Musings
Last Adventurer
#preservethegood

As you’ve seen above, #preservethegood could mean anything – it could mean helping someone in a time of need; it could be picking up trash on a trail, or a wilderness area; it could be educating people on leave no trace principles; it could be making a difference in any way you want; and it could be just about anything you want as long as you are focused in keeping the magic and the unique positive things in this world and this life. In terms of tangible things, I encourage you, my readers and followers to use the hashtag when you post a photo of something amazing; or when you’re talking about something exceptional you – or someone else has done to improve the world. I look forward to seeing how all of you end up preserving the good in 2015, and you can rest assured that as always, I will keep preserving the good where I find it as well, because as Plato says, “Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.” 

#preservethegood
Hiking, State Parks
Last Adventurer
Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls

As I mentioned previously, Waimea Canyon is a site that is most definitely one of the “must-view” locations on Kauai, and in the world; and as I also mentioned, the best way to experience it is to hike it. While there are many great hikes through the canyon, the best hike in my book is the Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls. It is the best hike to me because at four miles roundtrip, it is accessible, it has stunning views of the canyon from inside the canyon, and it ends at the top Waipoo Falls. It also allows the hiker the chance to swim in a waterfall, which is a once in a lifetime experience.

Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls
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May Lake Trailhead to May Lake

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May Lake Trailhead to May Lake

When is a backpacking trip not a backpacking trip? While such a question sounds like either a riddle, or a rhetorical question, it actually is a question with a solid answer. In my mind, a backpacking trip is not a backpacking trip when it is an introductory backpacking trip. Simple, right? Wordplay aside, what I mean by this is that when you are starting out as a novice backpacker, or whether you are trying to interest someone in backpacking, the thing to do is start out slow – don’t start out with the fifty mile, multi-day trip with no experience; or all new gear. If you want to be a backpacker; start out with smaller one to two day trips – such an approach allows you to test out your gear, and it allows you to test out your conditioning. Also, if you’re trying to introduce someone else to the sport, it allows them to become acclimatized to being immersed in the wilderness without becoming overwhelmed. Finally, this approach allows you to enjoy what you are doing without the pressure of having to be somewhere on a deadline; and allows you to appreciate the experience.

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Potato Chip Rock

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Potato Chip Rock

San Diego is a spot with many great hiking trails. In fact, saying that San Diego has “many” great hiking trails sells the city short; the reality is that San Diego has a plethora of great hiking spots. I can think of no other location in the United States where the beach, canyons, hills, mountains, and deserts are all within a two hour drive; and in some cases are within a one-hour drive. San Diego is also a spot where many household names – Iron Mountain, Cowles Mountain, Torrey Pines, the Devils Punchbowl, and the Three Sisters are hiking trails. In this blog, I’ve discussed my opinions about these places and I’ve also discussed other great hiking spots; but what I will say positively about these trails and their popularity is this: they get people outside. In my experience, when people get outside, they’re more likely to learn things; they’re more likely to boost their endorphins; and they’re more likely to want to protect not only where they went, but other wilderness areas as well. So yes, these trails are popular, as I’ve discussed, but sometimes, popularity is not all bad.

Tunnel Log

Tunnel Log

One of the most iconic things to see in Sequoia National Park is a relic of a bygone past. It is not a hiking trail. It is not a perfectly natural feature. And, it is not alive. Yes, I am speaking of something that requires no effort to see - the infamous Tunnel Log . It's not to be confused with the Tunnel Tree  that existed in Yosemite National Park, but both involve Giant Sequoias. In 1937, a Giant Sequoia fell across the Crescent Road in Sequoia National Park, and rather than remove it, the Park Service elected to cut a tunnel through it which people have been happily driving through ever since. On the plus side, since the the tree fell from natural causes, the tunnel log does not represent any wanton destruction of nature, or Giant Sequoias. The tree also represents a different wilderness philosophy of the National Park Service; one that preserved nature while also making it a bit of a spectacle with things like this and the infamous Yosemite firefall. This different wilderness ethos, along with the sheer spectacle of the Tunnel Log make it worth visiting while you can, as it is a curiosity of a time long gone. 

