Yosemite Point Trail, via Yosemite Falls: Spring Snow and Snow Melt
Hands down, the weather during this late April hike up the Yosemite Falls trail is the best weather for hiking in Yosemite Valley… and I consider myself a connoisseur of day hikes in Yosemite. Here are my tips: Pick a cool morning (Starting temp: 48°F) Start hiking early (Starting Time: 8:15 AM) Wait until temps peak before hiking back down (75°F on this trip). Trust me – The blowing mist…
Backpacking Virginia Lakes to Green Creek – Day 3 to Green Creek Trailhead
Sometimes the hike out is a real grind. Other times it is 3.5 miles downhill. The last day of our Hoover Wilderness 2018 Independence Day backpacking trip was the second type. Curtis and I have also done a day hike here, from the Green Creek Campground up to Green Lake on a lazy east side car camping weekend. Green Lake, and if your ambitious East or West Lakes, are well…
High Peaks Trail, Pinnacles: On the Edge among the California Condor
Happy last day of National Park Week (April 15-23)! Also, Happy Earth Day (April 22), awesome job with the March for Science (April 22), +++ Happy Birthday to John Muir (April 21) and Mr. William Shakespeare (April 23)! I had an amazing day in Yosemite Valley yesterday celebrating science, Earth, and Yosemite. It was an inspiring afternoon of listening to the speakers and pondering how much more there is still left to…
Don Pedro Overlook Trail, Red Hills: Old Gravel Roads, Wildflowers, and Dam Views
I went for a wildflower trail jog in the Red Hills after work yesterday… isn’t spring great? I am never going back to the sun setting before 7pm! (Once I figure out how to control that, of course.) Yesterday’s hike was the first time I have started from the trailhead off of Old Don Pedro Rd. Typical I have come in from the Red Hills Rd parking area, or pull…
General Grant Tree, Kings Canyon: Merry Christmas from the Nation’s Christmas Tree
Every year since 1964 a tree has been selected to become the “Capitol Christmas Tree.” The tree makes a publicized trek across the US, ultimately reaching Washington DC for a big lighting ceremony. In 2011 I visited the Capitol Christmas Tree in Sonora, California, when a Sierra White Fir was selected from the Stanislaus National Forest for the honor. It was an impressive sight, the giant tree on the back…
Red Cones, Mammoth Lakes: A little peak to add a little joy to your day(hike)
On Labor Day weekend we bagged this miniature peak (high point?) in the Mammoth Lakes area. On a busy weekend, this small adventure was a perfect fit into our busy schedule.
Leviathan Peak, Monitor Pass: Pika Lookout
Guys, we need to talk about Pokemon. I think I might be obsessed. When I am not exploring the wilderness, I am instead exploring my neighborhood. I know exact spots where all the Pokemon like to loiter. My hobby of running is suddenly twice as useful because I can use it to hatch Pokemon eggs, turning weekends chilling at home turn into opportunities to crawl the neighborhood searching for stray Bulbsaurs. Yes, I probably think…
Table Mountain: It is a Wildflower Mountain!
It’s wildflower time! Usually, if I’m looking for a quick local hike I will just hit up the Red Hills, because the Red Hills are kinda where it is at. Instead, this year Curtis and I decided hiking wildflower hills was just so pedestrian. Nope, we were headed to a WILDFLOWER MOUNTAIN. Honestly, I think the Red Hills might have a greater flower diversity… but Table Mountain more than makes up…
When Underwater Bridges Emerge: Old Parrotts Ferry Rd
It is raining tonight in the foothills… as it should be in March! Hopefully soon the Sierra snowpack will grow a bit, the reservoir levels will raise, and perhaps the groundwater will be replenished (if only a little bit). I am happy for the rain, but it also means that the place I chose for today’s blog post – the old Parrots Ferry bridge – might be once again become submerged…
Hello! I am a 30-something outdoors-lady, backpacker, and resident of Groveland, California - 
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