Munier Salem, Author at dismal wilderness

November 8, 2020September 22, 2021

Sun Notch Trail towards Phantom Ship (Crater Lake NP)

August 23, 2020, Sun Notch Trailhead

A stroll along the Sun Notch Trail

I spent a day last August exploring Crater Lake National Park en route to Bend Oregon. After a sunrise hike to Garfield Peak, I began a drive along East Rim Drive. A recent spate of wildfires had left the lake quite smokey, and sightlines would continue to deteriorate into midday. Beyond this COVID-19 had dashed any plans of taking a boat tour around the lake. But some other short hikes were still on the docket, including this little gem!

November 8, 2020March 10, 2022

Garfield Peak (Crater Lake NP)

Aug 23, 2020, Rim Village

Arrival

I arrived just before sunset to Rim Village, having driven that day north from the Bay Area. The summer and Fall of 2020 will forever be known for two things on the West Coast: COVID and fires. Evidence of the latter hung in the air over Crater Lake, which seemed visibly thick with smoke. I felt as though I were standing on the edge of a massive cauldron.

October 26, 2020March 18, 2022

Spelunking in Lava Beds National Monument

Inside a lava tube cave at Lava Beds National Monument.

August 22, 2020, Lava Beds National Monument

Lava Beds: Off the Beaten Path

Imagine the state of California in your head. Picture its shape on a map. Now try to think about the corner of the state you’ve likely spent the least time even considering the existence of. Congratulations: You now know where to find Lava Beds National Monument.

October 12, 2020March 10, 2022

Rock climbing in the Alabama Hills

August 6, 2020, Lone Pine

Alabama Hills amidst California Mountains

The morning after successfully summiting Mount Whitney, I joined a friend for some rock climbing in the nearby Alabama Hills. We had spent the night in Lone Pine, roughly 4000′ below the trailhead for Whitney.

October 10, 2020March 10, 2022

Mount Whitney in a day

August 5, 2020, Whitney Portal

Fate intervened

A month before this ascent, I had zero intention of summiting Mt Whitney in 2020. Hiking Whitney requires a permit, drawn from a lottery back in March, that I did not possess as of Mid-July. I hadn’t entered said lottery because in March I didn’t even know I’d be living in California, let alone hiking the Sierras.

October 9, 2020October 11, 2020

The Dragon’s Back Trail to Mammoth Mountain

Mammoth Mountain's massive gondola span, seen from the Dragon's Back Trail

August 2, 2020, Twin Lakes Campground/Dragon’s Back Trailhead

Twin Lakes

I snagged a pretty excellent parking spot in an otherwise fully packed lot at Twin Lakes Campground. I arrived mid-morning on a peak late-summer Sunday. The place was humming with campers and paddlers and hikers. The journey began with a walk across a bridge between the two “twin lakes” towards the various camping and RV spots under tree cover. The scene was gorgeous, with a broad stream of water cascading down grassy boulders into the lake below.

September 29, 2020September 29, 2020

A gorgeous inversion from Black Mountain

July 18, 2020, Rhus Ridge Trailhead

Having lived in the Bay Area for just a few months now, I’ve already hiked Black Mountain quite a few times. The first of these hikes took place, in fact, during a job interview that brought me out to California for only a couple of days.

September 28, 2020September 29, 2020

Devil’s Postpile and Rainbow Falls (Mammoth Lakes)

July 12, 2020, Devil’s Postpile National Monument

Arrival

I drove the winding roadway towards the Devil’s Postpile National Monument around the crack of dawn. I had spent Saturday mountain biking at Mammoth ski area, staying overnight right near the main base. As luck would have it, the roadway to Devil’s Postpile runs right past the base lodge, underneath the gondola. The road promptly narrows from a standard 2-way state highway to a winding, unstriped mountain adventure. And the views from this drive are nothing short of stunning. Jagged stone peaks rose up from the rolling hills of conifers, snowfields, and rushing waters—the Eastern Sierras in mid-summer!

September 24, 2020September 22, 2021

High peaks trail (Pinnacles National Park)

California condors soar over sandcastle rock formations in Pinnacles National Park.

June 30, 2020, Pinnacles National Park

Google Fail

The day began long before sunrise, with a 2-hour drive to Pinnacles National Park. This outing would mark my second national park visit in California in only a few weeks. I aimed to arrive at Pinnacles around sunrise, so I could enjoy a multi-hour hike before the temperatures in central California inevitably climbed into the high 90s.

September 24, 2020March 10, 2022

Kings Creek Falls (Lassen NP)

Kings creek winds through a meadow surrounded by greenery and spring snowmelt.

June 20, 2020, King’s Creek Falls trailhead

I found myself with time to kill in Lassen National Park, having hiked to the summit of the park’s main volcano well before noon. being mid-June, many of the park’s signature attractions were still closed, due to snow, including the signature Bumpass Hell area with its steam vents and bubbling mud pits. That said, Kings Creek Falls caught my eye as a fun cool-down hike.