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backpackthesierra.com
Welcome to Backpack the Sierra
Current blog posts
About Us: About Backpacking in the Sierra Nevada
Isn't Backpacking Dangerous and Hard?
OMG--don't have you to sleep on the ground and get dirty?
OMG--Isn't it scary?
OMG--you must be so strong and fit!
Our Philosophy
Take your First Trip
Trail Etiquette: Leave No Trace (LNT)
Animals on the Trail
What about a fire?
Backpacking: General Information about Backpacking in the Sierra Nevada
Campsites
Dangers on the Trail
Finding Your Way
Food and Water
Permits and Processes
Your First Backpacking Trip
Routes and Destinations along the way
Weight and Why It Matters
Your Clothes
Comments!
Contact us
Day Hikes in and around Cusco, Peru
Destinations: The Best Sierra Hikes, The Best Starter Hikes, and Hikes by Highway
Early Season Hikes
Our Favorite Day Hikes
Our Favorite Hikes of All Time
Our Favorite Lakes of All Time
Our Southwest Trips
Photos Logs of our trips
Recommended Hikes By State Highway
A: Lassen and Highway 89 North of Tahoe
B: Highway 80 and Donner Pass
C: Highway 50, Tahoe, and Echo Summit
D: Highway 88/Carson Pass
E: Highway 4/Ebbetts Pass
F: Highway 108/Sonora Pass
G: Northern Yosemite: Highway 120/Tioga Pass/Tuolumne Meadows/Hetch-hetchy
H: Southern Yosemite: Highways 140 and 41, Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point and more
I: Highway 168/Kings Canyon and Sequoia
J: Highway 395--the East side
K: The southern deserts--178 and 190
Twelve Great Starter Hikes
Gear: Our Thoughts on What Works and What Doesn't in the High Sierra
Bear Canisters
Sleeping Bags & Pads
Tents
The Backpack
The Kitchen
Water Filters and Treatment
Links
OUR BLOG
108 is OPEN!
4th of July Adventure
5,006 miles and counting
A bird's eye view
A Burning Ring of Fire!
A busy week of celebrations...
A couple of places to eat on the way...
A Couple of Sunsets
A Day for Thanks
A Day Hike to Leavitt Lake
A day-hike in Emigrant Wilderness
A few more for the gallery
A few more from the sketchbook...
A few more notes on our trip.
A few more paintings...
A few more Thoughts on Death Valley
A few resolutions for 2012
A gear review
A guest post from one of our old friends...
A Happy Birthday
A Happy Camper
A Happy Ending
A history of fire in the Sierra
A little close to our second home
A long hot summer
A Lousy start to the New Year...
A Lovely Day for Hike
A Man of Many Hats--Until Now
A Man of Mystery
A more animated lake
A nice story about Yosemite and its immigrant history
A Nice Way to Start the New Year
A Photographic packing list
A product review of the Survival Hax Roadside Emergency kit
A quick trip to Yosemite
A Ranger and SAR veteran responds
A really perceptive point of view on the big fires
A Report from the Snowy Sierra
A Sad Note about the NPS
A short hike in Yosemite
A Song of Love
A spring hike closer to home...
A tale of survival...
A teaching award...
A tree falls in the Sierra
A typical day on the trail
A very good article about a very sad situation
A Visitor to our Home
A walk in the woods...
A Wild and Woolly Weekend
A Winter's Hike out of Tuolumne Meadows
About those orange tents
Addition to our First Aid Kit
Africa!
After you, Alphonse!
Alas, poor forest...
Alaska seems almost too easy...
All alone in Yosemite Valley
Along the same lines...
Amazing Chile
Amazing what you see...
America's Second Greatest Idea
An Early Season Backpacking Trip
An earworm for the holidays
An Honor!
Ancient Campsites
And fire isn't the only issue...
And for those of you who just can't get enough of bears...
And here is who we think is NICE
And here's one GOOD thing to come out of the drought
And more lost, and found
And more news about LNT
And more...!
