Lake Loop: North Fork Big Pine Creek

The day after we climbed Mt Conness we wanted to do something a bit easier on the knees. At least I did – mine were still a bit sore from the big trip I had done in August and Conness just reminded me that I needed to rest a bit longer. We chose to hike [...]

Northern Yosemite/Hoover Wilderness 50 mile loop

Over Labor Day weekend we once again headed into the Sierra for a backpacking trip. This trip was built around my desire to see Benson Lake (the picture in this entry) with its giant sandy beach and trout fishing. We started off from Twin Lakes (out of Bridgeport), headed through Hoover Wilderness, down Matterhorn Canyon, [...]

Island Lake: Something for Everyone

I invited some geocaching friends out on a backpacking trip this weekend. Since I knew it would be a first backpacking trip for some people, I decided to choose a destination that was nice and easy with other attractions, like geocaches, fishing, swimming, etc. Island Lake in Tahoe National Forest is one of my favorite [...]

John Muir Trail, 2007: Day 12 - Onion Valley to Vidette Meadow

I was a bit concerned about today’s logistics and timing, but it turns out that everything went quite smoothly. We left Bishop at about 9 am and drove down to Lone Pine to pick up our permit at the Inyo National Forest visitor’s center. After taking possession of our Wag Bags we drove up to [...]

John Muir Trail, 2007: Day 2 - Donohue and Island Passes, Thousand Island Lake, and camp at Garnet Lake

Knowing we had a long Day 2 ahead of us, we started early with a 5:30 AM wake up call. Hitting the trail shortly after 7 AM I began the climb to Donohue Pass in the cool morning shade. I found the hike to be far easier than expected – I think my prior weekend [...]

A 'WarmUp' weekend in Yosemite: 20 Lakes Basin, Great Sierra Mine, and Mt Hoffmann

Next weekend I start the John Muir Trail. As part of my preparation for the hike I wanted to spend the previous weekend at altitude, but not overdo myself as far as physical exertion. The result was a weekend of car camping at Sawmill walk-in campground to the east of Tioga pass and three stunning [...]

Yosemite High Passes Loop

A couple of years ago a hike was profiled in Backpacker Magazine (or maybe it was Outside, I don’t know), and it was said to be one of Yosemite’s unknown and hidden gems where one could get away from the crowds. Of course, by publicizing such a hike, one can no longer expect solitude. Still, [...]

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