Hiking

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Hiking In Yosemite: The Cathedral Lake Trail

Barring the trip to the Smoky Mountains when I was a little kid, my trip to Yosemite after my high school graduation was my first time in the mountains.  On that first visit to Yosemite, I didn’t know much of anything about hiking, didn’t have the right gear or clothes, and I definitely didn’t know how to pronounce Yosemite right! One hike I did on that first visit was the hike to Cathedral Lake, and it was a pretty life...

Hiking In Yosemite: Backpacking To Rancheria Falls

To start my summer of 2021 off, I opted for a quick backpacking trip into the Yosemite backcountry!  The trail I chose was initially the Hetch Hetchy Loop, but given the extreme heat and lack of acclimatisation, I elected to make it an overnight trip to Rancheria Falls along the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir! Hiking in Yosemite is always a treat, and I had not done this trail before! Miles/Elevation: ~15 miles 2600 feet vertical gain About Yosemite: Located in the...

The Top Down Lifestyle Trail Rating System

We post a lot about hikes on this website, and generally we try to give the reader some idea of how cool the trail is.  Some trails are amazing, some are good, and some are meh, but we have not had a true measuring system for this. Over the last few months, I have been thinking about a system for rating trails, and I’m finally ready to roll it out!  I think it’s simple, easy to understand, and conveys to...

Hiking in Lake Tahoe: The Rubicon Trail

Possibly the most famous trail in the Lake Tahoe area, the Rubicon Trail from D.L. Bliss State Park to Emerald Bay State Park has been on my list of must do hikes for years.  The hiking in Lake Tahoe is almost always awesome, but this hike which traces the lake’s shore between two state parks is a real gem! On Memorial Day Weekend, I decided to get up early, beat the crowds, and hike this epic trail.  At over 13...

Hiking in Lake Tahoe: Tackling the High Meadows to Cold Creek Trail

With summer nearly here, and the mountains finally snow free at moderate elevations, I finally got back into the big mountains for some real high altitude hiking!  I chose to spend my Memorial Day Weekend hiking in Lake Tahoe, and the first hike I completed was High Meadows to Cold Creek Trail. Miles/Elevation: 8.1 miles 1,480 feet vertical gain About Lake Tahoe: If you’re from California, you’ve almost certainly heard of Lake Tahoe, or maybe just Tahoe.  It’s basically a...

Hiking to Fordyce Falls on the Spaulding Lake Trail

With spring fully arrived and the snow melting in the mountains, I was ready to finally get into the big mountains!  While May is a bit early to really get up to high elevation, I knew that if I could find a hike in the foothills, I could get that fresh mountain air and not have to deal with hiking through the snow!  Enter the Spaulding Lake Trail to Fordyce Falls! This hike had everything I was looking for in...