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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)

Graveyard Lakes is located about 9 miles from the Edison Lake in the Sierra National Forest. We started the hike from the Mono Creek Trailhead and headed towards Devil’s Bathtub on a suggestion from another hiker coming down. About halfway up to Devil’s Bathtub we took the Graveyard Lakes cutoff trail until we met up with the Goodale Pass Trail. We took that for just under 3 miles to the junction of the Graveyard lakes trail and then hike the last 3/4 of a mile to Lower Graveyard Lake. I hike with Justin, Devin, Dave, Ryan, James and Vicente (V) to Graveyard Lakes. This was my first time there and it didn't disappoint. The second day Justin, Devin, V and I hiked up to Graveyard Peak. The up was all off trail and was a blast climbing up. Justin was the only one to climb to the proper peak and sign the register. Devin, V and I made to the peak just to the east. After about 30 minutes at the top we headed down towards the upper Graveyard Lakes and reconnected to the trail and headed back to our camp at Lower Graveyard Lake. Day Three we headed back to the trailhead but decided to hike down the Goodale Pass Trail until it met up with the Mono Creek trail and back to the trailhead. It was a great trip and the Graveyard Lakes are spectacular! Can’t wait to go back and do some more exploring in this area. 📍Graveyard Lakes, John Muir Wilderness- Sierra National Forest- Fresno County - Home of the Western Mono/Monache Tribes and the Numu (Northern Paiute)

This was my second time on this trail. The last time I hiked the trail earlier in the season I made it up about 1.5 miles and was inspired to hike much farther. I have passed this trail many time going to the Kings River NRT where I volunteer and do trail maintenance when I’m not hiking or Backpacking on it. The last year and half the road needed repair just before the Kings River Trailhead so I decided to give this trail a chance. Last summer the Basin Fire burned most of this area which really helped open up the trail and make it easy to follow. Once you climb and get to the first high point you realize how spectacular this trail is. The views are awesome and the wildflowers are just starting to pop out. As I advanced on the trail the views and landscape got better and better. The fire really cleared any brush on the trail and you could tell the fire fighters used this trail to work the fire. I made it up the trail to where the Basin trail meets the Bear Wallow trail just below where the trail leads up towards Rodgers Ridge about 4 miles in. If I had a little more time I would have made it the top. I guess I will save that for next time.

Cliff Lake This trailhead is located on the west side of Courtright Reservoir and lead you into the Dinkey Lakes Wilderness. Cliff lake is about 5.7 miles from the trailhead according to my Garmin watch. The trail starts off going down hill for about a mile then it gradually goes up hill until the last two miles where it gets a lot steeper. At the lake there is plenty of camping along the north side of the lake and if that is crowded Bullfrog lake is a short hike away with more great camping spots. Once I set up camp at Cliff lake, I decided to hike to Bullfrog Lake and to the base of Dogtooth Mtn. Bullfrog Lake was beautiful and the views from the base of Dogtooth were spectacular. I definitely want to come back there and explore some more. I had been to Dogtooth before but I hiked to it from the pass above Cliff lake so this was all new territory. The next day we hiked back to the trailhead feeling energized and refreshed. Music: Mulholland by Kings Canyon 📍Cliff Lake, Dinkey Lakes Wilderness - Sierra National Forest- Fresno County - Home of the Western Mono/Monache Tribes.

This was my scouting trip for the Forest Service on the Dusy-Ershim OHV Trail - I hiked the trail from July 5th to July 8th. I encountered 38 trees down or leaning into the trail. That is way less than the 218 trees down or leaning on the trail I recorded last year. If you want to see my report go to the link below https://www.pathfinderwest.com/post/dusy-ershim-2024-scouting-report First Day - White Bark Vista to Mallard Lake Second Day - Mallard Lake to Knights Camp Third day - Knights Camp to Thompson Lake Fourth Day - Thompson Lake to Chamberlain Camp Fifth Day - Chamberlain Camp to Maxon Trailhead. Music Believe (Instrumental) by NEFFEX Earth Appears by Brian Bolger Packed by Density & Time