February saw two three day holiday weekends, so Joel and I headed up Hiway 4 to the Alpine Lake area for a little snow shoe trip on the first one. In order to avoid the snow mobilers that love the area, we headed up Osborne Hill and the ridge that runs east/west on the south side of  the highway. The weather was clear and we could see south to the Sonora Pass area and Stanislaus Peak and east toward Highland Peak. The snow alternated between hard and icy and soft powder. We had the entire trail to ourselves until we got back around to the lake. Along the way I did a nice boulder jump into what was supposed to be soft powder. When I landed the snow didn't give way, yet  I had to plow my way back to the trail. Never did see what I landed on. We also climbed a short but steep little hill for a great view over the lake and the surrounding hills. When we got back to the lake there were alot of people, including a large group headed across ther dam. We then followed the shore around to the marina. There were some campers having fun sliding down the hill.  Following the groomed trail back to the car was miserable, breathing the snowmobile exhaust and hearing their whine is worse than any smoke filled room.

Mike Zweifel invited me to join him and try cross country skiing after the Science Bowl and Science Olympiads were finished. So on Sunday March 10, Mike, Joel and I headed up to Crabtree Road near Dodge Ridge. Some fresh snow had fallen and the conditions were awesome. The route started out flat for half a mile then started uphill. It took a little bit to get used to the slide step motion, but soon Joel and I got the hang of it. The day started out cloudy but soon cleared and Mike took us out to a point for an beautiful view out toward the Pincrest area. We continued up to Aspen Meadow where there are summer cabins for a horse camp. Had lunch and continued up the hill to where the trail connect to a trail over to the Dodge Ridge ski area. Now the hard part starts. We had to head down hill. I remembered my downhill skiing and did pretty well for awhile, but soon my legs tired. I could go and turn, but had a tough time stopping. My brain knew what to do, but my legs refused to cooperate. I took the skis off and walked for a bit until we got back to the flat and the last half mile of flat. I put the skis back on and glided back to the car. Mike did compliment Joel and I, saying we had done pretty well for our first time, especially considering the route was a blue diamond, intermediate route as opposed to an easy beginners route.

The following Sunday Lynn, Niki and I headed back up to Crabtree Road. It was storming and we started seeing snow flakes in Sonora. By East Sonora  it was sticking to the ground and by Twain Harte the chain controls were up. We put the Jeep into 4WD and continued up the hill. There was a steady stream of cars heading down the mountain. We ate some lunch, then followed the same route as the week before, but only for the flat first half mile. There was at least a foot of new fresh powder and I broke trail for Lynn and Niki. We met several people headed back to toward the parking area. By early afternoon, the snow stopped falling and the clouds started to break up to bright sunshine. Alot of people missed a great afternoon. Niki and I decided to dig a snow cave. She was able to easily get into it, I had to curl up to fit inside. If we decided to spend more time we could have dug it out bigger. There was an icy layer a couple of feet down that made for some slow digging. After we hiked back to the car we drove on up to Dodge Ridge to let Niki see what skiing was. On the way out, I helped some guys whose car had slid off the road dig their car out. A big 1-ton truck with 4WD came by and pulled them out after some snow was cleared. What a great day.

On Friday,March 29, Joel and I headed up to Carson Pass to make an attempt on the Crescent Moon Coulior on the north face of Round Top Mountain. Joel talked me into not using snow shoes feeling the snow would be consolidated enough to not need them. That was a mistake. The weather was very warm and the slushy snow made for slow going. It took us 2 hours to reach Winnemucca Lake. In the boulder field on the north side of the lake we post holed to our waists at times. We did find a good camp site though. Remembering the last time up here, we excavated a bunch of snow so that the tops of the tents were just above snow level in case the winds came up big. The winds never came up and the skies were cold and clear that night offering an awesome star show. Woke up on Saturday to a clear cold morning. The snow surface had frozen during the night and we looked forward to a good climb. Before heading out, Joel went to answer nature's call. Soon after he disappeared behind a huge rock I heard some yipping. I thought it was a couple of  people camping on the other side of a ridge giving Joel a bad time. When it continued on and the number of "voices" grew, I realized it was coyotes. Shortly after Joel's return we saw two of the critters trotting across the snow. At about 7:30 we headed out. As we headed up, Joel set a good pace. After awhile I took over leading, kick stepping up the 45 - 50° slope. The snow was soft and powdery but we were only sinking to our ankles and occasionally to our shins. As we neared the main chute we suddenly hit very soft and deep snow. We post holed to our thighs. We moved left and right looking for a good line and better snow. No luck. It would be too much work and possibly dangerous to continue in such conditions, so we headed down to a rock outcrop for a snack and then on back down to camp. It was dissappointing, but we will be back. We packed up and slogged our way back to the car through the once again mushy soft snow. Snow shoes for sure next time.