And now for 2015...
And rain it did!
And some good news, too
And the foothills are beginning to green up nicely
And two more
And weather is not the only concern!
And while we are at it...Happy Birthday, Yosemite!
And who has been nice?
Annular Eclipse
Another Data Point
Another kind of hiking
Another kind of list
Another note from our correspondent walter
Another Storm on the Way
Archer Taylor Preserve
Asking for Directions
At Long Last, Island Lake!
Baby it's cold outside...
Back among the living
Back Country Books
Back from Alaska
Back from Mineral King
Back from the Southwest--Part I, Great Basin and Cedar Breaks
Back Home
Back in the Saddle...or on the Trail
Back to the Stanislaus
Backcountry restaurant reviews
Backpacker Magazine
Backpacking and Hiking make your brain bigger
Backpacking cartoons
Backpacking has made us thankful...
Backpacking heat
Backwoods Adventures
Bad Food and the NPS
Banana Slugs and Bears
Battle Stations
Bear Avoidance
Bear Boxes
Bear Camouflage
Bear Can Do
Bear Can Suction: Physics at work
Bear Mongering
Bear with me....
Bearly missed
Bears and Guns
Bears in Oregon?
Bears repeating
Beating the Heat, Beating the Crowds.
Better than a puffy
Between Backpacking trips, P's been painting...
Beware of Through-hikers!
Beyond the Sierra Nevada
Big Storm on the way...
Bigfoot documented
Bike Crash!
Blue Lake Canyon
Blue Skies Above
BOOK Review: Walks of a Lifetime by Robert and Martha Manning
Bust Rock?
Cafes in unlikely places
Camp style
Campsites we've loved
Cancellation policy
Captain Kirk on El Capitan...
Caribou Wilderness: Land o' Lakes
Carson Pass revisited
Carson Pass Trail Work
Carson-Iceberg Wilderness
Catch-22, SEKI style
Catfight!
Caught Mapping
Cease Fire!
Cell phone as first aid
Chain Lakes
Change is in the air....
Cheap, Light, and Easy
Cleanliness on the trail
Cleared for Take-off
Climbing Rocks
Closer to Home
Clothing Optional
Cloudy skies
Come Hell or High Water
Complicated Planning for this summer
Condors
Corporate Greed Knows no Limits
Cost effective backpacking
Cowboys on the Trail
Crane Flat Snowshoes
Creature Comforts
Crossing Creeks
Crossing the Rubicon, or Denial
CSERC doing good...
Current Conditions in Yosemite
Cusco and the Inca Heartland
Da Bears win!
Day Hike in Tuolumne Meadows.
Day Hiking in Georgia
Day Hiking Yosemite
Deadly Dangers....
Death Valley Detective story
Death Valley IV
Death Valley Redux
Death Valley Vandalism
Death Valley--Mother Earth unveiled
Dehydrated Food and flying burritos
Dehydration
Delaware North is apparently shameless
Did you miss us while we were gone?
Different Kinds of Birds
Difficult times for Yosemite
Dinkey Lakes Trip Report
Disgusting Damage in Joshua Tree
Disposable weight?
Do you speak up?
Dodging Bullets...
Dogs on Leashes
Don't Forget!
Don't think it is all rock and roses up there
Donnell Fire
Donnell Fire Photos
Dragging the JMT
Early hikers in the Sierra
East Fork of the Carson and its Creeks
Eating out
Eating Well
Eating Well, or at least better
Ebbetts Pass
Ebbetts Pass is Open
El Portal Fire
Emigrant Trip Report from one of our readers
End of Year hikes
Ending the year with a hike
Epic Campsites and International Orange Tents...
Epic is overrated
Epic...or not
Erratics
Exploring Humphreys Basin
Eyes on High...
Eyes on the Trail
Fall Hiking
Fall Hiking in Yosemite
Fall is in the Air
Falling Rocks
Faster than a speeding bear?
