EXPLORE WITH PATHFINDER WEST

Day 1 This was the second annual Backpacker Boys trip. This year it was Justin, James, Chris, Dave, Mariceo, and I. We headed out of the Rancheria Trailhead with the goal of going to Geraldine Lakes. This hike was a little aggresive for a couple of hikers but we all made it to Lower Geraldine lake. The toughest part was the last stretch climbing over the ridge and some of the guys conserved water more than they should have. Dave found a great camp at the back of the lake and we all set up our tents. Day 2 The next day Justin, James and I set out to hike Spanish Mountain and then hike to Obelisk. We cross countried to Spanish first and it was a fairly easy hike of mostly class two hiking. We took sometime at the top and then headed out to Obelisk. This part of the hike took a while as we had to pick our way down from the peak. Justin stayed high and went along the ridge and James and I headed down to Upper Geraldine Lake. James and I filled our water at the lake then made our way around the lake and up to the ridge on the east side of the lake. Afterwards we should have taken a different route to get to the Obelisk trail. The route to Obelisk was pretty easy to follow and we made pretty good time to get to Obelisk. Obelisk was very impressive as we approached. Once we got there we took a break in the shade on the rock and took some pictures. On the way back I found a spot with old bottles. and then Justin found that someone left two backpacks and treking poles on the meadow. I took some pictures just in case any of the people camped by us didn't get back to camp, but thankfully everyone made it back. Then Dave and Chris cought some fish and we made fish tacos that evening. Day 3 We decided to take a different route so we wouldn't have to climb up over the ridge. Well we should have climbed over the ridge as the trail that headed down rocky creek (rodgers creek trail) was really overgrown and there were so many trees down. Thankfully we had GPS to keep us on track. Once we got to the trail junction for Tehipite Valley the trail was consistant. We took a qucik stop at Crown Valley and then our next stop was a creek so we could fill up water and cool off. I started to do a trail report and record the trees down out to the trailhead. It was 1.3 miles longer but we finished an hour faster. It was a fantastic trip and would live to explore this area some more in the future.

I hiked to Kaiser Peak starting at the South Trailhead near the D&F Pack Station. There were three other cars at the trailhead with one guy getting ready to hike the trail. The weather was perfect and the trail was in great condition other than a couple of trees across it. I didn't see anyone on the trail until I could see the peak and noticed a hiker there. After passing the trail runner/hiker, I saw one other person (Caleb and his dog). I spent some time at the peak and chatted with Caleb before heading down. He was traveling across the country (originally from Maine) and hopes to settle in the PNW or Montana. The views from the top of Kaiser Peak were fantastic. I could see peaks from Yosemite to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park. On the hike down I didn't run into anyone the entire time and I made it down to the parking lot quickly.

2025 Dusy Ershim Scouting Trip Day 1 - This is my Fifth time hiking and scouting the Dusy- Ershim OHV Trail for the Forest Service. The first day I hiked from White Bark Vista to Mallard Lake and only encountered 3 trees down across the trail. Day 2 - The second day was good and there were 7 trees down on the trail. I took some time at Ershm lake and the mosquitos were not that bad. Once I got to Knights Camp I set up my tent, took some pictures then decided to hike to Rock Meadow. Rock Meadow was fantastic. I would love to go back there and spend some more time. Day 3 - 9 trees on trail in this section. I did get to see a buck with velvet on its horns still near Summit lake. I got to Thompson Lake a liitle earlier than usual. The camp was in good shape. I was able to get water from the lake and save it for the morning. Day 4 - 10 trees down on the trail. I made good time down the trail. Once at Courtright I took a dip into the lake and then had lunch. Once I finished the Dusy I headed to Chamberlain camp. While laying down in my tent I heard some people and got up to see three wilderness rangers, Joe, Jackson and Damon. Joe recognized me from my videos and the reports I have done for the Forest Service. Day 5 - I got up early and chatted with the Wilderness Rangers before heading to the trailhead. I ran into a few hikers and Alan Clyde leading some packed horses into the backcountry. You can see my full report with photos at the link below. https://www.pathfinderwest.com/post/2025-dusy-ershim-scouting-report

