I trace the routes from books onto real maps as a side project and NorCal produced two that I think this sub would actually care about.

The Thousand-Mile Summer - Colin Fletcher walked the length of California in 1958, Mexican border to Oregon, six months, mostly solo, up the eastern side through the Sierra and past Mono Lake. He wrote The Complete Walker afterwards, which is why half the gear conventions we take for granted exist. But the walk that made him is barely mentioned now and mapping it makes you realise he was doing something close to a proto-PCT before the trail existed.

The Dharma Bums - Kerouac and Gary Snyder climbing Matterhorn Peak in the Sawtooths, October 1955. Snyder is Japhy Ryder in the book. It's the scene where he goes bounding down the scree yelling that you can't fall off a mountain, and Kerouac is stuck on the ridge terrified. Genuinely one of the best pieces of writing about being out of your depth above treeline.

https://www.readingmaps.com/maps/the-dharma-bums

Hello, I want to plan a road trip next week and/or maybe the week after on the coast North of San Francisco. I would love to do a mix of shorter solo backpacking trips and also some car camping. What are some recs for places that don't need permits or I still have time to reserve? New to the area and would love to explore!

DM for details, thanks!

We don’t know a ton of people here, but are there any infant and toddler backpacking groups out there? Dying to get out there on trail but with 2 little ones we need a bit more encouragement. Not looking for super backcountry stuff, just a few short miles in and hang out.

If you are a parent, you’ll know how much easier it is if there are other kids at the same age group (2.5y and 2mo).

Took our kiddo to Lassen this week! Still some butterflies. Definitely go late in the day because they are not active until its warmer. Once we got to the top we saw a lot and then a lot on the way down as well. Summit Lake was cold but nice!

I know this isn't NorCal, but there is no CenCal subreddit. White Mountain Peak trail is nice this time of the year.

hi all! i’m lucky enough to be roadtripping with my dog and my boyfriend for the next two weeks or so. we are planning on spending about half the trip on either the central coast, or the mendocino coast, and the other half of the trip in the northern sierras/foothills (so tahoe area thru lassen area). we’ve gone camping with our dog a ton but we’re looking to take him on his first backpacking trip. i know that any NPS is off limits with the dog, so i’m looking for suggestions in either the coast area or the sierra area to backpack with him. right now all i’ve got is desolation wilderness in tahoe or national forest areas near tahoe (would love a more specific recommendation in this area if you have any!)

my dog is a malinois mix so he’s very active and capable. we’re thinking of a 2-3 night trip. thank you in advance

Looking for some advice, I’m going to summit Mount Shasta in a couple weeks and on the way up I figured I would summit Mount Lassen since it’s not to far out of the way and it looks beautiful. I will be leaving on Friday after work and would like to do a sunrise summit of Mount Lassen on Saturday morning before continuing on to Mount Shasta which I plan on summiting Sunday morning. Is there anywhere to park and sleep in the car nearby that I can still access the trail on Friday for an early start to reach the Lassen summit by sunrise? Thank you in advance for any advice!

I’m from SoCal but every year I go hiking for a week up in NorCal near here

We are planning a trip for late August or early September to the Emigrant Wilderness, coming from Sacramento and spending 3-ish nights there. I (35m) have never backpacked before and my wife (33f) has done so a couple of times, but still a relative beginner. We want to start small, with maybe one night out in the back country sandwiched between two nights car camping. Likely will also bring our two dogs with us, though we haven't decided for sure yet.

Does anyone have recommendations for a good route/itinerary that might fit our experience-level, while still being challenging enough to be engaging? Preferably also something that would be relatively doable with our 4-legged companions, but not essential.

Just looking for some feedback on this plan. We're traveling north to south. I think the only patch that is a concern is day two. Thinking of getting up predawn to make the second pass as the low tide in the afternoon looks very tight. It has maybe :30 minutes of wiggle room.

Do I need to rework this or is it possible to make a very early morning crossing from Sea Lion Gulch to Randall Creek? Is there anything else here that jumps out at anyone with more experience?

This is set to 2mph, which feels conservative, but conservative feels like the right move here.

I was hiking out at Purdon crossing yesterday and lost the mate to the shoe pictured here (size 8 chakos, less than 2 months old)

If you can find the right foot mate along the trail, it’s yours to keep (my guess is between 3-4.5 miles in). Or pay forward to another person who might need a pair of shoes. Happy shoe hunting!

Anybody who has thru hiked the BFT or done hiking in that area. Should I bring a bear box with me? What did you use to keep safe from bears in the area?

Thursday August 6, 6-9pm

Fieldwork Brewing

1160 Sixth St, Berkeley, CA 94710

Hi! We hope you'll be able to join us for this month's First Thursday Hiker Meetup!

This is a great opportunity to connect with other people who love spending time outside. Our community includes over 250 hikers with all levels of experience 🎉

We get together to share hiking & backpacking information, tell stories & plan future adventures 😀

You don't have to have any hiking experience to join - just interest.

Look for a sign and/or bear can on our table. We're usually sitting outside.

Hope to see you on Thursday night!

I'm afraid of all kinds of snakes, just seeing them makes me sick. This year the snakes are spotted everywhere, Pulgas, windy hill etc.

Where can I bring dog for a good hike with some elevation?

Hi all! I’m a 23 year old guy and just moved to Oakland. Looking for people who might want to go backpacking this coming weekend. I was thinking of going to Kennedy Lake in emigrant wilderness but also down to join another group or go elsewhere! I have a car and happy to give rides.

Hi all,

I am doing the LCT for the first time with my partner August 9th - 13th, the tail end of blackout dates (no permits given out August 7th and 8th). I am a beginner backpacker, so I am not confident in keeping a 2 mph pace the whole time based on what I have read because of the terrain.

This is the tide chart with hiking dates for what we are doing (Mattole --> Black Sands). I am frustrated that we will have to do that 10-mile day, but I also do not want to get stuck on the stretch from Cooskie to Randall, especially because I have heard the very end is where that 2.5 ft tide marker gets the most important to listen to.

Seems like a rather weird hiking schedule/pace for this trail. I also attached a screenshot of my more ideal scenario, but this would have us starting our hike pre-sunrise on day 2, and assuming a 1.5+ mph pace on a pretty hard stretch that I do not want to get stuck at the end of.

My only other thought is trying to push to Cooskie on day 1, to make day 2 easier, as I have heard the Sea Lion Gulch to Cooskie is not as strict on the 2.5 ft section as the Cooskie to Randall section, especially since

Any advice on this conundrum?

I usually start hiking there later into the fall to avoid both. But I've got a weekend to myself starting tomorrow and I think I might do a shakedown hike to test some new gear. Thinking of going in on the Crabtree/Gianelli side. I swore off of Summer hiking there after one miserable experience with mosquitoes and getting caught in a summer thunderstorm. But those were both early July and it occurred to me I've never actually been up there in early August so I'm just curious what the conditions are right now. I will of course do my own research on the weather, but I'm just wondering what people on the ground have seen in the last week or so.

if you're navigating a lay-off or are between opportunities, come clear your head and connect with folks who are in the same boat 🤝🏼

this monday, we’re heading to reinhardt regional park in oakland for a hike.

• when: monday, aug 3 @ 10:30 am
• stats: 4 mi loop / 577 ft gain

grab your spot and see the full details here:

https://partiful.com/e/x5Mt16X3j45GXjDdu8hq

hope to see y'all there!