A bighorn, a peak, and a cold night at Kelly.

It was a cold Saturday morning at the Icehouse Canyon parking lot.  Meeting my usual backpacking partners, we chatted, stretched, and feebly attempted to warm-up before starting our hike. Once we started our hike, we quickly warmed up and soon, shed some of our layers. We all walked our separate paces and agreed to meet at the Saddle before pushing the last mile to Kelly Camp.  For some people (like me), the switchbacks...

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A freaky weekend at Valley Forge

Saturday morning, November 16th...packed and ready to go.  Loaded the car and drove up Highway 2 for an easy hike to Valley Forge via Red Box Station near Mt. Wilson.  I joined two friends who were willing to brave the cold weather forecasted for this weekend.  Per the weather reports, there was a 20% chance of rain. I arrive at Red Box Station an hour after leaving my home and shortly after arriving, my friends roll...

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Last minute trip to Alger Creek

It was 9:00 PM on a Friday night (Oct. 25th) when I found out that my original plans for that weekend had suddenly changed.  I was supposed to go to a grand opening for a shop but things changed and it was canceled.  My buddy Pete caught wind of this and sent me a text and said "Drive to my house Saturday morning and we'll head to Alger for a quick overnight".  Seeing as I haven't backpacked in a month, I figured "Why...

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A weekend at Ediza Lake

When I first began backpacking in 2011, one of my goals was to backpack in the Sierra Nevada.  A few weeks prior to the trip, I received an email from a good friend of mine inviting me to a multi-day trip to Ediza Lake.  This past year, I had to pass on a few Sierra trips due to family and personal obligations.  The summer season has been tough for me and finding time to backpack has been a challenge.  This trip...

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