North Fork Kings River Trip Day 1 We got to Maxon trailhead at about 4:30 pm. It was first trip Nick (@NicksBackcountryAdventures) and I hiked together. His nephew Jason came along as well. Our goal for day 1 was to make it to Hobler Lake. Once at Hobler we set up camp and had a great night around the camp fire. We stayed up until about 1 am trading stories and enjoying conversations. Day 2 Our goal today was a spot on the North Fork Kings River that Nick had been to before. There is a great waterfall (Sue Falls) where we set up camp near. It was a great hike to Sue Falls with a lunch stop at Post Corral Creek. Once at Sue falls we found camp and then took a lot of photos and videos of the area. It was a beautiful spot. Next time I go to this area I want to explore father downstream of this area. Day 3 The final day we made the trek back out to Maxon trailhead with another lunch stop at Post Corral Creek. It was a fantastic trip exploring new areas to me. I can’t wait to do this trip again or something close to it.

Got to the trailhead at around 12:15 pm which is later than I normally start, but I was only hiking to Hobler Lake which is about 4.5 miles from the trailhead. It was supposed to be 103 in town today so this overnight trip was as much about working out my gear for future trips as it was about getting away from the heat. It was still a little warm for this time of year, my temp gauge said it was 90 degrees at the trailhead but I think my pack was in the sun when I checked it. As I hiked on it gradually went down to the high 70’s. When picking up my permit I was asked to do a trail report as not many people had gotten permits for this trailhead yet and they want some info for their wilderness crew before they get to this trail. The trailhead yet was in really good shape other than 6 trees across the trail 4 before they get to wilderness boundary. There was some water on the trail but that will be gone sooner than later. I stopped at Chamberlain Camp and checked out the pit toilet. I was the last one to sign the log last year when I hiked from Woodchuck Lake. Seems like a lot of people don’t know about the camp which is probably a good thing. As I got to Hobler Lake I noticed that I was the only person here, which I kind of expected as I only saw two other vehicles in the parking lot that were not part of the OHV club working on the trail to Voyager Campground. I found the camp that I used last time I did an overnight backpacking trip here. It was in good shape and had a nice fire ring with no widow makers that could fall on my tent. As I was setting up camp I started to hear thunder so I got everything into my tent just in case the weather was going to turn, but it turned out to be a false alarm. The rest of the day was wonderful and I enjoyed the lake. When the sun went down the frogs were very vocal, which was really cool. The next day was beautiful and clear skies and I got to check out a fun lookout area before head back to the trailhead.

Day 1 It was a tough hike to get to Woodchuck Lake. It was about 10 miles and it was very warm with not a lot of breeze. But once I stopped at Woodchuck and took a rest and filled up with water I got my second wind. It helped that it had cooled down as well. I ran into one other backpacker there who had been there one day. He said they caught a few good size trout on power bait. Once I was done recharging I headed out for Crown pass and Halfmoon Lake. At the back of Woodchuck Lake I lost the trail and stirred up a grouse before I found it again. It was much better hiking and once I got to Crown Pass it was all worth it. The views were fantastic and I could see from the Tehipte Valley area (the middle fork of the Kings River area and Kings Canyon NP) to Blackcap Basin and Le Conte Divide. I was starting to run out of daylight but made it to Halfmoon Lake about 6:30 pm. I found the first campsite and set up camp and made dinner. It was a very tough but rewarding day. Day2 I think I slept ok but my Garmin watch said otherwise. I took my time getting up with the goal of packing away camp and moving by 9 am. I ended up getting out of camp by 9:30am so it wasn't so bad. The trail was in decent condition as I made my way down to the NF of the Kings River but there were still a few trees down across the trail. I did come across a few stream crossings that had culverts installed, which was a little surprising. Once I made it down the switchbacks and down to the river I had to find my way across which wasn't too hard since the river was flowing at a minimum. I didn't even get my feet wet. After crossing I ran into an old Forest Service cabin and shed that were locked up but cool to check out. As I headed down river for my next trail junction I did run into one hiker hiking from Courtright to Wishon. Once I got to my trail junction I took a break knowing it was all up hill the next 4.5 miles and 2000 ft of elevation gain. The hike was tough at the beginning but mellowed out as I got higher and the trail stayed by Meadowbrook Creek and some meadows before going over the pass to Devils Punchbowl and Red Mountain Basin. Devils Punchbowl was an awesome lake and can't wait to go back. After spending some time there I headed out to my destination Rae Lake. It was a fairly quick hike and I felt good and the scenery was beautiful. Once at Rae Lake I found a camp site set up and did some clean up and made dinner. Day 3 On the last day of the trip I got started just before 9 am which is good for me! I ran into my first two hikers at Flemming lake, they had hiked in yesterday and camped at the lake. I ran into two more hikers on their way to Rae Lake. It was pretty uneventful until I got to the trail junction for Hobler Lake and ran into two groups one heading to Rae lake and other just hoping to make it to Post Corral Creek. I ran into one more couple with two pugs a little bit after the trail junction and after that no one. I did stop at Chamberlain camp to use the outhouse and still made it to my truck by 2:30 pm. I have a Patreon now and you can get early content and other perks. Check it out and subscribe, it helps me keep making this content. patreon.com/PathfinderWest Thanks to my sponsor for this video Balanced Bookkeeping Services - Your local resource for remote and virtual bookkeeping services in the Clovis & Fresno California Area. https://balancedbookkeepingservices.net/