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Hospital Rock

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Hospital Rock

 Sometimes, adventures are easy to find – they’re marked in large white letters on big brown signs right next to highways, telling you where to turn to find something unique. Other times, adventure takes a little initiative to find. Take Hospital Rock, for example. It’s located at the southern end of Sequoia National Park. It is well marked, but other than that, not much is publicized about it other than that it’s a picnic area. On the surface, it doesn’t appear to be that interesting of a spot, nor a spot containing adventure – but it is. For starters, let’s address what it is – it’s not just a National Park Service picnic area, but a large quartzite rock that is partially is a “cave” due to its resting location next to other rocks.

IIAWT Preview/Recap Casaval Ridge, September 2013

Sunrise, Mt. Shasta

Sunrise, Mt. Shasta

A couple months ago we had some of those dreaded "technical difficulties" that every Podcast, Videocast, or other online production dreads. Fortunately, we were able to sort out the problems, and even better, our guest Michael Buturla, was still willing to come on the show even after we wasted an hour on one of his Wednesdays! So tonight, we'll be going back in time to do the show that we never did, and we'll be talking the infamous Casaval Ridge on Mt. Shasta, one of the truly great mountaineering routes in the United States. If you're interested in learning more about our guest, or his climb of Casaval Ridge, click here and here to read his trip reports; and if you're interested as to what he's been climbing recently, check out this great trip report of climbing the Grand Teton that he wrote this year. As always, if you want to listen, you can find us on iTunes, or here

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About Backpacking and Great Walks

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Take a course in good water and air; and in the eternal youth of Nature you may renew your own. Go quietly, alone; no harm will befall you.-John Muir  

Take a course in good water and air; and in the eternal youth of Nature you may renew your own. Go quietly, alone; no harm will befall you.-John Muir


 

There are hikes in the world that are greater than hikes. They are greater than hikes because most of the time, they consist of distances that cannot be covered in a single day by a single person. These hikes are greater than hikes because even if the distance isn’t that great, the scenery and the natural beauty present on them demand that the individual attempting that hike stop, watch, and listen at what the world is telling them through trees, mountains, hills, meadows, streams, and every other natural feature. It is for these hikes that are greater than hikes that the backpack was developed; and the term “backpacking” invented. And, if you really stop and think about it, backpacking is one of the oldest “sports” on the planet; except that for eons, it wasn’t considered a sport – it was considered a way of life for humans to get from one destination to another!

Today, things are obviously a little different, but the lessons our ancestors took from spending time in the wild remain; carried through time by such luminaries as John Muir (“Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”) While backpacking is a vacation activity or sport to many people, it also is a reflection of a world-wide historic tradition of becoming one with nature at certain points in life. In this respect, there are backpacking trips, and there are areas that are known as “Great Walks”. To me, any trip of a day or more is a great walk, but while it is hard to judge, some walks are greater than others. In any event, the purpose of this section is to discuss some of the backpacking trips and great walks I’ve been on, in all forms – gear, directions, and everything in between. If you are considering getting started in backpacking, or attempting the great walks of the world, remember this:  mountaineering is the freedom of the hills; backpacking is the freedom of everything.  I say this because with the right skills, the right gear, and the right motivation, a person can roam forever with his backpack, stopping only to find food – much as people have always done. Backpacking, therefore, is a great freedom – and whether you do it for a day, or two days, I highly recommend it, and hope to see you on the trail.

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Penny Pines & Garnet Peak Conditions September 2013

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Penny Pines & Garnet Peak Conditions September 2013

On July 5, 2013, I left work early, and headed up to Garnet Peak in the Cleveland National Forest to start my weekend with a short hike. It was a picture-perfect day with blue skies and since it was Friday afternoon, there was absolutely no one on the trail. The only downside on that day was the weather: it was hot , and the wind that rushed out of the Anza-Borrego Desert felt like an open oven. I remember feeling some of the plants and they were dry . Everything was tinder dry - not good for July in San Diego, where fire season lasts until October, or even November in drought years. Since I couldn't make it rain for the plants, I did the only thing I could: appreciated the natural beauty around me. Although I didn't know it, I was probably the last hiker to hike that area before it burned (photos here). On July 6, 2013, what became known as the Chariot Fire started, and spread through that portion of the Cleveland National Forest due to those dry conditions and high winds.