It was 2012, and I was back in the dry sun and heat of Bakersfield, California after spending two weeks in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is a summer tradition for me and my family. Typically, this ritual includes at least a week backpacking with one or more of my daughters, and lately, Susan, too. Fifty plus miles, five plus days…most of it spent in the 9,000 and 10,000-foot altitude range.[...] Read More