"Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods.  Wash your spirit clean."     - John Muir

What is the John Muir Trail?  The Sierra Nevada–John Muir called it “The Range of Light”.  With snowcapped mountain peaks, crystalline alpine lakes, glistening rivers, lush forests and hot springs, the trail covers about 220 miles through three national parks, including the highest mountain peak in the contiguous United States.

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt, inspired by the writings of John Muir, left behind secret service agents and reporters, and accompanied John Muir for three days and three nights of exploration and discussion about conservation in Yosemite.  This brought about an expansion of Yosemite National Park, enveloping parts of the park, which were under state control, now under the federal National Park service.

“There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of the giant sequoias and redwoods […] our people should see to it that they are preserved for their children and their children’s children forever.”       -  Teddy  Roosevelt

Ansel Adams Photography on the JMT

Moon and Half Dome – 1960

Moonlight From Summit Lake

Click here to check out my recipes for the JMT

I can't pinpoint where my outdoor adventures started, but I remember as a child, playing in the woods, and how exhilarating it was in the crisp fresh air and how that feeling has not changed. I feel like a kid experiencing the woods for the first time every time I step into it. An aw inspiring feeling of freedom and of the unknown, the heightened awareness of and the discovery of unchartedness and new views. This is where finding internal elemental balance from city to nature comes in for me. From being greatly humbled living and trekking (yatras) through the Himalayan Mountains in India and Nepal with Yogi's and sadhu's to enjoying weekend excursions of hiking and camping in America. 

Something definitely sparked up like glowing embers floating up in the night sky after watching the beautiful documentary "A Mile, Mile and a Half" which captures spectacular views on the John Muir Trail. It gave me an idea to take my outdoor weekend adventures to another place and level.  So I signed up and took three different map and compass navigation classes through REI and an outdoor Wilderness Medicine class to expand knowledge and confidence in the backcountry. Of which I highly recommend these and any other available qualified outdoor survivalists classes for anyone even just spending a day in the wilderness. It's not only good knowledge for yourself but for anyone that me need your help on the way. And to have that become a skill one must practice them to develop and hone those to become a valuable skill.