Thanks so much Balzacomm! I had no idea there even were winter rangers out there! They are Telemarking down that slope. YES!!! I am a dedicated free healer, always have been and always will be ..read more

Hello, I am hoping for two short trips, one mid June and one over Memorial Day. I have no problem with hiking or skiing and camping on snow. My questions are about difficult creek crossings and avalanches. I would like to avoid both! That said, I am thinking about skiing Saddlebag Lakes over Memorial Day, (If there is still sufficient snow) or hiking Cottonwood or up Kearsarge. For mid June, I am thinking about either Sabrina Basin or Robinson Creek, out of Twin Lakes in Bridgeport. What are your opinions about creek crossings and avalanche risk, please? Thanks in advance ..read more

I've been trying for a Wave permit for a long time. There's a 2%-5% chance to win The Wave lottery depending on if you try 4 months out, or two days out. If you try two days in advance your phone must be within their Geofence. We were doing some other hiking in the Vermillion Cliffs area of Utah/Arizona, and of course, had to try for a Wave permit yet again. We were fully expecting to see the word "unfortunately" in their post lottery email response, like all the other times before. We were shocked when we saw the word "congratulations". So even though this isn't the High Sierras, I felt compe ..read more

Makes me yearn for one more ski this year. Do any of you know, in average snow years, if Saddlebag lakes will be skiable over Memorial Day weekend ..read more

I had a nifty mosquito net that covered from my shoulders to the top of my head and never slept in a tent. HOWEVER, we always had one for sudden bad weather surprises. Now that I have at least one dog with me, like Harlen, I use a tent to keep them in ..read more

Discovered last year (2923) that walk-up no longer means walk-up. You must do it online ..read more

wow, I want to do backpacking on this route, one day ..read more

My very first night spent (8 years old) on a backpacking trip was a clear crisp night under the stars in fall of 1967 at Pear Lake. I was cozy in a giant bag with -20F rating or something and, in the morning, my bag (and everyone else's in the group) was covered with frost. Over the years I would sleep without a tent, mainly in fall when mosquitoes weren't an issue and the weather was good. I remember one summer trip in Ram Lakes Basin when Judy and I slept out under the stars but were awakened by snow falling on our face at 5 am in the morning. We had to quickly pack up and escape over the pa ..read more

Poison Oak is definitely well on its way to choking the trail up already. I'll have to pick your brain about Blossom Lakes at some point, might get there via Atwell this year for a lovely, easy off-trail trip ..read more

What an incredible undertaking. I just read about some of Brewer's importance in the Switchbacks across the Sierra book ..read more