High Sierra Topix

I'm going to go for the preemptive post before Maverick asks

I joined the board a few years ago and pop in periodically for some trail beta or ideas on hike alternates, etc.. My wife and I have four young daughters, and we love being outdoors. We spent 4 years in NorCal, living in the Sierras and hiking and backpacking in many areas, but particularly within Tahoe National Forest and in the American River area.

We have lived in SoCal now for a couple of years, and while the wilderness is a bit different here than up north, we're still having a blast introducing the kids to the desert and a variation of mountainous terrain.

With kids, my wife and I don't get out as much any more for backpacking trips, but we do many day hikes. Every couple of years we'll do a shorter backpacking trip or a bigger day hike (Whitney, Cactus to Clouds, etc..). It's fun to have a challenge and something to train for while we wait for the kids to grow into their overnighting skills.

I have told the kids when they turn 6 they'll get a backpacking trip with me. My oldest turned 6 recently and she's up for her first trip this summer. She's plenty of camping and hiking, and is excited beyond belief for her trip. I can't wait to share one of my favorite activities with her, either

Hi Evan, Brett, and Chris,

Welcome to HST! Thank you all for your introductions!

Hi all,

I am a Colorado native who has been linving in LA and Orange counties for the past 8 years. I love the Sierras, especially the eastern side, and try to get up there as much as possible in both summer and winter. I'm an aspiring mountaineer and hope to check Russell and Muir off my 14ers list later this summer. Been lurking on this site for a while so hopefully I can contribute some useful conditions info once and a while!

-Sam

Hi Sam,

Thanks for your intro! Looking forward to reading those Russell and Muir reports.

Hi everyone, I finally joined up after seeing useful and friendly posts on this site for a long time. I live in Claremont, CA, eastern Los Angeles County (Mt Baldy in the San Gabriels is kind of my backyard, so to speak). I sneak up to the Eastern Sierra for three- to five-day backpacking trips as often as I can, sometimes with fishing and/or peak bagging, sometimes not. I often go solo but usually wouldn't mind company. I'm looking forward to being here...

John Norvell

Hi All!
My name is Tania and I have been backpacking in the California Sierras for the past 25 years, usually at least once a year, but never for long enough it seems. Several times, I have brought friends and partners, but typically I am solo on the trail, and enjoy it that way very much. I want to thru - hike the JMT for sure, and at some point, the California PCT. I try to find new routes that are less traveled and as remote as you can get among the gazillion people in California. I have a dog, a Schipperke but he can't really do the mileage I do and so he has to stay with friends. What else do you want to know?

Welcome aboard, Tania. And thank you for the intro! What else do we want to know? Well, we love trip reports...of any kind. Oh, and with photos. Lots of photos.

Enjoy,
ERIC

My trail name is Mended Wing. I'm new to this board, but a seasoned backpacker who has enjoyed reading..er lurking here for quite some time. I did the full JMT (NOBO) in 2009 and keep going back into the high country for more.

I plan as many adventures in the High Sierra each year as possible, usually 2-3 trips of 7-10 days each. My favorite spots tend to originate on the eastern slopes, so I am most familiar with trailheads out of Bishop, Lone Pine, Independence...you get the trend. I recently ( July 5-11 2015) took a small team in from Cottonwood lakes over (old) Army Pass, summit of Mt. Langley, down into Crabtree meadows, summit Mt. Whitney, across Bighorn Plateau and back out via Shepherd Pass. Great trip despite rain, hail and constantly shifting weather. Shepherd Pass is no picnic. That being said, I'm planning to go back and get Mt Tyndall and Mt Williamson summits by the end of this hiking season.

Thanks for the add, I look forward to more conversations and trip reports.

Hi MW,

Welcome to HST! You bucked the trend, with your northbound hike of the JMT. Hope you will post a TR of your 7/5-7/11 hike, and any other TR's (2009 JMT) you may want to share with us.

Hello everyone! I'm bandguy. I just completed a trip over Kearsarge to Sixty Lakes and also from Road's End up Bubbs Creek, so I have a little new backpacking experience. (also in the past six or seven years have hiked White Chief to Ansel Lake, Roads end to East Lake, Franklin Pass-Rattlesnake-Little Clair-Soda-Lost Canyon-Sawtooth). I've stayed mostly on trail.

I'm 58 and getting pretty excited about this again-I backpacked a bit when I was much younger and now I've fired it up again. It's physically pretty hard for me but I really like it. I live in the western foothills of SEKI so I have LOTS of opportunity, though work keeps me pinned down much of the year. I really love flyfishing and have done lots of that front country, and want to learn more about that back country too. The trails I mentioned-I had lots of company, so even though I almost always hike solo I need to explore off-trail options more. I have much to learn from you folks out there, so I'll be askin'!