Last night was really rough. We heard later someone talking how we caught what was left of a typhoon in China. Sounded right to me. Matt and I spent the whole night waiting for our tent to get blown away as we got hit by at least 50 mph gusts. Twice I needed to get up to restake the tent, even though I worked hard to prep it before I went to bed. Man, it’s gonna be a long day. ...

A really cool fog bank moved in over the glacier this morning. After being socked in for a short while, it cleared off in a most spectacular fashion. It’s amazing how many ways this place can impress you. Today we have a big day of hiking ahead of us. We’re going to head out to Anderson pass along the ridge. We figure it will be more fun than walking the river bar the whole way. The pass promises a great view of where the glacier turns, and a chance to see more of the huge mountains of the Alaska Range. When we get close to the pass, the wind is blowing like crazy. Little did I know our campsite was getting blasted at the same time. ...

Thank goodness I managed to get a solid block of sleep on my first night in the park. I definitely needed it, and I know the rest of the trip is likely to be a problem when it comes to sleeping. We had a nice view of the imposing Muldrow glacier from our campsite. And how are we ever going to cross that monster? Hiking up the river bar is a whole lot easier than the glacier, but walking on rocks all day is it’s own challenge. Another grizzly is our first encounter that isn’t from the safety of the bus. Nice bear. ...

Matt and I are off to the great state of Alaska for a one week backpacking trip in Denali National Park. It’s my first time and I’m really looking forward to it. Matt has been there plenty of times, so I’ll be relying on him to show me the routine. My new Canon 40D and 17-40mm f4L lens should make for some awesome photos. The trip to the park turned out to be quite an ordeal. Our United flight to Denver was delayed by a little over an hour. This was just long enough to miss our connecting flight to Anchorage. We managed to get on a later Alaska Airlines flight, but we were really worried if our backpacks would make it along with us. Fortunately we all arrived as expected, so now we only have to drive 4 hours in a rental car to get to the park just in time to get our permit at 9am. ...

Charlotte, Gabe, and I are off for some hiking over at Pogonip and UCSC. It’s also another chance to test out my new Canon 40D before I’m off to Alaska. The views really are excellent over at the old clubhouse. Charlotte really likes the big palm trees. This will really be an amazing place once they get around to fully restoring the property. Meanwhile nature still offers up a great show. ...

It was finally time to get a decent camera after lusting after a Canon DSLR for quite some time. With my upcoming trip to Alaska, I didn’t want to let the opportunity go by to get the very best photos I can on the trip. Gabe has the privilege of being my very first subject.

Our last day will cover just over 13 miles, and boy are our feet sore. Time to suck it up and hit the trail. Fortunately it’s mostly downhill today. The trail along the river makes for plenty to see along the way. A few trout make Gabe wish he had a fishing pole. Catching this newt during lunch is surely the highlight of the day for Gabe. I love the way the trail ends with a bunch of climbing while the sun bakes down on us. Gabe is not amused. ...

Unfortunately I accidentally packed the camera at the bottom of my backpack this morning, so we only have photos from when I unpacked at the campsite. Let’s just say we were a little sore from the first day, and the ten more miles intoBig Basin State Park was a long trip. Today’s hike was probably the best so far. Once the trail entered the park, we had quite a bit of uphill through excellent redwood forests. Once we crested the top, we were treated to an entirely different ecosystem. Gabe really enjoyed climbing around on the smooth sandstone mounds. I couldn’t wait to get out of the heat. Our little campsite at Jay Camp was very private, including our own private hollow redwood bathroom. ...

Today is the beginning of our great backpacking journey along the Skyline-to-the-Sea trail. We probably spent about a week getting equipment, preparing, and packing everything we would need for our three day trip. We’ll be heading from the top of the mountains all the way to the Santa Cruz coast. Charlotte dropped us off at the trailhead in Castle Rock State Park. I never get tired of how beautfiful it is here just about every day. Our first day we’ll be covering about ten miles and camp at Waterman Gap. ...

One last hiking trip to Henry Cowell with Gabe before we take off on our backpacking trip. The little guy was a bit tired today, so it’s best not to push it.