Lofoten Islands, Norway

Almost 2.5 years since my last post here. I won't give an excuse about being busy, because to me, it's all about priorities. I will be more straightforward, I haven't updated this blog in more than 2 years since the motivation to write escaped me :( .

The past few days, I am glad that the inspiration to share the joys of exploring our wonderful world found me again. I typed some whenever I got the chance. I stopped when I had to. No pressure in finishing one post all at once. And I tell you, typing my thoughts here very slowly feels like freedom as well! It's one of life's simple joys that went back! Yey!! This post was started a few months back, only that it took like forever to finish, haha!

In this post, I am sharing our trip to Lofoten Islands back in July 2018.

the town of Reine in Moskenes, Lofoten Islands ( it’s a very peaceful and inspiring nature escape) 

So, what made me decide to go to Lofoten Islands? It's a very common question asked whenever I travel. I actually don't really have a bucket list of places to see. I am the type who prefer to stay present in the moment. When I am home, I usually do the things that I find more relaxing and where I feel some sense of rejuvenation. These includes hiking and the ocean. I just find that the more time I spend in nature hiking, or in the ocean tidepooling, body surfing, or snorkeling, I find more inner peace and deep contentment. There is always that un-explainable joy whenever I am out there exploring our natural world. With nature, I find our best teacher and God-sent healer. It is for that reason, that whenever I plan out a vacation, I center it around nature. Around two of my most favorite activities: HIKING AND/OR THE OCEAN. I find both activities help strengthen me physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. If hiking, it has to be somewhere cooler, since my asthma, rhinitis and migraine usually bothers me when it is hot and humid. My ideal exploring temperature is 60s and 70s F( 16-24 C), but for hiking, I prefer 50s and 60s (10-20 C).

Now, about hiking and the ocean, Lofoten Islands is one of the best and most beautiful places in the world to go hiking surrounded by the ocean in a cooler setting being in the North Arctic.  😄  Somehow, when both hiking and the ocean are combined, I feel I am at the top of the world in terms of happiness and joyfulness. And yes, when we were at Lofoten, the feeling was indeed like being on top of the world! 😄

Me, on top of one of the ridges during our hike to Mannen. Below me is the Haukland Beach.

A Lofoten summer vacation can't be done without planning ahead and making advanced reservation in accommodations unless you are more than prepared to sleep in a car or put up a tent somewhere. Our trip was July, yet, I already made reservations around January. By late March, I tried to modify our reservations, but I couldn't. Places were fully booked. This situation has its pros and cons. Pro: it's not crowded, since the crowd is limited by the small number of accommodation in the area. Con: quite expensive because of a lack of competition. I used both Expedia and Booking in making hotel/lodging and car rental reservations.

Here is our itinerary in Lofoten Island ( I will have more detailed descriptions of our hikes in separate posts later):

Day 1
* Arrival in Moskenes via ferry from Bodo.

The Town of Reine in Moskenes, one of my first sights of Lofoten Island

** Did some sightseeing drive, lunch, then, hiked Ryten- our first hike in Lofoten.  For me, the Ryten hike has no destination, every step was a destination. 😄 We started from the ocean, passed through several lakes on our way up, then, we reached Mt. Ryten's peak overlooking the ocean at the other side of the mountain. Near the peak, there’s a nice resting place for us to rest our legs above Kvalvika Beach. See pictures below.

Sights from our Ryten Hike, what's below that rock is not a lake, it's Kvalvika Beach, we were just right above the Norwegian Sea

 ** Checked in at our rorbue in Sorvagen. What is a rorbue? They are fisherman cabins or seaside huts before, but with the shift to tourism,  they were converted into by the water lodging and hotels.

Lofoten's Rorbus in Sorvagen

*** Dinner after checking in at Maren Anna ( ahhh, it's not only the sights that are awesome in Lofoten, so are their freshest sea foods and freshly picked vegetables, and so yummy desserts ). 

Lofoten's yummy foods at Maren Anna, Sorvagen ( the musselss and fish are the best I had, and I've been eating fish and mussels since I was a kid, :), the juiciness and freshness are really one of a kind )

**** rest for the night, zzzzz. On our first night at Lofoten, we experienced summer storm, the rain was very heavy and the wind was howling like crazy. Thankfully, we already had settled for the night when the storm started. Perhaps, it was the heavy downpour or our afternoon hike, that made us sleep really well. Actually, I find hiking really helps in clearing my mind and preparing me for a good night sleep. Plus of course, that NATURE IS HEALING is backed up by research.  

