I have moved to San Diego and now I am back to hiking and mountaineering. So my first adventure in Southern California was Mt. San Jacinto. There are two well known ways to reach the peak; from Palm Springs, and from Idyllwild. I chose to trek this mountain from Idyllwild. The deeply weathered summit of Mount San Jacinto stands 10,834 feet above sea level, and is the second highest mountain range in Southern California. We camped overnight to acclimate to the altitude at 6000' and the next day we started our journey at 9:30 A.M. We had the perfect weather. The trail had the most beautiful sub-alpine forest and fern bordered mountain. Small waterfalls trickled cold water throughout the granite peaks and rocks. We rested on top of some magnificent boulders. The trail was well traveled by many adventurers like us trying to reach the pick and be able to enjoy the views from the top. This was a wonderful trip. I have to admit, I was tired by the time I reached the summit, but it was worth it. Coming down was easy and fun; taking a second look to the amazing views, enjoying the fresh air, playing with the snow, and taking small breaks without the mosquitoes! We reached our vehicle by 6:30 P.M. We hiked a total of 11 miles RT with a gain/loss altitude of 4834'. No to mention, I was very lucky and fortunate to hike the most amazing friends in the whole world. Priceless!!! enjoy the pictures.

Pinnacles National Monument - 12-03-11

This is one of the most spectacular places I have visited while in the Bay Area. Pinnacles was considered an ancient volcano and now is "a release site for the endangered California Condor" (nps.gov). We were so lucky to see two Condors flying above our heads and then we saw their nest on top of a rock.

The views were fantastic and rewarding after the 3000' climb. We also visited two amazing caves; Balconies Cave where we found some interesting "big eared bats", and the Bear Gulch Cave that takes you to a new different world. Both were fun to crawl in and fun to ascend and descend.

We hiked a total of 12.5 miles RT and gained about 3000' at the second pick. Awesome trip! Please enjoy the pictures.

Muir Woods National Monument - November 12, 2011

Muir Woods has been a National Monument since 1908. According to the National Parks government site, "this is the best tree-lovers monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world". I decided to join a very nice group of people for this adventure. We met early in the morning, checked equipment, and took the trails over. I was amazed with the beauty of the woods; very tall redwood trees that covered the early morning sun. Depending on altitude, we had to put on or peel off layers of clothes. We had some wonderful view of the ocean, of trees and gained and lost about 2000'. It was worth the exercise. Please enjoy the pictures.

Mt. Darwin - September 3 to 5, 2011

Another wonderful place to visit. Mt. Darwin is located in the Sierra Nevada in the Kings Canyon National Park and the Inyo National Forest of California. Mt. Darwin is 13,837 ft tall and is named after the naturalist Charles Darwin. I was there for most of the Labor Day weekend. This is a very challenging hike, especially if you have a 30 lb backpack. I started hiking about 11:00 A.M. and made it to 12,350 ft around 4:00 P.M. where I felt the altitude gain. I made it back down to the camp site were I spent the rest of the weekend by 6 P.M. The following days I visited Lake Sabrina, Upper Lamarck Lake, and Blue Haven Lake. I probably hiked about 27 miles total while there. It was amazing! Please enjoy the pictures

Mt. Shasta

I finally made it to Shasta! Incredible place to be, it should be on everyone's list.

At 14,179 feet this is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California. Mount Shasta is the most voluminous stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc.

The entrance to the trail is at 6300 feet where I slept one night to get acclimated to the altitude. The next day, I joined a group of mountaineers (met them for the first time) and began my journey at 12 pm, hiking in dense snow and carrying my backpack with almost 30 lb of camping and snow equipment. I arrived near Lake Helen (10,000') at 4:30 pm where at set camp. Most mountaineers sleep by 8 pm as the next trip begins any time after 1 am so the snow is not iced. I began to ascend at 3:30 am.

I would say there were over 100 other mountaineers besides me attempting to reach the summit before the sunrise. I joined the group and climbed Avalanche Gulch to Misery trail 12650' where unfortunately, felt sick with altitude illness; I began to shake, got sick to my stomach, could not breath and then almost passed out. I had to descend immediately to feel better. After I recovered, it was fun sliding down the hills on the snow.

It was indeed the most amazing adventure I had had. I learned many good mountaineering techniques and hopefully next time I reach the summit.

Enjoy the pictures!

Lake Aloha/ Horsetail Falls - June 26, 11

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It is summer and there still is snow at the mountains. I did not want to miss an opportunity to play in the white and fresh snow.

Located at the West of Lake Tahoe, Lake Aloha is at the top of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, part of the Desolation Wilderness.

I started the hike at 6000' and gained about 2000'. Going up hill is a challenge and a rock climber's paradise. Once at the top, it was a winter landscape of trees covered with snow. The lake was still a frozen and just a few melted spots where one could see the crystal clear blue water.
The water fall was amazing! I stood up near it to get some fresh water and to cool off from the heat; it was about 80 F.

One of the nicest places to hike. I hiked a total of 11 miles RT and did it in about 5 hours total.
Enjoy the pictures!

Big Basin

I am still exploring the Bay Area and its beautiful trails. I discovered a very nice popular area in the Butane Park, called Big Basin. My hike consisted of 12 miles in 4 hours of redwoods, interesting manzanita trees, sage, oaks and different small animals. I got to see a small rattler snake changing skin.
Most of the trail was shaded and the altitude gain was about 1400'. It was very relaxing and spiritual.
Enjoy the pictures!