Grab one: Fourteen spots remaining on 2017 guided trips

The view north from Tablelands. The South Fork of the Kings River runs right to left through the center of the photo, out of view deep in a canyon. On the skyline can be seen the Palisades (right side) and Black Divide (left side).

“Wait a minute? You’re offering guided trips this year?”

Indeed, earlier this spring I decided to offer trips again in 2017. My original thought was to open them only to alumni, some of whom have be waiting a few years to take a longer trip with me, and then launch a broader program in 2018.

But the alumni interest was so strong that to make room for everyone I decided to double capacity. Of the six sessions, five still have some space on them, and these spots are up for grabs. I am accepting applications immediately.

Each session will have two guides and up to eight clients. I am guiding half of the sessions. My assistant, or the guides leading the sister session, will be the all-star crew of Alan DixonMike Clelland, and Brian Robinson. Refer to the schedule below for guide assignments, if you have a preference. Honestly, you can’t go wrong.

The trips will take place in late-September in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park, the southern bookend of California’s High Sierra. The primary goal is adventure — we will travel extensively off-trail and camp in seldom visited areas of the park. Early-winter weather could add some spice, too.

But the trips will also be learning-intensive. Ultimately, my goal is for clients to feel as if they could undertake a similarly ambitious trip on their own, such as when Rud, Krishna, and Nathan completed Loop 8 of the Wind River High Route and when David, Paul, and Chris did Loop 1 of the Kings Canyon High Basin Route.

Speaking of, some of our routes will follow segments of the KCHBR. We will also be visiting the Mineral King area, which has been on my list for years for but which hasn’t happened until now.

I have partnered with Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides to make these trips possible. This allows me to focus on guiding, while SYMG manages the related admin.

Here is the schedule with real-time registration numbers:

Interested? Quick links:

Questions? Leave a comment, or contact me privately.

Posted in on May 22, 2017
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3 Comments

  1. Franz on May 28, 2017 at 6:30 pm

    Just wondering why some of the group descriptions say “all male”? I’ve read your review of Heather “Anish” Anderson’s extreme hikes so can’t imagine there’s a bias regarding ability.

    • Andrew Skurka on May 28, 2017 at 6:42 pm

      It’s simply a description of the current group, not a requirement that it remain that way. My groups skew male, but so too does the larger backpacking community. All told, I have probably had about one-hundred female clients. The curriculum is gender-neutral.

      • Franz on May 29, 2017 at 12:21 am

        That makes sense. Thanks for the quick reply.

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