Day 2

      We woke up with some light rain for our second day. Thankfully, the rain wasn't as heavy and the wind wasn't as howling as the night before. We were supposed to start our hike to Munken as early as possible because it is a long hike. We were told at the rorbuhotel we were staying in to let the storm pass first and wait for maybe 2-3 hours after the storm to allow the rocks and chain to dry. Otherwise, the hike would be very slippery and dangerous since some of the ascent would be in chain assisted rocky slope. We love our life and the life of others ( we don't want to endanger others lives in trying to rescue us), so we heeded the advise.
       So, what  could you do in Lofoten when it is raining? During the rain, we spent some time in Norwegian Fishing Village Museum in the town of Ao, which is just about 3 kms or less from our accommodation in Sorvagen. Ao is actually the last letter of the Norwegian alphabet, coincidentally or purposefully, it is also at the end of the E10 road. E10 is the road that connects the many islands from North to South of Lofoten that even extends up to Troms. The museum is an outdoor museum. We explored the outside exhibits when the rain stopped, and we took shelter in any of its 6 historical buildings when rain poured. The setting made us understand the life at Lofoten's Fisheries. There was also a bakery that sells freshly made bread and cinnamon rolls, and oh, they were really so yummy! I couldn't count how many cinnamon rolls I had over several cups of coffee while exploring the outdoor museum. :) The smell of the cinnamon rolls were THAT inviting.

Norwegian Fishing Village Musem, Ao, Lofoten Islands

The museum helped us understand that Lofoten is not just about dramatic mountain peaks, beautiful blue fjords, sparkling white sand beaches, but is about a major fishing village where probably most of the world has benefited!!

Air Dried Fish Heads at the town of A, Lofoten Islands

Despite being tucked above the arctic circle, Lofoten's winter temperature ranges only between 0-5 C because of the convergence of Gulf stream, North Atlantic current and Norwegian current. 0-5 C is the perfect temperature for freeze drying. It is not sub-freezing to freeze the fish into pieces that will prevent it from drying. It is also not too warm to rot the fish. The fish is simply air dried without adding salt. Italy, Spain, Portugal are some of the main importers of their dried fish (body) which is a main kitchen staple, whereas Nigeria is the main importer of the dried fish heads, used in their spicy soup. The world's richest cod fishing takes place in Lofoten every winter. There's too much to learn in Lofoten Islands.

Aside from visiting the Fishing Museum, we also explored the towns of A, Moskenes, Reine and Hamnoy. These towns are really very close to each other that it is not uncommon to see someone walking on the road to go from town to town. We didn't go further from Hamnoy, because we were hoping to start our hike to Munken 2-3 hours after the last rain stopped. Hamnoy is just about 10 km from Sorvagen, where the trailhead for Munken hike is. One of my favorite finds on that day was the thick wild lupine field in between Sorvagen and Reine. We sure had a wonderful time taking pictures with the wildflowers.

 Filed of Wild Lupines and Rugged Mountain Peaks

Lupines Up Close. Imagine enjoying this wide field of wild lupines to yourself. Even though lodging in Lofoten was fully booked but because of limited accommodation, you can enjoy the quietness. The archipelago is vast enough for the number of visitors it host. 

You may think that we were in the mountains in the two pictures above. However, we were actually by the ocean shore. See picture below.

looking at the other direction, across the wild lupine field is the Norwegian Sea

This is the very reason why Lofoten Islands is very special to me because I was enjoying both rugged mountain peaks and the ocean. Added to that, the many fjords and lakes we could see when we would hike up. It was a wonderland for me for sure where everywhere I turned, my eyes and heart were treated with such beautiful sights. Some places may also be beautiful, but the serenity and natural beauty is lost to the huge crowd. Despite a popular destination for nature and adventure lovers, Lofoten's limited accommodations doesn't allow for big crowds. The sense of adventure isn't lost because you feel the remoteness, yet, the sense of safety doesn't escape either, because you know you're just close to town. At the trail, you'd see hikers once a while, but not too often. One of the things I love about hiking is seeing the kindness and thoughtfulness of other hikers. It's like we have each other as cheer and support system.

About noontime, the weather cleared. Even though we couldn't wait to start our hike to Munken as soon as the rain stopped, but we followed the advise to start the hike 2-3 hours after the last rainfall, to allow the rocks and chains to dry. Once we were on the trail, we were thankful we heeded the advise, since we could not imagine doing the hike when the rocks and chain are wet. Indeed, it would be very slippery, and yes, dangerous. Of course, because it was just after the storm, the hike was extra muddy :( , but the mud didn't pose danger to the hike.

The Beautiful World Up Munken Trail

Perhaps a trademark of Lofoten's hikes, the trailhead is by the ocean, the soil is boggy and wet if not overly muddy, the slopes are steep, really steep, you have to navigate through rocks, waterfalls and lakes are everywhere, and it is SOOO green, hard to believe you are in the high arctic.