While working with the Mountain Warriors on the Kings River Trail, I was entrusted in scouting the trail past where we were working to see how the trail has held up for the past few years while we waited for Garnet Dike road to be repaired. I was able to make it to where we left off and get a good handle on what we are up against once we get past Spring Creek. Here is the link to the report I did. https://www.pathfinderwest.com/post/kings-river-trail-april-5th-2025 Let me know what you think! I had a blast filming this trip and can’t wait to get back there in the fall to work on this trail.

I headed up to Courtright since it open on Friday and I wanted to get up to some elevation and get some early hiking in. I figured Hiking to Maxon Dome would be great since it would give me the elevation change I wanted to get in at a good elevation. There were a few other cars in the parking lot - presumably they headed out to Blackcap Basin Trail or to Hobler Lake. There is still a bit of snow out there but very good conditions. On the OHV trail section I ran into a truck stuck on some snow, they thought people were out in front of them but that was not true as I hiked past Voyager and there was a big tree across the trail before the campground. Once I got to the start of the Dusy I noticed that the gate was open (after the hike i reached out to Kevin (OHV Manager) to let him know. The hike up to Maxon was great, it was a liitle overcast but the weather was perfect. Once I got to the top I signed the register and started to eat some lunch. I put my headphones in to listen to some music and hangout, but then a loud thunder crack hit and startled me and I looked towards the trailhead and noticed that it was raining in that area. I didn't see any lightning but after a few minutes I decided to get off the mountian. On the way back it ended up raining, hailing, and sleeting on me with some thunder mixed in. I made it back to the truck a little wet but not too bad. Overall it was a geat day! Music: In the Atmosphere, by: Bad Snacks New shirts @ www.pathfinderwest.com

Kings Canyon NP April 2025 I always look forward when Kings Canyon NP opens Highway 180 all the way down to Cedar Grove and Roads End. Depending on the amount of snow we get and damage to the road it usually opens up near the end of April every year. This year was no different and the road opened on April 25, 2005 and I was going to make sure I was one of the first ones to explore this area of the park. I was having second thoughts driving into the park as it was overcast, foggy and rainy as I approached the park. But once I got under the clouds driving into the canyon I was glad I stayed the course. The views of the Kings River as you get lower into the canyon are fantastic. My first stop was an outlook of the confluence of the middle and south fork of the Kings River. Next was to check out Redwood Falls near Convict Flats before stopping at Grizzly Falls. Grizzly falls this early in the season is great stop. It is misting you as a soon as you can see it. Once I made it down to Roads End I decided to hike to Mist Falls with a stop at the footbridge over the SF of the Kings River. I was surprised me of the first hikers on the trail. I only ran into two group of hikers in front of me a group of 2 guys and another group of 5-6 guys backpacking in. Mist falls was raging and was a sight to see. I wish it was a little warmer as the mist off the waterfall would have felt much better! On the hike back out I ran into a few more hikers and I got to get close to a few Mountain Quail that I got to watch and video for a few minutes. Make sure to put this area on your list to visit as it will not disappoint. 📍Mist Falls, Kings Canyon National Park, Fresno County- Home of the Nyyhmy (Western Mono/Monache)