This trip’s longest hike was Day Two, a net 1,500′ climb from Glen Aulin up to May Lake over 8 miles. This was the second day of our 2016 hike as well, and the one during which we both ran out of water, having taken only two liters apiece – we didn’t make that…
While backpacking the full High Sierra Camp loop in Yosemite two years ago, we had made formative plans to come back and do a mini loop with Cynthia and Pedro – in fact, we had won a lottery spot last year to do one night at Glen Aulin followed by two at May Lake,…
For three years in a row now, we’ve had a backcountry permit to visit Gem Lakes in Little Lakes Valley, and for three years straight we’ve had to cancel because of lingering snow (the lesson here is to not book a LLV permit for June dates). Needless to say, the place has been on…
In San Jose for the weekend visiting Cassie and Chris, we decided to run up the peninsula and cross the Golden Gate to see the Muir Woods. There are many hiking options here, ranging from paths that run all the way west to Stinson Beach and trails that run north and east to the…
We were in Wrightwood once again for the garage-sale-crazy Memorial Day weekend, and by Monday afternoon the boys were surprisingly ready for a hike with Pop. One place Chris has been interested to visit is a blocked-off trail on the west slope of Lightning Ridge – from the satellite image, the trail appears to…
It was Cinco de Mayo, and we had that rare combination – or so it seems anymore – of a desire for exercise and a free day in which to do it. Of our various options, we settled on a repeat of our 2014 hike to Mt. Islip, elev. 8,261′, which we remembered to…
Several months ago, Jane was invited to serve as a director on the board of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Kern County, a non-profit organization that provides advocacy and support for abused and neglected children in the local foster care system. CASA is largely funded through private donations received by way of an…
We awoke early on our first morning in Scottsdale, intent on getting to the trailhead at 5:30am for a sunrise hike up Camelback Mountain – the summit is accessible from two trailheads, and we had read that parking at both can be a nightmare, even on weekdays. As we sat with our morning coffee,…
No new snow fell on the South Rim overnight, although it was certainly cold enough to have done so – maybe some fell but the winds kept it from sticking. In any case, we awoke early and started packing up – between our camping duffel, day packs, and three small suitcases, we had a…
Today’s agenda originally called for a 5-7 mile hike along the South Rim – we thought we’d take the shuttle bus to some indeterminate point east of us and walk back to the hotel. Ideally, we would have taken the shuttle a few miles west to Hermits Rest, then return via 7 miles of…