Hiking Old 49 to the Drowned Town of Melones
The winter rains have finally started here in the Motherlode – in fact today I went skiing up at Crane Flat! It is exciting to finally see water falling from the sky! Although, As the rain started I immediately regretted all the wasted drought opportunities which I thought about but didn’t get around to this year. Don’t get me wrong, we need the rain… but so see the old reservoirs…
Ostrander Lake, Yosemite: Find Some Peace on this Long Day Hike
With Curtis out of town the other week I had time to do one of Yosemite day hikes he has been less than enthusiastic about. I have really been getting down to the last few day hikes (although there are still some major ones, like the Mist Trail, which I have never blogged about) – and I admit I might have avoided these for a reason. Often the remaining trails…
When You Don’t Reach Your Destination – Preston Falls, Stanislaus NF
Hiking with a destination in mind it sort of my thing. I like goals – or at least a solid turnaround point/time. I don’t like it when I can’t reach my planned destination. I hate it when I miss my destination without even knowing. That is what happened today on my hike to Preston Falls – I walked 4.4 miles, like All Trails said, and I did reach a fall. I…
Little Golden Trail, Groveland CA: Little, but is it Golden?
Earlier this month Curtis and I abandoned ship on an expedition to Hobron Hill (the hill next to Smith Peak with a different radio tower on it. The obvious road up is blocked by a gate on a tiny private parcel of land before the road becomes forest service. I just wanted to go because of the crazy website!) – Anyhow we decided not to completely give up on at least…
Sweet Creek Falls: Florence, Oregon #ThrowbackThursday
Throwing back today to a great hike that I did in 2012 while visiting Curtis’s college friend Chris in Eugene, Oregon – Sweet Creek Falls. Our whole visit to Eugene was awesome, I remember thinking “I should blog about this” but for some reason never got around to it. There was so much good beer, good vegetarian food, and the Eugene farmers market is really top notch. Looking back that…
Take a Groveland Hike! – Smith Peak, Stanislaus
Did you know today is “Take a Hike Day”? Neither did I until Trails’ Guide informed me! To celebrate I am posting about my favorite “local” Groveland hike – Smith Peak! Smith Peak Fire Lookout, Stanislaus National Forest/Groveland, CA Trailhead: I park at the Pines Campground then hike up to the peak along the dirt road. I think at certain times of year this road open to vehicles, but doesn’t that…
Brews & Hiking Boots: Gem Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness & the (NEW!) Mammoth Brewery Tasting Room
Here is the thing about Mammoth Brewery – it is right next to SO MUCH GOOD HIKING. In years past I have hit up the old mammoth tasting room after hiking up towards Duck Pass and after backpacking to Lake Ediza. Even on this trip, where the Gem Lake trailhead is 25 miles from the brewery, it that isn’t that far (especially since we were headed that direction to camp). What I am trying to say…
The Trees Have Eyes – a (Spooky?) hike to Parker Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness
I think most people have thought of the woods as a “Scary” place at least once in their life. Im not talking about real scary here either, like hypothermia or altitude sickness, but the irrational sort of scary. For example as a little kid my brothers pretty much convinced me that axe murders and Freddy Krueger hid in the woods surrounding our home. Also, I think around the same time I…
Hiking Bull Run Lake, Stanislaus National Forest Amid Hunting Season
It was one of those weekends where the mountains are plastered in clouds, rain, fog, and at certain elevations snow – while it was a warm perfect autumn day down in the foothills by Groveland and Murphys. Despite the better weather at lower elevations I was determined to head up into the Sierra Nevada Forest. I had failed to wash the tent with waterproofing, so backpacking was out of the…
Hello! I am a 30-something outdoors-lady, backpacker, and resident of Groveland, California - 
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