Travis and I have gone on many amazing trips in the Sierra Mountains of the Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks of California. We head out into the mountains with a week's worth of food and supplies, and filter our water from the streams. We always pack everything out.
I have training in wilderness medicine and we both have extensive backpacking experience. Even so, these trips are strenuous and sometimes dangerous, but the scenery is worth it.
As conscientious users of the backcountry, we do our best to practice Leave No Trace camping whenever possible. To learn about ways to reduce impact when visiting these beautiful places, read the Leave No Trace principles.
Backpacking the Sierras
A rare Calochortus flower blooming in Yosemite
Butterflies at Rancheria Falls, Yosemite
Hanging laundry to dry on a tree
Travis took this photo of me standing in the Calochortus flowers.
Filtering water at the edge of Rancheria Falls
The Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite
The Glen Aulin area in Yosemite
Jagged peaks near Mt Whitney in Sequioa National Park
Climbing a pass in Sequoia. I was so sick I couldn't look down.
Top of Black Rock Pass. That climb nearly killed me.
Big Five Lakes at sunrise
Travis and I at Big Five Lakes
Sitting in a river in Sequoia where we filtered water.
Resting near an alpine lake above the treeline in Sequoia.