Get Your Permits!

We're already well along with planning our summer adventures. Yes, it's still only the end of January. But we've already managed to get our California campfire permit, which allows us to cook in the backcountry (pending the obvious fire restrictions) and a California fishing license, so that we can while away the hours in distant lakes and streams.

But that's only half the story. With the current COVID restrictions playing havoc with the various departments and organizations that manage our wilderness, we've still been lucky in landing a permit for a backpacking trip in Yosemite through their lottery system, and another through the Inyo National Forest (think John Muir and Ansel Adams Wildernesses) for later in the month.

Given our success, it's well worth your while to play the lottery game with Yosemite, and to keep those fingers nimble for the Inyo permits, which are made available each morning at 7 a.m. PDT.

Don't get me wrong. We did not get on our computer at 6:45 a.m. and wait, fingers poised, to get a permit. We went on a couple of days later and scored a permit for a slightly less popular trailhead. We're happy.