Off-Island

Located < 1/3 mile offshore of Kuuloa Beach Park, Chinaman's hat (Mokolii Islet) is a common place for kayakers, stand-up paddle boarders and snorkelers/swimmers to travel to either explore or just to have a fun day in the sun... With a crew 15 strong (Justin Ugalino, Clayton Childs, Jennifer Liu, Lance Fujioka, Angie Ou, Jason Lee, Patrick Liu, Jenelyn Castillo, Reanne Solomon, Troy Takara, Seth Eason, Lenie and Franco Gallardo), we did just this. We started out our day meeting at 830 at Kualoa Beach Park. Loading our kayaks at the cars, we were able to easily wheel them "one-by-one" to water...

[Part 1] [Part2] [Part 3] [View Gallery] As I mentioned in my earlier posts from this series, Joshua Tree is renowned for it's superb climbing areas. The rock features here may not be as high as the ones you would find at Yosemite, but they were still amazing in their own right. The rocks at Joshua tree are composed of quartz monzonite, a very rough type of granite, and especially so since there is no snow or ice to polish it as in places like Yosemite. Whether it being top-roping, leading climbing... bouldering, or even scrambling, etc... there are enumerate routes and problems...

[Part 1] [Part2] [Part 3] [View Gallery] Hiking in Joshua Tree National Park was not as aesthetically impressive or exciting as the trails at Yosemite I visited last week... so I'm probably not going to detail much here. There are several hiking trails within the park, most of which are short and can be done in less than 1/2 day, especially if you choose trails located near each other. Looking at the map given at the kiosk upon entry, we ended up choosing Ryan Mountain, Lost Horse Mine and Barker Dam Trails to hike in one day... the latter two being loop trails. Ryan Mountain Trail Ryan...

[Part 1] [Part2] [Part 3] [View Gallery] Joshua Tree National Park is located 140 miles east of Los Angeles, and borders Nevada, Arizona and Mexico... The National Park Service (NPS) is responsible for regulating visitor park resources, including centers, permitting, facilities, activities and campgrounds (Modified Map from NPS above). The park is well known for it's large rock features and recreational climbing, mountain biking trails, campgrounds, unique desert ecology, and rich history / culture. Joshua Tree is named so because of all the Yucca brevifolia (Joshua Tree) which...

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [View Gallery] Yosemite Valley is recognized as one of the most popular climbing areas in the United States, and is heavily responsible for the development of climbing as a sport. Of the many sites to boulder in Yosemite, Camp 4 (where we camped) is probably the most popular, as it has the highest concentration of problems in a given area. If you aren't familiar with "bouldering," the sport is different from traditional rocking climbing as it involves quick "problem solving" climbs consisting of dynamic / technical moves and involves little equipment....

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [View Gallery] Yosemite Falls is the largest two-tiered falls in North America, having a total height of 2425 feet (lower falls not shown). The upper falls is 1430 feet alone, and is the sixth largest waterfall in the world (shown above). After a cold night at camp (~33 degrees F), Luke and I started out early on the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail. You'll encounter a sign with a breakdown of several directions/destinations about 10 minutes from the trailhead. Today, we were just trying to reach the bridge just above the upper falls and would be ~ an 8 mile...

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] Driving to Yosemite in the early AM from Los Angeles allowed us to easily secure a campsite at the walk-in campgrounds (Tunnel View Lookout). However, this early arrival also allowed Luke and I to explore Yosemite by moonlight (Forest behind Tunnel View Lookout)... The camping trip was planned as close to the full moon as possible, to illuminate the landscape and exploit night photography to it's fullest potential (Half Dome and Merced River from the Sentinel Bridge). This colder time of year allowed for yellow and orange meadows,...

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [View Gallery] After setting up at Campsite 4 on Day 1, we went to the visitor center to ask the National Park Service rangers about trails in the valley (since we did little planning prior to arrival). The workers were very friendly and provided us with a wealth of information. Based on the intel, Luke and I decided to hike the Vernal and Nevada Falls Trail (see below), and the Yosemite Upper Falls Trail (See Part 4, links above), while in Yosemite. The Vernal and Nevada Falls trailhead starts near Happy Isles, in the Southeast part of the valley...

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] Yosemite National Park is one of the greatest spots in the Western US for hiking, climbing, backpacking / camping, or even just site-seeing. Barely remembering Yosemite as a kid, it was imperative that I returned to the national park to redeem my lack of memories there during my Fall 2011 stay in California. Though many of the trees are evergreen, Yosemite in the fall still has quite a few perennial trees... Reds, oranges and yellows, from the ground to the sky give you a sense of aesthetic warmness... which is exactly the opposite of the air temperature,...

Lowe Trail and Echo Mountain are well known mountain trails in Altadena, CA. For those of you who are not familiar with this city, it is just outside of Los Angeles, north of Pasadena. The first of my California adventures this year; friends Luke and Merilee (new LA residents) and I packed for a short over-nighter on Lowe Mountain. The trailhead starts at the top of Lake Avenue, in the mountains above north Altadena. You can either take the main trail up to Echo Mountain (east "switchbacks" route), or do the more direct, steep route (west route) at the bottom of the photo. Most of steep,...