Faux Paw
Fear and Planning
Feeling Lucky
FIFO
Filing a Hike Plan
Fire Danger is High
Fire Drill
Fire restrictions are easing
Fire restrictions in Yosemite
Fire!
Firefall Permits
First snow of the fall...in summer
First Trail Work of the Season
Fishhook
Fishing Etiquette
Fishing Flies
Fixing a hole, where the rain might get in...
Flowers and bugs, birds and bees
Flying over Yosemite
For you, a special price!
Forget REI, go MoMa!
Found far off trail...
Gather round ye children...
Gear Heads
Gearing up
Get along, little llama
Get Those Permits Now!
Get your permit today!
Getting out is better than staying in...
Getting out is good
Getting out on the trail
Getting settled
Getting Started--a planning guide for winter!
Getting Wet Feet
Girl Scout Gear
Giving Black Friday a good name
Giving Thanks
Going out in the SNOW?
Going to Chile
Going UP--the hard way
Going UP?
Golden Boots Award
Good Advice
Good Eats in Tracy? Yes!
Good News and Bad News
Good news!
Google Sites are free....but!
Google strikes again
Got a match?
Got Our Reservations Made...
Gotta love Gorp
Grateful
Grateful
Group Camping
Guardian Story about our National Parks
Half Dome Cables
Half Dome Cables are going up
Half Dome Cables go up today
Half Dome Permits
Happy Holidays
Happy Holidays
Happy Mother's Day!
Heading into Winter
Here's the photo
Hey! It's for real!
Hi ho!, hi ho!
High Sierra Hyatt
Highway Names and Numbers
Hikers Missing....and Found
Hiking Close to Home
Hiking Death Valley
Hiking helps you deal with stress--even the stress of winning the popular vote and still losing the presidential election
Hiking Herring Creek
Hiking in the Mind
Hiking in the Spring
Hiking Inside the Lines
Hiking Local
Hiking Off Trail
Hiking the Santa Cruz trail in the Andes
Hite Cove Trail Work
Hold your horses!
Holiday Wish List
Home Sweet Home on the Trail
Home Sweet Home on the Trail
How deep is it?
How dry Is it?
How Dry Is It?
How dry was it?
How Fast Are We?
How many is too many?
How much snow is there?
How much snow is there?
How Much Trash?
How well do you know your National Parks?
I wish we could pay our rangers more...
If I were a rich man...
If you like our blog...
If you really need to go camping...
In Contrast
Inspiration
Instant Water
Is Emigrant Wilderness Too Crowded?
Is the drought over?
Is your PPI U-L?
It Beats Golf!
It walks at night...
It was a dark stormy night
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times...
It was the worst of years, and the best of years
It's a beautiful time to explore the Sierra
It's a long, cold winter
It's beginning to look a lot like....
It's great to be a kid...or have one!
It's hot out there
It's not about the big three
It's officially Winter
It's Skeeter City!
It's so dry...
It's time for our naught list...
John Muir in Oakland!
John Muir loved a good storm
John Muir Trail film showing in Santa Clara
John Muir, 100 years later
Junipers of the Sierra
Junipers!
Just when you thought it was safe...
Keep an Open Plan
Keeping busy...and keeping my mind in the Sierra
Keeping Fit
Keeping Tabs on Eagles
Kennedy Meadows to Iceland Lake
Knives
Knuckleheads of all types
Labor Day is Perfect
Lake Edison and Mono Creek
Lake Vernon cross-country
Lamarck Lakes
Lassen Revisited
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Latest Paintings...
Latest Photos
Lead Balloons
Leaving Your Mark
Lesser Known Destinations...
Let's get planning...
Lighted Art Show in Napa
Local Color
Looking for a helping hand
Looking for one of our own
Looking for Something to do this Summer?
Looking for your glasses?
Looking Forward to it!
Losing Heart
Lost and Found
Lost and Found
Lots of Adventures
Lots of new comments
Love in the High Sierra
Love on the Trail
Loving Kings Canyon
Makin' a list....