Again, I will share more details of this hike and the other hikes we did in Lofoten in separate posts later.

Day 3
* Checked out from our rorbue in Sorvagen to explore the Northern part of Lofoten Islands at Svolvaer. Svolvaer is  actually just 2 hours away from Sorvagen. It is doable to just drive up there to explore then go back to Sorvagen in one day, like what other visitors to Lofoten would do.  However for us, it doesn't make sense to go back South because our next place to explore is Svalbard, the northernmost town closest to the North Pole. There are only 2 airports that serve Svalbard, they are: Oslo (South) and Tromso (North). Because Svolvaer is already close to Tromso, we decided to break our stay in Lofoten, 2 nights in South area ( @ Sorvagen, where we can just walk to the trailhead of Munken ) and 2 nights in Svolvaer ( North). Our car rental drop off  was at our hotel in Svolvaer because we would be taking the bus from Svolvaer to Tromso.

Sod Roof with grass and flowers  ( ahh, we couldn't get enough of the relaxing sights and laid back atmosphere in the southern region of Lofoten, Moskenesoya )

Moskenesoya or southern Region of Lofoten Islands, water is so clear you can see what is underneath even from very far

Despite it was hard leaving Moskenesoya, we were also excited at the same time to see what else does Lofoten have.

**Our first exciting find was Ramberg Beach. It is a white sand beach with sparkling clear water surrounded by wildflowers! SPARKLING WHITE SAND BEACH + WILDFLOWERS =  HEAVEN. Who would think we were North of the Arctic Circle?

So overjoyed on seeing this, really an unexpected delight. Ramberg Beach, Lofoten Islands. 

Don't ask us how long we stayed at Ramberg beach! We were just like kids who couldn't believe what we found! A tropical looking beach right in the middle of the North Arctic! With added sights of wildflowers. Between wildflowers and the beach, we played on the water more, I guess, the thought of swimming in North Arctic waters was ooooooh so exciting for us! Haha!

The whole area of Lofoten Islands is really like heaven on Earth. We kept on stopping to take in the amazing scenery in front of us. Thankfully, there aren't that many cars on Lofoten's road, so no one would honk on us if we were driving slow to enjoy the scenery. We were just not pressed for time to get to our next destination. We simply enjoyed every sights we saw along the way! Thankfully, the mood was like that. The people inside the cars that would pass us when we stopped, also had those smiling faces, waving at us, kind of saying, "enjoy your stop!" Then, we'll pass by them because they too stopped somewhere. It was like, pick your place to stop, enjoy the amazing scenery in front of you.

***After  Ramberg beach, we went to another beach closer to Leknes at Haukland Beach. Haukland Beach is one of the more popular beaches in Lofoten Islands. For us, however, Ramberg Beach was so much more joyful to play in and so much more scenic. So, we did not do much water activity at Haukland Beach, instead, we went hiking up its slopes, to Mannen Peak.

Living the Life: Hiking and the Ocean! Haukland Beach  from Mannen Peak

**** Haukland Beach + Mannen hike was really worth our detour and stop in Leknes area  instead of going all the way to Svolvaer! If I see the hikes in Lofoten Islands as having no destination because every step of the way is a scenic destination by itself, I can say the same for the drive.

After the hike at Mannen, we cooled down at Haukland Beach and went tidepooling as well. Somehow, if I am by the ocean, playing in the sand and surf is not enough, I also have to check the tidepool! I'm always interested with what creatures thrive in different seas.

Tidepool at Haukland Beach

 ***** Late lunch / early dinner at Leknes.

****** Drove straight to Svolvaer. I guess either we were tired from exploring or we found the scenery between Leknes and Svolvaer not as scenic compared to the scenery between Moskenes and Leknes, that we didn't have many stops anymore driving from Leknes to Svolvaer.

******Checked in at our hotel in Svolvaer. Thankfully, our car rental drop off is right by at our hotel, and the bus we would be taking to Tromso, is just a few steps from the hotel. So convenient.

Day 4
You know, there were 2 activities I lined up for this day, Djevelporten and Floya hike + Sea Eagle Safari. I guess, I was too ambitious, find out why in the video below! 😂

After a very good breakfast, we started our hike right from our hotel. Because we already dropped off our car, we have to go around by foot. I just didn't see the need to pay for another day of car rental, when, we would be spending most of our day hiking and exploring, both activities don't need a car. The trailhead for our hike is about 1 mile from our hotel. It was such a joyful and beautiful walk, passing through the harbor, and their roads which are lined with giant wild lupines. The trailhead wasn't hard to find at all, it was right after the cemetery. There were very nice ferns that greeted us once inside the trail, they were just so beautiful.

