I love checking out the Gaylor Lakes Basin as soon as Tioga Road reopens for the season. Will the lakes still be iced over? Will those lakes hold beautiful reflections? Will I see pika? Yes, yes and yes! Where: Yosemite National Park and a smidge over into Inyo National ForestDistance: 6.17 MilesDifficulty: ModerateElevation Range: 9,943′ – 10,817′Elevation Gain: 1,356′Date: June ...
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Sure wasn’t an easy hike up to the top of 13,061′ Mount Dana with 3,000′ gain in elevation over 2 1/2 miles, full of rocks of every size, shape and slipperiness on switchbacks too many to count. All of my hard work was richly rewarded with many Pikas and Marmots paying visits along the route. Where: Yosemite National ParkDistance: 5.41 ...
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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), ...
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Our destination was icy Ostrander Lake, full of beautiful reflections and bordered by a snowy, rocky ledge. But we had to work for it, hiking through burned areas and up the trail through open granite in the heat. It was so worth it! Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 12.83 Miles Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous Elevation Range: 6,998′ – 8,612′ Date: ...
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I was heading to Utah for a horse camping trip and wisely planned a little extra time for adventure along my way to Torrey. I had been thinking about driving through some country that I hadn’t been to so headed from Cedar City over Hwy 14 to Cedar Breaks National Monument. That drive over was gorgeous but Cedar Breaks with ...
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