I took a little blogging sabbatical over the holidays, and now I'm back in cozy little Quincy after a satisfying vacation. Between the visits with family and multiple Christmas baking sessions with friends, I was able to squeeze in a few adventures. (with all the baking and consuming we did...we had to do something to work off all that pie, toffee, povitica, fudge, scones and cookies!)
We started burning the Christmas calories with a ski trip up to Mineral King in the southern reaches of Sequoia NP. Mineral King has always been a magical place for me. It was there that I went on my first backpacking trip, the location of my first real job, and the place my sister met and fell in love with her husband. That mountain contains many memories and has done much to shape me into the person I am now. What made the trip even more special was the company. My skiing mates, Casey, Molly and Rachel, are as close as family and have strong ties to the mountain as well.
We were blessed with a few feet of fresh powder to blaze through, and we received a little more while we were up there. Our ultimate goal was to make it to Sunset Point and hopefully continue on to Mineral King Valley, but there was obvious evidence of recent avalanches so we decided to turn around considering time was also running thin. The four of us were disappointed, but we were simply content to be in the company of each other in such a glorious place. We had the whole mountain to ourselves during the few days we were up there; absolutely no evidence of life other than the bear, squirrel, and coyote tracks.
I am so thankful Mineral King remains a pristine sanctuary during the winter months when it is closed off to the public. Had Walt Disney had his way back in the '70s, the mountain would be marred with ski lifts and teeming with people. Although it is a shame that more people are not able to enjoy the snow-covered majestic peaks. 
It might have been a little chilly too... it was at least cold enough for haircicles to form on Rachel.
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After the ski trip, I had a couple layover days at home and then headed down south to the Mojave Desert. I met some buddies at Joshua Tree NP where we spent one solid week of climbing. I was never really much of a desert person, but now I see it in its own unique beauty. 
The geologic formations are particularly striking....their distribution and characteristics make it look like God was playing a giant game of tetris, and Joshua Tree NP is what resulted.
We topped off the perfect week by climbing "Headstone" during the sunset of our final night. It was a windy evening, of which we took full advantage of.
photo by Nathaniel Bluedorn
Royal and I on Headstone
photo by Nathaniel Bluedorn
"You can not not smile while flying a kite."
Renee
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