YOSEMITE, SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON 

NATIONAL PARKS

In April and May I had three trip to these beautiful areas. Within just two months time the weather ran the gamut from snow and chilly to sunshine and 80 degree weather!

General Sherman is the world's largest tree. (Some would argue an Aspen grove is one tree). Sherman is the most visited spot in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. The new trail around the grove is amazing and surprisingly quiet to walk. One of my favorite hikes is the Mist Falls hike. Lots of effort and somewhat dangerous wet steps leads you to this lovely place. But because of low snow pack the waterfalls were low as well.

I'm standing on a narrow granite precipice on the Merced River as it snakes underneath me before plunging 318 feet over Vernal Falls. This is the signature hike in Yosemite.

The Ahwahneechee tribe in Yosemite used black acorns as their staple food. Over the years I have noticed spots like these pictured above, (Steve Gehman showed me some!) where the tribes spent many generations grinding acorns to make a flour like substance, and leaving these holes. This is very hard granite! Come with me and I can show you these spots, where history is right in front of you, if you know how to find it.

The big cone in this picture is a sugar pine and the small is a Sequoia. Not what one would instinctively think!

These funny plants are one of my favorite things about Yosemite in the spring. They pop up out of the snow and are very eye catching. These Snow Plants do not have chlorophyll and feed on fungus below the surface. They make for a great picture too.

Tuolumne meadows were spectacular to hike because of the lack of snow in the high elevations.

Recapping 2015: The Everglades

After spending two months in the Baja.....

I returned to another season of guiding.  This and the following entries are the highlights of my 2015 Season!

THE EVERGLADES

This was my first time guiding in the Everglades! I was astounded by the diversity of plant life. There are many delicate orchids but the alligators, like the one pictured, are not so delicate. Large concentrations of alligators are found this time of year because April is a dry month, and that leaves them with few places to inhabit.

I had first encountered Anhingas, also known as the Water Turkey or Snake Bird, in South America. They continue to intrigue me because unlike most water birds they don't have oil on their feathers. This means they have to dry their feathers in the sun after swimming before they can fly.

Camping on islands of shells in the Ten Thousand Islands chain of mangrove and kayaking amongst manatees were other standouts in this area. Native tribes have built these islands of shells in the shallow waters off the coast of Florida. Finding the manatees was like a game of hide and seek because, although large in size, the manatees are also shy and fast. Quick get aways are their specialty.