The Bay Area is a treasure trove of lush forests dotted with redwoods and picturesque cascades. I set out to do an 8 mile loop up Cataract Trail to High Marsh Trail to Kent Trail to Helen Markt Trail a few weekends ago but turned around due to torrential downpour. Ideally last weekend would have been the most ideal weekend for the hike, but this past weekend was just as good and the falls were still flowing!
When Lee Jacobson tells you you’re going hiking, you’re going hiking. And to end 2014, hike is what we did. A motley crue of #hikerchat friends headed north to Ebey’s Landing to catch the sunset over the Olympic Peninsula.
Hetch Hetchy Valley was once a mirror image of Yosemite Valley; now it’s a reservoir providing millions of San Francisco Bay Area residents like myself water. Despite this, Yosemite’s counterpart is still a wondrous sight to behold, and lacking in the millions of visitors Yosemite Valley receives.
Multi-day backpacking trips to Yosemite National Park’s northernmost wilderness give you access to glacial lakes, or you can opt for day hikes near the reservoir. Going into Thanksgiving, my original plan was to do a four day backpacking trip in this area, but unforeseen wrenches thrown into plans a little bit of weather thwarted those original plans. Instead of completely scrapping the idea of Hetch Hetchy, I ended up setting off on a solo hike to Rancheria Falls while the boyfriend was stuck working on Black Friday.
Round Top Peak has been one of those elusive peaks on my Tahoe to-do list. Every time I’ve tried to attempt it, something hasn’t quite worked out: someone’s sick, couldn’t make it to Tahoe. This weekend, Russ and I set off to do it! It was going to my first, his fifth.
Half Dome lottery permits are nearly impossible to get. That hike can be unnerving for those afraid of heights. If you missed out on clambering up the cables, don’t fret. Hiking Clouds Rest out of Tuolumne Meadows is just as much of a thigh-burner, and perhaps, even more stunning than the iconic granite dome.