Join my nephew and I as we backpack through sequoia groves and the first 15 miles of the High Sierra Trail in the third week of May 2024. We made it about a mile and 1000 feet above Hamilton Lake, where just past the tunnel we found we were not able to traverse the snowfield with just micro spikes and hiking poles. We backtracked and climbed up to Tamarack Lake where we saw a bald eagle and then adventured along trails out from Bear Paw Meadow. Camping at Hamilton Lake and Buck Creek were highlights.