fstopandsee

Red flowers stand all over the top of Squaw Valley, with The Palisades off in the distance. I like hiking here in the summer and taking pictures, but I like skiing here in the winter even more!

I can’t take all the credit for this one, a friend pointed out the way this water was curved on a hike at Squaw Valley. I took the liberty of playing with the harsh light and shadows to help bring out the curve of water.

I hiked the South Fork of Silver Creek in the Sierras today, and of course my camera was along for the ride. The water is high right now due to the huge amount of snow we have from last winter. This section of descending pools is called the teacups. The rushing water wasn’t very tea like, but if I try hard enough I can visualize layers of little teacups spilling into one another.

Fern Canyon is a unique spot. First you must travel down a long dusty road, then take a short hike, and only then are you rewarded with two huge canyon walls of ferns on either side of you. We hopped back and forth across the river on the canyon floor thanks to the logs and planks along the way, and eventually climbed out for a view from the top before hiking out along the edge.

The hike around Mt. Tamalpais has many different scenes to it. Dry hillsides, lush rivers, ocean views and forests to name a few. During this particular part of the hike we were surrounded by dry grass and wet fog, an odd combo.

The first and last thing you see on the hike to Freel Peak in the Sierra Nevada is Willow Creek. The forest road that takes you to the trail head ends here at Willow Creek, which you must cross in order to make the summit. This spot at the end of the hike was particularly well lit for a photo.

The hike to Round Top starts by going through a wooded area. You eventually break out to where you can finally see the top of the peak, your destination for the day, off in the distance. From this point it felt pretty far away but we all knew it would be worth it! I really like the way the trail and string of skiers extends out toward the peak, reaching out for it.

I had a great weekend. I spent one day back country skiing on a peak called Round Top in the Sierras with a great group of friends. I spent the next day skiing at a resort. There wasn’t much new snow which is uncharacteristic for this time of year around here, but the hike, view and overall experience were amazing. This was one of my favorite views from the hike. It was taken from the top of Round Top just before we began our descent. The true Kirkwood fans out there will recognize the backside of the resort in the right third of the image.

Not today anyway. The snow was too good where I was without hiking to go for these lines, but they sure did look pretty from down below.

One of my favorite hikes is Half Dome in Yosemite. This view of the cables on the way down means a lot of things. It means that you have come a long way, you’ve seen the top, and you still have a good couple hours of downhill that will be harder than you think before you get home.