Tag Archives: backpacking

When the smoke hit the throat: from Red’s Meadow to Purple Lake

Everything changed the morning that Tugboat and I left Red’s Meadow, headed south and uphill, aiming for the popular and memorably beautiful Purple Lake. Red’s Meadow is at a low spot on the JMT — 7,630 feet — and heading south the trail climbs mostly gradually but steadily to 10,300 feet and Duck Pass.* NotContinue reading “When the smoke hit the throat: from Red’s Meadow to Purple Lake”

Southbound on the JMT: Gladys Lake to Red’s Meadow

From Gladys Lake to Red’s Meadow is what Muir would call a saunter — a long lovely walk, brisk but as it happens mostly downhill, through a sunny and mostly dry forest. Not especially taxing and pleasant in a cozy sort of way, such as this little trailside pond, which officially is one of theContinue reading “Southbound on the JMT: Gladys Lake to Red’s Meadow”

Southbound on the JMT: Thousand-Island Lake to Gladys Lake

We had a luminous full moon night at a well-known campsite overlooking the famed Thousand Island Lake, this early September night. Though the ground was a flat planteau made mostly of granite, the tentsites were impressively well laid out and groomed completely clear of sharp little rocks or stones by thousands of ‘packers, perhaps). WeContinue reading “Southbound on the JMT: Thousand-Island Lake to Gladys Lake”

To know yourself you must sometimes be by yourself

Last month Backpacker magazine ran a tough-minded Mark Jenkins essay on journeying alone called Go Solo. At its heart it goes something like this: Ever since Aron Ralston got himself caught between a rock and a hard place in Utah’s Blue John Canyon, hung there for five days, and then amputated his right forearm toContinue reading “To know yourself you must sometimes be by yourself”

Cheryl Strayed: To turn our suffering into beauty

From an unusually rich interview in The Millions, the friendliest of literary sites, with Cheryl Strayed, the author of the great and influential Wild:  Cheryl Strayed: I’ve always thought that the important thing is to turn our suffering into beauty. And the image of the phoenix rising from the ashes has always been super-cool to me,Continue reading “Cheryl Strayed: To turn our suffering into beauty”

The Southern California resurgence of backpacking

Too long ago our local master of the backcountry Bill Slaughter and his rock and roller partner Rain Perry led a group of mostly Ojains into the wilderness to a popular camp by the Sespe, Bear Creek, an easy but pleasant walk, well documented by Modern Hiker. We had a great time and, having sent scouts aheadContinue reading “The Southern California resurgence of backpacking”