EISPIRATEN

I'm not sure on time constraints, but I was considering taking the Islip Ridge trail to MT Islip, heading over to MT Hawkins, then down to South MT Hawkins (bagging the two small peaks along the way), and taking the fire road back down to the Windy gap TH. We can alternatly cut out the Islip ridge s...

Saying that layering in your bag is going to make you somehow cold is like saying you're going to get cold if you put on a shell over your fleece. What a load of malarkey. When wearing a down sweater, I've slept down to the mid 20's in a 32F rated bag and been quite comfortable -- and I'm a cold sl...

lol the crystal lake monster lives!

I've only recently started to trail run. 2 trail runs in fact with not a whole lot of elevation gains or distances. My G/F comes along. We have been going to schabarrum and running along the couger trail past the horse corral up to the powder canyon junction and back down through the park asphalt wa...

Pic of the sti with some snow on its face.



Should show up when photobucket isn't down.

It sounds like a few sets of lunges/scissor kicks at least 2-3x per week will help strengthen the areas you're having problems with while navigating on the softer snow. Though I'm not sure what good that will do with the snow melting and probably not returning till next year. However doing the exerc...

Are your hips and knees typically sore from hiking, or is it just hiking in the snow that causes the soreness?

Did you have a lot of Post holing and hiked on softer non packed snow?

Somethings to consider for you. The jacket is pretty lightweight at 12 oz. But it appears to be lacking some features that I find pretty standard. There doesn't appear to be any side / hand pockets on this jacket. There also doesn't appear to be any brushed or polyester linings on the collar/wrist a...

Layering will help extend the range of the sleeping bag below its intended rating to a small degree. The biggest considerations are having a proper R value pad(s) under you for the conditions and a properly EN tested bag for men & women. Note that women generally require 5-7*F lower rated bags t...

Thanks for the clean up on the saddle too. I cant stand to see people leaving their trash like that in the wild.

from my trip up to Wilson on 03-28-11 https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i825/albums/zz171/Illusivethoughts/Pics/IMG_3168-1.jpg From atop Ontario Peak last year 09-18-10 https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i825/albums/zz171/Illusivethoughts/Pics/OntarioPk9-18-10139.jpg...

There are quite a few loops in Turbull Canyon that are popular mt bike locations. I spent a bit of time hiking the main trails in that area, and always see mtb'ers. Also powder canyon / schabarrum park loop I did a while back that was almost 11 miles is legal to mtb and would be a fun ride, I also o...

Here's a link to the pics. http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1031448 Visibility was poor couldn't see more than a 100 ft the whole way up, and we got a 15 minute or so downpour but otherwise remained rain free. We took the Sam Merrill trail up to echo then switched to the castle canyon...

That river gets pretty swolen this time of year. I wouldn't dream of crossing it. My G/f and I attempted a bridge hike this time last year and turned around because of the conditions, we had to wait until August with like over a month of no rain before we felt safe to try it. My Condolences to the f...

http://www.gearzone.com/montbell-s/445.htm They have the down inner parkas which my g/f and I use quite often and work great on sale. You may have seen a photo or two with me in my rust colored one. They also have the ex light, one of the lightest down jackets on the market on sale, and their therm...

Nice TR and some beautiful photos. I love hiking up to a summit and having clouds covering the city below.

Nice, I'm going to have to head up there soon. Looks like a wonderful hike.

which yaktrax? the new xtr with the anti snow plates, or the regular rubber ones with metal rings around the base?

That looks like you guys had a lot of fun.

Got out with Matt C. to head up the Sturtevant trail to Wilson from chantry flats. Once at the top we decided to make it a loop and decend down to manzanita ridge and down to the upper winters creek trail back to chantry flats. Lots of beautiful views on the hike of the baldy range on the east/north...

That looks fun. Great pics.

Not sure if it's new-thread worthy, but does anyone know the condition of the Islip Ridge Trail (called the Wawona Trail on Tom Harrison maps) heading up to Mt Islip from the lake? Obviously it's covered in snow, but once it melts, is the trail easy enough to follow? I've read it hasn't been mainta...

Awesome, can't wait to get up there in the coming weeks. What is the parking situation like? Is there a lot, or just roadside parking? There was very little parking since the roads have been recently plowed and the curbs are snow walls. There was a big section by the snack bar and another about a m...

We went up to see the lake and poke around the area since learning it was re-opened. We ended up doing a mini loop (2.8 miles). Snow was really fresh / powder so postholing was anywhere from ankle to mid thigh. The snow on the tree's were melting so it created a bit of a rain situation when travelin...

I've done that trail/loop but from the highway TH near sandstone. It was our first time out in the range and it was wonderful.

It felt like there was always something interesting to look at and new to see around each bend.

kahtoola stuff is so good. i just picked up some of their crampons. great hike, jason! we need to get out again, perhaps after the wedding next weekend (she prob wont let me get out too much before it :-) ) Pre-grats? :D Sure, sounds like a plan. I do have to attend warrior dash on sunday april 3rd...

Great news!

Cool pics, haven't gone through icehouse canyon in the snow yet.

planned to go up and do a bit of X-country ski, the website said the adventure center They rent X/C skiing gear there? I have always wanted to try that, have you ever rented from them? Do they rent boots, skies, everything? Yep and its cheap 21 bucks for the day for x-country ski and 18 a day for s...

We originally planned to go up and do a bit of X-country ski, the website said the adventure center that rents the equipment was open but upon arrival at the tram station it was closed. We decided to make a bid for the summit in the snow instead. We got to Wellman Junction/divide around 2:00 and dec...