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

Salomon X-ALP Product Launch: Brand Ethos

Salomon X-ALP Product Launch: Brand Ethos

While I knew I wanted to talk about the gear – what we tested, how we tested it, and what I learned (which I’ll discuss tomorrow), the more I thought about the trip, the more I realized the place to begin the conversation was about the brand ethos of Salmon and how it related to me, the Last Adventurer, to you, my readers, and the social media community as a whole. With this in mind, I ask that you bear with me for a second as I generalize my thoughts about the wilderness community as it currently exists in 2014.

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Subway Cave

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Subway Cave

On the Northern border of Lassen National Park in the Lassen National Forest is the Subway Cave, a remnant of Northern California's volcanic past. This portion of California is part of the Cascade Range of mountains, ancient volcanoes that shaped the geology of the region thousands of years ago, and continue to shape the region even today. 

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Salomon X-Alp Product Launch, October 5-7, 2014

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Salomon X-Alp Product Launch, October 5-7, 2014

After the world did not end back in 2000, I found myself in France. In the midst of a raging downpour in the Pyrenees National Park, I ran into a group of fellow Americans who were also trying to find shelter.

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Fern Canyon

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Fern Canyon

One of the top ten hikes in California is not in Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Death Valley National Park, nor Joshua Tree National Park. Nor is this hike secreted away in any of the other National Monuments located in California. It is also not located in a park of the state that is easily accessible, nor well known to the rest of the United States, nor to a majority of Californians.

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El Cajon Mountain

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El Cajon Mountain

One of the little known facts about San Diego is that to locals it not only has its own “Half Dome” (Corte Madera Peak) but also its own “El Capitan” – El Cajon Mountain. While both of these peaks share a type of rock with the original mountains – exfoliated granite – and provide both hiking and climbing opportunities, the similarities end there. The more well-known fact about El Cajon Mountain, however, is that it is the “toughest” hike in San Diego County.

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Current Conditions, Mount Whitney Trail, September 2014

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Current Conditions, Mount Whitney Trail, September 2014

Mount Whitney is one of the most iconic spots, and one of the most sought after peaks in the mountaineering community. At 14,508 feet (and growing), it is the tallest peak in the continental forty-eight states.