May 2026 (One Month - One Picture)

Explore Landscapes #114

Just over three weeks to go until my Trans-Sierra Challenge, trekking 75 miles across Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks to the summit of Mt. Whitney (14,505 feet).

Test-packing my backpack for the upcoming TSX Challenge | © 2026 Jon Norris

May 2026 | Hong Kong

In late July I’ll be joining the Reciprocity Rx™ team in Sequoia National Park for a volunteer project (which also serves as altitude acclimatization) and then enjoying a 75-mile backpacking trek to Tumanguya (Mt. Whitney), led by TSX Challenge.

Reciprocity Rx™ is the brainchild of Sydney and Barry Williams (aka Hiking My Feelings® and WITW Consulting). Sydney and Barry are good friends, and I’ve been on a number of their wilderness wellness retreats (which I highly recommend) - as an attendee and also as a JTNPA volunteer in Joshua Tree National Park.

In their words, “Research suggests that spending at least 120 minutes per week in nature is associated with improved physical and mental health—lower stress, better mood, stronger immune function, and improved overall well-being. That’s not a one-and-done benefit, it’s a rhythm. The Reciprocity Rx™ Challenge is designed to help you build that rhythm and live it.”

TSX Challenge Route | © 2026 Gaia GPS

Here’s how TSX describe the trip, ”No matter your age, backpacking the Sierra can be a life changing experience. Our Trans-Sierra Xtreme Challenge is an annual series of guided 75 mile backpacking treks across Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The inspirational journey traverses some of the most remote, least-traveled regions of the Sierra before culminating with an ascent on Mt. Whitney (elevation 14,505 feet), the highest point in the lower 48 states. This week-long trans-Sierra hike to Mt. Whitney is open to fit and motivated individuals of all ages and experience levels. You’ll cover 75+ miles in one week, with over 20,000 feet in cumulative elevation gain and 18,000 feet in cumulative elevation loss.”

I’ve walked/hiked 250 miles so far this year in preparation for the TSX Challenge. This month I’ve been getting in some training hikes (with loaded backpack) and have being taking advantage of the steep inclines in and around Laguna Canyon, CA. There are several trails that have ~1,000 feet of elevation gain in just over a mile (some sections have a 20-25º slope / 35-45%) that really get the heart pumping.

I’m still fine-tuning my pack weight. One of the last things I need to nail down is camera gear, batteries, and charging. I think I’ve settled on taking a 5W solar panel and a small 10k mAh battery block to charge my camera, phone, and GPS. But that may well change over the next few weeks.

I’m looking forward to the adventure and getting off the grid for two weeks.

I’ll be posting about the trek once I get back.