I’ve got my fingers crossed that Santa does not deliver a case of Giardia to The Hungry Mountaineer this holiday season after I had to do the ultimate wilderness culture no-no yesterday and drink from a crystal clear creek on my seven hour-long trek up San Gorgonio, the highest mountain peak in Southern California.
Late July 2018. I woke up early, poured some coffee in my mouth and before you could say, wagbag, I was out the door, in the car and driving towards the trailhead. Barely after dawn in the mountains of Southern California, I made my way up the steep trail in the morning light, heavy pack …
The smell of wild onions greeted me as my morning began on the Saddlebag Lake Loop. This is going to be an easy hike, no drama, perhaps find a future lake for some Golden Trout action next trip to the eastern Sierras, I thought to myself. All the reviews I had read of the Saddlebag …
Today in the woods of the eastern Sierras, Carly the trail dog did all the things. She almost got lost in the Inyo National Forest, she had a fight with her best friend and she forded multiple creeks and streams between Rock Creek Lake and Chickenfoot Lake. After a long day on the trails with …
I don’t know why hikers and other outdoor adventurers don’t talk about scenic Yost Lake out of June Lake. Maybe it’s the insane amount of altitude gain you hike upward in the first mile of this race up to resort level and the meadows. When I started this upward journey up above silent blue June …