Hite Cove: California Wildflowers with a Side of Ruins
Guess what season it is? … California Poppy Season! Last weekend’s arrival of California’s poppies swept aside any previous hiking plans (Sorry Little Nellie Falls, check you latter) and instead filled my head with visions of hiking in sandals through fields tinged with orange. And not just any trail would do – this year I was going to get to Hite Cove, damn it! Hite Cove Distance: 9-ish mile out…
Where to find California Sea Otters – Moss Landing, CA
I am loath to rank my favorite wild animals, because there are so many cute ones out there (Bunnies, mountain goats, pikas, & quails immediately come to mind), but Sea Otters gave to be somewhere in my top 10. They float around and use tools with their little otter hands, they look so furry and floaty… did I mention they float? ;) AH! Too cute! Sea otters also play an…
Foresta Falls & McCauley Ranch on Yosemite’s West Side
This low snow winter has had me creating some more creative hiking endeavors: Mariposa’s Williams Peak, the”Secret” Sierra Point, and now Yosemite’s more “Elusive” waterfall – Foresta Falls. It is a nice short little hike, but with lots of room to explore around the old McCauley Ranch and enjoy some sunshine. Actually come to think of it – it was pretty much the opposite of Sierra Point. At Foresta we hiked…
Secret Yosemite: Sierra Point
Alright, I will admit Sierra Point is apparently not a secret. We saw a dozen other people while on the “Trail” this Sunday… way more then I ever see hiking to Mt Watkins (one of my favorite off trail hikes in the park). My theory: because of the dry winter people are taking to many valley hikes that when they would otherwise be skiing if there was snow, or hiking…
Brews & Hiking Boots: Portland Wildwood Trail & Deschutes Brewery
While stuck in Portland during a freak snowstorm one might as well make lemons into lemonade – or as I would prefer: Hops into IPA’s. Portland is city proud of both it’s green spaces and it’s concentration of microbreweries, so it it only seemed appropriate to combine the two in one epic snowy adventure. Wildwood Trail from the Portland Zoo Distance: As long as you want? We hiked 2-ish miles…
Brews & Hiking Boots: Williams Peak & Prospectors Brewery in Mariposa, CA
In the winter it can be more difficult to find a nice little day trip close to home. This year the minimal snow is making it hard to snow shoeing, plus cross country skiing is not a real option in any of the open Yosemite elevations. Lame! That is why this winter I have been employing a tactic of combining hikes with visits to nearby breweries. By combining brews with…
Post Rim Fire – after the smoke, before the snow!
It has been a few month since the last blazes of the Rim Fire, and Groveland is hunkering down for winter snow instead of the hot dry fire. Last week I set out to check out the landscape that the Rim Fire had scarred before the rain and snow arrived – visiting the “Rim of the World” vista point the fire was named after and driving up Evergreen Rd to…
Private Autumn Exploration of Lyell Canyon
I headed up Tioga pass a week and half ago hoping to find some snow and frozen winter scenery – which was pretty silly considering how many dry days in a row we had had prior. But today, after a brush of windy wet weather, Tioga Rd is currently closed. I guess that makes this trip to Lyell canyon perhaps my last trip out of the high country for 2013?…
Backpacking Ediza, Iceberg, and Rosalie Lake in Ansel Adams Wilderness
Another #ThrowbackThursday blog post here, this one documenting a backpacking trip I did with a few of our friends (Tom, Johanna, Pete, and of course Curtis) back in 2011. It was a two night backpack into the Ansel Adams wilderness, my first time traveling in from the Agnew Meadows Trailhead. This was the last trip with my tiny little “first” backpack, a pack that could only fit a bear canister…
Hello! I am a 30-something outdoors-lady, backpacker, and resident of Groveland, California - 
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