September 2026
The Outskirts - the bullseye vibe I was going for over the past month
(and the full playlist made for the mountains -- and this breakdown of that playlist)
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Reflections on a Long Adventure
A long and hard nature trip was long overdue. Especially this year, with a slow, intense, and emotional buildup in the final months of pregnancy and the first six months of Jack.
Nature is the best reset button. It’s crazy how quickly a few days in the mountains can mute all of the noise. Per usual, a very important reminder that the "gravity" of work isn't that heavy. Work and errands and the routine of day to day life. You can really get sucked into that. This pull from the weeds was especially impactful.
This trip amplified the value of good company. The first week with the boys, and weeks two and three with Jack, Julia, and Blu.
Week one in Dinky Lakes with Pat and Nicolay was epic. The weather was perfect. We saw less than 10 people the entire week. No bugs. Fire pits every night. The lakes were warm which led to a “summer lake beach” vibe. Disc golf and rock scrambles. You couldn’t go wrong. The options were limitless. A new staple.
Week two in Mammoth with Jack was amazing. He was the true MVP. With each successful day, our collective confidence and ambitions expanded. Bigger hikes, longer days, epic adventures, epic memories.
Week three in Yosemite and Sequoia with the family was a good scoping mission. Just the teaser I was looking for. The giant sequoia groves were magical, and my new nature obsession.
Shoutout to Julia for being so flexible and encouraging. And shoutout to Blu — 17 years old and holding her own on the mountain. Seeing her warm up to Jack was everything. Having the whole family together was special.
I was really excited to focus the entirety of the trip on the Sierras. The breadth of exposure was epic. A long list of notes and nuanced pickups along the way. Dinky Lakes for backpacking. Mammoth is now dialed and I can’t wait to make it an annual winter AND summer tradition. And I’m so excited to “run it back” with the giant sequoias in May (here).
Three weeks was a push, maxed out on my endurance. 100+ miles of hiking.
It was hard. You get the most out of things that are hard.
It was uncomfortable. It's good to be uncomfortable. It makes you appreciate being comfortable.
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NOTES
Dinky Lakes
This was the starting point, but I did 27 miles with side missions / wandering around over 4 days.
We ended up doing 1st Dinky —> Island —> Dogtooth —> Swede —> Mystery
The options for side missions — disc golf, big scrambles, walking around lakes, beach hangouts. You couldn’t go wrong. The options were limitless.
Dinky Creek Campground was sick, and a nice way to do a solid gear check before headed into the wilderness for multiple nights. Also a super sick creek which could be a day mission.
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In Mammoth
Barney Lake - ~6 miles, ~1k elevation. Sick day hike, steep and lined with creeks and lakes along the way. The creek was a good hang. This is en route to Frog Lake, and would be a good 1-2 night backpack. Barney Lake was epic and Frog Lake looked like a very sick extension. This is the top of my list for "come back and send it".
Crystal Lake - ~4 miles, ~1k elevation
Sick day hike, steep with sick views of the lake valley along the way, a good 1 night backpack option.
Crystal and Barney were the coolest lakes I found in Mammoth, but both had hard elevation gains.
Lake Mary — super chill lake you can drive to and chill. Huge with big sections of shade / sun. The best bet for car camping (Cold Water Creek Campground).
The key in Mammoth during the summer is mountain biking. This is at the top of my bucket list coming home from the mountains. The shotgun bike setup is in motion and I'm very motivated to unlock this with Jack.
Outside of Mammoth
Little Lakes Valley, 40 minutes south near Toms, ~8 miles, ~1k elevation
Twenty Lakes Basin, 50 minutes north of Mammoth near Lee Vining, ~8 miles, ~1k elevation
These two were my top 2 of the entire month. Both full of epic lakes, high elevation, big mountain ranges, modest climbs.
Parker Lake, 40 minutes north near June, ~4 miles, ~500 elevation
Easy with a nice creek lining the second half. Lake was epic and had tons of spots. A good day hike.
Convict Lake, 10 minutes south, drive to it, huge ring for chill beach session with an epic view. Worth the pit stop.
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Yosemite
The 1+ hour drive from our Airbnb made exploring Yosemite more prohibitive. The park is huge, multiple hours from end to end. Next time I will car camp in the park. My natural "cranky old man" came out when it came to big crowds (known and unjustified).
Sentinel Dome and Taft Point, ~6 miles, ~1k elevation
This was the best bang for the buck in terms of big views of the Yosemite Valley. Roosevelt Point is a sick hangout spot.
Mariposa Grove
Curated and chill. Close to our Airbnb on the SW end of the park. This was the teaser to Sequoia. Lubing the newfound love for big ass trees.
Tenaya Lodge
A good hotel sneak. My only hot tub. My only quality meal. A welcomed break from the "tuff".
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Sequoia
Giant Sequoias are the new obsession. Already planning my next big trip here.
A 1-2 mile curated hike that's very crowded is almost never of interest. Congress and Big Trees trails were the best small curated hikes I've ever done. Truly mind bending and something I can't stop thinking about.
Late summer is the wrong season. A key feature of the park was the Kaweh River (and waterfalls that stem from it). It was alarmingly low and dry (though we still found a nice beach hang at Slick Rock). Spring is definitely the right season.
Similarly to Yosemite, the 1+ hour windy road into the park was prohibitive. I will be car camping in the park next time (Potwisha was central and in the giant sequoia grove and marble falls).
Hoping that the national forest (important distinction) will combine the best of the national park (the same epic trees) and dinky lakes (no people). Let me know if you'd like to join in May!
