Machu Picchu training trip #1: Ed, Shelly, Bonnie started at Laguna TH, hiked south on Laguna Trail to Coast Trail then quickly picked up Woodward Valley Trail, then Sky Trail to Sky Camp. This was about 6 miles. Stayed at site 12 which was big enough for 4 tents (we had 3), was wooded and had soft ground for pounding in stakes. This is a nice site. SIte 11 has awesome views of sunset, but only room for one tent, and it's on a gravel-road-like surface. After setting up camp; we hiked three more miles around Sky Camp.10 miles total.Next morning, we hiked to Sky TH and then took the Laguna Trail to Laguna TH, where we stashed some heavy stuff from our packs. We hiked on the road briefly to Muddy Hollow TH, then took the Estero Trail to Glenbrook Trail to Muddy Hollow Road, and back to Muddy Hollow TH.On this day we saw elk on the next ridge to the east. Very lovely views of the hills, beaches and sea. Peaceful. 14 miles for this day (includes one miles of backtracking due to pilot error)

Three days hiking in Pt Reyes; gorgeous clear cool weather; Not too muddy after the recent big storms. Day 1: Started and ended at Sky Trailhead; first day hiked 10 miles to Wildcat Camp, avoiding Bear Valley Trail. The Camp is right near the beach, where you can have a bonfire (with permit) Day 2: Wildcat to Coast Camp; 11 miles; Started off by hiking on the Beach to Alamere Falls. Gorgeous crisp clear morning! Hiking from Arch Rock to Coast Camp is underwhelming. Just a long road going along. Not my cup of tea. Heard coyotes yipping to each other from across the hills in the early morning.Day 3: Coast Camp to Sky Trail Head on Fire Lane Trail. Chose this trail becuase it was the shortest. Assumed it would be  a gravel fire road, but no! It's a lovely trail. It would be perfect, except for 20+ blowdowns that need to be scrambled over or around. Got tedious after a while. But it's a very nice wooded path. 

Wanted to test some new gear, and so headed to Pt Reyes Sky Camp after work Friday, camped Friday night, got in some hiking Saturday, back home Saturday afternoon. Parked at the Sky Trailhead off Limantour Road, and was glad the trail to the campsite was actually a fire road, as I was hiking in the dark. I had read that site #10 was the best, but think it's actually the worst: it was exactly like sleeping on a gravel road; hard as a rock and covered with sharp gravel. Punctured my Neoair, grrr. Plus there was no tree cover, so there was more condensation than there would have been under the trees. Site #12 had nice footing and tree cover, and site #5 was even better as it had flatter places to pitch a tent. Hard to sleep on gravel with no padding, so I was up early. Hiked up to the top of Mt Whittenberg, and had breakfast at the top of the no name peak next door. Then hiked down Sky Trail to Old Pine Trail, to Bear Valley Trail, then up Meadow Trail back to Sky camp and the car. Thrilled that I got 10.5 miles in before noon, and my moving speed was 3 mph! 

Very good trip

Participated in Andrew Skurka's Backpacking Fundamentals 3-day guided backpacking trip. Have been eagerly awaiting this trip for several months, and it was awesome. Andrew is a titan of backpacking and it was a privilege to learn from him. He generously shares his vast knowledge and experience in ways that makes it easy to learn. Topics covered included: water purification, navigation with map and compass, off trail navigation, bear/food issues, personal hygiene, foot care, knot tying, setting up tarps and tents, and more. He shares demo equipment. There were 9 people on the trip, and they were all super folks. I was the oldest and also one of the slowest, which I guess makes sense. It was a fast, strong group. We all learned a lot and it was a terrific experience.We were in Sequoia National Park, a massive wild gorgeous wilderness. We saw two bears, one of which almost dropped in for dinner.