When we left Rush Creek trailhead on Day 1, we were planning on setting up camp at Thousand Island Lake, possibly waking up to take some sunrise photos, then hiking out at a leisurely, enjoyable pace. About 9 miles into our hike though, we got our first good look at Banner Peak. At that point, we both knew we’d be headed up … Read More
Out for an early Sunday morning hike with co-workers and Riley. For some in the group, it was their first hike – not exactly an easy one to start with, but they did great. …more details to follow as time allows. Geek Stats Black Mountain Fire Tower || Distance: 8.87 mi || Duration: 4h 40m (2 hr ascent, 1 hr on summit, 1 hr 40m … Read More
Thousand Island Lake is one of those places that I knew I had to visit the moment I saw pictures of it. I didn’t think I was going to fit it in this year, but things lined up last minute – I found some available permits online, there was campground with an open site the night before we wanted to start our … Read More
With an upcoming backpacking trip, I wanted to get out for a quick hike to test the adjustments I made to my SMD Fusion 65. The pack has always carried well with 20 pounds or so, but when loaded with 30 lbs or more, it has been uncomfortable to carry. I loaded up the pack with some of the gear … Read More
We attended a birthday party at Oak Glen Preserve. As soon as Ethan saw that it was outside, he kept saying “Daddy we go hike.” After hanging out at the party for a couple of hours, a few of us decided to hike a 2 mile loop around the preserve. Geek Stats Distance: ~2 miles || Elevation Gain/Loss: ±300 … Read More
After sleeping really well (big props to Jacks ‘R’ Better), we were on the trail by 3 AM. We moved quickly until we closed in on Cottonwood Lake #4 (labeled 5 on the map below). There were a few different use trails in the area and we got headed in the wrong direction more than once. Using my GPS and … Read More
I’ll have a full trip report next week, but figured I should post some conditions for other hikers. Trail Conditions Nothing notable for the maintained trails from Rush Creek to Thousand Island. We went around Gem Lake (orange route) on our way in, then through Spooky Meadows (blue route) on our way out. We hiked from Thousand Island Lake to North … Read More
Soon after my first Mt. Whitney summit in 2011, I started looking at Mt. Langley. Despite planning the trip multiple times over the years, a solid attempt at Langley never panned out (closest was a 2013 attempt that ended after a Cirque Peak summit). Weather, conflicting schedules and my obsession with Mt. Whitney generally threw a wrench into my plans. Having … Read More
With a backpacking trip planned for August 27-29, I wanted to get out for a couple of hours to get some cardio in and test the replacement lens I bought for my camera. Unexpectedly, it was foggy and humid. My pictures weren’t looking good, so I decided to mess around with HDR while we were out there. Geek Stats Distance: 3.45 miles || … Read More
My wife, son, dog and I spent the weekend in Mammoth to get away from the heat in SoCal. I had planned to hike Duck Pass Saturday morning for sunrise, but after arriving at the hotel at 2:30 am, I decided it was best to wait until Sunday. Saturday I ended up doing a couple of short hikes to Mammoth … Read More