Favorite Hikes Number FIVE

I love hiking in the Sierras.  How can you not?  The scenery is breathtaking, the weather is fairly predictable and you can enjoy a nice stroll around and alpine lake or a death-defying adventure up a 14 Thousand foot peak on pristine granite.  It's a place you can get lost in and never want to be found.

I only took one trip to the Eastern Sierras this year.  I did Tahoe, Yosemite and Sequoia but the East Side is where the big peaks are and has quick access to the high country.  I can never go there enough.

Here's my number  five favorite hike of the year.

Mount Langely

Favorite Hikes Number SIX

Lake Tahoe is one of my family's favorite places to spend a vacation.  The summer weather is perfect.  Warm days and cool nights are a welcome respite from the summer heat we deal with at home.  The lake and surrounding mountains never cease to captivate.  Although I'm sure the local teenagers sit around complaining that they're bored, there's so much to do there—hiking, boating, mountain biking, rafting—that we never have enough time to get it all in.  Then, there are the buffets.  I have to hike every day I'm there just to make sure I don't put on 20 lbs. in the week I usually stay there.

Mount Tallac is my favorite hike in the Tahoe area.  Start early in the day and watch the sun rise over the lake and make sure you're down early because thunderstorms are frequent and can be deadly.  Get caught in one and you'll make sure it never happens again.  Getting down early also ensures that you can hit the buffet before the lines get too long.

Mount Tallac

Favorite Hikes Number SEVEN

I love hiking in Joshua Tree National Park.  It's a place that's otherworldly in its landscape and unbelievably serene but within easy driving distance of over Twenty Million People.  There are numerous hikes in the Park and you could spend years trying to explore them all.  I know.  I've spent years hiking there and still have places I haven't even touched.  The area around Pushawalla Plateau is one of the more infrequently visited areas and offers fun and interesting side trips.  I enjoyed this hike immensely and look forward to going back often.  There's always something more to see here.

Mines near Pinyon Well and Pushawalla Plateau

Favorite Hikes of the Year: NUMBER EIGHT

My eighth favorite hike of the year was my last one.  Not only was I happy that I'd completed my goal but it was also a beautiful day in the desert and I was able to go to an area rich in history.  There are so many wonderful places to visit in the Indian Canyons but the Bullseye Rock area is one of my favorites.  I've been back many times since.

Trading Post to Bullseye Rock

Favorite Hikes, Number NINE, New Hemet Bell Mine

Ok, so it's been over a year since I updated this thing.  At this rate, I'll have my favorite hikes finished sometime after 2020.  I'm a person who likes to keep moving forward so going back and looking at the past is not easy for me.  Picking the best of these hikes is hard because there are so many I really like.  Sadly, there are also quite a few that are really mundane and boring.   Maybe once I'm retired I can try this again and have time to visit more interesting and exotic locales.

I really liked this hike and enjoy the entire area; it close but has a remote feel to it.  I went back yesterday and found the mines have now been closed by the National Forest Service so I'm glad I went when I did and was able to actually go inside the mines.  Supposedly, the USFS said they closed the mines due to the local bat population but I didn't see any bats when I was there.  We did see a frog, though.

I also found out that the mine is called the NEW Hemet Bell Mine.  I haven't been able to find where the OLD Hemet Bell Mine is so I guess my original title will do just fine.

New Hemet Bell Mine