Brother in law Dave Henry was the lucky person to have his application drawn for the Coe Backcountry Weedend. So, on Saturday April 27, Dave, Keith Henry, Bill Pool,  John Levinson and I loaded up to head for the south gate off CA Highway 152. We wanted to be there early so as to secure the lone site at Mississippi Lake with a picnic table.  As soon as the permit was secured we headed off up the Alquist Trail. At the junction with County Line Road I kept going while the others took a short break. It was the fastest and earliest I had ever made the trip to Mississippi Lake from Orestimba Corral and it still wasn't fast enough. Some bicyclists had made the trip more quickly and had the coveted spot.. I radioed the others and we met at our usual spot, Camp Eagle Feather as dubbed by Dave. The weekend was cool with occasional drizzle. I think this slowed the fishing. Keith and I only caught 14 fish while Dave only managed to catch 19. Keith and I fished all the way around the lake on Sunday and only caught a few fish. Talking to others, we were not the only ones not catching much. This was the worst fishing we have ever had here. The tules have really grown in thick in the two years since we were last here, making for less access to spots to fish from shore. The weekend was a very pleasant time for everyone.

Three weeks later and it is time for my annual Tour-de-Cure ride. This is a fund raiser for the American Diabetes Association. I raised $500 for the cause. I rode in the 50 km (33 mile) ride. It seemed that most of the ride was against the wind. The first third was either against or had a cross wind. After a rest the middle third was with the wind. This was nice as I averaged almost 20 mph with the wind. The last third was dead against the wind. What a way to end the ride, but I will be back next year.

On Saturday May 25 (Memorial Day Weekend) Joel and I headed up over Sonora Pass and then down U.S. 395 to Lee Vining. This was in preparation of a climb of Mount Dana, at 13,053 ft., it is the second highest peak in Yosemite National Park. Rather than camp we decided to stay in a motel in town and get a good nights sleep since it is only a few miles from the trail head. Saturday included walking around the hamlet of Lee Vining with a visit to their museum and the Mono Lake Visitors center. Up early on Sunday to wonderfully clear day and after a good breakfast we headed up state Route 120 towards Tioga Pass. Just east of the entrance to Yosemite National Park is Tioga Lake. There is a view point that doubles as a parking area near the west end of the lake. We set off at about 7:30 passing around to the  south shore of the lake. We followed some ski tracks up toward a crag that is basically the terminous of the ridge running northwest from the summit. The snow got a little firmer, so we put on the crampons and contoured along the west side of Glacier Canyon. We eventually contacted the usual trail rising along the canyon and followed it for awhile. I noticed another climber just ahead of us , but he did not seem interested in chatting. Soon the regular trail turned left to go around the east side of Dana Lake. We veered right, up over some rocks and took a break. The climber I had noticed earlier was above us a little ways, stopped and looking up toward the Dana Coulior. When we finished our break we headed up the rocks to traverse / contour over to the base of the coulior. We met up with the climber (Keith Fieldhammer) and finally talked. It seems he was with three others who went ahead and left him to his own devices. He was a bit nervous, not sure what route to take. He took us up on our offer to join in and we were now a group of three. The Dana Coulior is an approximately 50° chute rising up from the Dana Glacier to a saddle south of the main summit. The conditions of the snow  were perfect except for one small ice patch we managed to find. We were now joined by some skiers and their dog for the climb. Keith's friends all passed us on their ski descents as we climbed. Once at the the saddle everyone stopped for a rest and some food. The skiers and dog headed down and we continued up the last  600 ft. for the summit. WOW! There was quit a crowd when we reached the summit. Joe Hanssen, a regular contributor to Summit Post.com, had posted that he was going to be there on the same day. I found out later we both asked for the other but he arrived as we were getting ready to descend and neither heard the other  ask. Maybe we will meet some other time. After the usual summit duties, pictures, snack, water, etc. We headed down along the northwest ridge. The snow cover was much more sparse, so the descent included some rock hoping , snow trudging ,and one short glissade.  We finally reached the base of the crag mentioned earlier and now had some nice glissades down towad Tioga Lake.  Keith was a bit tentative at first but soon got the hang of it. The round trip was 9 hours of breath taking beauty.  What a lot of fun it was.