After a few minutes of easy trail ( just muddy I guess from the storm we had on night 1 and day 2), the trail became more rocks. Some parts have chain to assist in the climb, but others, you have to use your critical thinking which rock to scramble. It was fun, like solving puzzle. After a while however, I felt my hands were getting tired from rock scrambling, using chain and ropes. I guess I was too spoiled in most of the trails in US where hike up is made easier by well groomed trail. Add to that, when we were about 1/4 of our hike, it drizzled. We didn't turn around since we were prepared for the light rain, but we did slow down to be safe. Thankfully, the drizzling didn't last long. After the rock scrambling, it was mud challenge. Again, we had to use our judgement which way to go so we won't get stuck in deep mud. Some, who were not prepared for the hike ( muds and rocks), turned back, saying they will be back with better shoes ( waterproof, otherwise, the water from all the mud can soak your feet and would cause not only blister but also a slippery walk).

Pictures from our Djevelporten Hike

Anyway, I underestimated the time needed for this hike, because I failed to consider the rock+mud challenge. In short, we were not able to catch the last sea eagle safari which was at 2 pm. I thought I reserved the best for last, that is a fjord cruise in Norway's narrowest fjord with lots of sea eagles. Ahh, I think that gives me a reason to go back to Lofoten some other time.

After the hike, we just enjoyed a very good lunch, and because we were in Lofoten Islands, we really took advantage of their yummy sea foods. After lunch, we just walked around Svolvaer

Day 5:
* Checked out.
**Took the bus to Tromso.
The bus ride was very relaxing for me, it was like the needed break after 4 days of hiking and the hiking on ice that will follow in Svalbard. 😄 We passed through really beautiful scenery that we learned there's really so much to explore in Lofoten and the rest of Norway.

Taking a bus from Svolvaer to Tromso, was like being on a tour. Couldn't get enough of the scenery. What's good with being on a bus is that the bus is tall enough to take a picture without being blocked by the low lying bushes when we were on our rental car. I do not know where this is, but this was taken from our bus ride from Svolvaer in Lofoten Islands to Tromso

This concludes our trip to Lofoten Islands. Our next major Norway destination was Svalbard. I will be writing about our experiences and itinerary in Svalbard at a later post. Svalbard is the northernmost town closest to the North Pole. Hopefully, it won't take me another 2.5 years to share the next post, which I believe would be Svalbard. The hikes, I will write more about them, much later.

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How to go to Lofoten:
To go to Lofoten Islands, we had to fly to Oslo, Norway. During the booking process, I tried San Diego- Leknes, and the cost of flight is 'FORGET IT"- very steep. It would be so much cheaper for us to book San Diego- Oslo first. Besides, San Diego- Leknes would also have a lot of stop-over, if not more.

From Oslo, we had two options: 1. fly to Lofoten directly via Leknes or Svolvaer or 2. fly to Bodo, then, take the ferry from Bodo to Moskenes. With careful research, I chose the latter for three reasons: 1. final destination in Lofoten which is Moskenes, 2. cost (flying to Bodo then taking the ferry is cheaper than flying to Leknes and or Svolvaer) and 3. scenery (the 3-hr boat ride is like taking a short cruise, seeing the majestic rocky outcroppings jut out steeply from the sea was building our excitement on what's ahead of us).

As you can see above, to reach Lofoten wasn't that easy, but it's so worth it. We had to spend one night in Oslo, then, another night in Bodo. However, I didn't see those required nights to spend in two cities as an ordeal, but as added joy of additional exploring. In between flights and boat ride, we took the time to explore the two cities: Oslo and Bodo. I will touch on these two cities later in separate posts.

Bishop Mini Get Away

This was actually a last minute trip. Before coming to Bishop, we had reservations at John Muir Lodge in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. However, there were 3 wildfires developing in these 2 National Parks. The day I had to cancel our reservation ( guests could cancel at least 72 hours for full refund), the Rogue fire north of Grant Grove was not threatening the area yet, and all of the roads leading to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park were open. Despite no closures at that time in the park yet, I canceled our reservation since I wanted to be safe. I know, I can always pursue my dream to shoot the Perseid meteor shower and Milky Way with the giant sequoias ( world's largest trees) at some other time.

some places we explored around Bishop

After canceling our reservations last Wednesday, I tried to look for an alternative location to shoot the Perseid meteor shower and Milky Way. Of course, there is Anza Borrego Desert State Park, the one closest to San Diego. However, the desert this time of the year is very hot. I am not yet at that level of braving the desert heat in the summer. I looked at the weather forecast for Big Sur, since I thought the Milky Way and the ocean would be so perfect. Though I live close to the ocean but the city does not have enough dark light to allow residents to gaze at a beautiful starry filled sky. Sadly (though I expected it ), there were no more vacancy in all of Big Sur being a very popular and world known summer destination.

