Now that winter is upon us, let's try hiking a few fire roads within our mountains surrounding Oakhurst. If you check our local map, there are many forgotten roads leading into remote areas only minutes from our down town area.

The other day Fred Cochran and I decided to hike from the forestry gate at Road 223 and the unpaved Thornberry Road. Then trek across Thornberry Mountain toward Mudge Ranch. If time would permit, follow toward the forest gate along Veater Ranch Road in the Coarsegold area. Note: Be sure and get permission to cross the Veater Ranch property.

For many decades Tioga Pass is an area to forget visiting once December arrives due to heavy snowfall that closes the road. With that thought in mind, I opened the Internet and on my face book a friend sent me a video on someone driving over Tioga Pass. My first thought after watching that video was I'd sure would like to see Tioga and Tenaya Lakes in their frozen state.

The following morning was Sunday and with no commitments to delay this new adventure I picked up my hiking buddy Nancy Morgan at 8 a.m. and we proceeded into Yosemite National Park. Our agenda was to first photograph Tenaya Lake. Next Tuolumne Meadows, then over Tioga Pass to Tioga Lake.

It's bound to snow soon, so when it does, be ready to enjoy it. If down-hill skiing is a little too physical and adventurous for you, I suggest you try a little cross-country skiing or for even a slower pace, snowshoeing this winter.

A few years ago I was searching my maps for an area to enjoy two hours of snowshoeing without driving three hours. I discovered a gentle but lengthy route on the south side of Yosemite National Park.

Here we are in July and the harsh winter snows are still lingering, even below 8,000 feet in our local mountains. During the past month I spent time traveling promoting my book in Grants Pass, Ore., and hiking part of the Rogue River.

That wild river and I shared a few memories from 2009 involving my four-day hiking adventure following its path to the ocean.

Our winter snow pack is starting to melt, but most of the Sierra trails haven’t opened for spring. If your desire for adventure is uncontrollable, I have a few hikes that should satisfy that need.

Drive Highway 49 to Mariposa, then Highway 140 through Midpines to Briceburg at the Merced River. The parking area is next to the river just before the suspension bridge. Cross the bridge and follow the old railroad spur down river. If the gate is open you can drive to the first campground and will save three miles of hiking.

Have any of you spent time in our local mountains taking advantage of our recent snowfall? With our snowfall above average this season, Clem Bingham, Klaus Penning and I decided to drive into our local mountains and strap on our snowshoes. Clem and I spent time last winter snowshoeing in Yosemite. This season Klaus joined us on one of our first outings. He is a seasoned downhill and cross-country skier; also he spent many years with the National Nordic Ski Patrol. We were excited to have him along on our adventure.

We decided to snowshoe the old fire road above Oakhurst on Thornberry Mountain. The last winter storm deposited over a foot of fresh snow, which was ideal for our outing. I was thankful that our county snowplow drivers worked all night removing snow on Road 426 and 223 so we could park close to the fire road gate.