We can cover dozens of miles with minimal wear and tear on your feet, knees or back. No doubt we’ll be in many places with amazing scenery for photography, interesting mountain weather, starry skies, sunrises and sunsets, and layover days to simply be there and relax. Go for a swim, take a day hike, enjoy great trout fishing if that’s your thing, lie on your back and enjoy the Perseid meteor shower under dark skies. 

So we’ll try a trip in 2026, and see how it goes. Ideally we’ll do one or two new routes each summer. We’re working on the itinerary, bur we have our reservation secured. We’ll ride horses, leave the food and meals to the packer.

When Lori and I met, our mutual love for the High Sierra, John Muir’s “Range of Light”, was one of the interests that attracted us. We had each been enjoying the High Sierra since the early ’70s. Jeff went on frequent backpacking trips with family and fiends; Lori led wilderness survival trips in the Southern Sierra through UCLA Extension for 10 years. Her partner was Ron Hood, consultant to the U.S. military, credited with starting the modern survival movement. They introduced hundreds of people to the wilderness in the Sierra, and had a very high return rate. It takes about a week to fully relax, to settle into the natural rhythm of natural spaces. To shed the stress and embrace the peace of being fully present surrounded by overwhelming beauty.

Fast forward to the early 2010s, and Lori and I backpacked together to as many stunning places in the High Sierra as we could, to include a few of the most photogenic locations in Jeff’s 320-guide book, “Photographing California Vol. 2 – South“. The entire Sierra Nevada would warrant its own book, but with over 10,000 lakes alone, good luck. And as John Muir observed, “Great is the power of the guidebook maker, however ignorant.” Today we are all guide book makers, both disclosing locations (or not) in our social media posts, but also now feeding AI algorithms who can often find and disclose locations whether we want them to or not. So maybe most locations are better off with sufficient anonymity to preserve their wild nature, and to remain a relaxing place to find peace, a refuge from the craziness of modern jobs and society.  

“Keep close to nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” -John Muir

A few back problems/injuries/surgeries later, we still crave the experiences, but now a pack trip supported by horses and mules seems like a great way to get there. A major side benefit is that using a packer allows us to share the experience with a few others as well! We’ll keep this group small so we can have a relaxing, uncrowded wilderness experience.