Making an effort...
Making plans
Making Plans for Summer
Making progress!
Mandatory Evacuation of Yosemite Valley
Many Parks are Open
Marching Music
Matterhorn Canyon and Benson Lake loop--a trip report
Mileage Matters
Missing Hikers
Missing the action
More Art
More Artwork
More artwork...
More Bear Can Fun
More Closures in California
More Eating Well--on the road
More Evidence that Fall is here
More Fire News
More good news: Yosemite Bear Report
More LNT
More News from our Readers--and an Invitation!
More News from Walter
More nice people...
More niceties from the Rockies...
More on dogs from a reader...
More on that big storm...roads closed to Yosemite
More Painting
More Paintings
More Photos
More Reader feedback
More road closures
More than just a breeze
More Trail Work
More Updates on roads and conditions...
More Winter News
Mosquito at 11 o'clock!
Move those plans back about six weeks...
Multi-tools? How about a sewing kit?
Nap Time
Napa Earthquake hits close to home
Nature Shows
Nature's Way
Naughty List
Navigate at your own risk!
Navigation
Navigation and NatGeo
Need Inspiration to get out there?
New Fees for Yosemite National Park
New Links!
New Name in the Sierra
New Neo-Air
New pack, new hat, new shades...
New Page Added
New Photos
New Rules for Half Dome Permits
New toys...
New USFS App for hiking and other activities
New Year's resolutions?
Nice Story about Life's Lessons from a Thru-hike
No Alternative Facts here:
No Fear
No Fishing, no trash, no people.....hmmm.
No Stone unturned
NOBO PCTers
Not on our list
Not so Easy
Not the way we planned it...
Nothing new under the Tuscan Sun
Now opened...except for Highway 140
Now you see it, now you don't...
October Hiking
Off the Wall--Death in Yosemite
On a Happier Note
On a happier note
On the other hand...Yosemite's not having a great January
On the trail Again
On the trail again...
One Last Trail Crew
One Last Trail Crew...
One lump or two?
One more sunset
Open Season!
Other places, other hikes, other treasures.
Our First Aid kit gets an update
Our Little Black Bag
Our new pied a Sierra
Our Trip to Oregon: Earth Wind Fire and Rain—not necessarily in that order.
Out and About
Out of Date Ideas
Outdoor access for those with a disability
Over the Hill...
Overkill on the Trail
P's been painting again...
Packing it on
Packing Light
Packing Light for Travel
Packing the Bear Can
Parabolic Passes
Paradise
Partners on the Trail
Passes are opening
Passes closed
Patagonia!
Paul Bunyan is alive a well
Permission Granted
Permit Application
Permit Season
Permitted
Photo credit
Photos are Phixed
Photos from Disaster Creek
Photos Photos Photos
Photos to take our mind off our work
Picas
Picking your spots
Pioneer Basin Trip Report
Plan B
Poison Oak--lessons learned
Practice makes perfect
Pray for rain
Prepping for 2020
Preston Falls
Priorat
Priorities
Questions about current conditions?
Rails to Trails on the Stanislaus
Rain Rain
Re-Thinking Black Friday
Reader Response
Reader Response
Really nice example...
Recycling names
Remember all that snow? It melted.
Report on Chile
Restore Hetch-hetchy?
Rim Fire Photos
Rio Bella Vista
Rock Climbing
Rookie Mistakes
Roughing It
Rousseau and hiking
Routes to happiness
Rx: Nature
Sad News and High Water
Sad notes from fire season
Sad Story from Matthes Crest
Sad Story from Yosemite
Scalping Campsites
Seeing is Believing
SEKI Explored...Cloud Canyon and Roaring River
Shake Down Trip
Shine on me...
Shopping for Backpacks
Shorter days
Showing Off Yosemite
Sierra Gargoyles
Signs Along the Way
Simplicity
Sitting Pretty
Slowly getting started
Smoke
Smoke gets in your eyes...
Smoke got in our eyes...