I thought then of hiking in the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. I called Bishop Chamber of Commerce if they have health hazards warning in the area from the Rogue fire in Kings Canyon National Park, which is in the western side of the Sierra Nevada. The lady told me their mountains are not affected by fire and they do not get health warnings yet. I asked then for sky quality for possible Milky way photography in the night, and she told me the southeast sky is very clear, so should be very okay. After that call, I checked availability in Bishop, and felt so thankful I was able to book 3 nights, Saturday-Monday nights.

When we reached Bishop about noon time Saturday, the sky was very blue and so clear. I was like, "wow! great! I would have a grand time tonight!" To escape the heat in the desert valley ( the town of Bishop is in the desert valley, its mountain however is about 20-30 degrees cooler due to high altitude), we went up Bishop Creek Canyon to do some hikes. Since it is our first day hiking at high altitude, we chose a short one for our acclimatization hike. We hiked North Lake to Grass Lake.

Grass Lake and North Lake at Bishop Creek Canyon

Upper Yosemite Falls

Below is the view of Yosemite Falls from the Valley Floor.

YOSEMITE FALLS FROM THE VALLEY

While all the pictures that follow below are from the trail above the Valley Floor. Let's hike up....

UPPER YOSEMITE FALLS TRAIL

 View of Upper Yosemite Fall With Half Dome from Upper Yosemite Trail

Queens Garden and Navajo Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Thor's Hammer from Navajo Loop trail, Summer

Hiking Distance: 3 miles loop
Descending: 580 ft, then, Climbing: 580 ft
Best Time To visit:  year round for those who do not mind winter and summer temperatures. For a most pleasant hike, I believe early fall and spring is the best.

For photography, 

Late Fall and Winter: You will have the contrast  of orange rocks and snow.

Summer: Hoodos are fully exposed if you want full details of hoodoos ( very first photo above ). Late summer also has lots of thunderstorms, which most photographers love because of dramatic clouds over hoodoos. 

Early Fall: Hoodoos and Fall colors ( haven't been at this time, I believe it is very beautiful to have fall colors and hoodoos, sadly, my vacation time does not coincide. )

Spring: A combination of having the full details of hoodoos at exposed areas and some snow accumulation in some parts. Most photos below are from early spring 2009. 

Sunset Point, Navajo Loop Trail, Late Fall or Thanksgiving 

Utah rocks rock! They do! They will amaze you! For me, they even haunt me in my dreams, inviting me to go back there, again and again.

Queens Garden and Navajo Loop hike is the best way to see the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon. Most visitors usually are awed already looking down from the rim, and do not spend time going down the canyon. Even though the views from the rim are stunning, but the experience is entirely different going down Bryce Canyon floor. Nothing can compare being up close to the hoodoos, as close as you could hug them. Well, if only you could hug them since they are giants compared to our size. Hoodoos are pillars of rock erosion, and I have written about them before, in "Hoodoos Keep on Haunting Me".

Enjoying Bryce Canyon Even at -4F ( -20C), Late Fall

Hiking Rainbow Falls at Mammoth Lakes, California

Rainbow Falls from the top view point

Location: Devil's Postpile National Monument, Mammoth Lakes, CA

Hiking Distance: 2.5 miles hike from Rangers Station to the top viewpoint, with additional 0.3 miles to the base of the waterfall. There are two choices on the way out, hiking back to Rangers Station for 2.5 miles, or hiking to Rainbow Falls trailhead at the Red Meadows Resort, for about 1.3 miles. 

Best Time: When Devil's Postpile National Monument Road is open ( which is summer). Usually, the road is closed after a major snowfall in November, and then, clearing of road from snow accumulation is done late spring or early summer, depending on snow accumulation. At other times of the year, the area can still be accessed for snowshoeing or skiing. 

Our hike:

We started our hike from Rangers Station, which is 2.5 miles away from Rainbow Falls. However, in 0.4 miles, we reached the base of Devil's Postpile.

Devil's Postpile

Fire and Ice created the unique basalt columns which is called Devil's Postpile. About 100,000 years ago, a lava flowed from an unknown location upstream. As the lava flowed down the valley, it ran into an obstruction which served as a dam to the lava's path. Pooling up to 400 feet behind the natural dam, the lava cooled. Conditions were such that the lava--that was incredibly uniform in its mineral composition--cooled at a very slow rate. As it cooled, it contracted and cracked, forming hexagonal columns. 80,000 years later, a glacier flowed through the same valley, revealing the sides and tops of the columns. Glacial polish can still be seen today at the top of the formation.- source: http://www.nps.gov/depo/planyourvisit/placestogo.htm

Glacially Polished Hexagons which could be seen at the top of the Postpile formation

Devil's Postpile Columns Up Close

Looking at the columns, it is so amazing how nature works, where the columns lack horizontal jointing, and very symmetrical. Rock formations like these are rare, but can be seen also in a few other places in the world.

