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.

MADERA COUNTY – The Oakhurst office of the California Highway Patrol has a new Commander. Lieutenant Jason Daughrity stepped into the job on Jan. 2 when Lt. Sandra Adams retired after serving in the post since 2003. Daughrity, 41, comes from a law enforcement family, and knew from a very early age that this was his calling. “I had a ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – Those who hike along the Lewis Creek Trail have likely been surprised and a bit saddened to see that the bridge nearest the parking lot north of Cedar Valley on Highway 41 is gone. A call to Steven Beri, National Resources Specialist and Trail Supervisor for the Sierra National Forest, shed some light on why the ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park announces entrance fees and campground fees will increase beginning March 1, 2015. The new fee structure includes modifications to the October 2014 draft proposal based on public input.

YOSEMITE – Sad news out of Yosemite National Park as rangers report a climbing accident on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 25, in which a Fresno man was killed. Cody Byers Long, 24, was climbing the Royal Arches in Yosemite when he fell more than 400 feet, according to Park Ranger Kari Cobb.

MADERA – At the heart of good gardening is good soil, and anyone who wants to know more about what that means is invited to attend a Free Soils Workshop for Home Gardeners, hosted by Madera County Master Gardener Sandy Hallam.

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park is excited to report the first confirmed sighting in the park of a rare Sierra Nevada red fox (Vulpes vulpes necator) in nearly 100 years. Park wildlife biologists had gone on a five-day backcountry trip to the far northern part of the park to check on previously deployed motion-sensitive cameras. They documented a sighting of ...

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.

MADERA COUNTY – The Madera County Sheriff’s Office has six new reasons to be proud of the department’s nationally recognized Citizen On Patrol (COP) Unit. Sheriff Jay Varney swore in the six volunteers last night in Yosemite Lakes Park. COPs make a big difference in the way law enforcement makes its presence known in our community, says Varney.

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 ...