Backpacking Kerrick Meadow, Yosemite & Peeler Lake: Days 2 & 3 of Independence Day 2016 Trip
If Kerrick Meadows is the Northern Sister to Tuolumne Meadows, then Peeler Lake is Cathedral Lake’s Northern cousin. It is a really nice lake, the approach from the meadows has deep drop offs from the granite boulders with crystal clear waters
Westfall Meadow: Easy Winter Yosemite Backpacking
While laying in our yellow slug winter tent, in the impossible quiet of the dark Yosemite forest, the question arose: When was the last time we actually backpacked in Yosemite? It was only last spring (2015), when Curtis and I backpacked to Styx Pass and Boundary Lake – an area straddling the Yosemite Wilderness and the Stanislaus Emigrant Wilderness. But does that count since we were able to get our permits from…
Upper Cathedral Lake, Yosemite: A Chilly Stop on the John Muir Trail
In the fall of 2012 Curtis and I hiked up to Lower Cathedral Lake just before a snow storm started doing it’s thing. At that time a couple backpackers were around (even though no overnight parking was allowed on the road for the season anymore) – but mostly the trail was dominated by a smattering of day hikers enjoying the last nice fall day. Last month I decided to make…
Bartlett Peak: Summit Hike from Boundary Lake, Yosemite & Stanislaus
I don’t often plan backpacking trips where we basecamp in one location and dayhike. But maybe I should, it is a great strategy for hitting up nice places where you just don’t want to haul around a giant pack – such as random summits – plus it just sounds so leisurely, day hiking in the wilderness away from the trailhead crowds. Of course for Curtis and I’s trip to Boundary lake…
Backpacking Styx Pass: A Hidden Granite Wonderland in Northwest Yosemite & Emigrant Wilderness
Normally Memorial Day weekend backpacking trips in the Sierra are more like winter camping than a leisurely summer trip – and to my surprise the Sierra gave the whole winter thing a solid try on this backpacking trip up to the Northwest boundary of Yosemite and Cherry Creek Area. We camped out beneath rain, hail, thunder, and beautiful clouds. Never underestimate the power of the weather in the Mountains, even during the…
Gin Flat Loop, Yosemite: Snowshoeing & Snow Survey Stations
On Tuesday winter had a short gasp of life & snow fell from the skies very briefly around my home in Groveland. Word is that right now the Gin Flat Loop might be snowshoe-able. But not for long. The state of California hasn’t been experiencing a winter season for the last few years, as you may have heard, so obvously there hasn’t been much in the way of snowshoe opportunities. Curtis and…
Devil’s Dance Floor: Hiking up Fire Scars and Brush Fields
Last month Curtis and I made the trek up to Devil’s Dance Floor for the first time, after both hearing about the spot and eyeing it on the map for awhile now. We could have gone there in the summer and easily approached the peak from Tamarack Flat Campground in the summer, but the snow free month and a perfect amount of wintertime cabin fever had us hiking up the long…
A Historical Fact Finding Mission on Devil’s Dance Floor
Spoiler Alert: There are far less devils and dancing than initially anticipated. Devil’s Dance Floor is a named peak that floats tantalizing above the Big Oak Flat Road and Foresta area slightly off trail. It’s hard to not want to visit something named “Devils Dance Floor.” And it isn’t the worst off trail hike you can find in the area – but I will elaborate more on the hike, conditions, and it’s…
Upper Mariposa Grove & Wawona Point: Past, Present, & Future
The Southern end of Yosemite gets no love, or at least not from me. I’ve been living here for over 4 years now and I still hadn’t visited the Upper Mariposa Grove – which is a little pathetic considering taking the tram to the museum and this upper reach of sequoias is an obligatory tourist stop for some… that is those who part with $26.50 per person far quicker than I do, but…
Hello! I am a 30-something outdoors-lady, backpacker, and resident of Groveland, California - 
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