#all trails

[tinydetours]

Rocky Mountain National Park / CO

[blackeningarrow]

The Trek Up the Narrow Ridge: Mt. Tallac

Nearly a year ago, I embarked upon what I consider to be a life-altering trip. I wrote about it a year ago and now I have the opportunity to write about it again along with how it has since changed my life.

In September of 2019, I decided to set out to Yosemite/ It was a mostly spontaneous decision since I had been debating it up to the night before I left. I had already requested a week off and remained unsure if I had the finances to do as I pleased. I had been stuffing my tips into a jar entitled ‘Travel’ in addition to receiving money awarded for a creativity scholarship by my college, so I figured I had enough at that point to go off into the wild. A coworker had mentioned Mono Lake and Half Dome in conversation and by the end of that conversation (before that conversation*), I decided to go.

The next morning, I was off, having volunteered my time for the first few hours of the day at Farm Sanctuary in Acton, CA. I spent my morning raking endless piles of dead leaves before having the absolute pleasure of doting on all the sanctuary’s residents.

I spontaneously decided that I would go to Lake Tahoe first given I could only apply for the Half Dome cables lottery two days out, and was waiting to see if I had been awarded a permit since applying the morning of. I headed for Mono Lake, arriving just as the sun began to set, coasting its vibrant pinks and purples in a warmed glow. I watched the sun dip behind the horizon, painting the saltine-rock formations in lavender-rose hues. A short walk through the maze of salt statues to return to my car, half a sandwich and another four hours of driving before spending the night at a gas station lot sat beside a casino bordering on California, the edge of Nevada nestled in between mountains.

I refuse to rent an AirBnB or stay in a hotel when traveling. To me, I may as well stay home if that’s the case. I slept in my backseat as became per the norm whenever I went on excursions. A towel was draped across the front seats so that no light streamed in and my car was essentially blacked out. I had fastened a lamp with a bungee chord to the car’s assist grip above the window as a makeshift reading light.

Before dawn, I woke, driving up the mountains of Nevada over into Lake Tahoe as the sun rose over the furthest ranges to the east. I treated myself to breakfast, munching on granola while sprawled out in the sand alongside the lake before setting up a hammock to read and drink hot chai in. I hadn’t brought enough rope to tie both sides, so one side was fastened with a bungee and a spare dog leash I’d had in my trunk. I adjusted my plans so I would have a (mostly) relaxing day at the beach with some kayaking (where I enjoyed EVERY MINUTE fighting the wind that attempted to pull my across the lake) and dinner later. The following day was spent clambering up Lake Tahoe’s tallest mountain, Mt. Tallac at 9,738′, where I would successfully march off onto the wrong trail 3 times, adding another 1500’ in elevation gain for the day. Settling the score with the mountain that kicked my ass in lieu of an injury several years prior did not come easily.

I found myself impatient after the trek and elected to drive the majority of the way to Yosemite, stopping off to the side of 395 highway before Tioga Rd that would take me into Yosemite the next morning. I browsed a few trails on AllTrails, having done no prior research, flying by the seat of my pants as I prefer it. I was seeking out two hikes since my permit for the Half Dome cables had not been granted, keen on one to El Capitan and another to waterfalls. I settled on Vernal Falls, thinking that I would be done midday and have time to trek up to El Cap, unknowing that it happened to be the trail leading to Half Dome.

[miss-gelly]

Did some serious hiking today and dang my feet sre sore now

[mirmicinae]

Nono who even thinks about implementing AI in hiking trails apps to fucking shorten the trail. Trails exist for a fucking reason, they are the safe/ish route. People have been there before, the risks are known, the terrain is documented in different weathers, there is signaling among the path (most likely), and most importantly RESCUERS KNOW THE TRAIL. Imagine being lost or injured in the middle of a mountain and dying, or waiting hours for treatment because you were stupid enough to believe AI could know a mountain better than the local humans that have been travelling it for centuries. “Yeah hey I’m at x and y coordinates, what do you mean you can’t get here bc it’s too dangerous, I followed an AI generated trail.” I would die of shame.

[accaliasmith]

Two Peaks Adventure: Scafell Pike and Sca Fell

Two Peaks Adventure: Scafell Pike and Sca Fell

[melasite]

Follow me on all trails for more useless and over-involved reviews

[eralen]

[saltywinds]