Glacier Point Road had just opened up for the season, 2 ½ weeks earlier than last year, and I needed to get into the higher country. We were shocked at the lack of snow. Lakes that had been frozen last year were completely thawed out on this trip but we still saw some beautiful country. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance:15.1 ...

It was back on February 17 when Rick, Gail, myself and my dog Sally had planned to hike up the Shuteye Pass Trail. We only made it up the trail about ½ mile when Sally was attacked by a mountain lion. She had too many stitches and sutures to count but is doing great now. She is a very lucky ...

Brilliant orange poppies in the Merced River Canyon area are always beautiful to see in the spring but the drought has not been kind to them this year. They are tenacious, still trying their best to put on a showy display in the Hite Cove area, even though it will for a short time frame this spring. In past years, ...

Hiking through country that is rich with mining history gave me the chance to walk in the footprints of unknown miners who had dreams of striking it rich in the South Fork of the Merced River. Some did, most didn’t. Another unique element of this hike is the Knobcone Pine stand that we passed through.

Sally is doing amazing after her encounter with a mountain lion that left her with many stitches and staples, including a drain in her head. She was a very lucky dog and she was also very lucky to have had wonderful care at Fresno Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center. If you haven’t read about this encounter, the link to that ...

We had planned to spend the day hiking up to Shuteye Pass, off of the Mammoth Pool Road. We were hiking in Nature’s backyard and my 70 pound Weimaraner named Sally met a 130 pound Mountain lion up close and personal. She is a very lucky dog and this is her story, along with lessons to be learned.

We headed up the San Joaquin River to check out the water in Stevenson Falls and still had lots of energy so we continued our hike up to Dam Six. One of the stars of this adventure were the early wildflowers, especially those beautiful poppies!

Sally, Raven and a group of us headed up Mammoth Pool Road through 2014’s French Fire to Shuteye Pass where we saw an approaching storm dust the surrounding mountains with snow. We had gorgeous views of clouds, the Minarets, Mammoth to the east and the numerous Domes in the area.

We had another great workout with incredible scenery that included views of Half Dome and other prominent high points, Vernal and Nevada Fall and the icy Merced River. This was our first look at the devastation in Little Yosemite Valley that was left over from the Meadow Fire last year. That was very sad to see.

The Snow Creek Trail is the toughest trail out of the Yosemite Valley. It is steep and I while I was hiking up it, I was sure that the trail had about a million switchbacks, but the guidebooks say that it only has about 100. You just can’t get any better views of snowy Clouds Rest and Half Dome from ...