Hiking Archive

Norway Part 3: Fjords and waterfalls washed down with cheese

(Continues from part 2 of this series on Norway.) Bergen is the most popular place in Norway and tourism related services are around from the moment you exit the airport. A constant bus service takes you to downtown and is so busy that you often have to wait a few buses. We got dropped of near Festplassen and walked to Citybox Bergen, where we’d stay for the next 2 days. This is another one of those self-serve hostels that seem to be popular in Scandinavia. Read more...

Norway Part 1: Josh Hartnetts beyond the Arctic Circle.

(Photos are from my iPhone and Shreya’s Sony A-6000.) I went to Norway for 9 days the week before Memorial Day weekend. As is the norm, I was blown away by the pristine beauty of the country, and will certainly go back. There is some great climbing and skiing to be done in Norway in the future. The highlights for this trip were 3.5 days spent in the Lofoten islands and the Sognefjord + Flåm tour. Read more...

Weekend adventures: Tamarack Peak ski and Eagle Lake Buttress traverse (attempt)

Another saturday, another early morning drive to Tahoe. This time it was an even longer drive to Nevada, to get some beginner backcountry skiing experience on Tamarack Peak. Thanks to Marusa for guiding us on this half-day tour, it was a lot of fun! Snow conditions were good and the way up was well tracked. I managed to fall a couple of times on the icy parts of the skin-track, until I learned to trust my heels and keep looking up. Read more...

Taking it slow in February

February was a pretty relaxing month. It also hadn’t snowed in ages, so skiing wasn’t that high a priority. I had a friend visiting, and an upcoming trip to India, so I couldn’t do anything too technical. I did still manage to get out a bit, but nothing that needs a full trip report. Recent rains have made the Bay Area hills a treat, so we went for a quick Saturday morning hike from Stinson Beach to Pantoll Ranger station. Read more...

Wandering in the Evolution Basin

The Evolution Basin is one of the most beautiful areas in California. Several 13,000 foot mountains hold sublime glacial lakes and high alpine meadows. As if aware of this, nature jealously guards the area, with there being no easy and short approaches to the basin. As with many of the places on the John Muir Trail, my first experience with the Evolution Basin was in August 2014. It had been a boring few days and I was glad to finally enter Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the true High Sierra, to sunny weather and clear skies. Read more...

Canyonlands Backpacking and Packrafting

Lacking in pictures because even in 2014, embedding images from alternate sources in a blog post is ridiculous UX fail! In March (19-25), me, Raj, Michaela and Roxana went on a 6 day trip to Utah. The itinerary was to fly into Salt Lake City, drive to Moab, do a 4 day backpacking and packrafting trip in Canyonlands NP, spend a day in Arches NP and head back. It was one of the best trips I’ve done and a splendid (and early! Read more...