It's a lucky thing to live in California and have an excuse to visit the High Sierra in late July. Our excuse: J's birthday is July 26 -- prime time to get into those higher elevations. Every year, we make it a point to reserve a few days (or weeks) out of the summer calendar to explore a portion of the Sierra's endless network of trails. This time around we were in the mood for a shorter trek with day hiking and cross-country options for going away from camp. This loop fit the bill perfectly.
Read MoreHooves 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.
Read MoreHooves on the Ground: Mount Whitney
I'm a buck who believes in the ability of members of different species to transcend their differences. But there are some impulses that are present in other species that I just cannot wrap my furry head around. One of these is the human desire to undertake perfectly irrational pursuits for some intangible psychological reward, and along the way risk one's tail. I thought Homo sapiens were supposed to be a knowing species. But after witnessing E+J's latest harebrained outing (and here I apologize to all hares and members of the genus Lepus), I'm beginning to think that all the knowledge collectively held in this bossy, 7-billion-strong bunch doesn't amount to much.
The idea seemed simple: dayhike up the highest mountain in the contiguous US. But let's break that sentence down.
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