The John Muir Trail (JMT) is a classic trail that covers 211 miles of scenic beauty in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. The trail starts at Happy Isles in Yosemite National Park (YNP) and ends on the summit of Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States at 14,500 feet. However, … Continue reading
The Hungry Spork TRAIL RECIPES is now available in print and ebook. With more than 50 recipes, this book is a companion to the first Spork book, which focused on planning for a thru-hike, with an emphasis on recipes. You will find vegan and meat alternatives for most recipes and feedback from a fleet of … Continue reading
This is the year I ditched my camera. I, like most everyone else, have been taking photos with my phone for years. The quality has improved greatly and the convenience can’t be beat. Until recently I’ve used my cell phone to supplement my outdoor photography but continued to bring a mid-size camera lashed to my … Continue reading
With Lake Tahoe Camping With Privacy: Your Guide To The Most Private Campsites Near Tahoe, Truckee, Sly Park, Union Valley Reservoir, And Beyond, the Wilke’s have added to their collection of information about private campsites in the Sierra. I found their other book, “Eastern Sierra and Death Valley Camping with Privacy,” to be very helpful … Continue reading
Resupply options are fairly straightforward in the northern section of the John Muir Trail (JMT) but it gets a little more complicated in the rugged, southern section where no backcountry ranches exist. For those with a strict timetable, it may be undesirable to have to spend a couple of days exiting the trail to get … Continue reading
I needed continuing education credits to renew my registered nursing license. After looking through various online options, I wasn’t inspired by any of the offerings in my specialties of oncology or informatics. My friend, Glenn, an emergency room physician, mentioned that he was going to a wilderness medicine conference and the lightbulb went off. I … Continue reading
The hut-to-hut hike on the Alta Via 1 (AV1) is one of eight roughly parallel Alta Via routes through the Dolomites in Northern Italy. This UNESCO World Heritage Site in the the Tyrolean Alps is known for its rugged beauty. The AV1 is generally regarded as being the easiest of the routes, but don’t mistake that … Continue reading
Nelson Lake is a pretty lake in a unique location in Yosemite National Park as there are no maintained trails to the lake. It does require a permit, one of three cross-country locations within the park that require a permit (the other two are Budd Creek and Rockslides). Because a hike to Nelson Lake requires … Continue reading
The eastern part of Lassen Volcanic National Park is dotted with lakes, making it easy to find routes of varying lengths that allow for swimming and water views from campsites. This 23-mile, 3-day/4-night loop from Juniper Lake has varied terrain, endless lakes and a network of trails to choose from. With fires raging across the … Continue reading
This year (2018) it was smoke. Last year it was snow. You never know what Mother Nature is going to throw our way. I’ve never spent a summer where I spent as much time immersed in fire data trying to figure out where smoke-free backpacking routes might be. If the predictions of experts hold true, … Continue reading
