A John Muir Trail Report: Knocking Around with The Niece and The Neighbor (July 17, 2021)

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 […]

A John Muir Trail Report: Method to the Madness (July 30, 2021)

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 […]

A John Muir Trail Report: Call From The Windigo (August 17, 2021)

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 […]

Trail Report Redux (1974): The Lost Boys

“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 […]

Trail Report: Fall Falls in Yosemite (October 15, 2021)

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 […]

A Guest Trail Report: “Country Roads” (November 27, 2021)

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 […]

Trail Report Redux (1981): Angels Landing

By now you have probably already heard the big news: one of America’s most popular national park hikes will require a permit as of 2022. Officials at Zion National Park have announced that as of April 1, 2022, visitors who want to tackle the famous Angels Landing hike, which scales a 1,488-foot tall rock formation […]

And Now A Special Report: Help me, help you! (December 18, 2021)

Happy Holidays! These Winter Holidays are going to be a bit of a rough ride for the Boicourt Family. It seems that a poor investment decision was made by Yours Truly on September 25, 2020 when I liquidated ALL of our assets and bought Evergrande stock at $3.99 per share. As of closing on Friday, […]

Trail Report: Angel Island (January 10, 2022)

Following my Trail Report on Angels Landing (in Zion National Park), I thought it only fitting to report on a recent visit to another angel, Angel Island, located in San Francisco Bay. In order to visit the island, travel to Tiburon, California and take the ferry. If you are lucky enough to have a camping […]

A Bike Trail Report: The Most Sublime Bike Path in the World (April 3, 2022)

This Trail Report is dedicated to Bob Cantrell. Bob was a faithful and supportive reader who loved our National Parks. Greetings readers and welcome to this special edition of “Trail Reports” – “A Bike Trail Report”. I recently made what has become a frequent pilgrimage to the natural cathedral known as Yosemite Valley along with […]

"Trail Reports"

Stories and reports from the trail…

Author: Dave