Tag: featured

Grand Canyon of Tuolumne

Although we’d like to keep this a secret, the Grand Canyon of Tuolumne is just as spectacular as Yosemite Valley—insane sheer granite cliffs jutting into the sky all around you for miles and miles—but no tourists, no roads, no honking cars and shuttle buses. Instead you get silence, isolation, and tranquility with all of the breathtaking landscape boasted by the famous valley.

Matt and Jenna flew all the way from Chicago to conquer this epic hike for our second Trails with Friends trip. Ending at the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, we galavanted for 4 days and 31 miles along the ice cold, crystal clear Tuolumne River. From endless verdant forests to eerie granite deserts, the Grand Canyon of Tuolumne reconfigures the imagination. It was hands down my favorite hike we had ever done in Yosemite… that is until we did an even longer 5 day hike (the famous Half Dome included) with the our other Chicago “Adventure Crew.” It always gets better!

Highlights of this trip include:

1) The most you’ll ever hike up and the most you’ll ever hike down in one day… and subsequent delirium because of said up and down. Also, we ran into a group of young rugged Yosemite girls who worked for the park and traveled around for months on end ranging the mountains and refining the trails. They devastatingly outhiked us through all of our ascents and descents, and when we finally caught up to their campsite at the end of the day, we found they didn’t even sleep in tents. Simply slept under the stars huddled around their fire and snuggled tightly with their bear safety canisters. These true badasses will forever be known to us as “the Lost Girls.” I’m forever grateful to the one lost girl who gave me her yummy trail bar when I ran out :).

2) Deep meditations on the edge of cliffs overlooking redwood forests led by Matt Lancor. I’ve never been led through a narrative meditation before, and it made us vibe closely with the natural world around us. Matt had us envision all of our movements, our actions, and our thoughts in these specific scenarios, but let us be creative in what images our minds invoked. I had a sacred meeting with a deer who told me something wise, and then I was transported to a library surrounded by stories and stories of books when he told me to think of my future. 🙂

3) The most beautiful, isolated, panoramic camp spot, scoured out by Ian, overlooking the iridescent blue water of Hetch Hetchy on the final day. Hence has been dubbed “Garden of Ian” by the supplicant crew. Small boxes of wine and surprise flasks of whiskey (thanks IAN!) also helped make us feel warm and alive during the most memorable sunset of our lives.

Trail Secret: Track down the cliff above, right at the beginning of July, to time the sun set positioned directly over Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. This cliff can be found as shown below.

4) A long ice cold dip in one of mother earth’s perfectly-made baths nestled in a grove of massive trees, serendipitously placed at the end of one of the most intense hiking days! Like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow…

5) An epic Jambalaya feast (not freeze dried!) cooked on the edge of a sweetly gushing waterfall…sausage, onions, peppers, olive oil, tomatoes, rice… heaven on earth. Our packs smelled like Jambalaya the entire rest of the trip. Worth it.

And here are Matt and Jenna… two of the most fun, energetic, and authentic people I’ve ever met. They cherish the wilderness, understand the connection among all things, and have beautiful philosophies about life, love, and relationships. Most of all, they are both wicked good at to-the-death stick fighting.

Yea, it was one of those Lord of the Rings-like hikes. There and back again…by Ian Baggins.

‘Til next time, Yose.

Half Dome with ‘Adventure Crew’

How did the OG “Adventure Crew” come to be? Only a recap of 5 legendary days in the wilderness will tell. With Ian at the helm, Katie, Chelsea, Faysal, Will, Dane, and I strapped on our heavy packs with countless gummy worms, nutella packs, and swedish fish and trekked through the endless trail from Tuolumne meadows to an unforgettable (and terrifying) ascent up Half Dome all the way past Vernal Falls and back down to Yosemite Valley. Buckle up 🙂

Highlights Include:

1) Mid trip: Left our camp and heavy packs behind and embarked on a fun, chatty hike up, up, and up in the blazing sun. Nothing beats finding a deserted lake miles and miles away from any other souls… our new playground. (see video for some mesmerizing lake dives).

Choosing the perfect walking stick is essential; could take you all 5 days till you get the right one

#2) Had a very entertaining afternoon at this sparkling emerald pool when we discovered, after a long day’s hike, an abandoned High Sierras camp with the biggest fire pit known to man in the center of the empty micro village. Lunch, laughter, log races, and a surprise visit from cool ranger kept us happy and in the best of spirits.

