Yosemite High Country 2010 - Completing the Loop

Just returned from our second annual Yosemite High Sierra sojourn.  Once again, my daughter Zoe, and my loyal hiking/swim buddy Tema joined me for 6 days of luxe tent camping,  gorgeous trails, alpine lakes and waterfalls, and mountain meditation.    Rounding out the group was Zoe's good-sport boyfriend Chris, our dear friend Barry, and Tema's lovely daughter and recent UCB grad, Jessica.   We set up a base camp at White Wolf, and did a couple of easy day hikes to acclimate.  

After several days, Barry and Jess returned to LA, leaving Zoe, Chris, Tema and me to complete the High Sierra Camp loop we started last year.  We spent the first night at Glen Aulin, and the next at May Lake.   I was worried about the 8 mile ascent on day 2, but there was no pain, all gain.  The hiking was spectacular,  the views were endless, and the weather was perfect.   I am so proud of the old-ladies-gone-wild for completing the High Sierra Loop.  And can't wait to come back next year.

The HSC lottery opens tomorrow, and I will be applying for our third annual  trip.  For 2011, we are hoping to return to Glen Aulin and May Lake, but this time for two nights apiece so we can take day hikes and bask in the setting.

Garden Land Loop

Last day of the long weekend and I managed to get in a hike with my swim and trail buddy Tema and her wonder dog Lucy.   For lack of time and a better idea, we did the Mulholland-Mandeville-Garden Land - San Vicente loop  again.   It's a perfect hike when you only have a couple of hours and want a cardio challenge  without killing yourself:   Close by, varied terrain,  and dog friendly.   Lucy is a recent rescue lab mix from Kern county, and is turning into a great hiking companion.     

The marine layer never lifted, so our walk was cool and misty the whole way.  Tema and I chatted throughout the 5+ mile loop, and were back at the car before we knew it.   If we walked 5 miles, Lucy must have done 10, scaling steep cliffs in her non-stop traverses.

  As we drove back, Tema and I agreed that we have to get in a  hike every weekend between now and August 22nd, when we return to the Yosemite High Country for our 2nd annual Old Ladies Gone Wild week in the wilderness.   Long story, but suffice it to day that it's a not-so-secret society in which Zoe is an honorary member. 

Birthday Weekend

I celebrated a milestone birthday this Friday.  I have always loved having my birthday 2 days before the USA's.  I can  count on lazy days with lots of casual parties complete with fireworks.   This year being a round number, I had two parties: an intimate family backyard asado on Friday in Silverlake, and  the full on princess treatment last night on our deck.  My wonderful talented loving hubby cooked for 2 days straight, and my  lucky friends gathered to enjoy a delicious summer feast. 

The directive was no gifts, and thankfully most everybody respected the rule.  But my bff Laurien found me really cool little hiking gift -- Chronicle Books "Hooked on Hiking" 50 Hiking Adventures in Southern California."  It's a deck of sturdy cards with one hike detailed on each.  There's a hole punched in the upper left hand corner of each card, and they're held by a caribener.    So if you're going to Joshua Tree, where there are 3 or 4 hiking cards, you can just take those.   Or just clip the card for a single hike onto your dayback.

 I of course immediately read through the whole deck, and now more than ever want to go hiking/camping in Kings Canyon and Sequoia.  Maybe not in the "cards" this year, as I seem to be employed full time through fall.

Parting thoughts on my birthday passage:  If I've learned anything in the past 6 decades, it's that I don't know shit.  But the one thing I do know is that I love  my friends and family - Thank you one and all! 

Early morning loop starting on Mullholland

Today Zoe and I did a five mile loop that we've done a few times before, which starts on Mullholland, dips into Mandeville Canyon, and ends up taking you past the Nike Missile base in San Vicente Park, down dirt Mullholland and back to the car.  My car is too low to drive up to the trail head, so we parked right off of Mullholland where it turns into dirt Mullholland, right at Encino Hills Drive.  If you can park right next to the trail head, a yellow gate to the left of the big cage thing, the hike begins with a gentle flat leg, followed by a narrow track that takes you down into the canyon.  The right turn to get onto the narrow path is hard to find, especially at this time of year when the path is overgrown with wildflowers and grasses.  Watch out for the poison oak!  There are two or three places where it reaches into the path.  This path takes you down to Mandeville Canyon Road, where you turn right and walk a few dozen meters to Garden Land and turn left.  At the end of Garden Land, on the left, there is another trail head that marks the beginning of a gentle uphill for several miles.  This is the workout leg of the hike, which is my favorite part!Turn right at the fork to continue up toward the Nike Missile base, and then turn right again when you reach the top.  The trail then takes you past the Nike tower, where the army used to look for missiles during the Cold War, and down dirt Mullholland to the car.

This hike was perfect, because there were some flats for chatting, and a good uphill portion to get the heart pumping.  We stopped several times to figure out my new favorite toy, a hiking GPS that keeps a bread crumb trail of the whole hike. According to the GPS we did 5.36 miles, and were stopped for a total of half an hour.  We got the hang of the device pretty quickly.

Check out the map I've uploaded.  The loop is demarcated in gray, with several important points (waypoints!) marked along the way.