SierraDescents | Page 9
November 9, 2021
Avalanche Gulch Ethereal
I'd been climbing since midnight. A group of guided climbers were heading up Mount Shasta's Avalanche Gulch, same as me, and we'd been leapfrogging each other all night. Just (more)
November 6, 2021
Mount Whitney Crest
Thor Peak's summit offers this expansive view of the Mount Whitney Crest. On display are Trail Crest and Mount Muir's east buttress (left), followed by Keeler and Day Needles and (more)
October 22, 2021
In All Things: Extremes
The first major winter storm is upon us, and it looks to be a doozy. While expected to come in warm at first, some forecast models are predicting as much as 100 inches of snow in (more)
October 8, 2021
October
We are a touch early for the fall colors here in Northern Arizona, but it's still magical when you get just that right combination of blue sky, golden leaves, and snowy (more)
October 1, 2021
Old Caves Crater
It's a short hike to the top of Arizona's Old Caves Crater, a 400-foot cinder cone whose network of lava caves at the summit served as the last known dwellings for the area's (more)
August 21, 2021
The Smoke Season
In summer we used to worry about thunderstorms and permits. Now we worry about smoke. Climate change is transforming the Sierra hiking and climbing season into a dystopia of (more)
August 17, 2021
Biking Highway 2
Given the heat plus all the smoke in the air I haven't felt much inclination to hike, but I have been driving my bike up to Highway 2 and doing sections of the road in the (more)
August 7, 2021
Once More, Into the Woods
Life, it seems, has its own agenda. I had hoped for some quiet time, to help me and my family recover from the calamities of the past year. But alas, incredibly, we are once (more)
July 9, 2021
Langley via the East-Southeast Ridge
Mount Langley is California's southernmost fourteener and most definitely not California's most climbed mountain. Why doesn't Langley attract more attention? Maybe it's that (more)
June 24, 2021
Baldy via the North Backbone
I had no idea a fine hiking trail exists on the ridge connecting Pine Mountain, Dawson Peak, and Mount Baldy. Better yet: in summer, you can drive Blue Ridge Road to the (more)
