On any given hike, I just never know who or what I will run into. What should have been a fairly routine hike along Eastman Lake’s rolling Lakeview Trail became more interesting when tarantulas came into the mix! Distance: 7.82 MilesDifficulty: Easy to Moderate, depending on how far you goElevation Range: 586′ to 707′Date: November 23, 2020Maps: Ben Hur and ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — Thought you had seen the end of COVID-19 scams? Think again! Scammers are sending out text messages promoting participation in phony clinical studies. Don’t be tempted by the opportunity to help scientists while making extra cash. Make sure it’s the real thing before you sign up. How the Scam Works You receive an unsolicited message via text, ...

I had a three bear day while I snuck in some exercise checking out fall color on the Yosemite Valley Loop. Yellow Black Oaks and Maples, along with Red Dogwoods reflected along the Merced River! Where: Yosemite National ParkDistance: 12.12 milesDifficulty: EasyElevation Range: 3,869′ – 4,105′Date: November 4, 2020Maps: El Capitan and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Topographic QuadDog Hike? NoHorseback Trail? ...

Not all adventures go as planned. You just never know what you will encounter. A smokey hike in the Mono and Parker Pass area, not fishing in Parker Pass Lake, looking for Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep, checking out fall color, a reflective little pool of water, busy Clark’s Nutcatchers and a fire all played roles in this week’s adventure. Where: ...

Like everyone else, I spent the past week closely watching the progress of the Creek Fire, along with so many other fires. There was too much smoke to do any hiking and while hiding inside from that smoke, it seemed like a good time to tell you about Fannie the Corgi’s hiking wardrobe. She recently joined my hiking team and ...

Camping with the dogs for four days in the Tioga Pass area was a great getaway from the smoke. Sally, Fannie and I did a little hiking, a little wandering, a little relaxing, some wading, and we all took a few good naps. Where: Harvey Monroe Hall Research Natural Area, Hoover Wilderness, Inyo National ForestDistance: 5.94 MilesDifficulty: Moderate to StrenuousElevation ...

A comfortable chair was all that I needed to watch the thunderheads build while taking it easy next to beautiful Tenaya Lake. No hiking, no peak bagging, no fishing, just cloud watching on this adventure. Where: Yosemite National ParkDistance: A few feet Difficulty: Easy Elevation Range: 8,150′Date: August 11, 2020Dog Hike? Probably Not My friend Chris planted an idea in ...

It had been a few years since I had climbed to the top of Mount Dana and I was hearing reports that those beautiful sky pilots were blooming so now was the time to make it happen! It seemed like there were about one million switchbacks to reach the top of the second highest mountain in Yosemite (after Mount Lyell), ...

If you want to see an explosion of wildflower colors, this is the hike for you! Some wildflowers were taller than me and some were teeny tiny. Some were quite showy and I had to look closely at some to see their amazing detail. Some even had bugs on them. Wildflowers are putting on a tremendous show right now in ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — More pets get lost on July 4th than any other day of the year, according to Humane Society of the U.S. To help mitigate the surge in lost animals during the Independence Day holiday this weekend, the Madera County Animal Shelter (MCAS) is running a special on microchips to help keep pets safer — easier to reunite ...