california

  1. Tim Valentine

    Eastern Sierra Backpack 2023

    I wanted to do a Sierra trip out of Mammoth Lakes for the summer of 2023. I was hoping to time the trip such that there would be lots of wild flowers in the high country, patches of snow still receding and mostly dry passes for cross country travel. The record snow fall in California, combined...
  2. balzaccom

    Death Valley in January

    We're back home from spending a week in Death Valley: camping, hiking, and enjoying the desert. We did a series of great hikes: Little Bridge Canyon, Willow Creek Canyon, Kaleidoscope Canyon, Corkscrew Canyon, and an attempt at Grapevine Springs. That one was inspired by our trip to Ash Meadows...
  3. shredhiker

    Ansel Adams Wilderness October 2023

    I don't have much of a back story for this trip. I try to make it out to the Sierra at least once a year, and the historic snow pack forced me to rethink my summer plans. I'd blocked off a week in October to squeeze in my last big hike of the year, and wasn't sure if I'd head to Colorado, Utah...
  4. wsp_scott

    SEKI 2022

    7/28 - 8/6/22 (10 nights) Taboose Pass (Inyo NF) I had grand plans for a big loop out of Taboose Pass. A little bit on the JMT and a bunch of cross-country passes over 11 nights. I had lots of time and flexibility, so I could just see how things went. Outline of my plans: Taboose -> Upper...
  5. wabenho

    Big Pine Lakes – John Muir Wilderness

    August 19-21, 2022 The trip started out on a Friday morning when I left my home in Las Vegas around 6:00 AM. The shortest route from my house to the Big Pine trailhead is through Death Valley National Park, but due to recent floods, which closed the highway trough the Park, I had to take a...
  6. shredhiker

    Kings Canyon July 2022 Kearsarge, Rae, & Sixty Lakes

    This was initially supposed to be a trip to the high country in Yosemite, which I feel has been fighting me for a few years now. The one trip I made there successfully was in September of 2020, starting from Sunrise Lakes, and for 5 of the 6 days the wildfire smoke was heavy and the views...
  7. wsp_scott

    Point Reyes August 2022

    I added a couple extra days after Yosemite to check out Point Reyes National Seashore. Point Reyes had been on the "need to see" list since @Tim Valentine's report https://backcountrypost.com/threads/point-reyes-national-seashore-december-2021.10080/ Thanks Tim for the inspiration The couple...
  8. wsp_scott

    Yosemite Valley 2022

    Way too many photos in general, this time lots of flowers (of course) and lots of waterfalls, and almost certainly too many of Half Dome and a couple bear photos. I just copied from my blog so you get it all :) Yosemite National Park 6/10 - 6/20/22 (10 nights) Camera: Sony a7ii and Sony...
  9. J

    A few weeks in Southern NV, AZ and CA deserts Nov 2022.

    Hi all, Just returned from about 4 weeks of southern NV, AZ and CA travel: Gold Butte, Lake Mead, Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, Havasu and Mt Nutt Wildernesses, Mojave NP, Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and DVNP. I've been reluctant to do full on TRs of late. As I see certain...
  10. NorthwestWanderer

    8 Day High Sierra trek : Humphreys Basin, Star Col, Granite Park, Lake Italy & Piute Canyon 6/25-7/2/22

    Hello everyone. It's been a good minute since I've posted anything here so with my return and some free time in the winter I'm going to post some of my (bigger) trips of the year. This was an 8 day backpacking trip in California's Sierra Nevada mountains. This trip was excellent and I was...
  11. D

    Onion Valley to Whitney

    After being laid up all summer with back problems I figured it would be a great idea to put in a 48 miler from Onion Valley to Whitney. Seemed like a good idea but having only been backpacking 3 times in the last 9 months mistakes were made. First, I was so worried about not having enough I way...
  12. balzaccom

    Obata Lake...xc in Yosemite

    This one is not on our maps, but we learned about it from an excellent post on High Sierra Topix by BigTubs. And since we had a couple of days free, and we could get a campsite in Hodgdon Meadow, we decided to give it a try. On Thursday we left home for Napa, and the timing was right for...
  13. Miya

    Pacific Crest Trail (NOBO) Part 7/10

    Days: 128 - 153 Miles: 1679.2 - 2151.9 (-48 miles due to active fire) Zero Days: 5 How can I possibly summarize day 128 into a digestible blurb that will not have people wishing I would just stop talking? I probably can't... This is the day that I would FINALLY cross into Oregon. Yeah, I took...
  14. Miya

    Pacific Crest Trail (NOBO) Part 6/10

    Days: 112 - 127 Miles: 1376.1 - 1679.2 Zero Days: 1 There is a lot of fear mongering on trail, but for the most part, I could ignore it. This next stretch got to me though. Heat wave coming Totally exposed I ran into a girl who got airlifted off No water for 40 miles? (that is what they said)...
  15. Miya

    Pacific Crest Trail (NOBO) Part 5/10

    Days: 91 - 111 Miles: 1044.1 - 1376.1 Zero Days: 2 Northern CA had sooooooooooooooooooo many flowers. I tried to only pick my favorites to show, but there are MORE. Northern CA was my 2nd favorite part of the PCT, but nearly tied with 1st, which is Washington. Usually when I saw these flowers...
  16. Miya

    Pacific Crest Trail (NOBO) Part 4/10

    Days: 69 - 90 Miles: 789.1 - 1044.1 Zero Days: 3 Our last stretch, even with extra food, it quickly became evident that I would have to ration. At this point, I had always rolled into town with a day or 2 of extra food, but no longer. Even with my low appetite and struggling to eat, I was...
  17. balzaccom

    Mok Wilderness in the fall

    I spent the last three days doing trail and solitude monitoring in the Mokelumne Wilderness. It is amazing how little you have to hike to get really and truly alone in this area. The first day I hiked into Summit City Canyon from the Evergreen Trailhead at Upper Blue Lake. The place was...
  18. Miya

    Pacific Crest Trail (NOBO) Part 3/10

    Days: 48 - 68 Miles: 565.4 - 789.1 (+ Mt. Whitney and Kearsarge/Onion Valley side trail) Zero Days: 4 Heads up, this TR is going to be wordy. About 25 miles after leaving Tehachapi, I was stepping over a littering of small downed twigs and branches. I heard a loud pop and felt it reverberate...
  19. Miya

    Pacific Crest Trail (NOBO) Part 2/10

    Days: 21 - 47 Miles: 208.5 - 565.4 Zero Days: 3 Thru-hiker trick, always wash your socks several times before you put them in the washer. If you can spare the money, wash your socks in a different machine completely. If you don't do this, the chance of your sock funk contaminating the rest of...
  20. Miya

    Pacific Crest Trail (NOBO) Part 1/10

    OOOOOKAY, so it has almost been 1 year since I touched the Northern Terminus (09.20.2021). I finally have internet aaaand my Sawtooth backpacking trip/job hunting has been delayed due to someone backing into my car. I have officially been carless for 12 days and have not left home for 8 days. My...
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