High Sierra Topix

Hi Wildcampinggirl,

Welcome to HST! Thanks for including that cool link.

I'm Darren from Utah. What a great resource this website is! By sheer luck I came across HST as I was doing some preliminary planning for a first foray to the Sierra's this summer. We have a tradition of a family backpacking trip each summer...just dad (me) and the older kids. In recent years we've done week long treks in Yellowstone, the Wind Rivers, The West Coast Trail (best ever?), Banff/Assiniboine (ok, maybe this was the best ever), and Glacier NP (though our permit for the northern circuit had to be abandoned...trail closed due to high bear activity. 8-( We also do a lot of shorter trips around Utah. I grew up exploring the backcountry of Utah's national parks, forests, and desert lands (before many of the trails and quotas were established...I promise it wasn't my fault). This summer my 16 yr old daughter and 14 year old son are joining me for the JMT. We can't wait for the snow to melt (if it ever does this year...LOL)! After looking around HST for a couple of days, I already am looking forward to future years when I'm sure we'll be back for some XC adventures. Thanks for providing this resource!

Hi Darren,

Welcome to HST! Looking forward to reading your TR when you complete the JMT this summer with you kids. We also enjoy reading TR's to other places beyond the Sierra in our "Beyond The Sierra Nevada" section.

My name is Dale

My family and I have been camping and day hiking in the Eastern Sierra for many years.

Last year we started backpacking in the goal to hike Mt.Whitney, no luck in lottery, but after checking every day for weeks finally got a permit for August.

The wife and I have were able to do 4 backpacking trips last year, our first over night trip was hiking Mt. San Gorgonio, second trip was a two night trip to Tyee Lake #4 and George lake, then we did two night on Whitney trail to summit Mt. Whitney. the day after Whitney we did a three day trip, starting at South Lake, stayed at Emerald Lake, Hungry Packer Lake and Midnight Lake.

This year planning a 5 to 7 day trip out of Onion Valley threw Kearsarge pass to Sixty lakes area,

Hi Dale,

Welcome to HST! Looking forward to reading some of your TR's.

Hi All,
Just joined this morning, and I really appreciate the map links, the "Mystery Spot" forum, and the contributions of such knowledgeable folk as John Dittli- there is always more to learn about tele gear! As for me, I fled the crowded surf for the quiet mountains about 40 years ago, and never looked back. I've had the great good fortune to explore mountain ranges all over the world, but the time spent with my family in the Sierra has been my ongoing passion. I know the high country from the Kern through the Toulumne pretty well, and am now dead keen to explore it all in the winter! I have a lot to learn about winter travel, gear, and technique, and I reckon the community you have created here may be the answer to a lot of my questions. So thanks for putting it together, and I hope we meet up often - online and in the mountains. Kudos to you all, Harlen.

Hi Harlen,

Welcome to HST! Looking forward to reading some of you Winter TR's from your previous and future trips.

Hi All,

I’ve been a long-time lurker and contributor to HST, but I never formally introduced myself. Many of you know me as user VHSVHS (my initials), but I recently asked Eric to change my username to Flamingo — that’s my trailname in the thru-hiker community.

In 2005, I was thru-hiking the PCT and I critically damaged by illotibial muscle band in the Anza-Borrega desert. I kept hiking through the pain (and the tears), and I would frequently stop to raise my leg for rest. During this time, triple-crown thru-hiker Nitro saw me silhouetted across a canyon with my leg raised, and she thought I looked like a flamingo with a backpack. She called me Flamingo, and the name stuck to this day.

In 2015, I thru-hiked the CDT southbound. It was a deeply profound experience. You can view my trip blog and photos at http://cdt2015.tumblr.com

Having hiked thousands of miles through many different North American wilderness spaces, I think the Sierra has the finest scenery, weather, and trails. I feel extremely lucky to live near these beautiful mountains, and as long as my physical body cooperates I look forward to continuing my relationship with the Range of Light.

I’m planning to see many of you at Maverick’s HST Meetup #4 later this summer. Woot!

Thanks for the formal intro Flamingo and looking forward to seeing you again at the Meet-up.

PS Thanks for the CDT link.

Haha! Yes! Good stuff.