Christian Kemp's USA travelogs

Trip 15 - A fifteen-day trip to California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona with some big hikes (September-October 2008)

I rented a Corvette for a day in San Francisco, and then toured California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona in a SUV for the remaining two weeks. Along the way, I climbed to the top of Half Dome and Mount Dana in Yosemite National Park, did an overnight hike to Mount Whitney (California's highest mountain) and hiked from the Grand Canyon South Rim to North Tim in one day.

Friday, September 19th 2008
Flight from LUX to Paris CDG, then to San Francisco
Saturday, September 20th 2008
Take the Corvette to Muir Woods and Point Reyes Lighthouse, then change to a SUV and drive to Yosemite
Sunday, September 21st 2008
Hike to the top of Half Dome
Monday, September 22nd 2008
Mariposa Grove; hike from Taft Point to Sentinel Dome via Glacier Point; minor fender scratcher in the valley
Tuesday, September 23rd 2008
Hiking Mount Dana, on to Lone Pine
Wednesday, September 24th 2008
Getting a Mount Whitney permit, and hiking the first six miles into it
Thursday, September 25th 2008
Hike to the top of Mount Whitney, and all the way back to Whitney Portal
Friday, September 26th 2008
Driving and shopping day; to Nevada and Lake Mead via Death Valley
Saturday, September 27th 2008
Exploring the area north of Lake Mead; into Utah with an unsatisfactory visit to Coral Pink Sand Dunes
Sunday, September 28th 2008
Heading up Cottonwood Canyon Road, hiking one of the local slot canyons; and then to Zion for a thunderstorm sunset
Monday, September 29th 2008
Hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls; then driving Burr Trail and through Capitol Reef; crossing Lake Powell on a ferry
Tuesday, September 30th 2008
Goosenecks State Park, Navajo National Monument, Coal Mine Canyon, Wupatki National Monument, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Grand Canyon
Wednesday, October 1st 2008
Grand Canyon South Rim to North Rim through-hike in one day
Thursday, October 2nd 2008
From Grand Canyon to Canyon de Chelly
Friday, October 3rd 2008
Painted Desert, Lake Mead
Saturday, October 4th 2008
Last day in Las Vegas