Sierra Nevada Path Working Guidebook

Returning to the Sierra

It seems you’ll be able to go house once more. And it may be even higher than remembered –  particularly if you return to California to path run within the Sierra Nevada.

I grew up in California and spent virtually 20 years within the Jap Sierra, ten of these dwelling in Bishop. These are the mountains the place I discovered to climb, ski, run, and be a photographer. I by no means imagined leaving them. However in some unspecified time in the future the will to see different locations grew to become too sturdy. I moved to the Italian Dolomites for 5 years earlier than settling within the Swiss Alps for an additional 9. All this time plus in depth journey within the Himalaya, Kyrgyzstan, and the Andes has offered me with an appreciation for various mountain ranges of the world. 

Within the winter of 2020/2021, I spent 6 weeks again within the Sierra for a climbing and working mission for Patagonia’s The Cleanest Line. These weeks jogged my memory that my coronary heart is within the Sierra. I needed to return. 

Sierra Path Working Information

The thought to do a path working information to the Excessive Sierra got here to me on the identical journey. It’s a lot wanted, and it’s the proper cause to remain in California for chunks of time.

Better of all, we’d get to run everywhere in the Sierra in each well-remembered areas and on new trails, and cross nation routes, needing some exploration. 

I used to be nervous that going again can be unimaginable, that I’d solely be let down, annoyed in any respect the change and growing crowds I stored listening to about. I had an excessive amount of to check all of it to and can be sporting rose coloured glasses from the previous.

As a substitute, we slotted proper again into our outdated house like we’d by no means left.

I used to be reminded of all that I miss in regards to the US as an expat dwelling in Switzerland. The unimaginable friendliness of individuals we met alongside the way in which, sunny days, the nice and cozy excessive nation, and the unmatched closeness of the Bishop neighborhood. Amongst these pleasant encounters have been a complete lot extra runners we met within the excessive nation. Apparently it’s not simply the Alps which are seeing a increase in path working.

That is the second guidebook we’ve performed on path working, the primary being a information to working within the Swiss Alps. Our staff is the same old forged of characters, plus one. Janine is figuring out all of the runs, Kim is managing the content material, I’m in command of burritos and slicing limes to place within the Negra Modelos, and Bishop native Hjördis Rickert, is writing. We’re all working each step of each route, we’re all photographers and we’re all past stoked at what we’re discovering.

Should you’d wish to get to know the mountains you’re keen on, I extremely suggest doing a guidebook. You’ll be pressured to go locations you by no means thought-about, and also you’ll come to intimately know each little nook of what you thought you knew. However you probably have zero curiosity in producing a guidebook, you might be curious about utilizing ours as soon as it’s revealed by the superb people at Wolverine Publishing.

The Sierra Nevada is undoubtedly one of many nice path working ranges. Excellent climate, comparatively easy accessibility, yr spherical enjoyable, growing numbers of taco vans, and a great deal of trails all make for a dream working vacation spot. However, realizing which trails are nice and which trails are rocky minefields is crucial. We plan to assist with that. However hold tight, there’s work to be performed.

In case I haven’t offered the Sierra sufficient, here’s a gallery from our summer season. We’re simply getting began.

By Dan Patitucci

A HUGE because of the manufacturers which are serving to make all of this occur: Patagonia, La Sportiva, MSR/Cascade Designs, Path Butter, CLIF Bar, Drymax Socks, Black Sheep Espresso, and Oofos.