Snow Camping
Snow is like a new coat of paint
Snow levels at Tenaya Lake
Snowpack
So Long, Old Paint
So what did we take?
Social Climbers
Solid facts about the virus situation
Some Good News
Some Good News
Sometimes you don't know how good you have it...
Sonora Pass is closed again...
Sonora Pass is closed for the season
Sonora Pass is Open
Sonora Pass today
Sort of Resolute
SOS protocols...
South Lake Blowhard
Southwest Part II: From Hopi to Hovenweep
Southwest Part III: From Newspaper Rock to Home
Southwest Trip Part I: Barstow to Lees Ferry
Southwest Trip, Part II--Zion and Bryce
Southwest Trip, Part III--Dead Horse Point, Canyonlands, and Arches
Southwest Trip, Part IV--Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, and home
Speaking of getting lost and found
Speaking of LeConte...
Spring Hiking Adventures
Spring Trails
Spring Trails
Spring Weather
Stacking Rocks is Graffiti
Starting out right
Starting the New Year off right...on the trail
Stay Home
Staying Found
Still Burning
Still Painting
Stories about the Sierra from Gary Noy
Stories worth watching
Strangers on the Trail, exchanging glances...
Stunning Sabrina Basin
Sunsets in the High Sierra
Survival Hax fail
Survival Mode?
Survivor
Take a Friend Camping
Take a look at this!
Taking it in stride
Taking out the kids
Taking Shots
Taking Tanya's Tasty Burritos on the Trail
Taking your first backpacking trip
Talus is a full-body workout
Ten Lakes Trip Report
Ten Things you can leave at home
Tent City
Thank You
The Ahwahnee is BACK!
The Bear Bell Boys
The Bear Facts
The best laid plans
The best laid plans...
The Bird's eye view
The Company Campout
The Company Campout
The Crick has risen
The Curse of Island Lake
The Deer Hunters
The Delights of Airline Travel
The Effects of Altitude
The End of the World is Near
The Epic Trip
The Fires of Hell
The First Fall Storm
The Fish are always bigger...
The Full Report on our last trip...
The holiday hangover
The Horse-y Set
The Lonely Backcountry Lakes of the Emigrant Wilderness
The long and short of it
The Most wonderful time of the year
The Myth of Sleeping Nude
The Naked Truth
The Perfect Time
The Pinnacles
The Real Adventure
The rest of the photos
The rest of the photos...
The Right Way....
The RIM Fire
The Rim Fire--close up
The Road Less Traveled
The Santa Cruz Trek, day by day
The Secret is Out
The Ten Essentials
The TOP 100 includes us!
The Top TEN!
The Trail Less Taken
The whole story--our recent trip in Yosemite
There is still a lot of snow up there...
There's more to life than hiking?
These boots are made for walkin'
Things are looking better
Things are looking good!
Things are slowly getting back to normal
Things May be a Little Slow this Spring
Thirsty Bear Vault update
This can't be good news
This is not good news...
This just in....
This really bears repeating...
Thoreau on Walking
Thousand Island Lake and more--a trip report
Three Realities
Through-Hike from Leavitt Meadows to Hetch-Hetchy
Time to go Hiking?
Time to make some plans
Time to push the reset button
Time to review the troops
Tioga Pass closed
Tioga Pass is Open
Tioga Pass will open Monday
Tioga Pass--Opening soon!
To build a fire—or not!
Top Blog Posts?
Traffic Jam on the JMT
Trail Bars from Wine Grapes?
Trail crew etiquette
Trail Crew work to Hite Cove
Trails: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Trimming your pack weight
Trip Advice: The Perfect Starter Hike
Trip Report on Lassen
Trip Report: Jennie Lakes and Silliman Pass
Trip Report: Emigrant Wilderness; Emigrant and Huckleberry Lakes
Turning Back
Twain Harte Dam
Twenty Lakes in Two Days
Two more paintings
UL airplane travel
Unbearable
Under the Christmas Tree
Under the weather
Until Death Valley do us Part
Until Death Valley Do Us Part
Up In The Air, Junior Birdman!
