This was our preparation for an overnight Mt Whitney hike scheduled for June 8th. Our small but mighty group – my daughter Paulina and her boyfriend Alex. It was my third time on Mount Wilson and I love every part of the trail. It is so diverse and beautiful. And steep, and long, and fun. 9 hours from start to finish and 5000 feet of elevation gain.

Apparently, there was a bear near the Orchard camp. Luckily we did not bump into him! On our way back we did, however, encounter an agitated rattlesnake. It was sitting in its nest coiled up on the side of the mountain on a very narrow path. We had a tough decision to make – wait for it to calm down or carefully forge forward. I still feel the sound of the rattling in my chest combined with my heart beating out loud. I'm not sure which one was louder. Alex went first, taking a peak at the snake first. Paulina next. I was the last one, scared yet determined to get back to our car. We emerged unscathed, happy to continue down our path.