Mt. Whitney 2009

I decided to try this hike up to the top of Mt. Whitney with my friend Jeremiah and his brother, as well as some other folks. Little did I know that this was going to be one crazy hike as well as one crazy adventure.


After we arrived and set up camp, we went to bed to get early start on the trail (I mean 4:30 AM early!) However, a fire started in the campground below us and we were evacuated and put in the town hall on cots. It was quite the experience. We did not get to bed till about 1:00AM. So, are hike started the next morning at 8:00AM instead, which was okay with me.


The hike was incredibly difficult and long. I think it is probably the hardest physical activity I've done in my life. By the end to the 22 miles you are just beat, everything hurts. The hike itself was amazingly beautiful.

Well, we finally made it to the top in about 6 hours and 15 minutes. The view was breathtaking!! We just hung around, some guy gave us some watermelon while we were up there. We took some pictures and then realized we still had 11 miles to get back down to the bottom.

One of the regulations on this hike is that you have to pack out your poo! So, the rangers give you a poo kit. Oh yes, I used mine!!!

Overall, it was a wonderful experience. However, I don't think that I would do it again! :)

More Mt. Whitney photos

Valentine's at the Mission Inn

We knew we wanted to go out of town for the weekend, so I decided to make it special. However, it turned out to be quite the weekend (I'll explain that in a moment). I decided that the Mission Inn in Riverside would be an ideal location to celebrate Valentine's Day. A quick disclaimer, We have not done anything like this since we got married, so it was supposed to be something different. Overall, we had a wonderful time and have gained an experience that we will laugh about for a lifetime!

I decided that a normal dinner out to The Old Spaghetti Factory just wouldn't do. So, I made reservations at Cafe Sevilla, since they had a Valentine's special with a Flaminco dance show. It did not register why they needed a per person deposit to make the reservations; I just assumed it was because they would be busy. Anyway, needless to say it was an amazing dinner but cost a bit more than I was expecting. YIKES! Won't ever do that again!

We strolled the streets of old town Riverside on our way back to the hotel, as you can see we were enjoying ourselves.


The Mission Inn was amazing. There was so much to see; it was almost overwhelming.


After we dragged ourselves out of the Hotel (we just didn't want to go), we stopped by a few of the antique shops in the area and found some pretty funny items.

Click here to see a slideshow: Mission Inn

The Pacific Crest Trail

Well, Meg and I have been on many hikes but we FINALLY brought our camera with us!! We also were able to bring our lovely puppy along. This is a fun trail in our area that leads to a really cool swimming hole, however the juvenile locals have added their own personal touch!

Ahhh, Southern California hiking!


Looking rough and rugged!

The lovely ladies!


Ooooooh, a cave with a bunch of beer cans inside.
Pearl was very intrigued.


Not to bad a scenery for Southern California mountains.
Well, it's okay.

Well, all in all we had a great day. One that we felt was worth documenting. The hike itself was about four and half miles round trip and is actually quite pretty. Well, that's all I have to say about that!