Rim to Rim: I Think You Can Do It
The call comes at 3:30 a.m. In record-setting fashion, my brother has pushed this decision to literally the last minute possible. If he says go, we’ll hop in the car and drive to Grand Canyon Village, for a grueling but no doubt extraordinary day hike across the Grand Canyon, south rim to north. On the other hand, if his cold has flared up, or he otherwise just isn’t feeling it, I’ll get back into my bed and that will be that (more…)
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White Mountain
White Mountain, California — It would be a mistake to call White Mountain an easy fourteener (is there such a thing?). But it’s not unreasonable to call White Mountain California’s easiest fourteener. Which is kind of funny, because from three directions—north, east, and west—White and its 10K gains offer just about as grueling a climb as can be had in North America. Thankfully there is also the south approach (more…)
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Telescope Peak Trail
Telescope Peak, California — monsoon moisture pops thunderheads to the south, while drier air pushes down from the north. Forecast: indeterminate. It’s seven miles from the trailhead at Mahogany Flat to Telescope Peak’s summit, and the majority traverse a broad, airy ridge offering not a hint of storm protection (more…)
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Half Dome via the Cables
It is perhaps the most famous hike in the United States. Every Summer, thousands attempt the 16 mile round trip from Yosemite Valley’s floor to Half Dome’s 8836-foot summit. Along they way they will travel through some of Yosemite’s most inspiring terrain, passing not one but two major waterfalls and countless jaw-dropping vistas. But the route’s main attraction is its finale (more…)
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“You are not an Emergency”
“Howdy neighbor,” were the first words he said to me. I’ll call him Mr. M, and he and his young son were staying in the Curry Village tent cabin next to mine. Mr. M had a wry, slightly ironic Old World demeanor—maybe Slavic, maybe Baltic. Good neighbor material, I thought. And as a fellow father, I admired him for spending time enjoying the splendors of the Yosemite Valley with his boy.
It was Sunday, the end of August, and I was there with my friend Bill to hike Half Dome the next day via the John Muir Trail and the infamous cables. The route is immensely popular; in summer, the one photo I have of Half Dome often accounts for as much as 25% of SierraDescents’ daily traffic, as people looking for route information come calling. Half Dome’s popularity has led to a weekend quota system implemented this year for the cable section of the route, plus much active policy discussion as to how to deal with the crowds (more…)
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The South Kaibab-Bright Angel Loop
It is only natural, standing atop Grand Canyon, to gaze into the depths below the rim and wonder if it’s possible to hike all the way down to the river and back in a single day. Hiking rim-to-river offers the ultimate Grand Canyon experience—a ‘trip through time’ traversing twelve distinct geologic formations. Attempting the entire route in a day, however, is not a trivial undertaking (more…)
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The Bridge to Nowhere
You have to admire the audacity of the attempt to build a road through San Gabriel Canyon connecting Azusa and Wrightwood. The planned route, along the East Fork of Southern California’s San Gabriel River, passing beneath the immense west and north faces of Iron Mountain and up the dramatic narrows of the East Fork canyon, was to have cut through the very heart of the San Gabriel Mountains (more…)
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Williamson Blues
This past weekend I and two friends made a go at Williamson via the big-big West Face/Shepherd Pass route. We made it as far as Anvil camp, but had to turn back the following day when AMS took out one of my companions overnight. While I was disappointed at not getting a shot at the summit (it would have been my third time up there) (more…)
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Mt. Baldy Bikini Party
Okay, I kid you not, as I was driving to Mt. Baldy this morning for an early-season training hike, I was bemoaning the dearth of scantily clad women in the backcountry. I mean, I’ve been hiking a long, long time, and while initially in my hiking career I was convinced I’d one day hit the jackpot and find a mountain covered with lovely lasses, time has taught me it never (more…)
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BPL Wilderness Trekking Course
Backpacking Light has a tremendous wealth of information on ultralight hiking strategies. Unfortunately the site is subscription-only, so most of its content is firewalled, but BPL also runs wilderness courses, including this Aug 23-Sept 5 Wilderness Trekking Long Distance class, which runs 14 days and a whopping two grand per person.
For your investment you get to learn thru-hiking techniques directly from long-distance guru Andrew Skurka plus philosophy, tips and tricks from Gossamer Gear founder Glen Van Peski. $2000 is a bit past the limits of our operating budget here at sierradescents, but you can be sneaky like me and download the course packet, which is chock full ‘o great information, plus lots of gear tips.