From the base of Devil's Postpile, instead of taking the trail straight to Rainbow Falls, we hiked up first to the top of the formation to see the works of ice. After taking in the scenery, we went back down to the main trail towards Rainbow Falls. From the base of Devil's Postpile to the top viewpoint of the waterfall did not have a lot of elevation change, thus the hike felt easy, despite this is a high elevation hike ( some may be affected by thinner air at high elevation). 

Rainbow Falls from the Top Viewpoint

For a lot of people, the top viewpoint is the end of the hike. However, Rainbow Falls could also be enjoyed from the base. We hiked down extra 0.3 mile to the base via steep stairs. The steps of the stairs were uneven, so one should really be watching for their steps. 

When we reached the river at the bottom of the stairs, we could not help it but unzipped the lower portion of our hiking pants so that it become shorts. We wanted to test the water. We actually had swim suits in our backpacks. However, when we felt the water was cold, we decided it was not so worth it to swim since we still had to hike back. So, we just spent some fun time enjoying the waterfall from the base. What is fun for us? Photoshoot of course. :)

Here are some pictures from our photoshoot, with hubby as our official group photographer. :)

Us, Marching Toward the Waterfall ( this was the toughest part of the hike, we did not anticipate the current was strong, and the rocks were so slippery! )

We Made it to the Log :) yey yey for us!!

And Of Course, we Have our Individual Posing Contest :) Who Do you think won? Haha! 

Of Course, our photographer had to have his photo taken too :)

After we had enough fun, we hiked to Red Meadows bus stop, which is only 1.3 miles from the top viewpoint of the waterfall. The total hike is only about 4.1 miles. After hiking, we had lunch at The Yodler in Mammoth Mountain, which serves Bavarian Cuisine. 

Lodging: Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain is a skiing (winter) and mountain biking (summer) resort. Thus, there are many hotels, lodges, and vacation rentals in the area. 

Nearby Nature Parks:

1. Mono Lake South Tufa State Reserve

2. Yosemite National Park

Actually, there are so many beautiful sights in the Eastern Sierra of California, I only mentioned Mono Lake and Yosemite because that is what often others asked about.

** pictures above were from our hike last summer 2013.**

On Reaching El Cajon Summit

"You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place ? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know." -- Rene Daumal

Hiking is one of the enriching and inspiring activities I and hubby do together. We do longer hikes on weekends, and short hikes on weekdays. We always plan our travels centered around exploring nature's wonders, where the greatest artwork and beauty could be found. Thankfully for us, our love for nature and photography inspires us to keep fit and take care of our health. I can't stress more than enough the benefits of hiking on one's health and fitness. So our backs, arms and legs won't hurt from all the weight we carry when we hike, we do a lot of stretches everyday! Aside from stretching, we do other exercises at home to improve our strength, flexibility and endurance. We aim to be hiking as long as we could, for there are just so many beautiful places to explore and be awed by nature.

Thankfully, San Diego is littered by so many mountains in its backyard to serve as our outdoor gym and local training for more strenuous outdoor adventures when we explore other places. Reaching the summit is always a celebration for us, of finding what is above. We do all sorts of more fun activities instead of turning around right away. After all, we deserved a much needed break at the summit since we hiked 5.5 miles with a climb of 4100 ft to the top. Round trip hike is 11 miles, which meant, we needed to hike another 5.5 miles on our return. Unlike most other hikes, where the return would be downhill, El Cajon Summit hike is an up and down hike. We still needed to conquer some steep uphill climbs in our return.

So, what are some more fun activities we do at the summit? Boulder scrambling! We love to conquer rocks, and rocks do bring out the child in us. But probably, more obvious in one of us, who do you think strike a better pose bringing out the better child within? Haha!

Is it me?...., I was making thumbs up sign for a great hike!

