Hiking this out-and-back route up Belknap Crater you’ll traverse an other-worldly lava field on a section of the Pacific Crest Trail. Take the short spur trail up Little Belknap for a glimpse of the views to come and a peek at lava tubes. Finally, climb trail up Belknap Crater itself, ascending soft, loamy cinder and […]
Backpacking the North/South Lake Loop: Sapphire Lake to Little Pete Meadow
DAY FOUR on the North Lake/South Lake Loop We woke early and it was cold at Sapphire Lake. There was ice all over the outside of the rain fly and it took a few minutes for me to warm my clothes inside my sleeping bag before I wanted to put them on. The skies were […]
Backpacking the North/South Lake Loop: Goddard Canyon to Sapphire Lake
DAY THREE on the North Lake/South Lake Loop The trail up to Evolution Valley starts off with a 1,000 feet of switchbacks that dig in right away! The switchbacks follow the waterfall that is Evolution Creek flowing out of the valley – and some of the views are breathtaking. As you top out, you then […]
Book Review: Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Southern California
My longest thru-hike (so far) is the 211-mile John Muir Trail, which I’ve hiked twice. The Pacific Crest Trail beckons me, but at 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada, it would take a five-month commitment to thru-hike, and that’s if I were lucky enough to avoid calamity along the way. Fortunately for those of us […]
Interview with Shawnté Salabert, author of Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail – Southern California
Recently I received an advance copy of Shawnté Salabert’s new book Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Southern California: Section Hiking From Campo to Tuolumne Meadows. Shawnté has been active in the SoCal hiking community, and we were lucky to chat with her about her experience writing the book. SCH: How long have you been hiking? […]
Hiking Mt Baden-Powell
The sky was a deep, cloudless blue. The only sounds came from the occasional wind through the sparse trees and the crunching of my boots on the trail. I had just climbed nearly 3,000 vertical feet to the summit of Mt. Baden-Powell (9,406′) — one of the highest mountains in the San Gabriel mountains. The […]
Cooper Canyon Falls
Cooper Canyon Falls is a beautiful waterfall that flows almost year round, but roars in April-May as the spring snow melts. The falls can be spectacular when you time your hike right, and I’m surprise more people don’t talk about this trail. This hike includes a side trip to Cooper Canyon Campground — a wilderness campsite right […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Over Forester Pass to Wright Creek
Day 20 on the John Muir Trail… At 13,200 feet above sea level, Forester Pass may not be the highest point on the John Muir Trail (that would be Mt. Whitney) but it is the high point of the Pacific Crest Trail. As we’ve hiked further and further south on the JMT, our average altitude has […]
