Easter hiking and geocaching

Easter Sunday in the Philadelphia area was sunny and warm,just perfect for a long hike. That is just what my Dad and I did! We hiked the canal towpath on both sides of the Delaware River for a total round trip hike of about 24 miles. The spring foliage is blooming nicely adding beauty to the hike. Midway along our way,we detoured off of the towpath and climbed a steep hill to reach a geocache hidden in an old churchyard. The Upper Tinicum Lutheran Church has a graveyard with many old interesting tombstoes. After dad found the hidden geocache using his gps,we explored the graveyard. Leaving the church,we descended the hill and had wonderful views over the surrounding countryside. Giving Pond,an old reclaimed rock quarry,and its sparkling island dotted lake could be seen next to the canal. We had our lunch in warm sunshine here. Late in the day,as it was getting dark,my dad saw a bright light glowing beside the canal towpath. He walked over to investigate and found that it was a small solar powered led lamp. This nifty little device charges itself during the day by solar cell and the light inside it burns brightly all night long! Dad retrieved it and it helped to light the way back to our car in the dark. some pix with descriptions follow.

Easter hiking and geocaching

Spring along the Canal

Dad and I went for a long hike along the Raritan canal towpath and the adjoining 6 Mile Run wilderness in central NJ yesterday. It was a warm spring day and many of the flowers were starting to bud. Pictures are worth a thousand words so I`ve posted a few with descriptions below. Happy Easter to all!

Spring Canal Hiking

Tuweep---A remote area of the Grand Canyon

Kanab,Utah,where Dad and I were at the moment,is near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. A short distance away lies the town of Fredonia,AZ,just across the state line. In this area,a 61 mile gravel road leads to a remote area on the North Rim known as Tuweep. This area is impressive because there is a 3000 ft sheer drop from the Canyon Rim to the Colorado River. The road is rough and washboardy in spots and we had to take it a bit slow in order to avoid flats or other damage. The last 3 miles before the end of the road are by far the worst! Here one must drive over large rocks and negotiate deep ruts. Despite doing only a few miles per hour,we still bottomed out in a few spots and this popped a body panel on the Subaru as well as tearing a piece of molding underneath. We arrived at the primitive campground at road`s end late in the afternoon. Dad found a camping spot and we walked the last mile to the rim. Standing on the edge gave us both a sense of vertigo,as there was a sheer drop of about 3000 ft to the river below. It was really windy as darkness fell,and dad put a few rocks inside the tent to help anchor it. Next morning,we hiked a few trails in this area,the longest being the Tuckup trail which led miles back into the wilderness of Grand Canyon. Some pix with descriptions follow.

Tuweep area of the Grand Canyon

Kanab,Utah---Zion National Park and Best Friends

Continuing our travels in Utah,we drove along state hwy 21 past open ranch country late in the day. This is open range and at 2 locations herds of cattle were standing right in the road. I had a wonderful time hanging out the window and barking at them! The road,hwy 14,that we were going to use to reach our campsite tonight was closed due to a recent landslide,so Dad just found an isolated spot to park and we camped in the car overnite. Actually,this is a rather cozy thing to do as it is fun to be in a remote area at night! The next morning we resumed our journey and drove thru Zion National Park. This is an area of vast forest and towering rock walls. We hiked a few trails here. Another night of car camping ensued as there were no campgrounds nearby to pitch a tent. This may have been all for the best as it snowed lightly overnite and folding up a frozen tent is rather yucky!The snow stopped as we reached the small town of Kanab. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is located here. It is the largest no kill shelter in the country. My dad has a memorial for 2 of his dogs here and we paid a visit. Some pix with descriptions follow.

Kanab,Utah---Zion National Park and Best Friends

Donner Lake,Nevada,and Utah

We left California on a chilly,foggy morning. As we were driving past Donner Lake,the fog cleared and it soon warmed up nicely. Dad left Interstate 80 soon after crossing the Nevada border as he loves to take the 2 lane US highways thru the desert. They are so much more scenic than the Interstate! Passing Fernley,NV,we exited on US 50 and soon picked up US 95' We traveled this road thru the desert past Walker Lake where we stopped for a walk and my dad inflated his thermarest mattress to take a short paddle in the chilly water of the lake. We had lunch further on at a desolate pulloff along US 95,then exited on US 6. We were taking a roundabout route thru the desert just to experience the remoteness of it all. As night fell,we pulled off of US 50 on a dirt road and found an isolated spot to camp. It is peaceful and serene to camp under the desert stars! Next morning,we resumed our trek thru the desert and soon reached the Utah border. Dad needed a spot to stop for lunch here and he found beautiful Pruess Lake beside Utah highway 21. It was sunny and mild here and my crazy dad even took a short swim in the chilly lake. Leaving Pruess Lake,he saw a sign for Lexington Arch in Great Basin National Park. Never having been to this park,he decided to drive the 11 mile gravel road back to the arch. The first several miles were ok,but the last few were harrowing. The road had deep ruts,a small stream to drive across,and was barely 1 lane wide with trees obscuring the view around turns. We fervently hoped that nothing was coming the other way as passing or backing up would have been a HUGE problem! Alas,we arrived safely at the trailhead and it was a nice hike back to the natural stone arch. Pix of this segment of our trip with descriptions follow.

Donner Lake,Nevada desert,and Lexington Arch

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail

Leaving the coast,we traveled inland reaching Interstate 80 which took us over Donner Pass in the Sierras. We stopped here to hike around scenic Donner Lake. This is the spot where the Donner party of emigrants to California became snowbound in the late 1840`s and many died here of starvation. The weather was warm and sunny for dad and me though. We camped here at a Dogster friend`s cabin and the next day,we hiked a section of the Pacific Crest trail. The trail climbs thru the trees from Donner Pass,emerging above treeline in a few miles. Once above treeline the views are tremendous! One can see Donner Lake below as well as snowcapped peaks. Even the thin line of Interstate 80 can be seen in the distance. Dad and I hiked 6 miles back to the 2 story Benson Hut where we enjoyed our lunch in warm sunshine and reveled in the sweeping views. It was a Saturday,so other hikers were out as well and many brought their dogs along,so I enjoyed some canine company! It was a wonderful hike and some pics with descriptions follow.

Hiking the Pacific Crest trail

California Coast

After leaving Yosemite National Park,Dad and I drove out to the California coast at Ft Bragg. This was quite a scenic drive that took us thru forested mountains and small towns,past an aqueduct that supplies water to Los Angeles(where we stopped for lunch and dad took a swim) then north on busy Interstate 5-- along some more winding roads to finally reach the coast in redwood country at Ft Bragg. Evening was upon us when we reached the coast and we spent our first night here camped amongst the redwoods. The next day was quite foggy but it burned off my mid morning and we drove south along SR-1 from Ft Bragg. We walked along some beaches here and enjoyed spectacular views. Unlike the East Coast,the California coastline is quite rugged with high cliffs along the beaches and rocks that jut up out of the ocean. The surf is rough in many places as well and waves crash against the rocks creating impressive spray. Late in the afternoon,we visited Fort Ross,an early Russian settlement on the CA coast. A Russian ethnic group was here staging a re-enactment and outside the fort was a Russian Orthodox cemetary. Late in the day we witnessed a spectacular sunset just north of Bodega Bay. Some hang gliders were sailing above the coast here. Pix with descriptions follow.

California Coast

Glacier Point road and some final hikes in Yosemite

On our last days in Yosemite National Park,Dad and I traveled up the steep and winding Glacier Point road. Along the upper reaches of this road there was a parking area for the Sentinel Dome trail. We hiked this trail for a few miles and it afforded spectacular views of Yosemite Valley including El Capitan where we saw the climbers a few days previously. Next we continued on to the end of the Glacier Point road and hiked some of the trails up there. There were excellent views of Half Dome as well as Nevada and Vernal falls which cascade down sheer rock cliffs. Some photos with descriptions follow.

Views from Glacier Point

3 Day Backpacking Trip along the Batona Trail

Woofs to all! Dad and I recently arrived home from a 3 day backpacking trip along the Batona trail in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The Pine Barrens are a vast wilderness area only about 42 miles away from our home in Philadelphia. We hiked the Batona trail and some side trails here and camped overnite for 2 nights. The first day,Wed March 14,was sunny and warm,about 75 degrees. The next 2 days were overcast and cool but still nice. We found several geocaches on our hike,explored an old abandoned railroad,and just enjoyed the serenity of the vast forest. Some pix with descriptions follow.

Backpacking in the NJ Pine Barrens

Hiking the 4 Mile Trail in Yosemite

As dad and I continued our explorations in Yosemite,we decided to hike the 4 mile trail which climbs the rock cliffs out of Yosemite Valley. The trail ascends for about 4.5 miles---hence the name---via numerous switchbacks as it climbs the sheer rock walls. Views from the upper sections of this trail are superb. One can look across the valley and actually look DOWN on Yosemite falls as it cascades over the cliffs to the valley floor. The entire panorama of Yosemite valley can be seen from up here framed by towering rock cliffs and bisected by the thin curving line of the Merced river. Still,for all its beauty,this trail is a real workout on the lungs. It climbs to a bit over 7000 ft so dad found himself a bit short of breath in the upper sections. Altitude acclimation is needed here! Once atop the cliffs at the end of the trail,there are stunning views of Half Dome. Pictures are worth a thousand words so some follow with descriptions.

Views from the 4 Mile Trail