Flip-Floppin' the Yosemite Falls Hike

Yosemite is alive and kicking in the Spring, so we did a little road trip. One day, after kayaking the Merced River, we decided to jam up to Yosemite Valley to do a quick evening hike at Yosemite Falls.



Here's a shot of Dave on the Merced - notice that he forgot his drytop. Brrrrr.
I wasn't any better at remembering things, and realized (once at we were at the trailhead) that i had lost my shoes somewhere back at the river. So i had to hike in flip-flops.

I guess Dave felt bad so he hiked in his Tevas. Here's a shot at the top of the falls:

To avoid all the crowds on this classic hike, start in the evening with about 2 1/2 hours of daylight left! You'll pass only a few stragglers - and hopefully you'll elude the captain-safety-know-it-all hiker dressed head to tow in brand new REI techy gear, who cant resist giving you the scolding glance for starting the hike so late. Or maybe it was the flip flops?

The hike is about 7.2 miles round-trip with 2,700 feet elevation gain. Its not too long, but certainly steep. I highly recommend hiking shoes.

Here's a shot looking straight down the upper waterfall:

This is what the National Park says: "One of Yosemite oldest historic trails (built 1873 to 1877), the Yosemite Falls Trail leads to the top of North America’s tallest waterfall 2,425 feet (739 m) above the Valley floor. Do not stray off the marked path, as you will find steep drops adjacent to the trail. Enjoy spectacular views..."

Here's the webcam to check conditions before going.

Brush Creek Fever

Every winter and spring, we see this contagious stoke, this perma-grin, apparent on all the faces that come back from Brush Creek outside of Kernville. Finally Dave couldn't take it anymore, he had to go check it out. Thanks to Geno, who showed him all the lines, he got the most air time of his life! He couldn't really articulate the intensity of the experience... just all this stuff about "the ultimate freeride park" and something about "paddling up to the edge of an infinity pool and seeing the earth drop out before you..." He's got the Brush Creek fever.



Thats Dave and Geno peeking over the top of the Triple Drops. For some perspective, check out the picture below. Its the same picture...just zoomed out. You can just barely see them (the size of dots) at the very top of the rapids.



The scenery was magnificent, even though its the middle of winter.



Brush Creek is considered a classic in the boating world, and often called a "freak of nature." Even though its a steep narrow creek and there are nonstop drops and waterfalls, it is relatively safe for this type of kayaking.



Here are some more action shots from the day:

Cross Country Skiing to Hot Creek Photos

Looking at the White Mountains above Bishop.


Skiing down to Hot Creek.


Nobody else to be seen for miles!

Ahh, the rewards of skiing in a storm.

Heading toward Mt Morrison on our way back.

Here's a GPX file of our route to Hot Creek (it also includes a 5 mile cross country ski loop at Shady Rest).

Backpacking Little Kern to Kern Flat to the Forks

This 26 mile loop made a wonderful 3-day backpack trip in the Golden Trout Wilderness of the Southern Sierra. We hiked from the Jerkey Meadows Creek above Lloyd Meadow Creek to Little Kern River, up and over to Kern Flat, and down the Kern River to the Forks of the Kern.

The graphic above shows the Needles in the middle foreground with the Kern River in the gorge to the right, and the Little Kern Drainage in the middle. The blue line is our backpacking route, with Kern Flat being at the top right. The Forks of the Kern (the put-in for one of the most epic wilderness kayak/rafting runs in the US) is at the lower right of the loop.

Here's the GPX file of the trip.

The first day, we hiked 5 miles up to Jerkey Meadows and down to the Little Kern River. The granite bedrock gorge was filled with wonderful swimming pools and small waterfalls. It also happened to be one of the best fly fishing creeks I've ever been too. I bought a specific Little Kern Fly from Kern River Fly Fishing, and literally caught a beautiful Golden Trout on every cast.

There was no one around, and we set up camp on a secluded pool in comfy pristine sand! Since it was only 5 miles in and a relatively easy hike, we had time to swim, fish, and explore the area.

Because it was late in the season, the water level was low and fairly warm.

There was no need for backpacker food - we ate fresh fish for dinner!

Here's a photo of the Little Kern just below the trailhead.




And another picture taken near our campsite:



On the second day, we hiked up and over a pass on our way to the Kern River. We passed Flat Iron, several meadows and springs, and then made the long descent through the burnt-out Doe Meadow on our way to Kern Flat.



Wildlife tracks were everywhere - there certainly seems to be a healthy supply of bear, coyotes, and deer. The Kern River is absolutely beautiful in this area!



We hiked a little ways south along the river and found a nice campspot near some excellent fishing and swimming holes.



Once again, the fishing was world class with unique Golden-Rainbow hybrids...and they were big!!



We spent most of the 3rd day fishing and hiking all along the river - about a 12.5 mile hike. About 7 miles down, we reached the Forks of the Kern, where the Little Kern meets the North Fork. Here, we passed several day hikers and rafters getting ready for a super low flow 4-day trip down the Kern River to the Johnsondale bridge.



The remaining portion of our trip took us uphill from the Forks, and back to the trailhead. We cant wait to return and explore more of the area. Hiking/climbing down the Little Kern Drainage and kayaking these upper sections of the Kern River are now on our list of things to do!

