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!

Yosemite Weekend

I decided that snow and cold weather were not going to stop me from hiking one of the most fabulous places in the world. So I drove 190 miles and camped, hiked and snowshoed at Yosemite.

It was about 35 F at night time and about 45 during the day. Altitude was 6000' over sea level. I had my tent set and met some people there that spent the weekend with me. I hiked the Yosemite Falls trail, and then snowshoed at Dewey Point. A total of 20 miles, about 10 a day.
I had a blast! People that I met were friendly, fun and we actually enjoyed each other's company. No to mention, we took a lot of pictures.

So here is the summary:
Gas: $50, food $9, entrance to park and camp site: $40, having a fun two days, hiking about 20 miles and meeting wonderful people... PRICELESS!

Please enjoy some pictures.

:-)

Montara Mountain

This is another wonderful place to hike. I had a very nice day and I had great views from the top of the Mt. Very close to Pacifica, over Highway 1 at McNee Ranch, Montara Mt has everything a hiker could dream. There are a few easy trails for those that want to just enjoy the views, and couple of challenging trails for those like me; that love endurance and accomplishments.

I hiked the most challenging one, North Peak Trail. This is a steep trail that starts as a fire road and then ends in a small kind of trail near the top. There are manzanita trees along the trail in addition to coyote brush, rosemary, sage, and a few pine trees closer to the top. It was beautiful! Even tough it was a busy trail, it was peaceful and relaxing. On the way back, I was fortunate enough to catch the fog, it was thick, warm and at the same time refreshing.

My total was 9 miles RT with an altitude gain of 1840 feet. I hiked it in 2 hours; I ran most of the way back.
I also visited the Montara State Beach and enjoyed watching the surfers managing the 5 to 7 foot high waves. It was amazing!
Enjoy the pictures!