california

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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)...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

On an invite from a good friend, I headed out to the Sierra Nevada for the first time in a few years. I was really excited for this one - the Sierra doesn't have quite the "wild" feeling of my usual trips in the GYE or Winds, but the sheer size and beauty of the scenery is hard to beat - and the...

Warning: tons of photos, probably too many Sequoia National Park 7/28 - 8/5/21 (8 nights) Shepherd Pass Stock Trailhead (Inyo NF) Total distance ~70 miles and 20,000' elevation Day 1: Stock Trailhead to Anvil Camp (CalTopo miles) - distance: 9.08mi range: 5681' to 10245'gross: +5541'...

n Nov 26th I headed for Mid Hills Campground. After setting up I did the short hike to Eagle Rocks. Near sunset I walked out to the unnamed mountains at the head of Black Canyon on the south side of the Mid Hills road. To summit Eagle Rocks requires climbing a pure granitic 40 foot steep face...

My final day in Death Valley for 2021. Began the day at Harmony Borax Works. Cottonball Basin was beautiful in the morning. Harmony Borax Hill by John Morrow, on Flickr Cottonball Basin, Death Valley Natl. Park by John Morrow, on Flickr I drove to Mile 1.1 on the Chloride Cliff Road where...

A big storm was coming to the west coast so I ditched my Yosemite camping plan after one snowy day and headed to the coast. I spent a couple of days in the coastal rain, (not snow :whistle:) car camping and day hiking the short trails in Point Reyes. I was looking for wildlife to photograph but...

This trip report ended up being way longer than I had anticipated it being. I tried to keep the number of photos down as well but if you do want to see more photos and read less text I've set up a Smugmug account recently and I've got a photo centric report over there. Here is the link to that...