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Great report. You were sensationally lucky with the weather in this part of the world! My daughter and I hiked the Camino Primitivo to Santiago two years ago. Until the last two days when we we met up with the main Camino and it's hordes, most of the hiking was on trails or dirt roads...and...

Amazing story in the Guardian of a woman's astonishing determination after a nearly fatal fall on Mount Whitney: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/oct/21/fell-at-the-top-of-mountain-trekked-for-five-days-with-broken-spine-in-snowstorm

https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/yosemite-national-park-shutdown-illegal-activities-21093093.php

https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/yosemite-national-park-shutdown-illegal-activities-21093093.php

Nice work. Lower Ottoway is my favorite lake in the park. You did well to camp there!

I wish there were more!

For comparison, these were identified by a backcountry ranger as puma tracks:

Those do look like puma tracks to me. Coyote or dog prints have clear claw/toe marks, and the ones in your photo do not. Depending on size, they could also be bobcat...

I was interviewed on a podcast with Charley Pankey, who covers the Sierra Nevada with care and joy. If you'd like to hear my conversation with Charley---talking about backpacking, volunteering, and generally enjoying the Sierra--the links are here: Spotify Link: Apple Podcast link...

My Friends at CSERC--Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center, have sent out the following. I find their recommendations consistently solid, based on science, and in line with my thinking about our national natural resources: ** ACTION ALERT ** SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS TODAY TO PROTECT THE...

On my last volunteer trip into Desolation Wilderness I not only cleaned up a bunch of trash out of the backcountry, but I also, in my own little way, contributed some. The bright orange trowel that I carefully picked up (carefully, in more ways than one!) and packed along for two days...

Welcome! Where do you like to hike?

Do we need a wildfire thread? A wildfire in Tuolumne County has destroyed Chinese Camp. It's a small, historic mining community that many will have driven past on the way to Yosemite. We always enjoyed its quirky nature and older buildings. Chinese Camp wasn't a "restored town," it was a...

Welcome! I'll be happy to read any reports you post! And since you didn't mention it, I'm retired (still teaching an occasional class at the college in Napa) but I spend most of my free time working as a volunteer in the National Forests in the Sierra Nevada--Desolation Wilderness, Mokelumne...

It's above Sonora, by Twain Harte.

Yep. I think we've all learned, long ago, that trusting common sense just isn't enough. As that ranger in Yosemite once said, the overlap between the smartest bear and the dumbest camper is bigger than you think. Common sense? Every year I remove fire rings, over and over again, in...

The USFS does allow some existing sites to continue to be used, exactly so that others are not created that are even more problematic. In most cases, I am restoring campsites that are not only too close to water, but usually near other sites that are legally located. And no, I can't guarantee...

I spend much of my time as a wilderness volunteer "restoring" campsites. What does that mean? Campsites, in most areas, are required to be on durable srufaces, 100 feet from water, and 100 feet from the trail. There are numerous really good reasons for this, that include keeping water sources...

One more photo--the scene after dinner:

It was time we took a backpacking trip. And with M still concerned a bit about her health, we wanted something easy, but amazing. Little Lakes Valley hit the mark. Day One, from our cabin we drove to Toms Place, stopping for lunch at the Whoa Nellie to share an Ortega Chicken sandwich. We had a...