Hello, my name is Robert Scholes. For a younger broker in the CRE field, it doesn’t always make sense to take vacations early on in your career. The feeling of always closing or producing weighs heavily on new brokers. I want to argue that for as many hours as you can pound the phone or send emails, the real opportunities in this industry are found by getting out in nature and meeting people. Grabbing a beer at the local bar after a long hike is a great strategy too. You’d be surprised by the caliber of people you’ll meet on the trail and the shared experiences you’ll have. The friendships you can create while exploring all corners of the world is incredible.
Planning a seven-day hiking trip is second nature to an Eagle Scout. I spent my weekends from the age of 6 until my “Retirement from My High Adventure CREW” at age 20 in the outdoors. When planning the trip, I first looked at national parks that I wanted to visit for the first time or ones I needed to return to. During this trip, I went to Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, Inyo National Forest, and Death Valley National Park. It was over 1000+ Miles and one of the best trips of my life so far!
I witnessed extreme beauty during my trip. Each of these locations has its own unique natural beauty. The people we met along the way made my trip interesting to say the least. From the mini bears (aka squirrels) to the threat of actual bears at our campsite, we never had a dull moment.
Kings Canyon National Park – River Valley
Equipment Recommendations
So many brokers in my office asked me what you pack for a trip like this. Without discussing everything, I’ll break down the few most important things needed when on the trail for a week. You’ll need good quality hiking shoes with socks, socks, socks, and extra socks! After doing 12+ miles a day, you’ll want to change those immediately after those long hikes.
Well, now onto the rest of the items. You’ll want a good quality tent, a sleeping bag, and a great daypack with the BSA 10 Essentials inside it. You can see those here – https://scoutingmagazine.org/2013/02/the-10-essentials/
Insights
My experience of going on this trip after Covid has been eye-opening to me in many ways. I am blown away to see all the new faces of people on the trails who picked up hiking and camping recently. It gives me great hope that this passion stays with these people. I hope they continue to value the beauty of America to help protect these treasures for future generations. The unpleasant side effect of all this new activity is the lack of training and awareness. Everyone should be prepared and follow the practices of Leave No Trace – https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/. It was something we ran into many times during our hike of the Nevada Falls in Yosemite. I was astonished at how many times we had to stop to provide aid to those who had come so unprepared on such a grueling hikes. They lacked proper shoes and had inadequate water for hikes that could take 4+ hours or more with one 12 ounce water bottle.
Now enough of the boring stuff. You clicked here for pictures of beautiful landscapes and great food recommendations, right? I’m here to provide that, but before I do, I wanted to share one final thought. If everyone were to spend more time connecting with the natural world, it would make the world a little better of a home.
Food Recommendations
– Cocina Michoacana – 4.4 Stars – Groveland CA – Best hole in the wall Mexican food I’ve ever had, or it could have been due to the fact we walked 15 miles that day.
– Iron Door Saloon – 4.4 Stars – Groveland CA – Real Small town vibes; the Saloon has been open since 1852. I had a fantastic steak with that real lived-in Saloon feel.
– Aaron Schat’s Roadhouse & Cafe – 4.3 Stars – Bishop CA – Locally Owned & Operated. Our group decided to get a sampling of the menu, and I can say that nothing wasn’t extraordinary. Hoping we can get them to come to Vegas.
– Stovepipe Wells – Death Valley – World’s Lowest (Below Sea Level) Gas Station – I had to stop in the late afternoon heat of only 114 degrees that day to grab some snacks for the road. I recommend this gas Stop highly.
Chicago Stump – This was cut down and reconstructed for the 1897 Chicago World’s Fair, but people believed it was a hoax due to the size of the tree.
The General Sherman Tree is the world’s largest tree, measured by volume. It stands 275 feet (83 m) tall, and is over 36 feet (11 m) in diameter at the base.
Nevada Falls & Half Dome – Yosemite – Distance 5.4 mi – Elevation gain 2000 ft – Time 5-6 Hours
Half way up Nevada Falls with my brother, we had to stop to for a quick picture in the mist.
Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America at 282 ft (86 m) below sea level.