I love walking the same road each week in the spring, admiring the changing wildflower colors, butterflies, bugs and occasional critter. Snake tracks on the road also told me that the rattlesnakes were waking up. Last week I had spotted a few old mines on the map not far from my path and you know me, I had to check ...

I was in the mood for a good conditioning hike with some miles and a climb. 12 miles with about 2,000 elevational gain at the Merced River at Briceburg would do the trick. It was a little early for the beautiful spring wildflowers that this area is known for but I found a few early birds. Oh, and I had ...

Have you ever snowshoed into Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias? This was one adventure I had not experienced until this week. Tuolumne Grove was one of the big stops that early travelers made on their way to Yosemite. In the 1870’s, they left Hodgdon’s Stage Station, then headed up through these huge trees, even driving through one of the dead ...

Already February and I hadn’t gone on a single snowshoe this year. It was time to fix that problem with an adventure in Fish Camp but what would the snow be like? Where: Sierra National ForestDistance: 3.64 miles, but you can walk much farther or shorter if you wishDifficulty: Easy to Moderate, depending on the depth of new snowElevation Range: ...

There was a really good reason why I headed up to Yosemite Valley when I did. A nice storm came in and the timing for it moving out would be a perfect time to be in the valley. Maybe if I was lucky, I would see clouds swirling around the high places on the rim. Where: Yosemite National ParkDistance: About ...

Hiking with the 1883 Topographic Map, I followed the old wagon and stagecoach roads above Nipinnawasee through 1880’s era homesteads as I tried to figure out the routes of travel, neighbor relationships and a few stories from back in the day. Distance: 13.12 Miles (but you can go shorter or longer)Difficulty: ModerateElevation Range: 3,417′ to 5,038′Date: December 24, 2020CALTOPO: Worman’s ...

What could I discover if I tried to walk the old wagon and stagecoach roads above Worman’s Mill armed with the 1883 Topographic Map to guide me? Many of the roads had changed but I bet if I pay attention, I can spot them. The area above Nipinnawasee was a happening spot back in the 1880s, when logging, homesteading and ...

There was no rhyme or reason where I walked and wandered on old wagon roads and Off Road Vehicle trails near my house. I was getting some exercise in before Christmas with some bonus views. I am trying something a little new on the Blog format, including a link to this track on CALTOPO at the top and under the ...

Please don’t tell my dogs that I left them home for this easy hike along the Wild and Scenic Merced River on an old Railroad Bed. It would have been a perfect hike for them. Where: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Merced River Recreation Management Area, United States Forest Service, Sierra National ForestDistance: 8.93 miles round trip but you can ...

After hiking Nelder Grove’s Graveyard of the Giants Trail through the 2017 Railroad Fire the prior week, I started wondering what new views I might have since that fire. Would I be able to see Nelder Ridge and the Hawksworth Tree from below? Well, I took out my topographic maps, looked at my GPS track and Google Earth images, and ...