Lazarow World-Hike-About

'Dear twins' up early for breakfast (young mule deer). -Click on arrow to listen to Brian Murray sing a song that might be nostalgic, especially for South Africans. The music will continue playing while scrolling up or down.- How long is a piece of...stick? Golden tops make me weak at the knees. (Waited a long time for this one.) The Piute hike is another that we are crazy about, amongst many others. We mentioned in an earlier blog that catching the mountaintops on fire, that is, with the sun lighting the tips at dawn, is a favorite pose. It was on this day we were fortunate to get visuals of the phenomenon. We remember a time many years ago when we were listening to a sermon, a few moments before we dozed. The rabbi made an interesting observation, although perhaps not practical in our world. He said always look up, never down. Of course, he probably hadn’t walked on a treacherous trail. Nevertheless, we concur. He said that mining, for example, ...

Spot the editor on way down, leave no stone unturned. Legend has it that a Texan lost his way on the mountain and upon being found exclaimed, "I was stuck between a rock and a hard place." As we gained height, the lakes came into view (Saddlebag); mountain visuals were spectacular. We traveled from our lodge in Lee Vining to Yosemite National Park with the intention of climbing Mount Dana. A maintained trail to the peak does not exist although the mountain forms part of the park. When we arrived at the parking area, we searched for a commencement point. No luck. We walked a short distance to the ranger at the entrance booth, indicated for him to open the window (it was cold) and felt quite foolish in asking from where the hike commenced. We were worried that he might say, “If you have to ask, should you be undertaking it?” First of many knockout mountain views. (Punch 1) (Punch 2) this one's a painting for Maude. There's a lot more...

Jen stands on an edge of North Dome; Half Dome in the background. Jenni coming down one of the channels as we head for the dome. (Extreme 'Woodson potato chip' on left.) We arrived at North Dome after 4.5 miles over a trail that moved up and down throughout the hike. It included climbing over rocks as well as our usual extras on said boulders. After three miles, the famous Half Dome came into view as well as many other fine sights of Yosemite. North Dome, somewhat lower than the major icon, stood proudly, too. There’s a history to this icon of Yosemite. The hike, with the final 400 feet on chains to the top, is so popular that a lottery is held to limit the number of participants. We failed to secure spots for the hike a while ago so we found ourselves gazing at the outcrop from North Dome, separated by the Yosemite Valley thousands of feet below. Currently, the hike is closed for the winter season—apparently, the dome takes its vacation in the off-sea...

"Hi Jen." Looks like she found her twin from down-under. Clarity, reflections and shadows A powerful visual as we commence the down trail from Table Mountain. Sitting in the car in the pre-dawn dark, we listened to the music of Brian Murray. Our timing was off as we arrived a little early—better that way as the sun does not give one a second chance on the same day. We eased into the darkness to put on our boots, last minute checks, flashlights ready, lock the car and head to the trailhead. The changes are subtle. From darkness, the move towards light comes about very slowly, at first. A person notices the clouds are suddenly visible, there’s a mountain ahead, trees appear and where did that path come from? This occurs very quietly without the dazzle and noise of a Hollywood spectacular—that’s what makes it a double miracle. Colors, reflections and joy...and brain overload. One of the powerful visuals that held the eye. Rushing to find an ...