Tuolumne Meadows’ Cutest Squirrel: The Belding’s Ground Squirrel
This summer two of my good friends, Jane and Lin, came to visit for a couple days. We hit up the park, seeing the Yosemite sights in short bursts – The Mist Trail, Tuolumne Grove of Sequoias, and Tuolumne Meadows – which is a pretty solid variety! While we were hiking in Tuolumne Meadows I noticed these little guy pop up in grass… and I was baffled My first thought: “We…
Mount Hoffman: The Ultimate Yosemite Panorama
I hiked up Mount Hoffman with a group group of friends in early July this summer, it was my second trip up Hoffman. The first trip was in the fall of 2011 – which I can from experience say it is an amazing hike both summer & fall. On that first trip there was a light dusting of snow across the peaks, although we had to hike up the seasonally close May lake…
Hiking Deer Mountain RMNP: My 1st Colorado Peak in the Bag
Before heading into the park Kate had created an awesome list of quality potential hikes, all based on things we thought we wanted to do on our trip. Deer Mountain was not on that list, but because of our location and the weather we decided to try it. We could always turn back? Turns out Deer Mountain is an awesome choice for newbies to RMNP – not too difficult and it offers amazing views of the beautiful Moraine Park and surroundings mountains…
I could have spent all day at Mills Lake, if it weren’t for those pesky Rocky Mountain Thunderstorms
I seriously love high altitude lakes, and Rocky Mountain National Park delivers. Yeah, and waterfalls are pretty cool too… but I am just being honest in saying Alberta Falls in RMNP – meh. Maybe there were just TOO many people for a modest amount of falling water (& Yosemite has spoiled me?). Mills Lake though is gorgeous. What I am saying is that if you are starting at the Glacial Gorge trail then the extra couple miles hike to Mills is worth it. I wish I had more time to explore past Mills Lake, but those thunderstorms can really kill a full day adventure. Oh well, better to be safe than sorry?…
Hiking Cub Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park: Just outside the tent door is something Magnificent
In the previous two years of annual summer trips we had backpacked Isle Royale and Yosemite National Parks through rain and fire… which was an interesting experience. Personally I am always up for a backpacking adventure, but given our track record and a short planning window we decided to car camp during this year’s trip. Luckily, and maybe because it was the middle of the week, we were able to score a campsite in the tenting loop at Moraine Park Campground…
Foraging for a Keweenaw Classic: Thimbleberries
Late last month I visited Michigan for a couple of weeks, managing to fit in some time to visit one of my favorite places in the world – The Keweenaw. Im not normally one for hyperbole, but there is something about this place tucked away inside of Lake Superior. It is both naturally beautiful and testament to how place and people can interact to create a unique culture. Also it helped…
Kingsbury North & the Finish of Thru-Hiking the Tahoe Rim Trial – Day 12
And at 8:30 am I started walking the final 7 miles back to the car we had abandoned 12 days prior. In this final stretch of trail I began daydreaming about lunch, beer, and my beautiful bed. It is exciting to finish a backpacking trip and return to the wonders of a normal meal, if not a little sad to be leaving this amazing place I had grown accustomed to. True story: at some point over the past 12 days (and let it be known it was not day 1) I had grown accustomed to the aches, the mid morning snack break, the push up switchback after switchback, and the grandiosity of an omnipresent Tahoe vista…
South Camp Peak, Tahoe Rim Trail – Day 11
Last full day on the Tahoe Rim Trail – Crazy, right?! It seemed like just a few days and couple baby toe blisters ago that I had just started. Time flies when you are having fun… or slowly convincing your body that it CAN make 165+ miles.
The number one thing I “learned” (re-learned?) on this trip is how much a hiking routine helps to get the miles done whilst remaining sane…
Marlette Peak Campground, Tahoe Rim Trail – Day 10
It has become a tradition in the last couple of years to take a backpacking trip over the 4th of July weekend. Unfortunately this has meant we missed out on the yearly firework shows, instead “settling” for sunsets and the calmer sierra canyons.
This year though, as Trails and I headed into our 10th day on the trail, we were picking up “The Boys” who were joining us with their mountain bike just in time to bring 4th of July essentials: Whiskey, wine, flags, and enthusiasm…
Hello! I am a 30-something outdoors-lady, backpacker, and resident of Groveland, California - 
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