Post date: Aug 24, 2011 6:21:27 PM
One of the reasons we go hiking is to get away from people, and enjoy the quiet wilderness. So it's no surprise that we have become fond of an occasional adventure off trail. In fact, we really like taking a look at our itinerary and planning for a few adventures where we will leave the trail and go off on our own--to boldly go where most people have never gone before.
And happily, the Sierra is prime country for this. We love the fact that you can pretty much hike wherever you want in the Sierra, as long as the slopes don't become too steep. Of course, we are pretty careful about tracking where we are and where we are going. And we know how to read a map and use a compass.
We were delighted that the last time we got our wilderness permit from the ranger in Yosemite, he specifically mentioned that we were allowed to go off trail. Really? That's great news. Because we've been doing it for years!