Mount Russell California 14er: Mount Whitneys’ Better-Kept Secret
The East Ridge on Mount Russell is the kind of route that makes you wonder why everyone obsesses over its neighbor instead –…
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Mount Whitney and Mount Muir: California High Point
The Mountaineers Route on Mount Whitney skips the famous 97 switchbacks of the 22-mile standard trail entirely, trading them for a direct shot…
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Backpacking to Upper Boy Scout Lake: The Warm-Up for Mount Whitney
Upper Boy Scout Lake (UBSL) sits at roughly 11,300 feet on the north side of Mount Whitney, and reaching it means skipping the…
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Wrapping Up Our Yosemite Camping Week
An early start to the day as we wrap up our week in Yosemite, and off to see some more massive trees before…
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Dog Lake and Lembert Dome: Two-For-One in Tuolumne Meadows
Lembert Dome was the whole reason we picked this hike – it’s the granite landmark you can’t miss from anywhere in Tuolumne Meadows….
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A Tale of 3 Lakes: Saddlebag Lake, Tioga Lake, and Mono Lake
The Saddlebag Lake loop trail sits just outside Yosemite at the top of Tioga Pass, an easy drive from our campsite at Tuolumne…
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Tuolumne River and Pothole Dome
The Tuolumne River carves through the high country of Yosemite National Park, and made the short list for our first day at elevation….
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Glacier Point and Yosemite Valley: Plan B Becomes Plan A
We rolled into Yosemite late last night and camped at Bridalveil Creek Campground with morning plans to visit Glacier Point and a hike…
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Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park doesn’t get the postcards that Yosemite gets or the General Sherman selfie line that Sequoia National Park gets. Few…
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Sequoia National Park – The Giant Forest
Giant Forest is the primary area that draws the largest tourist crowds within the giant forest that is Sequoia National Park. The name…
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Mono Lake: California’s Salty, Otherworldly Basin
We spent quite a bit of time boondocking here at Mono Lake in 2012, exploring the tufa towers and living on the cheap…
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Hiking Lembert Dome: Panoramic Views in Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows
A trip back up Lembert Dome, the last time we hiked up here was in 2012 when we did our Tioga Road/Tuolomne Meadows…
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Bennettville Ghost Town: Mining History in California’s High Sierra
Bennettville Ghost Town is a very cool former mining camp just outside the Tioga Road entrance to Yosemite National Park. We stumbled upon…
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Glacier Point
Glacier Point is the only place to get a sweeping view of the valley from the Yosemite Visitor’s Center to Half Dome to…
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Boondocking Adventures Begin: Our First Off-Grid Experience
We pulled out of Park of the Sierras in the morning, drove through Fresno and into the mountains towards King’s Canyon National Park…
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Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
We spent the day hiking around roughly 500 mature giant sequoias in Mariposa Grove near the south entrance of Yosemite National Park. The…
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