Day three was our last day with packs on our back. Today, we were going to the Snake River! Today, we were going to see Wendy & Trevor!
That morning in camp was freezing. We ate the standard breakfast of oatmeal and we all huddled around the fire until we had to leave.
At some point last year, I decided that I wanted to tackle Mt. Whitney as a day hike. Applied for permits in February, got one, and assembled a crew of crazy folks, David Wherry of Hiker Adventures & Christopher Sunnen the Last Adventurer.
Mt. Shasta, Mt. Shasta, Mt. Shasta, you got the best of me this time, but I’ll be back. Just you wait and see. Friday afternoon after work, the boyfriend and I drove up to the Clear Creek trailhead to camp out and hike up Shasta the next morning with a Meetup group. We ended up getting in later than expected after driving around in the middle of the forest squinting at all the little forest road signs. We attempted to sleep in the car to save time instead of setting up tent, but it became insanely hot. Cars and people trickled in noisily and slowly after 11pm.
Drove down this past weekend to Los Padres National Forest with every intention to bag Junipero Serra Peak. (For the record, the drive down at night is gorgeous with millions of stars as far as the eye can see, so that was worth it in itself.) Did I bag it? Not even close. I underestimated the scorching sun, unforgiving heat, lack of shade, and desolate dryness of this side of the Santa Lucia Range.
The Forest of Nisene Marks in Aptos, CA is one of those little known gems in the Bay Area. Trails wind through the Santa Cruz Mountains under second-growth redwoods.
I set off to explore Five Finger Falls here after hearing many great things about it. The trail was long and semi-strenuous. I started at the Porter Famil Picnic Area and headed up the Aptos Creek Fire Road for a little over a mile. From there, there was a sign to Aptos Creek Trail out to Five Finger Falls.