Over the past month Adam & I hiked from the Lost Coast across the Yolla Bollies, biked through the Central Valley, walked up the South Fork of the Yuba & down the PCT to the Tahoe Rim Trail. We are currently on a week long break from the Ryder Route to shuttle trucks, cache food, and for Adam to attend a friend’s wedding. Soon we will head back up to Mt. Rose and resume our hike south to Whitney & Death Valley. 500 down, 500 to go!

So far the hike has been breathtaking in the terrain and views. There has been many challenges, like following trails that haven’t been maintained for years,  dodging pot fields under blackhawk helicopters, or figuring out how much water to carry into the unknown. Huge climbs & descents have become part of our daily rhythm and California has shown us much of her wild variety- from cool redwood forests to sunbaked chaparral coated hillsides and finally to the open granite slabs and gnarled pines of the high sierra.

I hope to post a full description of the route and our experiences once we finish the route. Adam has created a Facebook page for the Japhy Ryder on which you can see our frequent updates & posts.