Elevation (ft) of San Jacinto Peak.

My most challenging hike thus far! A group of friends and I hiked this one in mid-November 2015. We entered our trail near Idyllwild, which is an awesome mountain town with food that tastes amazing after a killer hike (read: hot chocolate and blue cheese burgers). That is, amazing, for my fitness-team-buds, who didn’t feel totally sick after extreme hiking!

The pictures above were taken at the summit. It is a very prominent peak. So prominent, it is the 6th most prominent peak in the continental U.S. I believe we took the Marion Mountain trail route out of Idyllwild, which is 13.2 miles with an elevation change of 4,500 feet. WOOF. An uphill battle? Of scenic beauty. Some viewpoints from the top: San Gorgonio Mountain, Coachella Valley, Salton Sea.

It looks all still now, but it sure was windy and cold at the top! Definitely amazing to make it and eat that PB&J!

During the hike down, you know, a measly 6.6 miles, we saw this gorgeous sunset:

I couldn’t walk for the next few days, but heck yes :D

What a crew <3:

Shortly after the Sequoia trip, I broke my wrist tripping over the sidewalk on campus. I put my arms out to catch my fall, and relied a bit too heavily on the left one. It hurt a lot less than you think a broken bone would hurt, but it definitely put me in a bit of shock. I think that having a cast on is a pretty miserable experience, and it put a lot of bigger adventures on hold that season. When I got the cast off in early November 2015, I celebrated with a trip to Asheville, NC!

Asheville in the fall –> autumnal oasis! Here are some scenes from the outdoors with my sis:

This is part of the Blue Ridge Parkway close to / below Tanbark Ridge. Pretty nice to revisit these autumn photos in the thick of summer. Do you get a cool, cozy rush, too?

We hiked a bit up a trail starting at the Tanbark Ridge Tunnel. When you Google “Tanbark Ridge Tunnel,” you get this:

That red! My photo looks like:

I’m hoping to get back to Asheville for a visit and some new hikes in the next month!

Back home in California, there is no lack of beautiful landscapes. So, it could hardly be a disappointment to head home for MORE ADVENTURES. Quelle aventure!

The sweet San Diego gang and I headed up in September 2014 to the southern end of Sequoia National Park for some fantastic camping and hiking. Our campground was at Mineral King, a subalpine glacial valley located here:

Fun fact about Mineral King: in the 60s, it was marked for development as an alpine Disney ski resort. The Sierra Club, which had previously supported developing Mineral King in the 40s for recreation, opposed Disney’s plan, and in 1978, Mineral King was annexed from Sequoia National Forest to Sequoia National Park. Disney’s Country Bear Jamboree was originally designed for Mineral King:

Unfortunately/fortunately, we did not get to meet any country bears, though we saw their claw marks high up on the trees!

Proposed Development | Mineral King Today (click to view enlarged)

I saw my first giant redwoods on this trip! The really really big ones were north of where we were, and I’m looking forward to that adventure too.

Some parts definitely reminded me of the hiking in the Alps, above the tree line. My favorite part:

Our turnaround point, the clear waters of Eagle Lake, silent and still:

We love you, Sequoia National, and we’ll be back!