High Sierra Topix

My name is David and I'm a 7th generation Visalia native. I left California five years ago and transplanted to Knoxville, TN. Although I have loved the Great Smoky Mountain National Park as well as the amazing trout fishing that TN has to offer I've always missed the high sierras. Every year I visit the homeland I head to the mountains with my fly rod. I'll be moving back this summer and my brother and I have already planned a half dozen trips we need to check off the list. He is a regular HST user (limpingcrab). Apparently this community is an epic source of high sierra intel and he insisted that I join and start sorting through trip reports. Fly fishing is my passion and I look forward to knocking out these trips and sharing with everyone else. I can't remember the last time I crossed paths with another fisherman up there so I'm a firm believer that those who are lucky enough to venture into the best mountain range in the US aught to stick together a share our war stories. I look forward to reading what others have to say and hope to add useful stuff of my own. Thanks to those who run HST and keep this community going. Hope to see y'all out on the trail...

Cheers,
David

Nice intro David! We also love any TR's even if you put them in the "Beyond the Sierra Nevada" section towards the bottom of the main page. Winter is a great time to post and read.

Welcome aboard.

Russ

Hi HST,
I've been going to Yosemite on and off for 35+ years. Have stayed in housekeeping camp with extended family more times than I care to remember and always look forward to getting out of the valley and away from the crowds to hike. I consider myself a very experienced day hiker (last year we did a one-day 17 mile trip from Sunrise Lakes trailhead to Cloud's Rest to Happy Isles) and would like to get back into some easy backpack trips. I found this site when searching for Tuolomne area hikes. Looking forward to sharing love of the backcountry with all of you.
CindyInOregon

Hello all:

I joined this forum to hopefully make some sense of backpacking and camping in and around the Sierra Nevada. I'm located on the East Coast of the United States and will be traveling out to California for my very first time this June - definitely very excited, and to be honest a bit overwhelmed with the possibilities! I spend a good amount of my time backpacking, canoeing, and exploring the Adirondack Park in New York. I'm used to just bushwhacking/portaging into a Wilderness Area with the goal of seclusion and looking at plants/birds. Anyway, I'll be traveling out of Los Angeles and hoping to spend 2 or 3 days in the Sierra Nevada as part of week-long trip. I am so used to the Eastern forest, with this trip I am looking to see as many different natural landscapes/biomes as I can.

I'm looking forward to exploring the forum and doing some trip planning.

Hi Whitley,

Welcome to HST! Be aware, there will still be a lot of snow in the Sierra in June.

Hello everyone! I'm obviously new to the site. I was born and raised in Bakersfield, I'm currently 32yo and have 3 kids (2boys 1 girl). My name is Matt.
I have zero backpacking experience. I go camping multiple times a year at Balch park, we have a small plot of land that's been in the family since the 1800's. My hiking experience is following a few trails around in that area and that's about it.
California is a beautiful place and now that the kids are getting old enough to really get out doors I want them to experience the high Sierra. I want to start small with day hikes, work our way up to multiple day trips, and finish with bucket list multiple week hikes. I'm looking forward to getting to know some of you. And I'm really looking forward to finding some info on how to get to certain trails and recommendations on trails to hike, along with items I'll need to make it all happen. So thank you all in advance.

Hi Matt,

Welcome to HST!

Hello HST community!
My name is A.J. and I have been lurking for a couple years. I am a forty year old contractor who lives in the southern Appalachian mountains. This site has been very helpful in planning a past trip to the Sierra, evaluating photography and backpacking gear, and in keeping me away from many commitments.... I'm a sucker for trip reports and photos. I am ecstatic to be returning to the Sierra this summer to spend a few weeks on a portion of that trail that runs from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney and a section of the PCT. I have spent far too little time in California but thoroughly enjoyed the redwoods, the north coast, Terrapin Crossroads, and just fell in love with the Sierra Nevada. Pictures and words truly don't do it justice. "There are places you live in, and there are places that live in you." - Shelton Johnson.
Happy trails!

Hi A.J.,

Welcome to HST!

Hi! I'm a long-time lurker, first-time poster. I've been backpacking my whole life, but only got into long-distance hiking about 4 years ago and have made it a goal to do at least one long one each year. My first through hike was the JMT in 2013, then the High Sierra Trail in 2014, and the Big SEKI loop in 2015. I'm still deciding on a hike for this coming summer, which is what brings me here again. I discovered High Sierra Topix doing a google search when I was prepping for the JMT and am glad I did--I never would have heard of the Big SEKI loop if I hadn't! I plan on writing some trail reports and giving advice wherever I can. I think I might also write a few words about the Big SEKI loop soon, since it's one of the lesser-known major loops out there and parts of it definitely took me by surprise. I just wrote a post asking about good 120-180 mile hikes, and saw the introduction section and thought I would drop in. Oh, and my name is Gary