Hiking!!

[Sleepingrock]

Agreed, it all depends on my mood for me..... Some times a lovely 4 hour exploration in my local park is wonderful and sometimes going really fast and hoping not to run over snakes is enjoyable too ( mountain biking)

[pancakespancakes]

I go up to Mount Laguna several times a year, I think it's great in the winter. But I really prefer the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains... if I'm going to drive a couple hours, I like getting up to higher elevations. The Big Bear area actually has some great hiking in the summer and fall and it's mostly above 6,000. There's a great trail that overlooks the Mojave desert on the north side of the lake that's about 8,000 feet up. Everything just seems a lot better to me when I'm that high up.

[pancakespancakes]

mountain biking is great to cover more ground, but it always feels like I'm racing through the wilderness rather than truly enjoying it

Yeah, mountain biking seems very intrusive to me. I never have as much fun with it. I almost feel like I'm on a motorcycle or something, I dunno. I just can't get in touch with nature at all, and that's a big reason why I love being out there and going hiking.

If I do want to see lots of things and cover a lot of ground... I'll just get in the car. For whatever reaosn, that seems better to me.

[humanoid]

Yeah, mountain biking seems very intrusive to me. I never have as much fun with it. I almost feel like I'm on a motorcycle or something, I dunno. I just can't get in touch with nature at all, and that's a big reason why I love being out there and going hiking.

If I do want to see lots of things and cover a lot of ground... I'll just get in the car. For whatever reaosn, that seems better to me.

during the summer, I went on a 30 ish mile backpacking trip through the backcountry in the northern part of Yosemite with 2 friends and my brother...my two friends were intent on basically sprinting through the beautiful scenery in an effort to get to the campsites as soon as possible.

My brother and I opted to instead take our time, letting them go ahead, while relishing the amazing serenity of the beautiful untouched wilderness. Our plan allowed a true feeling of communing with nature in an area where they strictly limit daily hiking access in order to preserve the natural beauty.

We reached camp a few hours later than them each day, then set up our tents and enjoyed the relaxation, just like them. To this day, my brother and I have wonderful recollections of our time in the wilderness, while our friends seem to only remember the time in the camps. To me, the enjoyable part is being deep in the forests and meadows at 10,000 feet, where you see only a couple of people a day, rather than in the camp where people are plentiful.

I know, different than mountain biking, it just reminded me.

[kalamalka]

Coming from Canada....
I have enjoyed Hiking in Joshua Tree. With only one day ( Thursday) to explore either Ladder canyon/Painted Canyon in Mecca or the Indian Canyons in Palm Springs, which one should I choose?
Thanks

[EVillSD]

One thing to think of when picking a spot...
Not all cars can make it to Ladder Canyons.. I actually camped out there in October and the end of the road where the trailhead is was 4x4 only. People in 2 wheel drive were needing to get pushed or pulled out of sand right and left.

There is something about being in the desert and having a cool stream coming down a canyon filled with palm trees and waterfalls..
Ladder Canyons is beyond a 10 but with only one day, do the Indian Canyons. Any other time I'd pick Ladder Canyons but right now (and coachella time) the water is FLOWING!

[humanoid]

thanks for the tips, I want to check out Ladder Canyon soon

[kalamalka]

One thing to think of when picking a spot...
Not all cars can make it to Ladder Canyons.. I actually camped out there in October and the end of the road where the trailhead is was 4x4 only. People in 2 wheel drive were needing to get pushed or pulled out of sand right and left.

There is something about being in the desert and having a cool stream coming down a canyon filled with palm trees and waterfalls..
Ladder Canyons is beyond a 10 but with only one day, do the Indian Canyons. Any other time I'd pick Ladder Canyons but right now (and coachella time) the water is FLOWING!

Great information...Thanks.

[zipperhead]

This site seems to have a lot of good info:

http://www.hiking-in-ps.com/trails.php

I'm still deciding on what hike(s) to do this year. I did a pretty good jaunt in Palm Canyon last year with mixed results.

