Today was our fourth and final day on the Lost Coast Trail. The last day of any backpacking trip is always bittersweet. We looked forward to sleeping in a bed and eating a meal that wasn’t rehydrated. Yet we want to linger and savor the sense of peace and connectedness we’ve enjoyed on the trail. […]
Mt Wilson Trail to Manzanita Ridge
The Mount Wilson Trail was built in 1864 by Benjamin “Don Benito” Wilson. He had planned to use it to bring down timber for his ranch. Not much timber was cut, and the trail was repurposed to construct the first Mt. Wilson Observatory, established by Harvard College in 1889. Hiking up this trail you can feel […]
Christianitos to Prima Deshecha Loop
Suburban trails often make great mid-week hikes. They are usually local and fairly short, making them well-suited for a quick after-work hike. A longer loop hike in-town is almost unheard of. Until now. I was examining the trail system in San Clemente and pieced together this 10+ mile loop that runs completely around the sleepy […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Upper Rae Lake, Glen Pass to Vidette Meadow
Day 19 on the John Muir Trail… We awoke early, determined to get a jump on Glen Pass (11, 970ft.). Last night we camped at 10,600ft. just above Upper Rae Lake and were looking forward to reaching the pass early before it got too warm. I need to qualify what I mean by an “early start.” […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Woods Creek to the Rae Lakes
Day 18 on the John Muir Trail… Yesterday we discussed our plans for today’s hike. We had originally planned to hike over Glen Pass to Vidette Meadow, but decided to modify the itinerary to have an easier day and leave us just below Glen Pass. Even with the modification, we would meet our original exit date […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Rosemarie Meadow to Muir Trail Ranch
Day 12 on the John Muir Trail… Today was a relatively easy day. We started just below 10,000 feet, so our climb up Seldon Pass (10,900′) wasn’t too difficult. From here, we headed down, down, down to Muir Trail Ranch for our final resupply. Yes, you read correctly. Muir Trail Ranch would be our final resupply […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Devil’s Postpile to Deer Creek
Day 7 on the John Muir Trail… We were tired from our 13 mile hike yesterday, and this would be an easy day. We would feast at the Mulehouse Cafe at Red’s Meadow, pick up our second resupply package, have a surprise visit from some old friends, and hike only half our normal average — […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Lyell Canyon to Thousand Island Lake
Day Five on the John Muir Trail… Yesterday’s hike up Lyell Canyon was relatively easy. Today, we would hit several big milestones. First, we would hike over our first serious pass. At 11,056 ft, Donohue Pass was still covered with snow, and the altitude was as high as we had been on the JMT so […]
