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Wonderful report. I'm sold!

Great video, Jerry! One of the few I've seen where I am almost MORE interested in what you are saying than what you are showing. Excellent!

Yep--those are gorgeous photos. Fall is such a beautiful season in the Sierra--until the snows start, and then you need to get out, or bring along fat friends. (c.f. Donner Party :^)) And once you get past the middle of September, you often have the place to yourself. That storm that blew in...

Vertical Exposure, the latest in my series of mysteries set in the High Sierra, is now out! You can find it at the usual places, including bookstores like Napa Bookmine and the Mountain Bookstore in Sonora, Amazon, and even in the ranger stations in the Stanislaus National Forest. When...

I was on a trail crew near Yosemite, and used the sleeve of a chain saw to create this pinhole camera view of what we saw:

It is now law! https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/california-law-harsher-penalty-campsite-no-show-18418167.php Best news is that if you fail to use a campsite and fail to notify them about it, you won't be allowed to make future reservations until you resolve the issue. This...

I'm old. The lighter format is easier to read. But I'm happy either way. It's a great site and a great community.

Thanks for the response. The albergues along the Camino in Spain are cheaper, generally about $15 per night, and a dinner menu, including wine, might be $12. That's probably because of the pilgrim tradition in Spain, but might also reflect different costs of living between Spain and northern...

Thanks for posting this! Great report, and you've got me thinking... Was the weather normal for late August? Mosquitoes? Did you need sleeping bags for the refugios? And how much did they cost? We just did the Camino Primitivo in Spain this summer, and posted a report

Welcome! Where do you like to hike? And what kinds of hikes do you like? That's a good place to start...

This appeared in the Guardian today. It tells the story of a remarkable man and his career in the Sierra, including details about his family and their role long ago. Truly wonderful. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/30/charlie-castro-sequoia-national-park-climber

A someone who volunteers in a couple of different national forests, I have been instructed to terminate any volunteer activities immediately if the Govt,. shuts down--to the point of not wearing the volunteer shirt in the back country after that date, even if you are just hiking out. National...

Very sad. I wouldn't mind if someone knocked down those cairns, though...grin

Yeah--I think they entered through the rocks at left...

Yeah, well, this is amazing: www.nbcbayarea.com/news/california/half-dome-storm-lightning-strikes/3327580/ And yes, there is a jumble of rocks on the east summit of Half Dome known as the Cave.

Great report and lovely photos. Thanks for posting this!

First of all, the promotion was clearly tongue in cheek...pardon the pun, And i certainly remember meeting people who were naked when i backpacked in the 1970s. So i don't think it's an era of anything. But back in those days there ws no social media; people just did what they did and didn't...

I'm echoing the other comments, here--great report. And I'm working out that you spend the first night just west of the crest of Kuna Crest? My maps all say that camping is prohibited at Helen Lake and anything east of the crest, but I didn't realize that you can camp just west of the crest...

Yes! We met people for whom the Caminos were more than just a hike, they were a full-time occupation!

We did not have any issues with the team that guided us, but I agree that the quality and character of those companies varies wildly. One group we met told us that their guide had insisted that they complete a promised four-day hike in three days so that he and they could go spend the fourth...