An old storyteller who goes by the name of Larry Jeff McMurtry passed away this spring. He could spin a yarn. One of his tales won some kind of fancy book prize. A lot of folks read it, so I thought I’d give it a go. It ain’t about no dove, but it could be […]

Mr. T Is hitting the trail! This trail report is dedicated to Mr. T, who is starting the John Muir Trail in a few weeks. Back in the early 2000’s, there was a garage band at the high school in town. The band members were Mr. Z, That Smart Kid, That Cool Kid and Mr. […]

Let me begin by mentioning that both The Niece and The Neighbor are skilled, experienced and strong backpackers. It was a privilege to hike with them and I appreciate all I learned from the process. These two hikers are especially strong in the backpacking food department whereas I have yet to achieve their high level […]

Below we have a map of The John Muir Trail (JMT), also known as Nüümü Poyo, or “The Peoples Trail”. Elegant in its simplicity. 210 miles. Now let’s take a look at the Dave Boicourt Trail (DBT), also known as The Onomatopoeia, or “The Fool’s Pilgrimage”. Clumsy in its complexity. 360 miles.  For my most […]

I feel very good after my last sojourn into the mountains. I completed a section of the John Muir Trail between Purple Lake and Reds Meadow which tidied things up quite a bit. All that remains is a short, but remote section that includes Muir Pass and a little section out of Yosemite Valley. I […]

“The Lost Boys” consisted of a group of Boy Scouts from Marin County Troop 84 who managed to get lost while hiking on the slopes of Marin County’s Mount Tamalpais during the 1970’s. They were missing for twelve harrowing hours. Upon finding their way back to the trail and then eventually the main road The […]

Greetings readers! I hope this Trail Report finds you “fit as a fiddle” and “happy as a clam”. On a recent trip to Yosemite Valley with my wife and daughter we visited The Ahwahnee Hotel and The Mist Trail. It was so very nice to have some family along on what was originally planned as […]

This is a special Trail Report written by guest writer* Augustus McCrae, of the “Hat Creek Cattle Company and Livery Emporium” located in Lonesome Dove, Texas. (* Note: Gus McCrae is a fictional character from Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel Lonesome Dove. Gus spent his final years in the 1870s riding wild and free […]