Wind swept dunes separate Manchester State Beach on California’s North Coast from one of the longest and most beautiful beaches anywhere. Now, it is slated to close under California’s pitiful budget cutting proposal. I’ve been told that California State Parks represent 1/2 of 1 per cent of the entire state budget, yet they continue to […]
I was checking out Two-Heel Drive, Tom Mangan’s blog, and saw his item today on hiking at Black Diamond Mines in Contra Costa County, Northern California. Reminds that when I lived in Lafayette, in the East Bay of San Francisco, there was no shortage of hikes any season. I’m not sure there is a […]
I took the month off from blogging, but unfortunately not from work.
Seems like my public relations consulting business, Lewis & Summers Public Relations, always heats up during the holidays.
Just when I think I’m taking a few days of R & R, project deadlines raise their ugly heads. Mostly, it’s […]
Ultralight backpackers from all over the world boast of prominent land features near their homes that define their backpacking. In the U.S., that might be the Rockies, the Sierra, the Great Smokies, or White Mountains.
My “local” favorite (10 hours from home) is the Sierra; my favorite spot Thousand Island Lake at 10,000 feet at […]
You may have noticed that I’ve been absent for about two weeks from my blog. My wife, Gerry and I were on vacation in China. We visited Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou. An amazing trip. Gerry climbed several sections of the Great Wall and I decided to go to the top of one large stretch.
As […]
Last week I returned from a short, lightweight backpack to Mt. Eddy (9,025 feet), a great viewing spot for Mt. Shasta.
A mile north of the City of Weed, California, on I-5, you take Edgewood Drive, follow it to Stewart Springs Road and you end up at Parks Creek Trailhead (13 mile drive on paved […]
Sometimes a picture IS worth 10,000 words … Be light. Be safe. be one with the pack.
The Eastern Sierra with all its wonderful lakes and incredible trails is my favorite. At Thousands Island Lake, about half way between Agnew Meadow and Tuolumne Meadow, the Pacific Crest and John Muir Trails cross. If you have time for one more ultralight backpack this year, this should be it. At 10,000 […]
Yesterday, I took some time off my regular job and drove 35 miles south with a friend along the Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) in Northern California to a new 2,000-acre preserve. Named after the adjoining dairy land, Stornetta Ranch is on lighthouse road, about half way between Highway 1 and the Point Arena Lighthouse. […]
Here is Tom Stientra’s final story on his 70-mile trek through Sequoia National Park, across the Sierra.
(08-12) 04:00 PDT Mineral King, Sequoia National Park — - From a notch in the rim of the Great Western Divide, you can scan east to the horizon and take in distant 14,497-foot Mount Whitney and the contiguous rows […]
