Yosemite High Country Immersion

This is a very-small group, application-only trip with a high-route style itinerary that has room to adapt to conditions and group goals. Here’s how it works and how to join:

Route design and flexibility

This trip follows a custom high-route style itinerary rather than a single named trail.

• We arrive with a researched route and a set of alternate options that we design together

• Each day we talk through the plan, look at maps, and choose lines within that framework so you can see how a professional guide approaches new high country terrain.

• If conditions change, we adjust together, always staying within the agreed Level 3 Immersion difficulty and risk profile.

This process invites you into the planning and decision making in a way that most guided trips never offer.

Your role on the trip

This is a mentorship-focused week with more of a ‘team’ feel than other trips.

• You carry your own kit, take part in navigation and route decisions, and help with camp tasks.

• At times you may be up front making line choices with coaching and backup.

• At other times you’ll rest, follow, and watch how decisions get made.

Application process

1. Click the “Apply for this trip” button (above) and pay the $25 refundable application fee. I’ll follow up shortly after with a quick survey about your hiking and backpacking experience, recent trips, fitness, and off-trail comfort.

2. After reviewing your responses, we’ll schedule a brief call to talk through your experience, goals, and any questions either of us has.

3. If we both decide it’s a good fit, you’ll receive an invoice to submit your trip deposit; your $25 fee is applied to your trip cost. If we decide it’s not the right match, your application fee is refunded in full and I’ll suggest other options or next steps.

Not quite ready to apply? Have some questions or wanna chat first? Reach out below👇

This is a Level 3 Immersion. It’s intentionally challenging and requires strong fitness, solid experience, and some mental resilience. You should expect meaningful effort, uncertainty, and remoteness for a full week, with systems and support that make that effort feel purposeful rather than punishing.

If this sounds intriguing but slightly out of reach, consider a Level 2 Explorations trip first, then use this Immersion as a future goal.

If you are unsure which trip or level is best, read more about our Trip Levels & Difficulty or contact me and we’ll figure it out together.

You’re a good fit if you can:

• Can comfortably hike 10+ miles with 3,000+ feet of elevation gain over consecutive days

• Have done multi-day backpacking trips of at least 3 to 4 nights

• Are comfortable on off-trail terrain: slabs, talus, steep grass, loose bits, and occasional hands-and-feet movement

• Have good balance and joint health, and a sense of how your body responds to several days at altitude

• Are excited by the idea of participating in route finding, risk assessment, and group decision making

• Can handle being fully offline with non-trivial exit options for a week

Consider a Level 2 trip instead if you:

• Are still unsure about basic backpacking tasks like packing, camp setup, and food systems

• Have significant fear of heights, exposure, or moving on uneven rock

• Are dealing with injuries that flare with steep climbing, long descents, or uneven surfaces

• Prefer highly structured, on-trail itineraries where you don’t need to think much about route choices or body placement

• Aren’t ready to take responsibility for your own pacing or self-care

Better backpacking is simple: carry the essentials, keep systems clean, and pay attention. At Level 3 we add advanced terrain, navigation, planning, and leadership so you can start to design and execute your own ambitious high-route style trips.

All Wilder Walks trips are hands-on and participatory. Learn more about what to expect before and during your trip.

This trip will be guided by me, Alex, the owner of Wilder Walks. Learn more about me and my guiding style.

Over seven days, we’ll:

• Learn how to research and design high routes, including where ideas come from and how to read maps and satellite imagery for terrain clues.

• Refine an ultralight kit for a week-long, mostly off-trail high-route style trip so your pack stays efficient without feeling stripped to the bone.

• Practice moving efficiently through complex terrain: picking lines on slabs, talus, benches, and mixed ground while protecting joints and managing exposure.

• Participate in daily route and risk discussions that include weather, snow, water, and group condition, with chances to lead shorter segments under coaching.

• Practice advanced navigation: micro-route decisions, off-trail passes, staying oriented in rolling terrain, and moving in lower visibility.

• Deepen your understanding of the High Sierra as a connected system of watersheds, rock types, and ecological bands, and how that shapes the routes we choose.

You don’t need to arrive as a backpacking expert, but you should have solid fundamentals so we can focus on higher-level skills. This is not a “guide shows off while clients follow” trip. It is a high-level mentorship experience in backpacking, route design, and living well in wild country for a sustained stretch of time.

This itinerary shows the pattern and feel of the week. The exact route is intentionally flexible and will be finalized closer to departure based on permits, snowpack, fire impacts, and water levels. As conditions evolve, we’ll share the working route, talk through options, and keep the final line within the Level 3 Immersion and 5 / 5 difficulty range.

Here’s the rough shape of the trip:

The difficulty of this trip is rated: 5 / 5

You should expect real effort on this trip: multiple consecutive days at altitude, extensive off-trail travel, and regular big climbs and descents with a pack. It is not technical climbing, but it is the most physically and mentally demanding group trip in the Wilder Walks lineup.

You can learn more about how we rate trip difficulty. If you’re unsure about whether this trip is right for you, contact Alex and we’ll figure it out together.

At a glance

• Duration: 7 days, 6 nights

• Average daily distance: roughly 7 to 9 miles

• Maximum daily distance: 10+ miles, depending on final route

• Average daily elevation gain: 2,500+ feet

• Maximum daily elevation gain: 3,500+ feet possible on big pass or high point days

• Terrain: extensive off-trail travel on slabs, talus, steep grass, benches, and some light scrambling; mixed with stretches of trail where it makes sense

• Exposure to heights: moderate to significant in places; we avoid technical climbing but you will feel real exposure at times

• Weather & bug exposure: full alpine conditions with strong sun, cool nights, and the possibility of afternoon storms and short periods of poor visibility. Mosquitoes near water.

• Remoteness: high; we are deep in the backcountry for most of the week, with exits that are possible but not quick

• Elevation range: approximately 8,600 to 11,000+ feet

Meeting place

We will meet at the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center in Yosemite National Park.

You’ll be able to enter the park for this trip using the wilderness permit associated with our itinerary. For arrivals more than 24 hours before the trip start, you may need a separate reservation or to enter during off-peak hours. Exact details will be provided in your pre trip materials.

Starting & Ending time

Plan to meet at the meeting place by 8:00 AM on the first day of your trip.

We aim to return to the trailhead by around 4:00 PM on Day 7. Actual time can vary with conditions and group pace. If you have same day travel plans, build in some buffer.

Getting there

You are responsible for your own transportation to and from the meeting place. We’ll share suggestions for nearby lodging and campgrounds after you book.

Because of the nature of this trip, there is a short application and conversation before payment.

After your application is accepted and your deposit is paid:

• You’ll receive a detailed trip information packet with gear lists, training priorities, and route-planning concepts

• We’ll schedule three virtual pre-trip sessions:

• Gear and packing plus physical training plan

• Route design deep dive and how we chose this year’s high-route style line

• Final logistics, weather expectations, and mindset preparation

• You’ll have clear expectations about daily structure, decision-making roles, and safety protocols well before we hit the trail

For a broader overview of Wilder Walks trips, you can also learn more about what to expect >