Deafy Glade Trail Update
Complacency Can Get You Killed on the Trail
Complacency might get to most of us before we head out on the trail, and that’s not a good habit to fall into. I’ve done it myself over things that might seem trivial with the thought that, “Oh, that won’t happen.”
I don’t know what the statistics are, but I’ve heard that more injuries or life threating incidents occur on day hikes more than for backpackers. If that’s true, maybe it’s because more people may day hike than backpack.
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Use Caution When Hiking in Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks
Starting this week and over the next few weeks I’m going to write about some hiking we did in Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks. While I strongly encourage anybody to visit and hike those parks, I want to talk about the dangers of those two parks because while beautiful, their environments can be very dangerous and even fatal if precautions are not taken.
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Virginia Lakes Trail
Virginia Lakes in the Eastern Sierra’s is a feast for the eyes but a workout on the lungs. The peak on this trail reaches approximately 11,120 feet give or take, with a starting elevation of 9,846 feet.
River Canyon Trail at Calaveras Big Trees State Park
River Canyon Trail at Calaveras Big Trees State Park is the poorest maintained trail I’ve ever hiked. Parts of the trail should be closed as a safety hazard due to the poor upkeep of it. If the trail were maintained, this could be a really nice hike through the forest down to the North Fork of the Stanislaus River. Instead, I should have worn my heavier off-trail boots for parts of this trail.
I hate to start the hiking season off with a downer summary, but I want to get the word out before anybody might consider going to this state park.
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Couple falls to death with alcohol in system
Ialways knew this post was inevitable, and more a question of “when” and not “if” I was going to write it.
The “when” has happened. I’ve written about safety and situational awareness, and this falls under both, along with stupidity. The autopsy report was completed in early January 2019 on married couple Menaskhi Moorthy and Vishnu Viswanath who fell to their deaths in Yosemite National Park in October 2018. They fell while attempting to pose for a selfie. The autopsy report stated they were, “intoxicated with ethyl alcohol prior to death,” according to the San Jose Mercury News.
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Safety Update: Stebbins Cold Canyon Loop
Stebbins Cold Canyon Loop, Blue Ridge Loop Safety Warning
Safety Update: The Stebbins-Cold Canyon-Blue Ridge Loop near Lake Berryessa can be a brutal hiking trail in the heat. The maintainers of the trail have posted signs at the trailhead warning of NO COVER from the sun on the ridge and that each person have at least 1 GALLON of water with them and even more for those who have pets. I have seen pet owners carrying their dogs up on the ridge as they hike because their pets are too exhausted to continue under their own power. People are discouraged from using the trail in fire weather. If Cal Fire has issued a red flag warning, it is strongly advised that you do not hike this trail during that time. Continue reading “Safety Update: Stebbins Cold Canyon Loop”
Getting Lost: The Holy Sh*t of Hiking
Getting lost in the wilderness is the holy sh*t of hiking, but it’s not the end of the world. After all, you somehow got to where you are, so you should be able to get back. Don’t panic. Continue reading “Getting Lost: The Holy Sh*t of Hiking”
Situational Awareness is Essential While Hiking
Situational awareness is one of the most important skills you need to utilize while hiking in the wilderness. Unfortunately, I see enough people who don’t have it or exercise it.
The lack of situational awareness in other people has been noticeable to me for quite awhile, but I haven’t really thought about writing about it until what I saw on the Thunder Mountain Trail recently. I passed a hiker who at first I didn’t think much about other than he was a general idiot, until I started to think about him more as I hiked and actually got angry.
On first appearance, I just thought he was a dumbsh*t hiker somewhere in line for a Darwin Award as he approached me in the wilderness wearing earbuds. I knew he had them turned up after I stepped aside for him to pass and he said, “Thank you,” very loudly so he could hear his own voice over the volume of his earbuds. Clearly, he had no capacity for audio situational awareness around him. Continue reading “Situational Awareness is Essential While Hiking”
When a Hike Turns to Agony
Ahot sun, no water and a loss of direction turned what should have been great hike into a day of agony when I decided to climb Billy’s Hill and trek over to Glascock Mountain up California Highway 16 on the Cortina Ridge.
A series of things went wrong, which started with a mistake I made on the trail. This is not a trail summary – that will come later this summer, but I want to write about the importance of taking the proper amount of water as the summer heat approaches. Continue reading “When a Hike Turns to Agony”
Hiking Pleasants Ridge Trail
This trail is now closed