Outdoor Research has been killing it lately in the outdoor lifestyle department. From the Umbra Hoody to the Bryn Dress, all the pieces look good going out and going outside. The Outdoor Research Petra Pants are no exception.
I love birthdays. I love my birthday. I love other people’s birthdays. I love celebrating birthdays. I love birthday surprises. And most of all, I love birthday surprises that involve making awesome memories. My boyfriend officially crossed the threshold into his late twenties earlier this month. He’d never actually been backpacking before, so what better place to take him than Lake Aloha in Desolation Wilderness?
As the days go by, I slowly descend more and more into sloth/slob-dom. Any jacket that feels like a fuzzy blanket is a winner in my book. With the Mountain Hardwear Monkey Woman Grid II jacket, I can get outside and be fuzzy and comfortable too.
Even with ski resorts closing their doors for the season and uncharacteristically warm weather in the Bay Area, winter is still very much alive and kicking in the Sierra. After a short day of wrestling pebbles and battling high winds on Hogsback, Josh and I called it quits and decided to go catch a sunset somewhere. We always talk about sunset, but by the time the sun starts to go down, we’re maybe still stuck on a route, or bouldering stoke is high, or we’re in the midst of preparing dinner. We headed east on highway 50 with Lower Echo Lake in mind, something nice and easy that we could drive up to and relax at.
Sometimes you plan on a really long day out. And sometimes those plans get cut short because you’re captivated by the beauty around you. That’s what happened to me this weekend. I set out to climb up Horsetail Falls into Desolation Wilderness backcountry and out to Lake Aloha, but I was cut short by Ropi Lake.
