Vicente Flat & Cone Peak

I'm back at it! Yes this blog has been neglected for the past few months but we have not neglected our adventures and travelling. It seems these days we live for the weekends and try to make the most of each one. This weekend was no exception. We conquered the highest peak in Big Sur, climbed 5,000 feet of elevation and hiked a good 22 miles in less than 48 hours. Insane? Yes. But worth it. As I write this I am still hobbling around because my legs are dead but it was truly an epic adventure.

Our friends Eric and Paige and Bobby and I left bright and early Saturday morning and started our trek at about 9:30 at the Vicente Flat trail-head right off of Highway 1 in Big Sur. We got the most perfect weather, blue skies and sunny, not too hot and not too cold. Every step on the trail afforded an amazing view which took our minds off the steep terrain.

It was about 5 miles to the Vicente Flat campground and we were definitely not disappointed. There was a stream running right through  middle of giant redwoods with lush ferns and wild flowers all around.

We set up camp and ate lunch, and mentally and physically geared up for what was to be one of, if not the hardest, hikes I've ever done. There were many points throughout the hike that we thought about turning back but we pushed through. It was about 12 more miles to the top of Cone Peak and back.

                                        The Peak looming in the distance. Just off from the right.

Group shot a few miles in.

photo op. Only a little farther to the top!

made it!! 5,150 feet

We all collapsed at the top and took in the view. There was even snow at the top! It was such an accomplishment and we were all so stoked to have done it. But we couldn't dilly-dally for long because we still had to make it down and it was getting late. The steep descent was still very challenging but our spirits were high and we made it to a great vista point just in time for sunset.

Before long, the sun went down and we were hiking down through the redwood gulch in the dark with our headlamps. We got back to camp and scarfed down some dinner, made a fire and then hit the sack, absolutely pooped but extremely proud of our day's work.

Waking up in the redwoods is nothing short of spectacular.

We slowly hobbled got out of our tent and made some breakfast and the boys set up Eric's hammock over the river.

I could have laid there all day!

After some hammock-ing, we packed up and started the hike back to the car. We stopped half-way for lunch and could not have found a sweeter spot for a break.

on top of the world!

we enjoyed the view the whole way down.

This trip was physically exhausting but was worth every step. The peacefulness of the mountains and the ocean is unlike anything else and I always leave renewed and refreshed.

And just for fun, I'll leave you with this picture. We had some serious fun with long exposure and I think we captured it. 

Yosemite in the Fall

Bobby: Dude, I'm bored. Wanna go to Yosemite?

Me: Heck ya! I'll book it right now!

....and that's how our latest adventure came about. We have literally not gone anywhere in a month that is blog worthy so we were overdue to say the least. We have been in crazy Bobby Boss Art mode this past month (more on that later) which is really an adventure in itself!

So we packed up and drove up to Yosemite National Park last Friday night and camped in Lower Pines campground in the heart of the valley. We scored an amazing, long exposure shot of the valley from Tunnel View when we arrived at 10:15 PM.

...so we were off to a good start already! Well that night in the tent I just about froze to death and, despite the fact that I was in down sleeping bag, I realized Oh yea, it's almost winter and we are at 5,000 feet= more layers! Well we survived the night (the next night I slept with a hot water bladder=saved my life!) and we started off the morning with oatmeal and hot chocolate by the river that our campsite backed up to. If only every morning was like this...

the fall colors were amazing & Half Dome in the distance made for a great view.

After breakfast we hopped on our bikes and rode over to the trailhead for Yosemite Falls. This was not a walk in the park. We hiked 7.5 miles and climbed 3,000 feet to the top. Needless to say, we were dead tired after we finished. There was no water in the waterfalls this time of year but it was still beautiful. Here are some shots from the hike:

 view from Columbia rock- about halfway through the hike.

been there, done that Half-Dome!

 Fall in Yosemite is amazing.

 green moss.

view from the top of Yosemite Falls. snow on the distant peaks.

When we got done with the hike, we hopped back on our bikes and headed back to camp...and then we saw this:

the sun was hitting Half Dome just right to where it was literally glowing!

