The Crystal Creek crossing is about 1 mile from the parking lot at the end of the road in Mineral King. It is relatively flat and easy. We don’t even pretend that it is a hike and it barely passes for exercise. But recently I’ve been thinking that as one ages, one’s body produces and […]
Cabin Life
I misled you yesterday when saying we’d visit my short wussy walks in Mineral King. Instead today’s topic is Cabin Life: what in the world does one do in a place with no electricity, internet, or phones? These are the photographical items on the agenda: 2. Help people hold down their porches. 3. Go exploring […]
Trail Guy Went to Timber Gap (in Mineral King)
Where is Timber Gap? It’s on the north side of the Mineral King Valley. A “gap” is a low spot on a ridge or between peaks where it is natural to cross over to the other side. I suppose it is synonymous with “pass”, but in Mineral King we call them “gaps”: Tar Gap, Timber […]
FOURTEEN Things Learned in the first 1/2 of June
Last month I had my head in the sand or something. This month I did so much learning that I’m publishing this post 1/2-way through the month, with the (always reckless) assumption that there will be more to learn in the second half of the month. TECH 2. The new solve-all-your-problems iphone goes straight to […]
Trail Guy Went to White Chief
Trail Guy, being retired, spends more time in The Land of No Electricity, Internet, or Phones (unless one has StarLink, which your Central Calif. Artist does not—surprised by this?) than I do. He actually had time to hike, working around all his obligations/helpfulness to neighbors. You can tell he took these photos by the spots […]
Clear and Cold in Mineral King
When the fog cleared off, the sun began its work of melting snow. It was a time of much wood-splitting, wood burning, friendship, marveling at the clarity and brilliance, puttering, walks, and for Trail Guy and the Farmer, a time of making sure none of our immediate neighboring cabins had broken pipes from the cold. […]
Snow in Mineral King
As we left Silver City, the snow along the road made it apparent that it was going to be a bit dicey at the cabin, another 1000 feet or so above Silver City’s elevation. There was a bit of a sunny window as we got near the valley, allowing a view of Sawtooth. Oh-oh. Where […]
It’s June
This is Hume Lake as seen from the footbridge that crosses Ten-Mile Creek on the end of the lake toward the dam. For the past eight summers, I’ve had an idyllic reunion with a childhood friend at her Hume cabin. It is modest and rustic, and our times there are a real bright spot in […]
Opening Weekend in Mineral King
This post will be photo heavy, with some captions for clarity, since a few folks among my tens of readers have never been to Mineral King. (It’s a special part of Sequoia National Park accessed by its own road.) Cold Springs Campground is closed for an undisclosed reason (hazard trees?) but you can walk through […]
Learned (Little) in May
May isn’t over yet, but since tomorrow is Friday during Mineral King season, May’s learnings are a little early. Actually, I learned the first item in April, but since April’s Learned List was FOURTEEN ITEMS, I pushed it over onto May. May is a little lighter on learning than normal. Guess I read too many […]