Telescope Peak is my nemesis.  It took everything I had in me to conquer the 11,049-foot tall beast last year. It was the hardest hike for 2009, maybe even the hardest hike I had ever done. The 7-mile trail starts off with a steady gain of 1,400 feet up to Arcane Meadow. From the shadow [...]

In May of last year, I reluctantly forked out $80 for an America The Beautiful Annual Pass when entering Sequoia National Park. At the time, I had no idea how often I would use it, but I did the math and figured it might pay itself off by the time it expired, 12 months later. [...]