Myself and Brian at New Army Pass in the Sierra Nevada
Hey, everyone has his or her own little "thing"! Mine just happens to
be putting 50 or so pounds on my back and heading into the woods for a week or so.
Here in Southern California, we are lucky to have places to go almost all year round,
even if you are not a snow camper. (I'm not) Brian and I usually go for a spring
break hike each April. The last few years, we have explored sections of the Pacific
Crest Trail in Southern California. We also like to get away for overnights in the
nearby San Jacinto Mountains. Even in
overcrowded SoCal, you can find solitude up in the Tauquitz Valley by obtaining a
permit for a "zone", then heading off into the woods. I much prefer disbursment
to the policy over in the San Gorgonio Wilderness, which is to designate small camping
areas that are now backcountry slums and exclude the rest of the wilderness to any
overnight camping. Just my .02.
Of course, summer backpacking in California means
the High Sierra. My favorite
place to start is out of the Cottonwood Lakes/Horseshoe Meadows trailhead outside
Lone Pine. I like it mainly because you start your hike from 10,000 feet instead
of hauling your carcass 4-5,000 feet up the east side of the Sierra. I've only tried
the western slopes once, when we tagged along with a scout troop to the North Fork
of the King River.
I also enjoy the Uinta
range in Utah, the land of my in-laws. Like most Uinta hikers, most of my experience
has been on the western approches, off the Mirror Lake Highway, but I am anxious
to try the more remote southern and eastern drainages. In fact, we are planning a
week in Swasey Hole and Garfield Basin for August 1997. Update: We went and had a
great time! Check out our trip report here
Soldier Lake, High Sierra range.
Before you leave, be sure to check out my personal unique contribution to the web: Hiking with an autistic partner/son. Also, here are a couple of Links:
-Backpackers Magazine's "Basecamp" Site