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On The Trail

With the poison oak kicking in and the hot springs no longer being an option I decided to hike out and drive south to find a cheap motel. I almost fell off the trail a fews times because the views can be mesmerizing. I did find a room and the price was right. After settling […]

While hiking up the cone peak road I stopped at a vista and the morning clouds were looking good. I started at Vicente Flat camp which is at 1700 feet. This is near the peak which sits at 5155 feet. That’s a good climb with a full pack. I guess this peak is the steepest […]

On almost everyday of this trip I devised a plan in my head that had to be changed for one reason or another. I had a memory of my last Big Sur trip, back when I was living in SF, of driving up a long windy road to a remote trailhead up in the mountains. […]

I hope that I got the poison oak from this trail. That would mean if I use modern research techniques for my next trip (i.e. the internet) I would be able to hike the clear trails without being affected by this annoying pest. I saw it on all the trails but for the most part […]

This was taken as I drove up a coastal road that heads east through the mountains. You can see a little stretch of the highway 1 near the center. I thought I could  get to some trailheads the would take me to Cone peak. A little way up the road there was a sign saying […]

I reached Goat camp after a full days hike and set up my tent expecting some rain. The wind started first and then came the rain which continued throughout the next day and into the following morning. This put my gear to the test. My waterproof boots were soaked after hiking the overgrown trail to […]

As I drove from eastern California to the coast I thought for sure that there would be ample phone reception so I decided to wait and text my location once I figured out what trailhead I was going to head in from. I had been hiking in Big Sur about 15 years ago so I […]

I can’t lie. I did not make it to the top but I did get close enough for this pic. This was the day after I got a ride to the Wildrose trailhead and I thought I would have good luck getting there again and maybe even further up the 4×4 only road that gets […]

I saw this guy on the way back from my failed summit of Telescope Peak. View is looking to the northwest where you can see the high sierras in the distance.

The two small figures on the left of this pic are the nice couple who gave me a ride to the Wildrose trailhead. The pavement ends a few miles prior and my truck needs some suspension work so I’m taking it easy on it for now. Thanks again guys!

Death Valley does not have a lot of designated trails but there is a nice climb up to this peak. The snow had just fallen a few days before followed by some high winds. The ammo box had a notebook for signing your name and leaving a little note. I think there was a kind […]

Woke up to some rain on my first night in Death Valley. There was a rainbow following me around as I drove through the valley that day. Then the wind came. My tent did not fair well in the wind and my cooler failed as a corner anchor and spilled in my tent. I took […]

Stopped in at Red Rocks near Las Vegas to check it out on my way to Death Valley. Stayed at the campground with numerous dirtbags and a variety of dirtbag road rigs. They ranged from top of the line Mercedes vans to simple trucks with a camper top. I guess Red Rocks is one of […]

Lots of boulders in the superstitions near Apache Junction. I was surprised and a little disappointed that there were no trails leading up to the top of any of the peaks.  

Giant rock stack in South Mountain on the National Trail in Phoenix.

Found some good campsites up in the national forest after starting at Catalina State Park.

Got here just in time to get a shoot with some decent lighting. This part of the AZT was the most enjoyable hike so far. This is located in the Santa Catalina Mountains in Tucson. The trail is cut into the mountainside and the valley below is way down there. I guess this spot is […]

This is where I filtered from the best water source in the park at Manning camp.

I was hiking along the end of Suicide Ridge and this clearing opened up causing me to throw my pack to the ground so I could yank out my camera. This was in the morning of my record 21.6 mile hike with about 2000 feet gained and 5000 feet downhill. It took ten hours. Why […]

After filling up five liters of sweet Manning Camp water I began my hike down suicide ridge toward Happy Valley Saddle which is at the base of this beauty. The extra water was to cover me in case there was none to be found in this remote spot. I had planned to hike the 6.4 […]

After the intense uphill climb up cow saddle pass it was good to know that I had this refreshment waiting for me at the top. I’m not sure if this is a spring fed pond or if it is just a damn that collects from a creek that only has water after significant rain like […]

This is the view as you approach the Douglas Spring campground in Saguaro National Park. The little white spot near the center of the photo is the composting toilet. Nice thing to have in the middle of the desert. The ridge at the top is part of the cow saddle pass trail which I went […]

This is a photo of Chimenea Creek at the Grass Shack Campground in Saguaro NP. I have been putting my water filter to the test and will be heading back Sunday to see if I can make it to Rincon Peak. Hopefully there is some water there or it may not workout. I underestimated the […]

I arrived at the trailhead near sunrise anticipating to hike a section of the AZT for the day. The mountain in front of me was mesmerizing and shortly into the hike I saw hints of a summit trail on the trail marking sticks. When I got to the one with an arrow pointing toward the […]

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