Compared to walking on a treadmill, walking through the mountains offers opportunities for more amazement at the surrounding scenery and less bewilderment at the sight of leaping deer. Jump into the great outdoors with today's Groupon to the Trans-Sierra Club’s Trans-Sierra Xtreme Challenge. Choose from the following departure dates, but be aware that space is extremely limited:
• For $825, embark on the trip departing Saturday, July 23 and returning Sunday, July 31 (a $1,650 value).
• For $825, embark on the trip departing Wednesday, August 3 and returning Thursday, August 11 (a $1,650 value).
• For $990, embark the trip departing Saturday, August 13 and returning Sunday, August 21 (a $1,650 value).
• For $990, embark the trip departing Saturday, August 27 and returning Sunday, September 4 (a $1,650 value).
Hikers meet at Gettysburg Elementary School in Clovis, just north of Fresno, the night before each departure for a pack-check.
The sure-footed guides of the Trans-Sierra Club coxswain crews of glory- and granola-fueled trekkers through the bottomless wonder-reservoirs of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The lofty 75-mile trail crosses Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks to the peaks of Mt. Whitney, the continental states' highest point. Along the way, nigh-inevitable deer and the occasional bear may be spotted, though the area’s elite sasquatch-ninjas remain a sensed, but not seen, presence. Throughout the trip, hikers light upon a panoply of panoramas, like the clear waters at Colby Lake on the third day and Mt. Whitney's breathtaking backside on day six. After conquering the roof of the lower 48, you’ll arrive at Lone Pine, the country’s gas meter, at the end of day eight.
Co-founder Mike Murphy’s worldly feet have traced the trail at least once annually since 1983. This year's quartet of treks affords room for up to 15 hikers (11 and older, depending on physical fitness). Would-be walkers must honestly assess their own fitness and peruse the gear list to ensure they have essentials like a warm hat, extra shoelaces, and boot-hats for inverted hiking. Wilderness-wanderers congregate the night before their departure in Clovis for a pack-check before retiring to their self-arranged accommodations, whether hotel, tent, or pocket-house.
Trans-Sierra Club
The Trans-Sierra Club's experienced guides lead groups on challenging backpacking treks across Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park and through Grand Canyon National Park. In small groups, participants conquer miles of some of the most rugged and beautiful terrain in California and Arizona, all while unplugged from their phones, tablets, and cotton-candy machines. The multiday treks are intense, but no prior backpacking experience is necessary and all ages are welcome.
On the Trans-Sierra Xtreme Challenge, participants backpack for 75 miles across Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The inspirational journey includes a trek across some of the most remote regions of the Sierra Nevada.
On the 35-mile Grand Canyon Xtreme Challenge, groups climb down the Grand Canyon, explore its hidden gorges, and camp out by the Colorado River before ascending again.
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