We’ve been gradually accumulating our backpacking gear over the last couple of years, and one of our first purchases we made were sleeping bags – they have down tops but synthetic bottoms, the idea being that down loses its insulating value when compressed whereas synthetics do so less. Our pads are lightweight air mattresses…
We knew we wanted to do some sort of day hike out of Pear Lake on Saturday but had yet to decide on exactly what. Alta Peak was an attractive destination, but the clear presence of snow not only on the approach slopes but in the visible chutes and on the ridge dissuaded us…
We’ve been hiking with full packs the past couple of months in preparation for our upcoming six-day backpack trip in Yosemite, and this particular weekend had long been slated for a shorter practice excursion, a shakedown cruise of sorts to prove out both our gear and our ability. We’ve had a wilderness permit since…
As on Mother’s Day a few weeks ago, Father’s Day found us driving up the Kern River Canyon in the early morning, this time bound for Sherman Pass, a little more than an hour’s drive northeast of Kernville. Sherman Peak, elev. 9,909′, lies 2-1/2 trail miles northwest of the pass and was the destination…
Ok, so this hike didn’t turn out to be quite as epic as we had planned, but it was still pretty epic. With a long holiday weekend in Wrightwood on tap, we had been looking at walking the PCT between Vincent Gap and Islip Saddle, roughly twelve trail miles total between the two points….
We had in mind for today a 9+-mile loop in the central San Gabriels, scrambling up and over Winston Peak and out to Winston Ridge before dropping east down to Cooper Canyon Falls via the PCT – however, breezy conditions and highs in the 40s prompted us to avoid the two chilly summits and…
Being busy with other commitments on Saturday left us with Mother’s Day as the only day to hike this week, and we decided to pay Mill Creek a third visit, not having been up this way for almost three years. There was a 20% chance of rain in the forecast, which we took to…
After several months of closure, Caltrans had finally reopened Hwy 2 west of Vincent Gap, and we made plans to hike again to Cooper Canyon Falls in the central San Gabriels. However, the threat of rain, thunderstorms, and possible snow called those plans into question – hail in Wrightwood Saturday morning cemented our decision to…
Having visited Wind Wolves Preserve several times before, we’re very familiar with the various trails in San Emigdio Canyon, and we’ve often talked about how they should open up other areas of the expansive property to the public. The foothill areas of the preserve are crisscrossed by ranch roads, and a glance at the…
We’ve finally decided to do some backpacking together this summer, and we intend to get plenty of training hikes in with full packs over the coming weeks. Our first such endeavor was to walk the PCT east from Vincent Gap up to Inspiration Point, expecting about 9.6 miles round trip with something around 1,500′…