Calipidder

Cottonwood Lakes Basin Overnight Backpack

Calipidder — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:10:49 +0000

Lone Pine is a long drive for us. LONG DRIVE. Like, 7+ hours. But as John Muir once said, “The mountains are calling and I must go,” and this past weekend it was Cottonwood Basin that was calling. The trail to Cottonwood starts from the Horseshoe Meadows area out of Lone Pine. We took off Thursday [...]

Gaylor Peak near Tioga Pass

Calipidder — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:54:49 +0000

We spent last Friday through Sunday in the Sierra. There was an overnight backpack in Cottonwood Basin scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, so on Friday morning we decided to do a short acclimation hike somewhere near Tioga Pass (around 10k feet). It was the perfect opportunity to get up a peak I’d been wanting to [...]

Backpacking for Beer Snobs

Calipidder — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:04:07 +0000

If you’ve ever spent time around me, you know I love a good beer like a Yosemite bear loves the food in your canister. We brew (well, David brews, I drink) at home in our informally named “Drunken Marmot Brewing Company” (i.e. the garage). Our back yard is turning into a hop farm. One of [...]

Brooks-Range Gear Giveaway Winner!

Calipidder — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:20:57 +0000

Sorry to be so late on this, but I want to congratulate Kirsten Liske who was the winner of the giveaway. Thanks to everyone for participating - I look forward to doing more of this kind of thing in the future!

Sword Lake, Carson-Iceberg Wilderness

Calipidder — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:06:45 +0000

On paper, Sword Lake does not fit my definition of a great destination. It is a popular lake, not a place to go for solitude. It’s not above treeline or filled with pristine glacier-fed waters. It is surrounded by forest so the views are minimal. There are mosquitoes and noisy boyscouts. There are no fish. [...]

Brooks-Range Map Tool Gear Giveaway Reminder

Calipidder — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:31:54 +0000

Just a reminder that you have through the weekend to enter for the Brooks-Range Giveaway!

Snow Creek Fishing, Snow Creek Cabin, and One Incredible Campsite

Calipidder — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:09:15 +0000

I was holding out hope that the epic overnight trip covering a lot of miles and some cross-country travel I had planned for this weekend would work out, but this year’s late snow cover would make it more epic than I wanted. So, at the last minute I trolled my Yosemite friends for conditions and [...]

Calipidder and Brooks Range Gear Giveaway

Calipidder — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:30:33 +0000

Calling all map nerds! It’s okay - I can call you map nerds since I’m one too. Calipidder has partnered with Brooks Range Mountaineering to offer our first gear giveaway! Brooks Range is going to give one Calipidder.com reader an All-In-One Map Tool Package. This package includes: a 4”x7” map tool, ideal for outdoor adventurers, made of [...]

Coming soon at Calipidder.com

Calipidder — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:32:40 +0000

Although it’s been seemingly quiet on the calipidder.com blog lately, it’s getting to be a busy summer around here. I’m not just talking about backpacking, although rest assured there will be plenty of that. I originally started this site when I moved to California and wanted an easy way to share photos and trip reports of [...]

Lamont Peak

Calipidder — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:29:32 +0000

Lamont Peak is a small peak in the Southern Sierra, with a trailhead accessible from highway 178 via a short 6 mile drive on graded dirt road. It is probably the easiest peak on the Sierra Club SPS list. There is a trail all the way to the top, and although it is steep, not well [...]