CanyonMan Outdoors Blog

Gifford Pinchot Wildeness trip with Darrel - 10/12-14, 2018

2019-01-29T00:06:00.001-06:00

In mid-October, a co-worker, Darrel, and I found ourselves in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I had a presentation in Seattle and Darrel had a workshop in Portland. After the workshop, Darrel and I decided to spend the weekend in the wilderness. I haven't spent a lot of time in the Northwest, but had some ideas of places I wanted to visit. On the short list were Mount Rainier National Park, the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Mount Hood National Forest, and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Wilderness. The Gifford Pinchot is an area in southern Washington State, near Mt. St. Helens. I had never heard of it before this, but I was able to find a few good trails using the AllTrails app.

Day 1

The plan we settled on was to drive from Portland to the Gifford Pinchot and set up camp in the Lower Falls Campground along the Lewis River. This would be about a 2+ hour drive. The drive from Portland is beautiful. We headed east out of Portland along the Columbia River, through the Columbia River Gorge. Just past Bonneville, OR, you come to a turnoff for WA 14. This takes you over a memorable bridge called the Bridge of the Gods. If you've seen the Cheryl Strayed movie, Wild, you will recognize it as her stopping point along the Pacific Crest Trail at the border of Oregon and Washington. She didn't finish the PCT at the true northern terminus along the US-Canada border.

Driving up to the Bridge of the Gods

Looking out on the Columbia River from the Bridge of the Gods

Two and half hours after leaving the bustling city of Portland, we arrived at the quiet Lower Falls Campground and quickly set up camp so that we could go exploring. The weather was predicted to be perfect. Temperatures were supposed to be between 35 and 70 Fahrenheit, with not a drop of rain in the forecast. As usual, I brought my ENO SingleNest hammock, but for the first time ever, I opted to sleep in that instead of the tent I brought. I put my Big Agnes Insulated Air Core sleeping pad in the hammock and made myself a little cocoon. Darrel slept in the REI Half Dome tent I packed.

A gorgeous campsite in the Lower Falls Campground

After setting up camp, we set out to explore the area around the campground and found an amazing waterfall, Lower Falls, which is where the campground takes it's name.

The Lower Falls - namesake of the Campground

Darrel and I did some rock hopping, climbed down below the falls and then headed up river to find the Middle Falls and the Upper Falls. This would be about a 3.5 mile roundtrip trek. A great half day excursion.

The Lewis River trail is a gradual incline along the river. For most of the trip, you are about 50 feet above the river, with side trails that take you down to the river bank. The Lower Falls were a phenomenal sight to see, setting the bar pretty high for any upcoming scenery. The flora along the trail was amazing. So much greenery and colors with the fall change coming. You can see some of the plant life around the trail in the video above. While the trees and ferns along the trail were gorgeous, the Middle Falls were less than spectacular. On the other hand, the Upper Falls did not disappoint.

Darrel throwing rocks near the Upper Falls

The view from atop the Upper Falls

Looking down at the Upper Falls from the trail above them

The water around the Upper Falls is crystal clear

Back at camp, we started a fire to cook dinner. On the menu for the first night was ribeyes, potatoes and carrots. I carry a UCO Portable Grill to cook on in the wilderness. It's great for saving weight and it's always clean, unlike some of the campground grills. After dinner, Darrel and I noticed that between the moonless night and the dense canopy of the forest, the campground was pitch black. I have been in many places where there is little to no light pollution, but I don't believe I've been in a place that was this dark, besides the caves I've been in.

Since this was my first night ever to sleep in a hammock, I didn't get much sleep. Not because of discomfort, it was extremely comfortable. This was surprising to me. It was probably the most comfortable sleep I've had in the wilderness. No, I didn't sleep well the first night, for fear of falling out. This fear, I'm assuming, will dissipate with more experience, and possibly using the ENO DoubleNest vs the SingleNest. The second night was a much better sleep. And, even with the air temperature dipping close to the freezing mark, the insulated sleeping pad and my trusty REI Mojave 15 degree down bag kept me roasty toasty warm. My watch actually registered 72 degrees in my bag while it was 34 outside.

Day 2

In the morning, I got to introduce Darrel to the greatness of Mountain House Wraps Breakfast Skillet. This is a staple for me. I always pack some Cholula Hot Sauce or Tabasco or maybe even Texas Pete's from Chick-fil-A. The Breakfast Skillet is the perfect blend of eggs, hash browns, sausage, peppers and onions. Wrapped in a warm flour tortilla, you get a trail prep meal packed with protein and carbs.

Today, Darrel and I planned to take a drive from our campground over past views of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams. This was at times, an easy drive along well maintained asphalt roads, at other times, we were driving along washboard gravel paths. So, what should have been about a 20-30 minute drive turned into an hour trip.

We eventually got to the trailhead for the Indian Heaven Trail within the Indian Heaven Wilderness. It's about a 6 mile loop hike past about a dozen or so lakes. A section of this hike even goes along the Pacific Crest Trail. A side note, this allowed me, within the calendar year 2018, to set foot on the PCT, AT and the CDT.

The trail begins and ends in the Cultus Creek Campground, but at two different trailheads. If you choose to start at the Indian Heaven Trail trailhead on the south end of the campground, you will have a more gradual start, but finish with a steep descent. Conversely, we started at the Cultus Creek Trail trailhead near the entrance of the campground. Starting here, the beginning of the hike was very steep, gaining around 1200 feet in a little over a mile. There are some spectacular vistas of Mt. Adams on the way up, so take your time and enjoy the views.

CanyonMan near one of the lakes

Mt. Adams with fresh powder

Mt. Adams across the valley

One of the many lakes along the trail

We finished the hike, after having a nice lunch by one of the lakes. Even though we were only at 5,000 feet, we found many patches of ice and snow and the temperatures were extremely cool, much cooler than back at camp. I'd highly recommend this hike, although I hear in the summer, the bugs can get pretty nasty. In the fall, however, it was pleasant, quiet and well worth the effort.

We stopped off at a vista of Mt. St. Helens on the way back to camp. It's amazing to think about the force created when Mt. St. Helens blew it's top. When I saw the size of the crater left and the amount of rock that has been removed from the top, I can't imagine what it would have been like here when it blew.

Imagine the force created to blow the top off Mt. St. Helens

After the brief stop to stare in awe, we got back to camp and whipped up some red beans, rice and chicken. Another staple of mine. Throw in some more hot sauce and you have a meal that will keep you warm and comfy all night long. Mix in a little Basil Hayden's bourbon and you will be sleeping right. