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Blue Cut Loop Hike, Day 1
Pinyon Well Parking Area to Pushawalla Canyon 4.5 mi :: 2.5 hr :: 960 ft After a last-minute stop at Sport Chalet for a fleece jacket we couldn’t find at REI, and an omelet at Coco’s, we pull in to the trailhead on Geology Tour road around 2 pm. Ann navigates using the trail guidebook…
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Big Rock
We wake up to clear skies, and I feel excited about getting a couple of routes in today. The whole family packs up and heads for Big Rock at Perris Lake. The gate is closed, which adds half a mile to the approach but also thins the crowds. Today there’s only one other pair of…
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Whisky Flat Trail Day 2
In the morning, after 13 hours in my tent, the verdict is that tent-shopping is in our future. The North Face Canyonlands is nice at just under four pounds, but too claustrophobic for weathering big storms together. We aren’t hungry yet, so we pack up and start walking. We are in a tight canyon crossing…
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Whiskey Flat Trail
We park at the Whisky Flat trailhead in Kernville, planning to hike north for an over night trip, but there is a ‘DAY USE ONLY’ sign at the trailhead. Ann convinces me to ask about it at the ranger station. It turns out a local rancher owns the parking area, and will tow any cars…
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Rademacher Hills
It’s a windy day in the desert. The mountains are getting snow, so Ann and I take a walk closer to town in the Rademacher hills. Ann is learning to use a GPS receiver, and I feel inspired to catch some of the local sights with the camera. I see things I haven’t noticed before.…
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Great Falls Basin, Condome
We meet Werner, Walter, and Clare at 8 am. We also meet Chris for the first time, and his dog Luka. Jezze nearly breaks a window out of the car trying to meet her as well. The approach to the Condome is different for the north and the south side where we’re headed. We nearly…
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Wildrose Peak
Better things go wrong this time on our second attempt to hike up this peak in Death Valley National Park. Instead of starting a mile away on steep dirt road, we give the trailhead a try. That improves morale from the start. On the way up, I realize a couple of interesting things. One is…
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Owens Peak
We allow ourselves a mellow morning and a slow start, changing our destination from Wildrose Peak to the closer Owens. It’s a no-nonsense chug, claiming to climb 2,850 feet in 1.5 miles. I think it must be further than that, but definitely gets down (up?) to business. Ann is disappointed to make it up “only”…
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Wagon Wheel
It’s been long enough since I’ve bouldered that it feels kind foreign and strange. Ted, Randy, Greg, and Curtis are working on something right of Walter’s crack when we arrive. I do a number of familiar and long-neglected problems in the area. Some that used to seem hard are now not so bad. Others I…
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Black Velvet Canyon, Red Rocks
We had planned to do a hike today, but were enticed by Oscar and Jules’ plan to get an early start on Frogland (5.8-), a seven-pitch route in Black Velvet Canyon. The morning goes well, and we have the base of the route to ourselves at 9 am. Jules follows Oscar up the first pitch,…