Potato Chip Rock At Mt Woodson...... Then and Now

Then (2007): Cousin and I @ Potato Chip Rock, Mt Woodson, San Diego County, CA

Hiking Mt Woodson was one of our "little best kept secrets" before in San Diego.  Not that we are one of the early hikers there, since we only learned of the trail from Jerry Schad's "A Foot and A Field in San Diego". It was a very quiet hike then, and on a cooler day, the number of hikers probably equals the number of rock climbers. Our favorite spot then to have lunch was at Potato Chip Rock. We won't have lunch necessarily right on the chip, but on top of the boulder in front of the chip. We used to just look at the Potato Chip Rock then from the boulder where we would have lunch. Until one day, my cousin from Los Angeles joined hubby and I hiking at Mt Woodson. As usual, we would have our lunch break on the boulder in front of the Chip. However, my more adventurous cousin was feeling so motivated to pose at the chip, that she and hubby tried to problem solve how to go to the Chip Rock. 

Cousin @ The Chip Rock, 2007 

Hiking The Zion Narrows

ORDERVILLE CANYON FROM ZION NARROWS

The first time we hiked the Zion Narrows before ( year 2007), we loved it so much and had so much fun that we told ourselves we will hike it again sometime. Though we had been back to this nature wonder several times, but it was only this summer that we were able to do this hike again. As they always say, "love is sweeter the 2nd time around", so indeed, "HIKING THE NARROWS was sweeter the 2nd time around!" :)

Why was it sweeter? .....We learned our lessons from our first hike.

1. Hiking Zion Narrows is so unique since the trail is the river. It requires wading, walking and sometimes swimming in the river. During our first time hiking here, we were so inexperienced that we took our hiking shoes off and walked barefoot in the river. That was a huge mistake. Walking barefoot caused us too many falls from the slippery rocks on the river, bruises on our legs from the fall, and well, wet packs. :(

Rocks on Virgin River

Bristlecone and Glacier Trail, Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Wheeler Circque and Peak, from Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive Viewpoint

The end of the hike will bring us to Wheeler Cirque, a glacier hollowed valley enclosed by sheer cliffs as shown in the above picture. Halfway of the hike, we will be passing the ancient bristlecone pine grove. The bristlecone pines are the oldest single living organisms known in the world.

An Ancient Bristlecone: Gnarled but Very Much Living the Testament of Life 

These ancient bristlecones have so much to tell us, having witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations, survived changing climates and persevered through major developments of world's history. They live several thousand years in the harshest conditions, a living testament that longevity is not so much about having all the luxuries of life, but it is about the will power to thrive in the harshest conditions. With gnarled limbs, they stand strong. Seeing their twisted and convoluted limbs, seeing them looking up to heavens, it was like hearing them whisper....."LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL AND SO MUCH WORTH LIVING!!" Despite their limbs may look bizarre from all the twisting and contortions, they are VERY BEAUTIFUL to me. How I wish I could sit there longer with them, to listen to their soft whispers about Earth's history and about how beautiful our life is TO LIVE.

Alpine Lakes Loop Trail, Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Stella Lake (with Mt. Wheeler in the background), Great Basin National Park, Nevada

( if you've seen my previous post about Lehman Cave, could you imagine underneath this alpine lake and mountain peak is that beautiful marble cave with all those rare cave formations? Earth is beautiful, inside and out! )

Great Basin National Park, in Baker, Nevada, is a land of great diversity, where hot desert valleys meet cool mountain ranges. It is home to ancient bristlecone pines, rock formations, fossils, springs, caves, creeks, and even a lone glacier in Nevada. At the time we were there July 1- July 3 this year, the desert valley was at 115 degree Fahrenheit ( 46 Celsius), yet Lehman Cave, the first place we explored was at 50 degree Fahrenheit ( 10 Celsius). After exploring Lehman Cave, we hiked Alpine Lakes Loop trail, where the temperature was 72 degree Fahrenheit ( 22 Celsius).

Here are some basic information regarding Alpine Lakes Loop Trail:

Trailhead: Bristlecone Parking Area.

Aspen Grove at the Trailhead

 ( I could imagine how much more beautiful this trail would be with vivid yellow aspens in the fall)

Mileage: 2.7 miles loop trail, 600 ft gain that starts at 9,800 ft elevation (which means you will reach 10,400 ft elevation). There are various trails that can be continued from this loop, such as Bristlecone Pine and Glacier Trail and Wheeler Peak trail.


Alpine Lakes Loop trail connects two lakes, Stella Lake and Teresa Lake, both totally freezes in the winter. We hiked in the counterclockwise direction, so the first lake we saw was Stella Lake. In the very first picture above of Stella Lake, notice the reflection, the wind was a little bit calm when we got to the lake, so there were not much ripples then. After taking a few pictures, we could feel the wind strongly blowing on us, and slowly, the reflection disappeared for more ripples on the water.

Us Taking Memories of Stella Lake ( reflection in the water here slowly disappearing because of wind)

Twenty Lakes Basin Hike

Steelhead Lake, Twenty Lakes Basin, Lee Vining, California

How to go here:  From the town of Lee Vining, leave Hwy 395 at Hwy 120. Follow Tioga Pass Road toward Yosemite. At about 9 miles, turn North onto well marked dirt road to Saddlebag Lake.

