Calipidder

Last month Yosemite National Park announced a new permit system for weekend climbs of Half Dome. Today they opened up the reservation site for preview (it is not active yet - the reservation window opens on March 1). Check it out here.
There is also a screenshot-heavy instructional pdf available here, for those who need lots [...]

If you plan to hike Half Dome this summer, you’ll have to plan ahead. Like Mt Whitney, Half Dome is moving to a quota system on weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and holidays. Granted, that quota is still an enormous 400 people per day, but they say that is half of the number they usually see [...]

Snowcamping, Yosemite, and friends. What better way to start the new year?
We drove out to Wawona on New Year’s Eve to meet a bunch of friends at the group campground. After celebrating the new year with a warm campfire, cheap champagne, and lots of laughs, we got a good night of sleep before heading up [...]

Donohue Pass is the first pass you have to climb when going the north to south direction along the JMT, so it has the reputation of being a tough one. I’ve gone over it a few times now and I have to say I disagree. It’s one of the most beautiful passes in the Sierra [...]

One of my goals for this summer’s backpacking trips is to get back to some of my favorite stretches of the John Muir Trail. I have two longer trips planned, and the first trip back was a five day stroll last week from Tuolumne Meadows to Agnew Meadows. The purpose wasn’t just to hike the [...]