AdventuresHiking

Mokelumne Wilderness: Round Top Peak via West Ridge

by Paulina Dao
written by Paulina Dao

Hike: Round Top Peak via West Ridge
Where: Mokelumne Wilderness
Trailhead: Woods Lake
Level: Moderate
Duration: 5 hours
Length: 7.5 miles
Gear: [sn] Super.Naural W Base 140 Tee, REI Sahara pants, Triple Aught Design Artemis Hoodie, Boreas Gear Topaz 25, and Salewa Alp Trainer Mid GTX boots
Cost of Parking: $5

Round Top Peak has been one of those elusive peaks on my Tahoe to-do list. Every time I’ve tried to attempt it, something hasn’t quite worked out: someone’s sick, couldn’t make it to Tahoe. This weekend, Russ and I set off to do it! It was going to my first, his fifth.

We headed out from the Bay Area early in the morning and got to the Woods Lake trailhead at around 11am. The skies were clear and blue; weather was in the 70s. It was an easy 2.5 miles in to Winnemucca Lake where we would split from the trail and head up the use trail to Round Top’s West summit. The trail until the last 500ft or so was well worn. Once we got into loose scree territory, it was a little difficult to follow, resulting in a choose your own adventure. Russ opted to stay here, and I continued on to check out the East summit, aka the true summit.

I traversed across the narrow ridge to the drop before climbing up to the summit. From what I’d read online, the East summit is a class 3 scramble with tons of scree and loose holds that were prone to snapping off. It looked so incredibly unappealing. I decided that I didn’t want to die that day and headed back to join my climbing partner.

We then made our way down the way we came up and went out by Round Top Lake and back to the Woods Lake trailhead.

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AdventuresBackpacking

#HellHikeAndRaft Day 3: Descending into Hell

by Paulina Dao
written by Paulina Dao

If you missed #HellHikeAndRaft Day One, click here! If you missed Day Two, click here!

Day three was our last day with packs on our back. Today, we were going to the Snake River! Today, we were going to see Wendy & Trevor!

That morning in camp was freezing. We ate the standard breakfast of oatmeal and we all huddled around the fire until we had to leave.

The trail descended quickly and steeply, and soon, we were whacking our way through overgrown brush and over fallen trees. The trail was in pretty bad shape. We were probably one of the few people to go through in the last five years, according to our guides, Rick and Marshall. Progress was slow and bear poop was plentiful.

#HellHikeAndRaft Day Three #HellHikeAndRaft Day Three

At approximately 7 hours later, we arrived at the Snake River, where margaritas, artichoke dip, river chicken and pineapple upside down cake awaited! Kicking my soggy hiking boots off never felt more gratifying!

#HellHikeAndRaft Day Three #HellHikeAndRaft Day Three
We traveled approximately 5.67 miles with 6,280′ of elevation loss from Hibbs Cow Camp.

If you missed out on #HellHikeAndRaft Day One, click here. If you missed Day Two, click here! Stay tuned for the other three days, and don’t forget to check out everyone else’s content!

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Gear

Outdoor Research Echo Ubertube

by Paulina Dao
written by Paulina Dao

Outdoor Research Echo Ubertube Review

When the Outdoor Research Echo Ubertube showed up in my #ORInsightLab package, I was skeptical. What the heck was this long, stretchy tube going to do for me? It took some time and consulting with fellow #ORInsightLab-er, Landon Faulkner, but the Echo Ubertube proved me wrong.

At 0.7 oz and highly compressible, this takes no space in your pack and adds no weight. It’s good to have it ’til you need it. Its possibilities are endless!

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Gear

[sn] super.natural W Base Tee 140

by Paulina Dao
written by Paulina Dao

[sn] super.natural W Base Tee 140 [sn] super.natural W Base Tee 140 [sn] super.natural W Base Tee 140 [sn] super.natural W Base Tee 140 [sn] super.natural W Base Tee 140

[sn] super.natural is an emerging player in the natural fibers garment game in the United States.

I got my hands on the [sn] super.natural W Base Tee 140 to test over the last month. This shirt has seen my office, airplanes, rafting in Idaho, the Eastern Sierra, and more. Launched in 2012, this brand is a fairly new player in the outdoor garment game, but the quality is fantastic.

The 140 weight base tee is super lightweight! It wicks away moisture and sweat to keep you cool, and dries extremely quickly. The merino wool gives this anti-microbial and anti-odor properties, making it okay to wear consecutive days on the trails or to the office without smelling absolutely horrible.

Despite the lighter weight, the merino wool-synthetic blend stands up to wear-and-tear of constant use. No holes from buttons on jeans, rock abrasions, backpacks, weekly washings, or kitten claws, yet!

My only complaint about this shirt? The tag and logo decals are like those DIY iron on t-shirt ones that you made shirts with in high school. They all started to peel off after the first wash. The decals leave behind an imprint of what used to be there.

I’m such a sucker for merino wool performance shirts, so I’ll definitely be stocking up on this brand. If you’re a fan of the Icebreaker Tech T Lite, this is comparable, and slightly more affordable.

The German brand launches in North America this fall. [sn] super.natural will available at Nordstrom and on Amazon. The W Base Tee 140 retails for $50.

This was sent to me for review.

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