An Autumn Hike at Rock Creek Lake

This was a great day and a perfect place for a late season hike! Rock Creek Canyon, in the Eastern Sierra north of Bishop, is filled with superb hiking trails. On this particular trip, we hiked out of Mosquito Flat, above Rock Creek Lake, and on into the Little Lakes Valley. There are several other trails near Rock Creek Lake: Hilton Creek/Lakes, Tamarack Bench, Sand Canyon for mountain biking, and numerous backpacking options. We took the Morgan Pass Trail.



One of the the unique features of this area, is that the trailhead is at 10,300 feet! So, immediately you're immersed in the high alpine lake terrain.



After entering the John Muir Wilderness and a hike up the Crankcase Grade, we followed a creek filled with darting brook trout. The trail splits after a steep-but-quick climb; a deviation from the mellow pace. Backpackers often head Mono Pass, but we continued through the Little Lakes Valley.

We came upon Mack Lake, and then upon the ultra scenic Marsh Lake. Unfortunately we didn't have our fishing poles; it looked like some excellent brown trout habitat! I know the Big One is lurking in there.



The hike meandered along Ruby Creek and on up to Heart Lake and Box Lake.
As we were enjoying the beautiful Box Lake, the T-shirt weather started to turn a little chilly as clouds rapidly developed and hovered over the Sierra.




The happy forecast of sunny weather was starting to look a bit off - it was looking like a storm was brewing.

So we had to keep jammin' up to see Long Lake before the weather turned to nasty!



Well, right when we got there it started snowing! So i didn't get any pictures of Long Lake, 'cause we weren't hanging out too long. The trip back went quite a bit faster. With no jackets, wet snow, and a breeze coming off 13,000 peaks, we were motivated to move fast.



I guess it was another lesson learned: always be prepared in the High Sierra - at least have a jacket! Although, i think we've said that a million times before... its just more fun this way!

Biking Sherman Peak to Kern River

This mountain bike ride, called the 'Cedar Creek Ride', is one of our new all-time favorite epics! Its beautiful, rugged, long and hard, extremely remote, and fuuuuuun! You pass through so many different ecosystems, its like being on 5 different rides.



There's different versions of the ride that can make it longer, shorter, or slightly more downhill-orientated. We started at Sherman Pass, where Cannell Trail starts, about an hour north of Kernville in the Southern Sierras.

The initial singletrack climb takes you to one of the best viewpoints in the Sierras, at Sherman Peak. You look straight into the heart of Domelands Wilderness, up the dramatic Kern River Valley to Mount Whitney, and across at the Needles and the Western Divide. (Sorry, no photos of this right now - you'll have to ride it to see!)



Then after a curvy forest descent, we pedaled through lush meadows and streams and into one of the several sections of burnt-out forest. After many miles, we arrived at the Cedar Creek drainage. It was flying time! 4,000 feet of rugged singletrack bliss. It was like the nearby Cannell Plunge on crack; but not quite as long!



Towards the bottom of Cedar Creek, the views open up to Mineral King to the north and the Needles right in front of you! We turned and rode a couple demanding miles on Rincon Trail. Another less-technical option is to ride this trail all the way out, but instead we dropped down to the River Trail.



This trail is gnarly. The first rocky section passes a mine, and proceeds narrowly along a steep cliff. Scary!



Then the trail drops down to part of the wilderness section of Kern River, known as the Forks of the Kern. Beautiful! The trail, which is relatively flat here, is the most technical on the ride and there's 4 miles of it. You either hate it or love it! There were plenty of short hike-a-bikes over boulders. But, we cooled off and swam in the river a few times. We loved it!



Here's a quick video on a fun section of the River Trail:



Email if you want more info on this bike ride. We're planning to ride another version of the ride soon!

This is a GPX file of a different version of the ride (Taking Sherman Pass Trail at the start, and coming out on Rincon Trail rather than the River Trail).

Mountain Biking Near Yosemite

Just outside the eastern border of Yosemite, off Tioga Pass, we pedaled some beautiful high alpine singletrack. Fall is certainly a great time to ride; all the tourists are gone, the air is crisp and clear, and it feels like you have the entire mountain range to yourself! We rode the rarely-biked Saddlebag Lake loop, Bennettville Trail (& hiked around the mines and old ghost town), and Lake Canyon Trail. (Some pictures and a short description of the area from The Mud Blog are depicted here, and copied below):

While mountain biking inside of Yosemite National Parks is not allowed, there are some great options just outside the park boundary. Trails on the Eastern Sierra side, near the Tuolumne Meadows entrance, offer the best scenery and singletrack. Two great biking options are Bennettville Trail and Saddlebag Lake Trail.


Bennettville Trail follows a section of the historic Great Sierra Wagon Road and scenically weaves past the infamous mine, the Great Sierra Tunnel, on its way to the ghost town of Bennettville.

Nearby, the Saddlebag Lake Trail is a mountain bike blessing. Absolutely amazing high sierra scenery surrounds this loop, which is nestled between Hoover Wilderness and Yosemite.

Another ride in the area, Lake Canyon Trail, requires a bit more aerobic exertion. Details and maps of the ride are depicted in Mountain Biking Mammoth.
Enjoy!