Hey California Peeps

“A friend of mine has a conference in San Francisco to go to in June and was planning on flying in a few days early with his wife to do some backpacking. His original plan was to go to Yosemite, but all the backcountry permits are booked up through late August. Does anyone have some suggestions where they can go? He would also like suggestions for some good hiking guidebooks and maps.”

“We never reserve and always get permits that morning...EARLY! They can still backpack Yosemite.”

“There are tons of optons... do they want to do mountains, the ocean, see giant redwood trees, what's their preference? The "problem" with California isthat you could spend a LOT of time out here & never see 50% of the incredibly awesomne things we have to do!! :)”

“Yosemite is awesome to be sure but one of the great things about it is it distracts all the tourists from all the other great places to hike. Tell your friends to take a little time to research the rest of the Sierra and they will come up with a hike to meet whatever it is they are coming to California for. There are literally thousands of options within a 3 hour drive of San Francisco.”

“Desolation Wilderness is an easy drive from SF. Simple to get a permit. Afterward you can take a quick side trip to Tahoe.”

“Maybe if we asked the other packers in other states what they did when they had just a short time in CA. Desolation does offer a diverse op. Trees and chips...”

“A section or two of the Tahoe Rim Trail is a good bet...”

“That's right Poolman, you always bag the BPing and chunker down at the tables. Sinful thoughts.”