5 of us did a 9 day / 8 night hike starting at Crescent Meadow, the official starting point of the High Sierra Trail (HST), and exiting over Shepherd Pass. The official eastern terminus is Mt. Whitney, and most people exit through Whitney Portal. We wanted to avoid the busy/overrun Whitney Zone.
Category Archives: Sierra Nevada
Mammoth Lakes, Sept. 2025
A family vacation in Mammoth Lakes. My niece, with her family and Malte, were visiting from Germany. They wanted to some hiking in the Sierra, so we decided to rent a condo in Mammoth Lakes.
Sierra Smorgasbord, June 2025
Brian had sent out an email with an invite to a week in the Sierra to get the 2025 season started. The itinerary had something for everyone, from car camping in National Park and Forest with short hikes to climbing Alta Peak to 3 nights of backpacking in Yosemite.
Pine Creek Pass with Merriam Peak (13,103 ft / 3994 m)
Jack has missed hiking in the Sierra since moving to the East Coast. So we set up a short (2 nights), late season trip to Pine Creek Pass.
Lamarck Col -> Helen Lake -> Piute Pass; incl. 13ers Goethe, Black Giant, Fiske
After my nephew finished his apprenticeship he took off 3 months for hiking. He started by hiking 600 miles south starting from the North Cape in Norway on the E1. Then he flew to California where I had planned an introduction the the Sierra Nevada.
Lake Basin and Observation Peak, August 2024
On our hike last year, Brian suggested this trip for this year. It’s to one of his favorite basins in the Sierra and had a great peak for me to climb.
Mt. Newcomb Loop, July 2024
A week backpacking to climb a few 13ers and explore some lakes and Miter Basin. Unfortunately, none of my regular Sierra hiking companions was available and I had to go by myself.
Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, June 2024
Brian had some extra spots on his permit for the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne hike to see the spring runoff and invited us to join him. On the way to Yosemite and on the way home I hiked some peaks I had had on my wishlist for a while.
South Lake to Sawmill, August 2023
I was already concerned that I would not get a Sierra backpacking trip this year due to all the snow that stayed around all summer and then the damage to the access roads by Hurricane Hilary. That’s when I received a message from Brian suggesting this trip.
Split Mtn., Arrow Peak, Striped Mtn.
This was a multi-day solo backpacking trip to climb some of the peaks in the Taboose Pass area. I put this together after learning that there is a good route up Split Mtn. and I wanted to climb Arrow Peak after seeing it so prominently earlier in June.