Are These Really the Best Hikes in Every State?

Outside Magazine Online recently released a list of the Best Hikes in each State. We were made aware of it through Besthike.com as many people were…they were in turn clued on by the Adventure Blog, which we also follow. https://www.outsideonline.com/2393036/50-best-hikes-us We have bashed Outside Magazine in the past, and this is exactly the type of thing — a try to […]

Can I Hike the Rae Lakes Loop?

The Rae Lakes Loop *Completed by Brian in 2014, the Rae Lakes Loop is one of BecauseItzThere’s BucketList Hikes. It is recommended to fit, self-sufficient hikers as a reasonable alternative to the John Muir Trail, which should only be attempted by VERY fit and experienced hikers. Location: Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA (nearest city Fresno) Distance: Approx. 42 miles Elevation Gain: […]

The Return of the King

The Rae Lakes Loop Days Five and Six The most scenic parts of the hike, and the hardest parts, were now behind us. By we were by no means finished. In fact, we had still had more than a third of the hike in front of us. Fortunately, it was very nearly all downhill. One of the pleasant things about […]

Alto Sierra

The Rae Lakes Loop: Day Four (The Big One) Dawn could not come soon enough. Part of the reason we had pushed so far along on the third day was so we could get as close to Glen Pass as possible, so that we could tackle it as early in the day as possible. Our concern had been the unseasonable […]

Road’s End

  The Rae Lakes Loop Days 1 and 2 ***The following is Brian’s account of his hike of the Rae Lakes Loop with a group of close friends in 2014. Please consult the NPS website for details as many things might have changed since he hiked. With darkness approaching I found myself clutching to my sleeping pad inside my now […]

To Paradise and Beyond

The Rae Lakes Loop, Kings Canyon NP One of the best hikes in the United States is the Rae Lakes Loop in the Sierra Nevada. This challenging backpacking trip requires five or more days to complete and takes hikers through some of the best – and most remote – country the High Sierra has to offer. For much of its […]

Giant Adventures

The Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park Having safely established our base in King’s Canyon National Park, it was time to go see the other and more heavily visited side of this fabulous complex of protected lands…that being Sequoia National Park. Sequoia is smaller than Kings Canyon, but owing to the fact that it’s most singular landmarks lie close to the […]

The Canyon of Earthly Delights

Kings Canyon National Park In 2009 we returned to California for a second helping of vacation. Our time spent along the Big Sur Coast had left us more than suitably impressed enough to go back for seconds. Brian especially wanted to see John Muir’s celebrated range of light, the Sierra Nevada. On our first trip, which had been in winter, […]

The King of Canyons

Back in November we featured Big Bend National Park in Texas, which we nominated as the most underrated National Park in the entire system. It’s big, it’s wild, it’s scenic, and compared to other parks, it’s seldom visited. However, there are many other very underrated National Parks. In fact, we can easily make a case that while Big Bend is […]