.1 earthquake had struck near the town of Ridgecrest (about 100 miles to the southeast). It was the most powerful quake to hit California in 20 years, and though I had previously experienced plenty of earthquakes while living in Lake Tahoe and the Bay Area, this was the first time I had felt one while lying in a tent in the middle of the wilderness. Disconcerted, I slowly settled back down to sleep, hoping that the quake had not dislodged any large boulders on the high pass we had to cross the next day.
Russell on the Road 