Munier Salem, Author at dismal wilderness

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.

September 19, 2020September 22, 2021

Lassen Peak: an entry-level Cascade volcano

June 20, 2020, Lassen Peak Trailhead

Lassen National Park

I began the day an hour southeast of Lassen National Park, in the town of Red Bluff. The road to the park undulated through the rolling foothills of the northernmost expanse of California’s Central Valley. Through the haze, I could see the Cascades rising to the north and east ahead of me. First, Shasta came into view, still covered in snow along its uppermost flanks. Then Brokeoff and Lassen Peaks rose over the landscape, dead-ahead, both silhouettes against the morning sun.

September 12, 2020September 19, 2020

Berry Creek Falls (Big Basin)

COVID precautions near Berry Creek Falls

June 13, 2020, Big Basin SP

When I arrived in California to start a new career in Spring 2020, I immediately asked my co-workers for hiking tips. The Berry Creek Falls loop came up numerous times as a top recommendation for hiking in the area. The trail sits in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California’s oldest such park.

August 1, 2020July 9, 2023

Lake Aloha, and the Desolation Wilderness

May 23, 2020, Echo Lake Trailhead

Arrival at Echo Lake

In late May, having settled into my new apartment in the Bay Area, I decided to set off on a backpacking trip. This trip would represent my first wilderness adventure in California.

I decided on a stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail near Lake Tahoe through the Desolation Wilderness. From the name alone I knew this would be pretty interesting.

July 21, 2020June 2, 2022

Adirondack 46ers by the Numbers

The Adirondack High Peaks comprise all the major summits within the Adirondack Park above 4000 feet in elevation. Sort of. Modern surveying revisions have revealed four of the peaks to be below 4000′. And if you stare at a topographic map long enough, you begin to realize some inconsistencies involving arcane terms like “prominence” and “isolation”. But never let the truth get in the way of a good story. And the history of peak bagging in the Adirondacks is indeed a very good story.

July 20, 2020August 1, 2021

I-70 and US-50: A road trip across America

May 2020, Interstate 70 and US Highway 50

This blog usually features my outdoorsy, human-powered adventures (e.g. hiking). That said, I thought it appropriate to share my journey from New York to California along an empty I-70 in May 2020. The country had ground to a halt in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic. My lease was up in NY and I had begun a new job on the West Coast. Not eager to fly, I decided to make the journey Steinbeck style. So I packed up my newly acquired Subaru and headed West.