Best Time of the Year to Hike: All summer; whenever Tioga Road is open (closed most time of the year due to snow accumulation ). Early of summer season, high water, wet meadows, and deep snow may make the hike difficult. We hiked this trail July 5th, 2013. There were less know because the past winter was one of the driest winter the Sierras had.

Trailhead: Saddlebag Lake, east of Yosemite National Park, in the Hoover Wilderness Area.

Saddlebag Lake

Mileage: 5- 8 miles.
option 1: 8 miles from Saddlebag Lake Resort area.
option 2: take a water taxi to the upper end of Saddlebag Lake across the resort, the main loop is about 5.5 miles.
option 3: take water taxi to the upper end of Saddlebag Lake across the resort, take the trail on the left side of the loop for a 3-mile easy (very gentle slope here and very well defined trail) out and back hike to Steelhead lake.

Change in Elevation for the complete loop: 400 ft (but it all depends since there are some trails that could go higher for more exploring )

Because it looked like the walk from the south end of Saddlebag Lake to the north or upper end seemed to be simply meandering around the lake without much change of scenery, we decided to cut our hike by taking the water-taxi to the main trailhead and only hike the 5-mile loop. While waiting for the water taxi, which runs every 30 minutes, we enjoyed our time throwing stones on the lake and doing some photoshoots. :)

Skipping Rocks @ Saddlebag Lake

During our ride in the boat taxi, we were told that there are three options to enjoy Twenty Lakes Basin Hike:

1. An easy 3 mile out and back hike to Steelhead Lake, starting from the left side of the loop trail. This is advised for people with kids, who may not be able to handle some rocky and undefined trail sections in the right side of the loop.

2. Complete 5.5 mile loop, they advised to take the counterclockwise direction, that is starting from the right side of the loop first. Reasons for this, we are still not tired when we reach the loose rock area and undefined rock scrambling area because it is in the earlier part of the trail and we go downhill on the steepest and rockiest part. 

3. Complete 5.5 mile loop with adding a little bit more mileage to the hike by exploring Lundy Canyon (out and back), then, go back to the main loop trail.

We decided to follow #2 ( complete 5.5 mile loop hike in counterclockwise direction), then, add more miles to explore some parts of Lundy Canyon ( #3). However, by the time we reached Lundy Canyon, the very strong chilly wind stopped us from continuing further Lundy Canyon, we went back to the main loop for a more FUN hike. 

Here are some pictures from our hike ( counterclockwise of the main loop trail):

Devil's Bridge Hike from Chuckwagon Trail

 Devil's Bridge From Below

( can you find me? )

 Devil's Bridge From The Top

How did we climb up the largest natural sandstone arch in Sedona area, called the "Devil's Bridge"? The answer is not a direct climb from below the bridge, but a gradual ascent on a trail to the right of the bridge.

~ THE HIKE ~

Trailhead: Chuckwagon/Mescal Mountain Trails Parking Area

Distance: 6 miles round trip. You can hike shorter if you are willing to feel the very bumpy ride on a 4-wheel drive to Devil's Bridge trailhead. However, when we were walking on the 4-WD road to Devil's Bridge trailhead, we felt so happy we chose to take the longer hike because the holes and rocks on the dirt road were something we both know we have no experience driving. We don't think we would be able to get our 4WD- SUV to the destination if we chose the shorter hike. Plus, we are happy hikers.  

The start of the hike is relatively flat in the middle of a pine forest, the steep ascent starts near the bridge already, climbing maybe 400 ft in such a short distance, but very doable. Over-all, this is an easy hike, if compared to Cathedral Rock hike, another hike we did in Sedona, Arizona. 

Below are some of our pictures:

 My Personal Photographer and Hiking Partner For Life :)

 See? So Many of Us, It is Not as Scary As what the picture says

(as long as no one is crazy enough to get at the very edge and do very crazy things, this bridge is so safe to cross )

 My Personal Photographer's Turn For Photo Opps At Devil's Bridge :)

 and he did a Tebowing pose

From the trail, where you start seeing people on top of the bridge, there is a junction where one trail goes to your right, and the other trail goes to your left. The trail that goes to the right goes uphill, which will end up at the top of the bridge. The trail that goes to the left goes downhill, which will bring you at the bottom of bridge. 

Getting to the bottom of the bridge from the junction is not that far, it's really worth it to see Devil's Bridge from below and also from the top.

Despite its name, the view from the top of Devil's Bridge and the entire hike is heavenly! I highly recommend this hike for a magnificent reward in such an easy-moderate hike.