Sequoia and Kings Canyon are good too. Once you get away from the touristy spots the trails aren't crowded. At least they weren't when I was there.

But, Yosemite is the Crown Jewel of NPs, and the logistics of getting there and hiking there are probably the best anywhere you can go. All things considered it almost has to be the first place I'd recommend too, and I've never even been there

Don't forget the Boundary Waters area is near (relatively) Isle Royale - is there any good backpacking there?

Of course, if our young friend got tired of walking, a canoe or kayak trip might make for a pleasant finale to the month.

Hey, Ranger, the same offer is open to you, if you want to fly to Dayton. (I'd even let you UPS your gear to my house - give me a chance to do some upgrades while you were en route. )

I wasn't intending to talk him out of it - just give him some alternatives closer to home (if logistics is a problem) and perhaps less daunting (which may be more a matter of parental trepidation than his own spirit.)

Regardless of where he decides to go, I'm very envious; youth is indeed wasted on the young!

Ending up not-dead would be kinda nice. Hehe I guess learning self-reliance skills would take some time and experience. I'm the kind of person who usually goes into things all-or-nothing. Its gotten me into all kinds of situations throughout my life. Some good, many not so much. But I feel as though I should go against my nature on this, listen to you experienced folk, and postpone going to Oregon until a later time when I do have more experience.

BUT! There is still my other options that have been listed so kindly. So far, Yosemite is winning. I've seen a few images on Google and the scenery looks breathtaking there! Nonetheless, I still have many other places to look into.

And I agree, I should probably get my gear very soon to be able to practice with it and see if the backpack fits and everything.

Well it was an extremely difficult decision, I am the most stubborn person I know, but I'm going to listen to you guys. Not listening to your guys' input would probably not be a wise decision, since you all have only a tiny bit more experience than me hehe. So but I must say you were spot-on in saying that its hard to change someone's mind of a dream they've already begun to construct. And let me tell you, there was a lot of that daydreaming going on in my classes today.

Isle Royale looks stunning in the pictures I've seen, but it seems like there are too many issues with transportation to be able to even get there. And that is a noble gesture Glenn, but I don't want to get you in trouble with your wife hehe

Like I've never been in trouble with her before! (Like most men, I married a whole lot better than she did.)

Actually, Isle Royale is beautiful, but probably a bit too complicated, logistically, for what you want to do. All things considered, it sounds like your best bet would be Yosemite if you decide to go west, and the Appalachian Trail (a single longer chunk, or several selective sections) if you want to stay east.

Unless next season's snow pack is like last season's snow pack, in which case a lot of Yosemite may be under snow til July.

Keep your eyes on the forum! The trip reports will be rollin' in come springtime. I shall be taking the hiking group to Yosemite for snowshoeing several times before then, and want to get a 3-4 day Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne trip going in July. I might be able to add a day and go from Hetch Hetchy this time.

Okay, Yosemite wins! So at the end of my senior year, I will be going to Yosemite National Park. It looks so beautiful and from what you have all told me, it seems like the ideal place for me to go.

Going in July instead of June is something I can definitely do. So if its snow I have to worry about in June, the I'll just have to go in July.

You may only encounter snow in the high country, and not much at that depending on where you go. In the Valley in summer, it is hot. Not Florida hot with high humidity, but hot. Check the park's website for weather info.

I highly recommend the Rough Guide to Yosemite. Amazon or your local bookstore will have it or can order it for you. Retail price, $9.95. Also Tom Harrison has a great map of Yosemite.
www.tomharrisonmaps.com
There are many other guidebooks, plus info on the park's own website. The concessionaire also has its own website to make camping reservations, which you will need for some camps. Backcountry requires a free backcountry permit, which you can get once you get there.

That seems ideal though, snow still in some places but most all of it melted away.

And one thing I can say about living in Florida my whole life, I've learned ways to keep cool and deal with heat. So the heat doesn't concern me as much as the cold does. Now that's a whole new animal right there...

And thanks for the book recommendation. I'll see if I can get it.

Bear in mind that the heat in Yosemite will be far different from what you have in Miami. The relative humidity is extremely in the High Sierra. That means you will still sweat a lot, but you won't notice it because it will evaporate almost immediately.

So don't use sweat as an indicator of how hot you are, and keeping drinking LOTS of water.

This would get my vote as well.

Appalachian backcountry is beautiful and plenty challenging, especially for a beginner.

And no grizzlies to worry about. Ha.

Grizzlies in Yosemite? not recently...

The real hazard for Easterners traveling to the West is that once you experience the area (and Yosemite is just the tip of the iceberg), you will never go back east. That is what happened to me years ago.

Once you have cut your teeth on Yosemite, you can try some really nice, relatively secluded areas like the Gila Wilderness, Bob Marshall, or similar..

Regarding the eastern U.S.A. vs. western U.S.A.:

I really have no doubt that the east has some amazingly beautiful country, the sort of places that make your heart swell like a bullfrog with quiet wonderment. But when it comes to generating powerful, thrilling waves of awe, the western mountains (and deserts) are in a whole 'nother league. And for a flatland Florida lad, Yosemite will be like dying and going to heaven.

Just my $0.02.

There are no grizzlies in California, have not been any since before I was born... and that wasn't yesterday.

And the black bears here just want your food, so don't forget to rent the bear canister.

Shhhhhhh. You aren't suppose to tell anyone.

Yeah, I agree. Nothing east of the Rockies can compete for jaw dropping awe.

And the Ozarks do "make your heart swell like a bullfrog with quiet wonderment". At least they do mine

except for the one on the state flag...

Actually, I don't think it's a contest. You simply learn to love the areas you can get to. In my case, I don't hike out west because I can't block out 10 days or 2 weeks to hike (competing needs of work, family, etc.)

I've seen some of the western mountains, not as a backpacker, but as a business visitor. They are incredibly beautiful. So are the Applachians and Smokies and Whites. But they're all beautiful differently - and that's the wonderful part: there's always something to wow everyone. As Harry Roberts once wrote: "backpacking exists everywhere, and it's good everywhere... There are places in this world that let you look out far, and others that help you look in deep. My Michigan is one of the others..."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

So yesterday I just didn't have the time to respond to any posts on here. Between catching up on both AP physics work and sleep, I just couldn't. Oh and wish me luck on my physics test tomorrow!



Ah aimless, very perceptive of you. That is a huge reason why I'm adamant about going to the mountains in the west coast.

Oh and my mother is a little relieved to find out that I am going to Yosemite instead of Oregon. Cooled her off a bit. So good call guys

Be sure and check back in and let us know how it all turned out.

Heck, he needs to check in sooner than that and share some of the planning stages. Just so we can see he's doing his due diligence, and so we can help him to figure all this new stuff out.