Dear reader, I'm packing the diary in my rucksack while I hit the trail so there will be no entries for several weeks. Today I fly to San Fransisco to catch up with some good people in the Bay Area then I'll continue my explorations of the Pacific North-West.
 In 2016 I headed for Mount Shasta in northern California (top photo) for some hiking and camping where the tree line meets the snowline. I wasn't keeping this diary then but there is an entry 21st. June last year concerning the extraordinary Panther Meadows, an alpine flower meadow on the slopes of Shasta.
 In 2017 I pitched my tent near Crater Lake (second photo) in southern Oregon- there are numerous entries last August about this trip.
 This year I'm heading to NorCal again but south of Shasta, to Castle Crags. I'll be back later in the month with some tales from the trails...