Growing up in California, I spent many a summer day camping, hiking, fishing, and backpacking with my family in the spectacular Desolation Wilderness backcountry around Lake Tahoe. I now live in Connecticut, but my heart will always belong to California.

Last September, I had the pleasure of taking my husband to see some of my favorite hiking spots in the Sierra Nevada mountains. I had such a great time re-living some of my favorite childhood memories with my husband and making some new ones of our own. It was on one of our hikes deep in the Desolation Wilderness backcountry that I came across this brilliant green moss.

Lake Tahoe and the surrounding Sierra Nevada mountains and Desolation Wilderness will always be near and dear to my heart, and I can't wait for our next trip to the area in mid-August.