On Friday June 21 Joel and I prepared to make our fourth annual after school backpack trip with members of his environmental club. The group was so large this year (20 people overall) that we were unable to go to our ususal spot of Sword Lake as there is a 15 person party limit there. So instead we headed to Ebbetts Pass and a short 2.5 mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail into upper Kinney Lake. After getting everyone packed we were on our way in a 4 vehicle caravan that soon turned to 3 as Joel took our usual route instead of the one planned. We regrouped at the Sierra Nevada Adventure Company store in Arnold. After a lunch break, we were once again on our way. The hike in was mostly uneventful except for a few snow patches to be traversed on north facing slopes. We met a family upon our arrival at the lake, but they moved on on siad we could have the large area on the southwest side of the lake. After camp was set people engaged in some swimming, rock climbing, and fishing. On Saturday a couple of the guys and I did some rock scrambling circled the lake. Later that day westarted on the same basic route but went a little further to the base of some crags I had climbed the year before and then returned to camp along the Pacific Crest Trail. Along the way we crossed a small feeder stream with several trout trying to swim up stream. Is it spawning time? Most of the people swam and spent the day relaxing. Several fish were caught and cooked up that night for dinner. Ameet Kapadia found a rubbermaid container under a rock. It turned out to be a Geo Cache. The cache was placed in July 2001 and he was the first to find it, even though he wasn't looking. On Sunday I fished around the lake with no luck. After packing we headed out. A couple of people took wrong turns but luckily didn't stray far and soon we all back at the cars safe. Everyone seemed to have an enjoyable time.

On Sunday July 7 I headed north to Sisters, OR for a visit with the Partridges and the plans of hitting 3 summits in 3 days. Monday Morning the 8th I headed up the road to meet Joel, his father Bob, Brother Dan, sister Heidi, and nephew Zach for a backpack trip and climb of Mount Jefferson. The hike into Pamillia Lake was a very enjoyable shady, flat trail for 2 miles, At the lake there was some confusion as to where the trail up to the PCT was. After finding the trail we were on our way again. The plans were to camp at Shale Lake and climbing the South Ridge. At about 5600 ft. we hit deep snow and even lost the trail for awhile. Finally set camp right on the trail near our destination. After realizing how long it took to hike the 7.5 miles to camp and that it would take almost that long to hike out, so we decided to abort the climb. It was a very nice trip with some awesome views. I was impressed that Joels dad, Bob, at 76 completed the entire trip, a bit tired but in great spirits.

I went back to Sisters, had a good nights sleep and on the morning of the 10th headed for South Sister. I didn't hit the trail until almost 9 a.m.  The climb is not a technical climb but can be strenuous trip. It is 5 miles to the summit and almost 5000 ft. of elevation gain. The mosquitoes were heavy down low so I tried to move as quickly as possible. It was tough since my my heels were pretty torn up with blisters from the Jefferson trip. As long as I could place my foot flat or I was descending, I was fine. It was really bad mostly in the snow or the ash / cinder when one's foot tends to slip back. It was hot and there were many people on the trail. I talked to a summitposter in the parking lot and met a youth group from Sisters. At about the 8400 ft. level I came upon a man who didn't look like he was feeling well. He was sitting with his face in his hands. When I asked if he was ok he said he was. I asked a couple of more times to make sure. He didn't look at me, his wife was nearby so I headed on. I rehydrated at the tarn by Lewis Glacier and continued on the scree / ash slog. After a while I heard a helicopter circling around below me and it soon landed. I summited (6.5 hours after I headed out), took a few pictures and headed down. The summit is on the north side of the mountain. There is a crater at the top that is usually snow filled year round. The trail up the south side reaches the crater edge and then you must circle around the rim to reach the true summit. On the way down, I came upon the mans wife and she told me her husband was dehydrated with heat exhaustion and that is who the helo was for.  I had toted my crampons and ice axe along without needing them. I was able to do a few short glissades to speed the descent though. It took me 3 hours to get back to the car. It had taken me 9.5 hour to make the round trip, longer than I had expected. I had hoped to climb Lassen Peak the next day, but with the late hour and torn up heels, I got a room and decided to save that peak for another day.