Don't forget the water.

[foreman.]

This is a trail called Holy Jim in Silverado Canyon.

Ah, good trail. Its like 10 minutes from my house... did you go all the way to Santiago Peak?

[jimmycrackcorn]

don't be these guys
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dl...D=200990303009
or these guys
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dl...D=200990303005
just within one week here...

[morelifefucker]

went to joshua tree last week, that place never gets old. There is always new areas to explore. The booth at the entrance has been closed lately so its pretty much free to get in. The landscape is unreal and it feels good. Ranger guy says snakes be out within a couple weeks so now would be a good time to go.

[JJizzle04]

This is all great info. Our group is planning on arriving in the area on the Tuesday night (the 14th) with an RV, definitely plan on doing some hiking, but will need a place to park the RV for the night. The original plan was to hit up the northern part of Joshua Tree and basically just explore, but Ladder Canyon sounds very intriguing. Would it even be possible to get in there with an RV, or even if we had to hike in?

[Sleepingrock]

[carokube]

this is death valley... went by myself and had never been on a serious hike before. my friends would tell you that the fact that i survived means it wasn't very hard. but it was serious fun.

[Devin the Dude]

w0w! hikers! who'd've thunk it. i prefer my mtn bike, but i always hop off at the top of a giant incline and take a smoke break. that's appreciating your surroundings lul

thread pwnz

[JewFace]

Hey hikers! I haven't been on a hike in ages and now that I have some extra free time I need to get going. I'm probably going to be house-sitting in Orange County next week. Any recommendations for hiking in Orange County? South, Central or North County is fine.
Thanks!

[Geno_g]

I hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls, I want to try half dome...

[menikmati]

I'm doing Pike's Peak in about a month.

[shermanoaksyo]

For next year I'd like to spend a few days car camping Joshua Tree after the festival. I am totally useless at work for the early part of that week after so I might as well just say fuck it and chill out in the desert.

[Gribbz]

[pancakespancakes]

BEST THREAD EVER

[humanoid]

I hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls, I want to try half dome...

Half Dome is awesome, but it's usually really crowded...check out Cloud's Rest...it's much less crowded and you get some amazing views..it's almost 10,000 feet, so you get some great views of a lot of the park

still do Half Dome though, even with the crowds, it's really fun

[pancakespancakes]

Cloud's Rest is insane. I loved it. Never been up Half Dome though, never even been to Yosemite Valley. Seems like it would be too crowded for my taste... I really love the east half of Yosemite though.

[humanoid]

Cloud's Rest is insane. I loved it. Never been up Half Dome though, never even been to Yosemite Valley. Seems like it would be too crowded for my taste... I really love the east half of Yosemite though.

Half Dome is really cool, but you're up there with a few hundred other people almost every time, so it feels a little like Disneyland

Everything north of Yosemite Valley is awesome, since it's all much more remote

backpacking the John Muir trail is rad, they severely limit the amount of backcountry permits they issue to only a few a day, so you only see a few people over an entire several day trip

just outside the park too, there are tons of amazing trails through the High Sierras

we saw several bears last time I was there too, pretty awesome

[Geno_g]

Crain Flats is cool during winter, but Yosemite falls is a good trail half day up and half day down...

[menikmati]

Next time I get back to Yosemite, I would love to try the Half Dome trail...the last part with the cables looks like it will awaken the butterflies in the stomach.

[humanoid]

Next time I get back to Yosemite, I would love to try the Half Dome trail...the last part with the cables looks like it will awaken the butterflies in the stomach.

the first time I did it, I was admittedly terrified...but then I watched as little kids and out of shape housewives did it and the cable portion of the trail became less intimidating...

[Dr. Lufs-al-ot]

I hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls, I want to try half dome...

if you haven't already, try Nevada and Vernal falls
its a great hike!
http://www.yosemitehikes.com/yosemit...mist-trail.htm

not exactly a challenging hike but definitely a good one!

[menikmati]

Mist trail looks awesome...I really need to get back there and do all these.