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Firtop in Point Reyes is a nice hike. And the whole hike is in the trees, so it's pretty dry.

If the weather is looking sucky in NoCal, look to SoCal.

If it sucks around LA, look in the desert. This weekend is a great one for heading to the Mojave. Weather report for Barstow:
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.ph ... it=0&lg=en

I used to pooh-pooh desert peaks until I actually climbed some. They are awesome. For a good start, you can get a whole list of interesting ones on the DPS website. Try it, you'll like it!

(If you can't stomach 6-7hr drives, then forget the above. But I tell ya, they're worth it!)

butitsadryheat wrote:Bob,
I read a TR you wrote about Pilot Knob above Lake Isabella. Is that one a decent hike? Or is there something better in the area?

It is decent, has a great overlook of the valley to the south, a fun desert-like scramble too. Since I hiked it, the peak has been delisted from the HPS, possibly for access reasons - there's some private property to go through near the river. Still on the SPS list, though.

squishy, it only talks about norcal no? I'd head south to Jtree (if I were feeling lazy) or keep going to Arizonalands (if I were feeling less lazy) . you kalifornians are spoiled with good weather options...red rocks?

Strap on the skis/snowshoes and get out! No excuse!

Grew up near Colfax. As a punk kid/young adult, it was fun to drive up during storms to Boreal's parking lot to spin donuts in the snow.

Head for the "Bogus Thunder Mountains", Squishy. Real heavy rainstorms can be fun in the Sierra foothills. Spent a lot of time hanging out and hiking in the American River Canyon growing up. Trails like Stevens where all of those little itty bitty creeks suddenly become swollen.

One rainy hike down Stevens we rock hopped across Robber's Ravine on the way down. On the way back, the creek was a completely different animal-a major undertaking to get back across (we had a rope set up on our way down expecting issues-and we needed it.) A different kind of "mountaineering."

Go to Glacier Point Rd. in Yosemite and ski / snowshoe to Dewey (sp?) Point, Taft Point or Glacier Point. Would be hard to get lost there even in the storm. Sounds like the system moving in on Sat is going to be pretty mild. It all depends how adventurous you feel...

If you go to the desert, just don't park or camp in a wash. It's not a good idea anytime, but when flash floods are predicted it's a really bad idea.

The weather in SoCal looks fine this weekend. A climb of San Gorgonio (11,500 feet) would be a good workout.

Go and try the "Prow"....

From the look of the forecasts, the further south you go the milder things look for the weekend. Kris' suggestion of Glacier Pt, etc. sounds good, though I know some of your party has already done a good bit of that one. Another friend is heading to Sequoia National Park to the Lodgepole area. The Lodgepole campground is open all winter for snowcamping and you can do daytrips from there or Wolverton if you like.

But if you've never experienced snow-camping in marginal weather or an approaching storm, this might be your weekend. It's just like fun, only different

If anyone is interested in joining up, I am going to head to Mt. Baldy on Sunday for the day. Maybe leave the car at 6:30am / 7am. PM if interested.

My mistake, I figured you were hooking up with Holly, Nat, etc.

When I go snowshoeing / snowcamping, it's usually solo. I've learned how to pack light and I like going at my own pace, enjoying the solitude of being outdoors.

One of the first solo snowcamping trips I took was in the Stanislaus National Forest, near Pinecrest and Dodge Ridge. There are some x/c ski trails (snow-covered roads really) near there that I've snowshoed many times. A storm was coming in, and I cooked dinner while the snow was coming down. It was a really fun experience. In the morning everything had cleared out and there was a new layer of snow everywhere.





Granted, I had the luxury of breaking camp and heading back to the car after the storm passed

A few years later I went up to Lassen National Park to test out a new mountaineering tent I'd bought. There was some stormy weather and I camped on a ridge to see how the tent would fare. The snow fell & wind blew. But again, by morning everything had cleared out.





What the hell, test your limits. Beats sitting in front of a computer

Went on a killer mountain bike ride this afternoon. Think I'll go be a gym rat tomorrow