Backpacking Big Pine Lakes

June 19, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

Trip Date: 6/1/2019 Trail Overview Trail: Big Pine Creek North Fork to Second Lake Distance: ~10 miles round-trip Elevation Gain/Loss: 2,700 ft. Location: Inyo National Forest, CA Permits: Wilderness permit required for overnight stay. Big Pine Creek North Fork Trail is located in Inyo National Forest on the Eastern side of the Sierra Nevada and is a pretty […]

Backpacking Duck Pass Trail to Pika Lake

April 1, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

Trip Date: September 1-2,2018 Trail Overview Trail: Duck Pass Trail to Pika Lake Distance: 9.5 miles round-trip Elevation Gain/Loss: 2,132 ft. Location: Mammoth Lakes, CA Permits: Wilderness permit required for overnight stay. Duck Lake Trail in the John Muir Wilderness is a popular trail that consists of alpine lakes, mountain views, wildflowers and a decent climb for a […]

Backpacking the Valley of Little Lakes

September 11, 2018.Reading time 10 minutes.

TRAIL OVERVIEW Trail: Little Lakes Valley Trail to Gem Lakes Distance: 7.2 miles round trip Elevation Gain/Loss: 994 ft. Location: Inyo National Forest/ John Muir Wilderness Trail head: Mosquito Flats Permits: Required for backpacking. THE STORY Trail so nice, I’ve hiked it, well.. several times this summer; twice backpacking and twice day hiking! Easy enough for beginner hikers with views that […]

The Day I Met an Instagram Stranger

August 13, 2018.Reading time 16 minutes.

You probably wouldn’t know that I wanted this day to happen for quite some time. As someone who is committed to the hiking community through a series of personal posts, inspirational quotes and nothing but hiking and camping photos; I sat back and kept myself from joining the large crowds and hiking groups. For years, […]

Backpacking Eagle Lake

May 23, 2018.Reading time 7 minutes.

Trail Overview Trail: Eagle Lake from Mineral King Valley Distance: 7.2 miles round trip Elevation Gain/Loss: 2,175 ft. Location: Sequoia National Park Trail head: Eagle-Mosquito Lakes Permits: Required for backpacking only. The Story There’s no better way to cool down in the middle of summer than hiking to and swimming in an alpine lake. This was my first alpine lake swim […]

Thru-Hiking the Trans-Catalina Trail

May 22, 2018.Reading time 12 minutes.

Trail Overview Trail: Trans- Catalina Trail (2016) Distance: 58.4 miles Elevation Gain/Loss: 9,500′ Location: Catalina Island Trail head: Avalon Permits: Required. Can obtained here. Campsite Reservations: Required. Reserve here. The Story This is a shorter version of our journey on the Trans-Catalina trail. A detailed version can be found here. The month is April of 2016 and we are excited to finally complete the Trans-Catalina Trail, roughly […]