Summer is the perfect season to visit the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The famous Range of Light, as John Muir called it, is 400 miles long -- from Tehachapi Pass in Kern County to the south, to Fredonyer Pass in Lassen County to the north. The Sierra is home to three national parks (Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon), 20 wilderness areas, and many notable features, including Lake Tahoe and Mount Whitney (highest point in the contiguous US).

For a buck like me, exploring the Sierra is like going home. Much of the range is mule deer habitat, so traveling around the mountains with E+J didn't turn any heads -- though I did have to pack away my smoking jacket for this trip.

We spent 10 days backpacking, camping and hiking three parts of the Sierra over late July and early August, starting with a 5-day backpacking trip in Yosemite's high country. From there, we spent a couple of days in the Mammoth Lakes area, hiking and soaking in natural hot springs. To close out the trip, we spent the last two days in Onion Valley to hike the trail to Kearsarge Pass, which straddles Kings Canyon National Park and the John Muir Wilderness.

To share more about our recent trip, here are a few photos accompanied by pages from Edith's travel journal. For even more photos, visit Instagram.

Yosemite

Sunrise at Sunrise Lakes meadow.

Hiking from Sunrise Lakes to our next stop at Merced Lakes (10 miles away), we were greeted by dramatic landscapes like this one.

A dead tree leans against the clouds and wildfire smoke.

A wildfire smoke-filled lunch break along the 10 miles from Sunrise Lakes to Merced Lake.

Hiking from Sunrise Lakes to Merced Lake.

On the shore of Merced Lake, looking inland.

On the shore of Merced Lake, looking the other way.

The hike from Merced Lake (elevation ~7,000 ft.) to Vogelsang (elev. ~10,000 ft.) is the most challenging. Luckily, it's also gorgeous. Here we had a much-needed break from the ascent, along a meadow.

Fletcher Lake -- just a few dozen yards away from Vogelsang backpackers' camp.

The view from Vogelsang Pass.

Doing some writing by Fletcher Lake, following dinner on the lakeshore.

Sunset at Vogelsang.

Mammoth Lakes and Onion Valley

The Minarets, a series of jagged peaks in the Ritter Range within the Ansel Adams Wilderness, rise 13,000 feet above sea level.

Devil's Postpile, protected by national monument status, is a fascinating example of columnar basalt (or, in plain English, columns made when cooling lava cracked vertically).

The Mammoth Lakes region is replete with hot springs. We found two off-the-beaten-path springs. Our favorite was Crowley Hot Springs.

The Pacific Crest Trail runs more than 2,600 miles from Mexico to Canada.

Onion Valley Road starts in the town of Independence in the Owens Valley and over 12 miles climbs over 5,000 feet into the Eastern Sierra. Here you see Owens Valley thousands of feet below.

We camped at Onion Valley Campground (elev. 9,200 ft.) after an absence of over 10 years. We found the best site -- hike-in site 24.

Wildflowers were still blooming in early August on the trail to Kearsarge Pass.

Gilbert Lake, quiet and still before a lightning storm that lasted hours later that night.

At Kearsarge Pass, elevation 11,760. As they say, if the views don't take your breath away, the ascent at altitude will.

Near Kearsarge Pass, Big Pothole Lake looks deceptively small from this vantage point. The lake is on the John Muir Wilderness side of the pass.

Lakes and granite peaks dot the landscape on the Kings Canyon National Park side of Kearsarge Pass.

This was the trip on which E earned her trail name: Strong Birdy Legs.

Travel

Hooves on the Ground: Grand Canyon

A few years ago we found ourselves in Grand Canyon during the last week of April. We tried for and were issued a walk-up permit to backpack down into the Canyon, spending a few blissful days and nights soaking in its grandeur. Right then and there we got hooked on the splendor and intimacy of a trek below the rim. And so every last week of April since, we have made it a point to return to that big crack in the earth and tackle a below-the-rim route.

Hooves on the Ground: Perú

In my book, one way to define good friendship is having friends that push you to new heights and experiences. E+J's Utah buds Christine and James, who live at the doorstep to Zion National Park, have proven their good friendship many times. Most recently, they invited E+J to join them for a trip to Perú. E+J were instantly intrigued and up to the challenge of figuring out logistics and finances to make the trip a reality. And so they did.

I sat this trip out given the difficulty of transporting a full-grown buck with an enormous rack by airplane. Below E recounts the trip as she and J experienced it.

Art

Notorious/Glorious

In the latest dearantler show we attempt to convey the indescribable allure that the desert has for us. My deer relatives, accustomed to the nourishing bounty of Southern California's oak woodlands and chaparral-covered hills, turn their ears away whenever I sing the desert's praises. E+J tell me that their human brethren often greet them with similar disinterest, asking questions like: "What's so special about the desert? Isn't there just a whole lot of nothing out there?"

Music Video for Sara Lov's 'Rain Up'

We are honored to share with you the brand-new video we helped create for Sara Lov's stunningly beautiful song 'Rain Up.' We have been fans of Sara's hauntingly gorgeous music since the early 2000s, when she and Dustin O'Halloran created one great album after another under the Devics moniker. O'Halloran co-wrote 'Rain Up' with Sara.

The video premieres today on Flood Magazine.

Hooves on the Ground: The Palisades

Just four hours from Los Angeles and a few miles in by trail lies a stunning landscape of 14,000-foot mountains, milky-turquoise lakes, and the largest glacier in the Sierra Nevada. We visited in mid-September and were at once humbled by the beauty, enormity and variety of features within easy reach for even a beginning backpacker.

Hooves on the Ground: Tahoe to Yosemite Along the Pacific Crest Trail

Having successfully completed the John Muir Trail in 2015, we were looking to get back out to the Sierra Nevada for another thru-hike this summer. After some consideration of the many options the Sierra affords, we decided to tackle the next section of the Pacific Crest Trail north of the JMT (the JMT itself overlaps with the PCT for most of its length). Starting at Barker Pass, in the northwest Lake Tahoe area, this section travels nearly 200 miles to Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows. Along the way, it passes innumerable lakes, creeks and streams, crosses several roads and highways, climbs up and down numerous mountain passes.

Strangers On A Trail

Another year passes and we find ourselves at summer's doorstep once more. California is fortunate to have year-round access to the outdoors -- but even in the land of never-ending exploration opportunities, summer affords special access to some of the most incredible places this state has on offer. Among these are the Sierra Nevada Mountains -- the Range of Light, as John Muir called it. At 400 miles long -- from Tehachapi Pass in Kern County, to Fredonyer Pass in Lassen County -- the Sierra is home to three national parks (Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon), 20 wilderness areas, and many other iconic features, including Lake Tahoe and Mount Whitney.

Many consider the John Muir Trail to be the crown jewel of this spectacular mountain range. Even a well-traveled buck like me would be hard pressed to find a land to match its awe-inspiring magnificence. And so, with summer here once again, we pay homage to this stunning 220-mile ribbon of trail in the hopes of inspiring others to breathe its therapeutic air, see its exhilirating sites and feel its recuperative effects.

Yosemite

Mammoth Lakes and Onion Valley

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