Tag Archives: nature

Deer Trail – Santiago Oaks Regional Park

04 Thursday Apr 2013

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Deer Trail

Santiago Oaks is one of my favorite parks to visit for a quick day hike. The nearly 2,000 acre park is on the border of wilderness and residental areas making it easly accessible. There are many trails within the park one of my favorite is the Deer Trail. At under a mile this small detour is worth the visit.

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The trail can be access via Burnham Ridge or as you come down Robbers Peak. This is some what of a spur trail but there is also another trail that leads up and away from the canyon but that will take you to Weir Canyon so avoid that trail.

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Meadow at the bottom of Deer Trail

The trail quickly descends the backside of Santiago Oaks and parallels this nice meadow and Oak grove. Make sure to pay this beautiful trail a visit on your next visit to Santiago Oaks.

Click here for directions

TO THE TOP OF VERNAL AND NEVADA FALLS

13 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Strenuous Hikes, Waterfalls

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VERNAL AND NEVADA FALLS

During my last trip to Yosemite my buddy Hugo and brother Fidel decided to check out these two waterfalls.. Seeing as they were the only two left that still had flowing water we decided to tackle both of them in one hike.

The first of these two waterfalls is Vernal Falls which is 317 ft and is the smaller of the two. The waterfall first comes to view just .8 miles into the hike. Here on the Vernal Fall Bridge you will get your first glimpse of  one of Yosemite’s many beauty’s!

Vernal Falls Bridge

The next .7 miles are far from easy! The Mist Trail consists of hard granite steps that seem to get higher and endless with every step! The beginner or average hiker might find this section a bit difficult.

Mist Trail leading to the top of Vernal Falls

Getting to the top of Vernal Fall is a nice hike all in its own . One could turn back once at the top and have a very rewarding 3 mile hike checked off their list, orrrr………..

Top of Vernal Falls

You could continue up the Mist Trail as we did  for 1.9 miles to the Larger and more impressive Nevada Fall. At 594 ft this magnificent waterfall almost doubles the height of Vernal fall. Along the way we stopped to check out Emerald pool. Considering it was late August and the weak winter there was still a substantial amount of water.

Emerald Pool

After our quick detour we picked up the trail again and continued on. Views are Nevada Falls begin to appear giving you that extra motivation just in case thoughts of quitting are crossing your mind. Just remember, start early, take your time and drink lots of water… 3 keys to finishing any hike!

First glimpse of Nevada Falls

The image above is all I need to keep me going. When it comes to exploring I am a very driven individual. I never doubted myself not even once.. I wasn’t going to let a few measly granite steps keep me from accomplishing this goal.

Finally! We reached the top! We went over to the top of the falls overlook and took in the gorgeous scenery that is the Sierra Nevadas. Looking down on the 600ft beast was a very humbling experience..

Looking down Nevada Falls

Getting here was not easy but the payoff was about to come in the form of the JMT! (John Muir Trail)

We had two options for our return trip, A) go back the way we came orrrrrr B.) venture off onto the JMT and doing a lollipop loop back to Vernal Fall Bridge.. Yeah we went with option B.) lollipopping it adds about an extra mile but it is well worth it!

Entering the JMT

Anytime you have the opportunity to loop a hike I go for it! Every step and turn offers something new. Its like 2 hikes in one. The JMT section descends down the opposite side of the canyon than the way you came up. The scenery and views are totally different. This section of the JMT is well shaded and gradually switchbacks it’s way down to the start of the mist trail. (A lot better than returning via the Mist Trail).

Nevada Falls can be seen from this side with great clarity. No obstructions what so ever!

Nevada Falls from the JMT

All in all we did about 8 miles round-trip. Explored new trails, saw 2 amazing waterfalls hiked on the JMT and still made it back to camp in time for lunch! This, like most hikes, was an amazing experience! Its definitely a must do for any hiker visiting Yosemite.

Happy Trails,

Alex G

To get to the trail-head one can take the Yosemite Valley Shuttle to the Happy Isle shuttle stop or you can drive to the parking lot just before the shuttle stop. The parking lot does fill up so arrive early.

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  • 317 ft Vernal Falls
  • 594 ft Nevada Falls
  • 8 miles lollipop loop (via Mist trail and JMT)
  • 6.8 out and back( Nevada Falls)
  • 3 miles out and back (Vernal Falls)
  • 1.6 miles out and back (Vernal Fall Bridge)
  • 1,000 ft elev gain to Vernal Fall
  • 2,000 ft gain to Nevada Fall
  • hiking poles recommended

MT WHITNEY DAY HIKE

06 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes, The 10 Essentials, Waterfalls

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OC Trail Hikers on the summit of Mt. Whitney 14,508 ft!

Where do I begin… Lets see..

This was the biggest hike of my life and it was far from easy… It wasn’t physically tough but more mentally challenging. The hike to the summit is 11 miles with an elevation change of around 6,000 ft. The hike itself is relatively easy but the higher you get the harder it becomes to breath… and you get really high! In fact, at 14,508 ft., its the highest point in the lower 48!

The Fantastic 4

Our plan was to start hiking at midnight so that if we encountered any difficulties along the way we would still have plenty of time to recover. That idea I was fine, but the idea of getting to the portal and sleeping during the day before our hike totally backfired on us! We spent all day trying to sleep and couldn’t even squeeze in a minute of shut eye. Before we knew it it was already 11pm !

We geared up and hit the trail by 1130pm. Hiking in the dark is something I had only done a couple times before but only for 2 hours at the most… This was going to be a 7 hour hike in the dark until sunrise. It was nice to hike under the cover of darkness but the only downfall was that we missed all the nice scenery on the way up.

Sunrise at Trail Camp

We arrived at Trail Camp just in time to see the sunrise. After a quick break we refilled our water and continued on to the infamous 99 switchbacks. The switchbacks arent so bad on the way up.. The way down is a different story!

Switch-backing it up to Trail Crest

As you can tell by the look on my face the lack of sleep was starting to take its toll…

When you reach Trail Crest you are overcome with this feeling of accomplishment and joy and you almost feel untouchable!

Finally reached Trail Crest!

That feeling lasts about 2 minutes!… as you make your way down, yes down, Trail Crest you begin to realize that getting to the summit is going to require a little more work than a measly 99 switchbacks! If you made it this far, there is no reason to stop here although you might be slightly discouraged, just keep on trekking!

Along the Trail Crest/JMT you will have amazing views into Sequoia National Park. The views are like no other that I’ve experienced on any of my hikes Just plain amazing!

A look into Sequoia National Park

My lovely wife and myself on the Trail Crest / JMT Trail. Sequoia National Park in the background

On Trail Crest/JMT

The final push to the summit is an amazing feeling… Knowing that all your hard work, training and sacrifices are about to pay off, makes that moment one that you will never forget!

Me making the final push to the top!

This was a wonderful journey I was fortunate enough to share this experience with my beautiful wife Martina and my hiking buddies Neal and Scott.

Our total hike time was 19 hours including breaks and stops to regroup. The altitude played a big roll in our long trek. Dealing with elevation sickness and the extreme headaches was something that required us to slow down and take lots of breaks,very frequently. It took us 11 hours to summit and 7 to return back down.

A permit is required to hike to the summit of Mt Whitney. Click here for info on entering the lottery.

Permits can be picked up at the MT Whitney Ranger Station/Visitor Center

Click here for directions to the trailhead

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  • Elevation 14,508 ft
  • hike time 10-20 hours
  • 22 miles
  • 6,000 ft elev. gain
  • Whitney Zone permit required
  • start early and take your time. THE MOUNTAIN ISN’T GOING ANYWHERE!