We got back to our campsite and promptly scarfed down ate dinner, made a fire and then made banana boats for dessert. Best thing ever! To make a banana boat, cut the banana down the middle (keep the peel on) and scoop out a little bit of the fruit to make it somewhat hollow in the middle. Then stuff it with Reese's peanut butter cups or chocolate squares and marshmallows (and really whatever else you wanna stuff in there) and then wrap the banana in foil and throw in the fire until it all melts and is gooey goodness! Definitely our favorite thing to make around camp fires. 

The next day, we got up, packed up our campsite and set out on a bike ride around the valley. Seriously, bike riding is the best way to see Yosemite because there are paved bike trails everywhere and you can pull off whenever you see something you wanna check out. So we biked 13 miles around the valley and saw some great views.

We had such a wonderful weekend together and Yosemite never ceases to amaze us. On our way out, we snapped one more photo at Tunnel View:

 Thankyou Jesus for creating beautiful places!

And in other news, this week we are in crazy mode getting ready for 2 art shows to feature Bobby's Art! So exciting! I'll definitely be sharing about it on the blog next week! Stay tuned!

Jennie Lakes Wilderness: Part 2

After our night at Jennie Lake, we headed out on an 8.5 mile trek to Weaver Lake. It was a crystal clear, blue sky day and our spirits were high.

doesn't get better than that!

We only saw three other people on the trail that day and we enjoyed the solitude.

We finally arrived at Weaver Lake and were not disappointed!

Bobby didn't waste time getting busy fishing and I plopped down on a warm rock and read in the sun.

and Bobby got another trout!

eating dinner at the campsite! 

On the menu: gluten-free pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, canned chicken, and pesto. we scarfed it down!

hot chocolate by the lake. 

We finished the night with a small campfire and a restful night's sleep. We had an easy hike out the next day (3.5 miles) and saw a few deer peek their antlers out! We made it back to the car and decided to stop by and see the General Grant Tree in the grove of giant Sequoias! Those trees are insane. Some reach over 250 feet high with a diameter of 28 feet. Pretty amazing.

We greatly enjoyed our time in the mountains and are looking forward to heading back in September!

Hope you all are enjoying your summer adventures :)

Jennie Lakes Wilderness: Part 1

Bobby and I just got back from an epic 3-day backpacking trip in the Jennie Lakes Wilderness!! It is in the Sequoia National Forest and doesn't require permits so we were able to go on a whim. Our friends had recently gone there and they tipped us off to how great it is so we thought we'd check it out for ourselves! We started off on the trail Sunday morning and hiked about 6 miles through some seriously beautiful landscape until we reached our first destination of Jennie Lake.

as we started off, we realized that a lot of people were heading back as we were heading out so, to our great joy, we only had to share Jennie Lake with 3 other people, but it definitely was big enough that we felt alone!

our lakeside campsite.

Bobby tried his hand at fishing and caught a trout!

first night's dinner: curried rice. I got the recipe here. I added freeze-dried pineapple, freeze-dried peas, and cashews. Delish!

We then enjoyed some hot chocolate and looked at the stars, loving the fact that we had no agenda, nothing to do, no one to see, and no iPhones to distract us ;).

The day before we left on our trip, I was reading the day's devotion out of the book "Jesus Calling" and was hoping for something to meditate on while we were in the mountains. Well, it was perfect. It said: "Rest in my presence when you need refreshment". So that's EXACTLY what I set out to do on our trip. What better place to rest and become refreshed than to sit by a 9,000 foot alpine lake surrounded by God's creation? 

my bud!

The next morning we woke up and headed out to our 2nd destination of Weaver Lake (my favorite of the two!) 

Check back tomorrow for part 2!

Zion: Angel's Landing

The day after the Narrows, we set out to tackle Angel's Landing. After hiking Half Dome last summer, I was  thinking this would be no big deal. But man, it was intense! Definitely got my adrenaline pumping. The beginning of the trail is leisurely and offers great views of the canyon but the last half mile is what gets you. It is a steep climb up a jagged rock formation with sheer drop-offs on both sides. There are chains staked into the rock to hold on to and you better believe I had a death grip on those things. Check it out:

 the sis & me startin off the hike.

section of 21 switchbacks on the trail called "Walter's Wiggles"

start of the chains, headin toward the final ascent

this part was crazy! sheer drop offs on both sides. I gotta shout out to my aunt Linda (in front of me in this picture)! I followed her every move and I couldn't have done it without her!

don't look down! Bobby was brave taking this picture. 

finally made it to the top!

our group at the top!

