We’re not sure whose idea it was to celebrate Chelsea’s birthday with a family hike, but we rose early Saturday morning to make the 2-hour drive up to the Trail of 100 Giants, one of the southernmost groves of giant sequoias, near Johnsondale. We had first visited this little preserve several years ago with…
We just couldn’t get motivated for a long drive this weekend, so we had decided to simply hike up, down, and along the bluffs first thing in the morning before the day got too warm. However, Jane proposed that, since we’d be up on the east side of town already, we should just keep…
Chris’ cousin Cynthia had some business in Alta Sierra, so it worked out for us to give her a ride and for her to join us for a quick hike up nearby Sunday Peak. The 8,300′ peak lies at the southern end of the Great Western Divide northeast of Glennville and northwest of Lake…
East of Lake Isabella, the Pacific Crest Trail crosses Hwy 178 at Walker Pass, named for the famous explorer and mountain man Joseph Walker who led a party eastward through this pass in 1834. Friends of ours had recommended this trail, and we pondered our various options for a 10+-mile hike. About 5 miles…
After feeling a little beaten up after last week’s hike up Gaviota Peak, and looking forward to several hikes we’re planning for our upcoming vacation on Maui, we decided to try and get in a 5+mile hike in once a week. In looking for something close by, we opted for a walk up Mill…
After we packed up camp, we decided to do something fun to wash out our disappointment with Moses Mountain the day before, so we walked the short nature trail that loops through Balch Park. The trail begins at the park entrance near the campground’s singular hollow tree, continuing through the first mile or so…
August 2010 found us again camping with Jacob, our nephew, this year at Balch Park northeast of Springville in Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest. We had decided our first full day in camp would be spent climbing Moses Mountain, a 9,331′ peak a few miles northeast of Balch Park. We expected to follow the…
Our first full day at Horse Meadow campground found us cooking a large breakfast of eggs, potatoes, and sausage in preparation for hiking to the top of Sirretta Peak. At 9,977′, it is one of the most prominent peaks on the Kern Plateau – a 3-mile trail runs north from Big Meadow to Sirretta Pass,…
We took Jacob, our nephew, camping again, this time at Horse Meadow up on the Kern Plateau. The campground sits at about 7,400′ a couple of miles west of Big Meadow – we had first camped here when our kids were small back in the mid-90’s. It was probably down in the 20’s at…
After camping two nights at Quaking Aspen, we decided to visit the Trail of 100 Giants monument on our way back home. Located on the Great Western Divide Highway, it is the home of dozens of giant sequoias in what is perhaps the most accessible grove south of Sequoia National Park. A paved trail meanders throughout…