A love letter to the Sierra Nevada

My dearest and darling Sierras, You will have to be patient with me, I fear. Oh, of course I do hear the call of your Clark’s nutcrackers calling me from the dry white-bark pined heights to hike up and have a picnic or stay a starry night or two. But for the moment I cannot

Balsam für die Seele

Balsam für die Seele- Cross Country Skiing in the Vallée de Joux I never wanted this day to end. In my mind I am still floating across the glittering snows of that enchanting landscape. Exercise, beautiful scenery, and a friend to share it all with? What could one want more out of life? I woke

The Island of California

The Island of California I can’t believe it took me this long to look up the origin of the name “California”, but I finally did, so I thought I’d share it on here. Apparently it comes from the story Las sergas de Esplandián (The Adventures of Esplandián) by the 16th century Spanish author Garci Rodríguez

UC Davis Outdoor Adventures

I’ll keep this brief. I didn’t join the OA community as early as I would have wished in my college career (but at least I had what  I had). And I wasn’t as involved as I would have like to be (especially this year). But, being a part of OA along with studying abroad in

Uytaahkhoo

“All mountain landscapes hold stories: the ones we read, the ones we dream, and the ones we create.”― Michael Kennedy If Whitney is King of California, Shasta is Queen. The weekend before last I made the acquaintance of another member of California’s high court- her majesty Mt. Shasta. And I for one think we should

My First Marathon Experience

This past weekend I complete my first marathon. It was a spectacular journey-  and one like any other- filled with miles, trials, tribulations, and elations! After backpacking the John Muir Trail I went back to running consistently in October. I officially started the marathon portion of my training in early December. The training went smoothly,

George Mallory- The Dreamer

“Just to lie here in the sun with great white peaks all around me and the biggest glacier in Europe at my feet, to eat from time to time, to sleep a little and dream a great deal- it is a heavenly existence.”-George Leigh Mallory “His great desire was for the spirit of man to

George Mallory- the Artist

“Not only those who perform are artists, but also those who are moved by the performance. Artists, in this sense, are not distinguished by the power of expressing emotion, but the power of feeling that emotional experience out of which Art is made. We recognize this when we speak of individuals as artistic, though they

George Mallory- The Mountaineer

“The greatest danger in life is not to take the adventure.” George Leigh Mallory “From boyhood he belonged to the mountains, as flame belongs to fire. He lived their romance, their simplicity, their open power, their unchanging loveliness. As a mountaineer he was a genius.”-Geoffrey Winthrop Young George Mallory was the best climber of his

Looking Back on the John Muir Trail

Did it really happen? Did I really live that? 3 months after the John Muir Trail, and I still have to ask myself everyday if it was real. To have had the chance to live amongst the magical and beautiful Sierras for 20 days! What a joy! For some reason, before I started the John