So I'm getting all comfortable on the top and then I remember we have to back down!!

thank goodness for Bobby taking these pictures because I was not about to take my hands off the chains!

Phew! We were all stoked to make it down and have great memories because of it. Welp, check that off the list. :)

It was a whirlwind trip, 4 days, 20 hours of driving, and two epic days of hiking, but we enjoyed every minute. Here is a pic we snapped just before heading back home:

  All I can say is my family is awesome!!

...and on a different note, 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DAD (6/28) AND MOM (6/30)!

Love you guys!

Zion: The Narrows

Bobby and I recently got back from an epic trip to Zion National Park! We roadtripped from SLO with my brother and his wife, Katy, and met up with my parents, my sister and her boyfriend, 3 of my aunts, 2 uncles, and my grandma! The Bushmans are a fun bunch and there was never a dull moment to say the least! The drive out was loooooong (about 10 hours) and crossed through 4 states (CA, NV, AZ, and UT), and let me just say that there is a whole lot of nothing out there. We arrived in Zion on Thursday afternoon and had a family barbecue at the Cliffrose Lodge & Gardens where all the "adults" stayed. Us kids were cheap adventurous and decided to camp across the river from the Lodge at the Watchman campground which is actually inside the park. 

the Kids

The next day, we ventured out to hike the Narrows which is a section of canyon on the Virgin River. I've never seen anything like it. You hike in ankle deep to chest high water and maneuver around rocks and boulders and strong current at times. The canyon walls are vertical and sheer and are very colorful shades of red and orange. Sunlight peers through the top on some parts while other parts are shaded. Considering it was well over 100 degrees every day we were there, hiking in the cold water was very refreshing. 

We hiked about 6 miles in the river which took most of the day. It's harder than you think to wade through the water, walking on rocks, half of the time against the current, but it's so worth it! The scenery is beautiful and the experience is truly one of a kind. I highly recommend this hike if you go to Zion! We all had a blast and it was great getting to experience this all together. 

Tomorrow I will tell you about hiking Angel's Landing! Second scariest hike of my life (after Half-Dome!). 

It. was. NUTS!

See ya then!

backpacking & bobcats

Over Easter weekend, Bobby and I decided to go backpacking in Henry W. Coe State Park, up north by Gilroy. We chose the perfect weekend! We had great weather, only saw a handful of people the whole weekend, and had a campsite with no one around. What better way to celebrate the risen Lord than to enjoy his creation!

We woke up at 5:00 AM on Saturday morning (it's amazing how much easier it is to get up at 5 AM to go backpacking than it is to get up at 7 AM and go to work!) and drove about 3 hours up to the state park. It was very cold in the morning, but the sun came out and it warmed up pretty quick!

starting out on the trail.

we followed a winding path for about 8 miles of towering oak trees, fields of green grass, stream crossings, and wildflowers.

we also saw an array of wildlife on our trip including wild turkeys, deer, newts, ticks, frogs, bats, horses, cows, and a bobcat! 

we found an amazing campsite down off the trail with no one around.

we enjoyed a delicious meal for dinner. who says you can't eat gourmet food when camping??

corn tortilla, dehydrated black beans, boil-in-the-bag brown rice, canned chicken, fresh cilantro and onion.

We enjoyed some hot chocolate by a fire and watched a bunch of bats fly around above us. We had a cool time of reflecting on what God has done in our lives and spent some time praying for each other under the stars.

Easter morning, we woke up and had a hearty breakfast of oatmeal and banana and read the Gospels' accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection. He is risen!

We left our campsite feeling rejuvenated and just plain ole happy!

we took our time on the way back, enjoying the scenery, stopping for lunch and exploring an abandoned barn.

and at our last stream crossing, Bobby caught this little guy!

We are so thankful for the freedom we have to get away and enjoy nature and spend time with each other. Above all, I'm thankful to have a Creator who gave his life so that we may live and enjoy His creation!

Luke 24:46-47 "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations."