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Each year an intrepid couple of NPS rangers spend the winter at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. Their posts are charming, informative, and, at times, almost poetic. Here's their first post from this year: https://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/update-for-december-20-2023.htm

Sounds like a job well done, to me!

Yesterday was the last day to do trail work this year. I did a total of seventeen days. This last section was "armoring" a trail in a new park in Napa, not yet open to the public. We're focusing on the sections that are going to be wet after a rain, and deeply setting large rocks---because the...

Thanks for posting that list! I had missed your TR on Ecuador--and now got a chance to read it, much to my delight!

Comical how little of what we had planned actually happened. We did spend the first part of the year traveling. But very little backpacking in the summer, mainly because by the time we got home from our travels, it was still snowy in the Sierra. And then my daughter invited me to hike the...

If you don't know about this guy, you should: youtu.be/NWhbjTb59_M?feature=shared

Well, I do wedge in a few things like my clean socks, pjs, etc that fit in between the larger items. Makes for a tighter, leaner pack.

I don't hike in Grizzly country, so YMMV. At the bottom of my pack go the things I won't need until nightfall; tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, etc. On top of that I put the bear can and anything else I can wedge around it. On top, which is now getting close to the top of the pack, I put...

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...