Here we have what might be considered by some to be “Type Two Fun”: a 27 mile bike – hike – bike route (round trip) with 4,400 feet of vertical ascent located on the beautiful Big Sur coastline. What is Type Two Fun, you ask? Well first let us consider Type One Fun. Type One […]
Read more "Type Two Fun"This Trail Report is dedicated to “Corn Boy”. I hope you don’t mind an occasional and gentle reminder to act regarding issues that affect Americans’ access to trails and the outdoors. Many of you responded in support of keeping our public lands public and rehiring laid off National Park Rangers. For that, I thank you! […]
Read more "Trail Report: The Trail Starts Where the Road Ends"Welcome back readers. I hoped the title of this trip report “piqued” your interest and you decided to take a “peek”. Speaking of readers, my reading materials prior to and during this trip were: Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite, by Charles Farabee and Michael Ghiglieri This book was discovered by Kare Bear while working […]
Read more "Trail Report: No Easy Peak"Here we have a fifteen mile mountain bike route with 1,500 feet of vertical gain near South Lake Tahoe, California. The route begins with a cruise through a meadow bordering Fallen Leaf Lake, then ascends to the top of Tahoe Mountain. The descent off of Tahoe Mountain affords the outdoor adventurer with views of Lake […]
Read more "Trail Report: Mountain Biking Tahoe"Welcome back readers! I recently completed a twenty mile backpack trip through the Jennie Lakes Wilderness located within Sequoia National Forest. Jennie Lakes was named for the game warden’s wife, but I prefer to imagine it was named for Forest Gump’s crush Jenny, even though the spellings are different. So whenever I say “Jennie Lake”, […]
Read more "Trail Report: How Will the Wolf Survive?"Greetings readers. Allow me to regale you with the tale of a secret entrance into the enormously popular and famously congested Yosemite National Park. This 11.6 mile route begins at Fish Camp, California located just outside the southeast entrance of Yosemite National Park. After proceeding through lovely Fish Camp the road quickly turns to dirt […]
Read more "Dirt Road Report: Secret Yosemite"….or “ taking a little hike off the beaten path and into the weeds of our federal budget.” My favorite federal employee was Jock Whitworth, a Park Ranger at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. During the summer of 1986 Ranger Jock was my boss. He did not supervise me, but instead mentored me. He was the […]
Read more "My Favorite Federal Employee"This special report comes to us from Sugarbush, Vermont where Lucy provides the daily snow report. March 1st, 2025, 6:49 AM: Today of all days, I would like to reflect on what Sugarbush means to me. This mountain has brought me endless days of joy, adventure, challenges, new experiences, beauty, community, and peace. I’ve found […]
Read more "Special Snow Report from Lucy Welch"On February 14, 2025 (Valentine’s Day), Claire Murphy was critically injured in an avalanche inside Mammoth Mountain ski resort. She would die of her injuries a few days later. Her fellow patrolers did everything within their power to save her life. Soon after the accident, ski patrolers from across the United States converged on Mammoth […]
Read more "Sad News from Mammoth"One of the National Parks Service employees who was recently fired was Education Park Ranger Brian Gibbs. He writes: “I am absolutely heartbroken and completely devastated to have lost my dream job of an Education Park Ranger with the National Park Service this Valentine’s Day. Access to my government email was denied mid-afternoon and my […]
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