As we walked along the crest of the Sierra, we weaved in and out of the Emigrant Wilderness. Approaching Sonora Pass, the Pacific Crest Trail skirts the edge of Emigrant’s 113k acres.
The Emigrant Wilderness was the first place I went backpacking in California and continues to be one of my favorite areas to explore. It felt like a bit of a homecoming as I gazed down at the many lakes that dot its granite landscape.
Situated in the shadow of the much more famous Yosemite National Park at its border, the Emigrant Wilderness can feel like a secret by comparison. But it shares the same Sierra ecology, dominated by granite, pine forests, and abundant lakes.
The Sierra section of the PCT continues north past Lake Tahoe, but this was our last day of hiking above 10k feet. The highest elevations were now behind us, but we still had another 1,600+ miles to go.
I’m guiding a very special trip into the Emigrant Wilderness in about a month. It explores some of my favorite places in all of the Sierra, including hidden pockets only accessible by off-trail rambling.
Want to experience it yourself? Check out the link in my bio to learn more and sign up.
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This was 6/21/21 — day 66 of my 2021 PCT thru hike. We hiked 19.2 miles and made it to mile 1,026.1. I’m digging into the archives to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pacificcresttrail #pct #wilderness #sierranevada #emigrantwilderness
Did you know that there are trillions, maybe quadrillions of mosquitoes in the world?!
Take a walk in the Sierra shortly after the snow melts and you may feel like those are conservative estimates.
When we walked through Yosemite on our 2021 PCT thru hike, we were walking through clouds of mosquitoes. Thanks to careful planning and gear selection, we were still able to enjoy ourselves.
A bug net and tightly woven clothes or rain/wind gear are essential pieces of gear in the early summer when the mosquitoes are at their worst.
Yet another reason why a proper understanding of your expected conditions will help you better prepare your gear and yourself to still have a great time in the wild.
Thankfully all of my 2024 guided trips in the Sierra are intentionally timed to avoid conditions like these — especially the trips planned for September, which could be my favorite month in the Sierra.
Come enjoy a less buggy trip with me and see for yourself!
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This was 6/19/21 — day 64 of my 2021 PCT thru hike. We hiked 19.5 miles and made it to mile 990.1. I’m digging into the archives to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pacificcresttrail #pct #wilderness #sierranevada #yosemite #yosemitenationalpark
As we entered Yosemite National Park via Donahue Pass, we began to trace the Lyell Fork — one of two streams that form the headwaters of the mighty Tuolumne River.
Towering above us to the southwest was Mount Lyell, the tallest mountain in the park at 13,114 feet. On its slope were the remnants of the shrinking Lyell Glacier, providing a perennial stream long after the surrounding snow has melted.
We followed the swelling stream into Lyell Canyon, an extraordinarily beautiful subalpine meadow that was teeming with wildflowers, mule deer, and even an occasional coyote.
Walking through the lush canyon was a delight. We were able to easily meander along the soft path and gawk at the mountains of the Kuna Crest that towered above us.
These crystal clear waters would go on to fill the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, and ultimately flow through the taps of 2.7 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I live. Apparently the water from this watershed is so pure that they don’t even filter it!
I’m drinking a glass of right now, in fact. Tastes great!
Want to experience the start of the Tuolumne River watershed and see the beauty of Lyell Canyon? I’m guiding a trip up this canyon, and into the alpine zone of Vogelsang in September. I still have a few spots open — learn more about the trip at the link in my bio.
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This was 6/17/21 — day 62 of my 2021 PCT thru hike. We hiked 21.5 miles and made it to mile 951.1. I’m digging into the archives to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pacificcresttrail #pct #wilderness #sierranevada #jmt #johnmuirtrail #yosemite #yosemitenationalpark
From Kennedy Meadows to Tuolumne Meadows stretches the longest roadless section of the PCT — 240 trail miles of epic wilderness.
We had two goals for this section: to summit Mt. Whitney and to maximize our time on trail, immersing ourselves as deeply as possible in the backcountry.
With heavy packs and careful rationing, we gave ourselves 11 days to traverse 190 miles through the heart of the Sierra — the portion of the PCT otherwise known as the John Muir Trail.
The lack of roads allowed for total immersion but made resupplying more challenging. Most hikers exit the trail for provisions after Mt. Whitney, but we decided to resupply early at Cottonwood Pass.
Doing so meant carrying heavier packs and fewer snacks in exchange for more uninterrupted Sierra splendor. Which was absolutely the right call.