Update from Napa
Upgrade--a better water bottle
Upon reflection...
Urban Campsites
Used Gear
Valentine's Day
Vancouver`
Venus on Parade
Visiting Yosemite for the first time?
Walking the Dog
Want to Climb El Capitan?
Want to Get Started?
Washing Days
Washing Up
Watch the weather
Watch where you're going
Watch your step
Water enough to drink...
Water, we need water....
Water.....we need water....
We are Back from Machu Picchu
We are getting on...but not so fast!
We couldn't wait to get out there...
We FINALLY got out on the trail this year!
We got some route advice on our last trip...
We have lift-off!
We're back
We're back in business in Yosemite
We're Back!
We're Back!
We're back...
We're back...!
We're Back...from beyond
We're in the news again
We've been busy
We've been busy this spring
We've been published!
Weather on the Way
Weather Watching
West Walker River Trip Report
What could go wrong?
What Could Go Wrong?
What could possibly go wrong?
What is it with Fishermen?
What not to do
What the previous post didn't mention was...
What we have here is a lack of communication
What will kill you...
What Wine Should you Choose?
What's it like up there?
What's on your list?
What's the worst thing that could happen?
When the leaves fall
When you are least expecting it...
Where are all the good campsites?
Where there is a system, there is a hack...
Where to eat in Bishop?
Where to eat in Oakdale
Who Needs to Leave Home?
Who ya gonna believe?
Who's been naughty?
Who's been Nice?
Who's naughty?
Why do We Hike?
Why nobody ever makes a mistake on the Internet
Why Rangers are Underpaid
Wilderness
Wilderness in the news
Wildlife in the City
Will this work on Mosquitoes?
Wine in a Bag?
Winter adventures
Winter Camping in Spades
Winter Hiking Closer to Home
Winter Hiking--Urban style
Winter in the Desert
Winter is about to begin
Winter is Approaching!
Winter Prep
Winter storm:
Wishing Everyone Happy Holidays!
Women on the Trail
Women on the trail
Women's Gear
Working on the Chain Gang...
Worst Mosquitoes Ever?
Worth the Wait
XC Mileage
Yes, it's early. Time to look at those early season hikes...
Yes, Virginia, there is a Canyon
Yosemite
Yosemite back open
Yosemite Bears go online
Yosemite Celebrates 125 years, and 100 Years of the NPS
Yosemite condensed
Yosemite from the Central Valley
Yosemite gets some loving attention
Yosemite Permits--a plan for next year
Yosemite Rescue
Yosemite Rescue...
Yosemite revisited
Yosemite's Bears
Yosemite's Budd Lake and Beyond
Yosemite's High Sierra Camps will not open!
Yosemite's Less Visited Lakes
Yosemite's new chief
You are what you eat...
You can take 'em out of the city...
You Can't Trust Mother Nature
You know how to whistle, don't you?
You'll never walk alone...
Your cards and letters
Your Comments
Zion after the storms
Before 2012
2019 Blog posts
Our Equipment List: a High Sierra Backpacking list you can count on.
The LIST
Things that Haven't Worked--Or things you can leave behind
Things We Really Like
Things We'd Like to Try
Weight Fanatics--which we sometimes are
You want cheap and easy?
P's watercolors
Stories, Fun, Fishing, Flowers, and Links
Backpacking Books
Favorite Nits to Pick
Fishing
Humor
Links
Photos of us at play
Sierra Wildflowers
Stories
Bear Stories
Deer Stories
More stories
Trekking In South America: Machu Picchu, Patagonia, and more.
Weird backpacking news stories
Life on the Trail
Getting Started
Life on the Trail
Life on the Trail
The LIST
First Aid Kit
On Footwear
The Ten Essentials for Hiking
More Thoughts On Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail
Huaraz and the Cordillera Blanca
Lima
Trip logs
backpackthesierra.com
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