Taking a camera on a backpacking trip can be a heavy burden, as I discussed in Backpacking with a Camera. But nowadays I take a camera on some of my trips so I can share them with my family, since I usually hike alone.
In June of 2012 Sony released a compact camera named the RX100. In December of the same year, Joyce bought me one for Christmas.
Part 2 of my 4 part article for PopUp Times came out last month. I am late posting this… been busy!
For more about the article,disclaimers, and how you can get it click here.
There are few places as diversified as California. We have dozens of mountain ranges, the crown jewel being the Sierra Nevada. Our deserts are seemingly endless, offering grand vistas and dapple-colored skies. There is the siren call of hundreds of miles of ocean beaches. Rivers and streams round out the enticement to visit.
Having spent considerable time in Arizona, there are two things California does not have: The Grand Canyon and Saguaros.
Backpacker Magazine says the Cactus to Clouds Trail is the 5th most difficult day hike in America.
Renowned long distance hiker Andrew Skurka lists Cactus to Clouds as one of his top ten favorite hikes.
Here are a couple of my trip reports that included the Cactus to Clouds Trail:
The public may soon lose access to this trail in a land deal between the BLM and the Agua Caliente Band of Indians.
Continue reading Please Help Save the Cactus to Clouds Trail (and other trails)
Black Friday is about the most ridiculous, time consuming, inconvenient, crowded, and worthless idea I have ever come across. Last year I expounded on insanity in this Black Friday post.
This year we were at Lake Mead and I wrote about my pre-Thanksgiving bike tour here.
Of course, I was required by the boss to be back from the tour for Thanksgiving dinner.
The day after, or Black Friday as it is called, saw me shopping for water;
A friend of mine asked me to write an article for a magazine about Joshua Tree National Park that would be of interest to owners of tent trailers and small campers. I reluctantly accepted, as I really don’t have time for these kinds of projects — they interfere with my camping and backpacking time. He said I could take a few months to complete it. So I proceeded. In the end, the magazine decided to make it a four part series.
Okay, bear with me in this.
wilderness
Before I discuss trails, we need to talk about wilderness. This is wilderness is spelled with a lower case dubyah. This wilderness is also often referred to, by many people, as wild places; there is no formal definition that is satisfactory.
Just a few days after returning home from our eastern Sierra vacation we headed out for another short trip. This time Joshua Tree National Park. I know, we go there a lot. Good news is that it is summer and the park is just about empty.
Reason I picked JT was because I missed the boulders.
Back from our Sierra Nevada vacation. Most years we go camping in the Southern Sierra. We know about some special camping areas where few people venture. Those places have great views and solitude. These camping trips usually find us hiking everyday and dabble in a little trout fishing. No planned activities, no agendas, no places to see. Perfect.