#3) Stumbled upon an enchanting light-footed deer silently walking through a grove of trees while trying to fill up our water at a nearby brook. The way the evening light slipped and slanted through the trees and onto the deer made the whole picture so tranquil and memorable. All 7 of us watched in silence and appreciation for those moments that are small and fleeting but just right.

#4 That time we climbed half dome!! If ever we were early birds who got the worms, it was this glorious day. We skipped the crowds and climbed with pretty much just us and our Adventure Crew shenanigans. Katie, Chelsea, and I feared for our lives as we grasped for dear life onto the rough cables, and all I can remember is singing in unison the anthem of our Finding Nemo heroine Dory: “just keep swimming, just keep swimming, what do we do? we swim.” Proud of all of you. Challenging, immensely fun, and extremely rewarding.

‘Til next time, Yose.

Wawona and Chilnualna Falls

An unforgettable journey with a first time backpacker, friendly marmots, and the epic rainbow-ridden Chilnualna Waterfall. Located on the southeastern tip of Yosemite, Wawona is one of the easier 1 night camping trips that is still an uphill battle with unbeatable views of endless pine trees and rounded hills of solid granite rock. A perfect trail with best friends.

Doug and Katie were naturally the first couple we took out to the wilderness. When we moved to California 5 years ago, they helped fill our late summer nights with good wine, intimate stories, and what we are convinced were the most philosophical conversations about books, love, and relationships. After hearing our hiking stories, of isolated nights on top of granite mountains, and unreal sunrises over the Sierras, they were sold. The seeds were planted… the fire was stoked… they wanted to experience the back country of Yosemite.

Our packs all felt exceptionally heavy considering we were only camping for one night. The first 5 minutes of ascent were all smiles and laughs. After that, every gram of our packs were making themselves felt: that extra Mountain House meal for an “emergency”, that extra pair of underwear and socks for luxury hygiene, and that extra book that you knew you probably wouldn’t even read. Nevertheless, many stops for snacks, cute kissy pics, and occasional smoke sessions got us happily through the cloudy day.

That first night by the campfire lingers in my memory since we were all so proud of ourselves for making it up as quasi beginners and rusty amateurs…except for Ian, an expert who can hike 20 miles a day and who volunteers to carry our heavy items that we complain about so that we will shut up.

At this point I was still resistant to these backpacking trips in many ways. Not only were the ascents grueling, but I couldn’t overcome that city-dweller’s desire to be back at the coffee shop downtown or to be enjoying a good meal at a trendy restaurant with some craft beer. By the end of these trips, however, the reluctance is squashed, and we all embrace the deliciousness of the freeze-dried meals and the unforgettable stories told around the campfire.

After we hiked about 4 miles up to the top of the falls, we scoured the granite tops for the perfect camping ground with an expansive view. This is always the most important part of the trip for Ian, who takes a lot of time, usually hiking further and further past our AGREED UPON STOPPING POINT to get that unique vista.

On our first couple trips, I was content with plopping our bags down anywhere… I On our first couple trips, I was content with plopping our bags down anywhere… I didn’t care if it was the den of a flesh eating rattlesnake or a flash flood danger zone. I had no ability to recover from those intense ascents and always gave a contrasting look of disgust and disdain to Ian’s happy camper look when we reached the top. “Just a little ways more!” (Yea, South Africans say “ways” in that phrase.)

Never trust this guy. Or do… and prepare for a soul awakening. Although your knees and toes will rebuke and hate Ian after these hikes, your heart will thank and love him.

Sweet sounds of gushing water let us know we were only a couple hundred feet away from the top of the roaring waterfall. We set up our camp at this beautiful spot (thanks to Ian!) and ran toward the granite shelves that lined the sides of the flowing waterfall. Shirts and shorts were flying off in every direction… the warm heat of the day making the cold mist and droplets of splashing water a relief after a not so hard (but we convinced ourselves it was so hard!) hike up.

Ian and Doug bravely traversed the speedy river and made it to the other side, enjoying the freezing cold water while Katie and I sunbathed on he safe side and watched two lizards maul each other like gladiators in a fight to the death! Good times, good times!

‘Til next time, Yose.