This was perhaps my favorite part of the entire trail: challenging yet endlessly rewarding high passes, turquoise lakes, and the jubilant whistles of marmot families. I was putting one foot in front of the other, but I might as well have been floating.
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These are scenes from my 2021 thru hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. I’m digging into the archives to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pacificcresttrail #pct #wilderness #sierranevada #jmt #johnmuirtrail
Traversing high mountain passes is par for the course on any Sierra Nevada backpacking adventure. But tackling the five fabled passes of the PCT in just four days? It wasn’t so bad thanks to 2021’s lower than average snowpack.
Forester, Glen, Pinchot, Mather, Muir - each a lofty portal over 12,000ish feet in elevation, granting access to a new geological and ecological realm shaped by glaciers over countless millennia.
Forester Pass was the first and the highest. The saddle awarded us with epic vistas into Sequoia National Park’s U-shaped canyons and hanging valleys.
We climbed Glen Pass on the same day. The view from the top overlooking the Rae Lakes Basin was one of the most spectacular sights of the entire trail. We slept next to postcard-perfect Middle Rae Lake.
At Pinchot Pass, the landscape was almost Mars-like. Above Lake Marjorie rose a red cinder peak which stood in stark contrast to the typical white granite. Mather Pass gave us our first view of Disappointment Peak, which was anything but.
Muir Pass may have been the best. Leading up to it, we criss-crossed the headwaters of the crystal clear Middle Fork Kings River. Sitting atop the saddle was a stone hut. Originally conceived as a memorial to John Muir, the Sierra Club dedicated it in 1933, prior to the creation of the national park that now surrounds it.
We enjoyed lunch inside the hut before continuing on towards the next pass, giddy with anticipation of what awaited on the other side.
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This was 6/7-10/21 — days 52-55 of my 2021 PCT thru hike. We hiked 73.5 miles, climbed 17,545 ft, and made it to mile 845.9. I’m digging into the archives to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pacificcresttrail #pct #wilderness #sierranevada #foresterpass #glenpass #pinchotpass #matherpass #muirpass #raelakes #jmt
We set out at midnight and ascended via headlamp as the stars faded and the sky brightened. When we made it to the top of Mt. Whitney, we were the only ones up there as the sun lit up the mountains before us: the Sierra Nevada, or what John Muir called the “range of light.”
150 years ago, Josiah Whitney led California’s first geological survey of the Sierra Nevada. During that pioneering expedition, his team calculated the elevation of this iconic summit. We now know the peak of Mt. Whitney stands about 14,505 feet above sea level, and rises another half inch every 10 years!
Whitney is the guy this famous mountain is named for. But does he really deserve the name of the highest peak in the lower 48? In fact, he never actually summited it. But his employees gave him the honor… in what some may see as a classic example of sucking up to the boss!
Besides the survey and the mountain, perhaps the most enduring legacy of Whitney is how he stubbornly clung to the notion that these mountains were carved purely by erosion and shattering forces. He outright dismissed John Muir’s “ignorant” theories about glaciers molding the U-shaped basins we now know were the result of grinding ice.
I recently read Kim Stanley Robinson’s wonderful book, “The High Sierra: A Love Story.” In it, he wonders what makes a good name. He asks if the name of nearby Mt. Muir shouldn’t be swapped with that of Mt. Whitney… what do you think?
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This was 6/6/21 — day 51 of my 2021 PCT thru hike. We hiked 23.9 miles, climbed 8,502 ft, and made it to mile 774.7. I’m digging into the archives to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pacificcresttrail #pct #wilderness #sierranevada #mtwhitney #jmt #johnmuirtrail #johnmuir
On this day, we walked among living legends — the resilient and bizarrely beautiful foxtail pines. These high-altitude specialists can be found in only two places in the world: here in the southern sierra, and 800ish miles up the trail in the Klamath mountains up north.
They used to be widespread, but became geographically separated with the melting of the glaciers. The same glaciation that carved and sculpted the famous granite of the Sierra.
Foxtail pines can live over 2,000 years! As we wound our way between them, I struggled to imagine how many people have come before me; how many great historical events have occurred in the lifetime of these trees. How small we are!
Twisted by fierce winds and sculpted by centuries of harsh conditions, the gnarled limbs of these pines hold dense needle clusters resembling a fox’s bushy tail.
Growing where others can’t at elevations up to 11,500 feet, these sentinels dominate the subalpine zone and mark the transition into the alpine tundra ahead.
That’s where we were headed next: up into the desolate rocky alpine zone on our way to summit Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48.
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This was 6/4-5/21 — days 49 and 50 of my 2021 PCT thru hike. We hiked 24.8 miles and made it to mile 767. I’m digging into the archives to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pacificcresttrail #pct #wilderness #sierranevada #foxtailpine #mtwhitney
Making it to Kennedy Meadows felt monumental.
It’s a fabled, almost mythical destination along the PCT. As the last major resupply point before ‘officially’ entering the Sierra, we’d been looking forward to it for 700 miles.
Most hikers take some time off to celebrate having completed the desert section, and to gather the high-altitude gear they’ll need for the trail ahead. Eager to enter the Sierra, we decided to spend just one night there before hiking on.
I kept a journal while I was on the trail, and re-reading it today brought me right back:
“The landscaped changed and evolved into the familiar granite dominated Sierra topography. Coming across the Kern river, the first running water in who knows how many miles was an absolute delight. Felt amazing to soak my feet and soak it all in.”
“I feel so grateful and happy and excited and proud that I’m here right now. 700+ miles, walking all the way from Campo. Incredible. This felt so far away and so abstract for so long. Hard to believe it’s actually here and now.”
“Woke up to the sounds of someone puking and coyotes howling all around us. Lingered at Kennedy meadows until 3 or 4 or so, eating banana splits and burgers and pooping in real toilets and saying hello and goodbye to familiar faces.”
“Kennedy meadows was a bit rougher than expected. Every notorious PCT stop seems to be a grungy junkyard. But with cold beverages tasty food and exceptional friendliness it had everything we could ever want or need.”
“Walking into the proper Sierra now… I feel like I’m floating.”
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This was 5/30-31/21 — days 44 and 45 of my 2021 PCT thru hike. We hiked 27.1 miles and made it to mile 711.9. I’m digging into the archives to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pacificcresttrail #pct #wilderness #sierranevada #getoutside
Technically, the Sierras start here, as the trail veers north from Tehachapi Pass. Though it doesn’t quite look like it. Most would say the ‘Sierra section’ of the PCT starts at Kennedy Meadows as that’s when you finally enter a world of granite and pines.
That’s where we were headed next, weighed down with six days of food and six liters of water. Our packs were made even heavier by fresh baked brownies, calzones, and bagged salad — an unbelievably tasty gift from my in-laws. They delivered this bounty alongside a fresh pair of shoes as we took a zero day in Tehachapi to clean up and recharge.
This is also the point of the PCT where the famous Cheryl Strayed started her hike north. Maybe you’ve heard of her tale — she’s responsible for a surge in interest in the PCT that has persisted ever since her wildly popular book.
The Tehachapis are part of the Transverse Range — a series of mountains that serve as a vital wildlife corridor connecting the coast ranges with the inland Sierra Nevada. As usual, walking this connective spine only amplified my own sense of connection with this wonderful wild world.
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This was 5/24/21 — day 38 of my 2021 PCT thru hike. We hiked 19.6 miles and made it to mile 578.1 this day. I’m digging into the archives to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pacificcresttrail #pct #wilderness #sierranevada #tehachapimountains
Ever been cut by stubborn chaparral?
If you’ve hiked in California, you probably have. Chaparral shrublands are California’s most extensive native plant communities. We pushed through dense thickets of chamise on the PCT as we hiked through the San Gabriel Mountains.
Chaparral thrives in the hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters of California’s Mediterranean climate. It has adapted by toughening up and in some species arming itself with thorns and thick, waxy leaves. The result? Less water lost to evaporation, fewer animals taking a chomp... and more hikers getting cut and poked.
But not if you wear pants and long sleeves!
I was grateful I wore them this day, and most days — not only because they help protect me from plants adapted to inflict pain, but also because they keep off sun, dirt, and bugs.
Want to learn other ways that an awareness of place helps make you a better backpacker? Come backpacking with me this summer and I’ll show you a few. Much of my approach to guiding is adapted to the environmental conditions we encounter. Kinda like chaparral!
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This was 5/17/21 — day 31 of my 2021 PCT thru hike. We hiked 23.3 miles and made it to mile 428.6 this day. I’m digging into the archives to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pct #pacificcresttrail #sangabrielmountains #chaparral
Have you ever experienced an ecotone?
Probably! An ecotone is simply a transition zone between different ecosystems, and it’s one of my favorite parts about backpacking.
The Pacific Crest Trail is full of these merging moments. As we hiked between the San Bernardino mountains and the Mojave desert we got to experience at least three.
We descended from towering coniferous forests to stubbier pinyon-juniper woodland. And then into desert scrub with patches of spiny yucca and chaparral.
Finally, as we arrived at the famous deep creek hot springs, we set up camp at the edges of a lush riparian zone.
Want to experience some ecotones for yourself? Join me on a guided backpacking trip this summer and I’ll show you some of my favorites. Check the link in my bio for more deets.
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This was 5/10/21 — day 24 of my 2021 PCT thru hike. We hiked 22 miles and made it to mile 307.9. I’m digging into the archives to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pct #pacificcresttrail #ecotone #wilderness #mojavedesert
The Pacific Crest Trail is usually thought of as an escape into untamed lands, far from the noise and chaos of civilization. Many stretches of it feel that way. Yet you can never fully leave humanity’s imprint behind, no matter how remote the setting.
One moment, you’re descending peacefully along a forested path atop the San Jacinto sky island, feeling fully immersed in the wild. The next, you’re passing under the deafening roar of freight trucks thundering across Interstate 10’s massive concrete span.
This stark contrast lays bare an inescapable truth: Though we seek to define wilderness as lands unspoiled by human influence, we’ve been shaping the natural world since the very first humans.
We may venture deep into rugged landscapes, but we can never truly escape the evidence of our impact.
Lately, we’ve been building more wildlife crossings to provide protected passage for animals to cross the roads that bisect their habitats. As we ducked beneath rumbling train cars on our own wild pathway, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of camaraderie with the other animals who simply want to pass through.
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This was 5/5/21 — day 19 of my 2021 PCT thru hike. We hiked 21.2 miles and made it to mile 211.7. I’m digging into the archives to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pct #pacificcresttrail #sanjacinto #sanjacintomountains #skyisland #wilderness
Climbing the San Jacinto Mountains was an ascension into a remarkable sky island — an ecological oasis isolated by elevation from the surrounding desert valleys.
These mountains are the result of epic geological forces that have sculpted the landscape over eons. To the east lies the active San Andreas fault system, while the San Jacinto fault grinds along to the west.
Caught between these tectonic titans, ancient granitic rocks have been uplifted over 10,000 feet in a mere few miles, creating a towering island in the sky.
This lofty elevation allows the San Jacinto Mountains to capture moisture-laden air from the Pacific, wringing out precious precipitation that contributes to the aridity of the deserts in their rain shadow (there’s that orographic lifting again).
Yet, even this island in the sky is not immune to the escalating threat of intense wildfires made more so by climate change. We were reminded of this as we walked through the charred landscapes left in the wake of the Cranston and Mountain fires.
Nevertheless, resilient pockets of healthy forests persist, defying the odds. Last night, we slept in a fragrant grove of cedars as the wind howled in the crowns above us.
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This was 5/1/21 — day 15 of my 2021 PCT thru hike. We hiked 15 miles and made it to mile 177.3. I’m digging into the archives to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pct #pacificcresttrail #sanjacinto #sanjacintomountains #skyisland
Day 11 of our 2021 PCT thru hike.
Mile 115, 13.4 miles hiked.
After taking our second “zero day” in less than two weeks due to foot pain, we made it back on trail for some lovely easy hiking around Warner Springs.
By this point, most people we’d met had zoomed on ahead. We knew we’d have to more than double our pace if we hoped to finish before winter came to Washington.
But despite the creeping time pressure, I wasn’t feeling anything but gratitude to be out here feeling small.
After our first hitchhike, first post office resupply, and first raindrops, we slept next to a babbling seasonal stream and were visited by curious hungry mice.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #pct #pacificcresttrail #thruhiking #thruhike #camping
Day 9 on our 2021 PCT thru hike.
Mile 101.6, 15 miles hiked.
Today is a simple appreciation post because three years ago today I was feeling quite grateful.
Grateful for the beautiful weather, blooming wildflowers, and expansive vistas. For the water cache kept stocked by selfless volunteers. And for this massive rosy boa slowly making its way across the trail!
Today was also the day that we passed the 100 mile mark, making this the longest backpacking trip I’d ever been on.
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I’m digging into the archives of my 2021 PCT thru hike to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pct #pacificcresttrail #desertcamping
Day 8 on our 2021 PCT thru hike.
Mile 86.6, 18.3 miles hiked.
I used to think poles just got in my way. But I’ve really grown to love them.
Especially on blustery days like this one. When you’re walking directly into powerful winds, poles keep you upright and supported — turning an unexpected gust into a stumble instead of a trip-ending fall.
Poles also help you utilize more muscles in your body to propel you forward and to slow your descent. That saves energy — very important on days like this one where temperatures reach into the triple digits. (Yep, even with the wind.)
That’s why Wilder Walks trips include nice carbon fiber poles for every participant!
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I’m digging into the archives of my 2021 PCT thru hike to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pct #pacificcresttrail #backpackinggear #backpackingtips #desertcamping #anzaborrego #anzaborregodesertstatepark
Day 6 on our 2021 PCT thru hike.
Mile 54.7, 12.1 miles hiked.
This probably isn’t the weather you think of when you imagine the desert section of the Pacific Crest Trail. It wasn’t what I had in mind before setting out.
But it makes sense when you think about the topography. The PCT traces the crests of mountain ranges, in this case the Laguna Mountains. Blowing from the west was cool moist air from the Pacific Ocean, while the arid Anza Borrego and Sonoran deserts stretched out to the east.
As moist air is forced from low to high elevations, it cools and condenses, raising the relative humidity and resulting in clouds or rain. This is known as the orographic effect. Since the moisture is rung out of the air along these ridges, there’s little left as it moves onto the deserts on the lee side of the mountains. (This is part of why California’s deserts exist!)
Understanding topography and weather patterns are important while planning a backpacking route and determining what to pack. But it also helps explain why the ecosystem you’re traversing supports the different types of plants and animals you’ll see.
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I’m digging into the archives of my 2021 PCT thru hike to share some special moments, helpful tips, and lessons I’ve applied to Wilder Walks guided backpacking trips.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #camping #pct #pacificcresttrail #backpackingtips
Day 3 on my 2021 PCT thru hike.
Mile 32.6, 12.6 miles hiked.
Today we tried out the umbrellas for the first time
It’s because of the basins!
But what is a basin? And why does the Sierra have so many?
Like the name suggests, they’re basically rock bowls. Except they’re actually horseshoe-shaped. Made that way by the upper ends of glaciers that used to fill them to the brim.
When glaciers dominated the landscape, they would slowly carve and grind deeper and broader basins under their immense weight and pressure. As they flowed across the landscape for thousands of years they ate at the walls and broke off more rock, which they then scraped against the floors. And on it went.
Thankfully, these glaciers didn’t carve too much or too deep like they have in other similarly-aged ranges like the Swiss Alps. If you hike over there, you’ll find steep imposing canyons instead of broad flat basins like you find in the Sierra.
That’s thanks to the Sierra’s relatively rare Mediterranean climate with cool damp winters and hot dry summers. Less rain meant less ice and there just wasn’t as much glaciation occurring in the Sierra… it had just the RIGHT amount. What’s left are these smooth bare rock wonderlands, perfect for walking and rambling over.
Wanna experience it yourself this summer? There are still a few spots left on our off-trail trips in Emigrant Wilderness. Tap that bio link to check em out.
#wilderwalks #backpacking #hiking #sierranevada #yosemite #emigrantwilderness #glacier
Can you hear the birds?
In Point Reyes National Seashore you sure can.
Point Reyes has the greatest avian diversity in ANY National Park! There have been over 490 species recorded in the park, which is over half of ALL species found in all of North America.
What is it about Point Reyes that makes it such a birding hot spot?
Well, one reason is because of the shape of the land. Look at a map of Point Reyes and you’ll see that the peninsula juts out about 10 miles into the Pacific Ocean. This makes it a natural landing and resting spot for birds migrating north or south along the great Pacific Flyway — a 4,000 mile journey for some!
Birds are also attracted to Point Reyes’ diversity of protected coastal habitats, including estuaries, grasslands, coastal scrub, and the forest you see here.
All this makes Point Reyes one of the most sonically interesting places to hike and backpack. For an amateur bird admirer such as myself, it’s a wonderful soundtrack to my hike. For serious ornithologists, it’s considered a world-class birding destination.
Wonder what these birds are? I had to use an app to help me identify them (I’m still learning!). Closest I could get was some sort of Chickadee (maybe a Chestnut-backed Chickadee?), and a Song Sparrow. What do you hear?
#pointreyes #pointreyesnps #pointreyesnationalseashore #backpacking #hiking #nature #wilderwalks