July 24 saw Lynn, Niki, and I headed for Lassen Volcanic National Park. We camped at Summit Lake. The first evening was filled with setting up camp, eating dinner, and sitting by the campfire. On Thursday Niki slept in so Lynn took a little hike and when she returned I did the same. Niki finally awoke. After breakfast we hiked around the lake. Niki decided she wanted to play in the water, so we got her into her swim suit and headed back to the north shore of the lake. Along the way we spied a doe strolling and eating. We were able to watch her for awhile. After the swim we drove to the Manzanita area for a few things and got caught in the paving back-ups. After dinner we went to the ranger program and listened and looked at bear stuff. Niki was impressed by the rubber casts of the bear paw prints. We cooked s'mores (Niki liked these) and went to bed. The original plan was to have Niki and Lynn go up Lassen Peak with me. Two times around the lake seemed to be enough and she got to bed late, so on Friday I headed out on my own. I was the third car in the lot that morning. I headed out just before 7 a.m. Passed a man from Chico and then a family of three from Santa Rosa. Walked and talked with the family for a while. After leaving then I saw a deer at about 10,000 ft. and then the infamous fox we had been warned about. Apparently he is quite the beggar and has been bold a few times concerning the food of hikers. Made the summit in an hour and a half, the first one of the day and had the summit to my self. After a snack at the summit I came down (passing the guy from Chico ) to the plateau and talked with the Ruuds some more. She took a picture for me and I headed down the mountain passing a whole bunch of people on their way up. Got back to camp, fed Lynn and Niki and headed out, but not before stopping and showing Niki the Sulpher Works thermal area and getting her a Chipmunk sticker for all the stuff she saw.

On August 8, Joel and I headed back to the Tioga Pass area to climb Mount Conness. We thought we might stay at the car camp area at Saddlebag Lake, but found it full. We got a wilderness permit and headed for Greenstone Lake. We found a nice spot just west of the lake near the edge of the Hall Natural Area. Did some strolling around and soaked up the views of North Peak and surroundings. Rose on the morning of the 9th and headed for Conness Glacier. The area is just spectacular. It took somme route finding around Upper Conness Lakes as we scrambled up a boulder field and then along some benches to the foot of the Y-Coulior. We decided to traverse across the glacier to a short coulior. We were able to get across the bergschrund with no problem. We picked this route because it looked like an easy rock scramble. I headed up a short class 4, low class 5 pitch. We had taken our crampons off thinking it was all granite. As I went to kick my foot into the decomposed granite I discovered it was only a thin layer on top of solid water ice. My foot slipped and I slid about 15 feet down. I was able to arrest my fall, but tore my pants, shirt, and arm up pretty good. We were only about 300 ft. below the summit but decided to call this climb over. We were disappointed at not making the summit, but relieved I was ok, albetit a bit scratched up.

It wasn't until October that I was able to get out again. Niki and I headed to Sunol Regional Park. We hiked up to Indian Joe Caves. These are not really caves, but a large rock outcrop with some small cave like areas formed from breakdown. We met another family there and the girls scrambled all over the rocks. After playing and eating we headed up to a pond, the barn and back down to the parking area. What a great day with my daughter.

On Sunday, December 22 the weather cleared after a series of storms and I headed to Pinnacles National Monument to hike up to North Chalone Peak, the highest point in the Monument. It is about 4.5 miles one way and a little over 2000 ft. in elevation gain. I was a little worried as there were some clouds as I headed up. By the time I reached the summit, at right at 2 hours, the sky had only a few scattered clouds and the views were great. Looking west I could see snow had dusted the Big Sur range to the west. I didn't see anyone until I got back down to the reservior, about .75 mile from the trail head. I decided to extend my hike by taking a little different route to the trail head. I heard some climbers and went to investigate. I talked with them as I ate lunch and watched them top rope some routes. What a beautiful day and a great way to end the year.

 Some extra photos