Venture Explorer

Yosemite - Clouds Rest and Half Dome

Just got back from a two-day backpack in Yosemite National Park that included climbing Half Dome and Clouds Rest. Also had my first bear encounter; luckily the bear, my food and I all escaped unscathed :-)

It is so dry in the Sierra this year. I worry that Global Warming is predicted to make California drier in forthcoming years ..

Anyway, pix from the trip here

Backpacking Yosemite and the Ansel Adams Wilderness

I took my first couple of days off this year for a 4 day, 90 mile backpacking trip through the high country of Yosemite and the Ansel Adams Wilderness in the Central Sierra.  A grueling trip through splendor and sunny weather ... and a much-needed exploration of the beauties of nature and the limits of my endurance.

The high point of the trip, geographically speaking, was climbing Koip Peak Pass on the first day, at 12,240' the second highest pass in the Sierra (after Forrester Pass at 13,180').  But each day brought its own glories, including glittering lakes, towering mountains, pleasant meadows and rushing streams.

Pix here ...

Backpacking the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness

I don't know how it's possible to simultaneously feel sore, stiff, exhausted - and exhilarated, blissful and floating on air.  That's precisely how I feel today, though, after the season's first backpacking trip, to the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness in the Sierra Nevada, about 3.5 hours away from San Francisco.  Sunny skies, glorious sunshine, cool breezes and a grand total of three other people on the 45 miles of trail I covered this weekend.

Pix here .

New Zealand, South Island

Pix from the land of Lord of the Rings ... two weeks in the South Island of New Zealand ... cold, rainy, windy, even sometimes snowy, despite it being late December, but - GORGEOUS!

Backpacking Marble Mountain Wilderness

Pix from a trip over Labor Day Weekend to the Marble Mountain Wilderness in Northwest California. 

Lakes, Peaks and Passes of Desolation Wilderness

The Desolation Wilderness, west of Lake Tahoe, is a starkly beautiful land, replete with lakes nestled in granite bowls, and has several high passes that provide stunning views of its deep valleys, glittering lakes and lofty peaks.

Pix from my circumnavigation of the wilderness this weekend (August 19-20, 2006) are here.  Mouse-over for captions, double-click for high-res versions.

Backpacking from Sonora Pass to Carson Pass

The Pacific Crest Trail stays high along the Sierra Nevada crest in California in the volcanic landscape between Sonora Pass (Hwy 108) and Carson Pass (Hwy 88).  I covered these 60 miles last Saturday and Sunday and the pictures are here ...

Mouse-over for captions, double-click for high-res versions

Backpacking the Yosemite Sierra

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) runs for 2650 miles north-south between Canada and Mexico along the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges in California, Oregon and Washington.  I escaped the heatwave last weekend to do a three-day trip along the PCT from Sonora Pass southbound to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park.  This 71 mile route traverses arguably some of the best scenery along the PCT and shows the hiker a diversity of volcanic peaks, granite domes, lush green meadows, creeks swollen with snowmelt, placid alpine lakes and rushing waterfalls.

Pictures are here.

Backpacking the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness

I simply couldn't resist exploring a wilderness with a name as beguiling as Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel (named after the Yolla Bolly mountains which form the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Eel River).  The stunning views of Mt. Shasta, Lassen Peak, the Trinity Alps and the Sacramento Valley, coupled with solitude - didn't see a soul in my three days in the Wilderness - more than compensate for some of the steepest climbs I've ever encountered.

Mouse-over the Slide show for captions, double-click for larger shots.

Backpacking the Ventana Wilderness

Apologies for not posting for the past month.  I've been really busy getting a couple of deals wrapped up ... finally detoxed with a 3-day, 2-night solo backpacking trip crossing the Ventana Wilderness, 100 mi south of San Francisco, from east to west and back again on the Pine Ridge Trail: ~50 miles round trip. I stayed both nights at Sykes Camp on the Big Sur River, close to the famous Skyes Hot Springs. One of the toughest trips I've done, with steep climbs, thick overgrowth requiring bushwhacking, and many eroded spots where the trail was less than 6in wide - and a steep dropoff making a slip and fall fatal.  Perfect weather, clean air, clear skies and gorgeous scenery made it all worthwhile, though - and here are the pix to prove it: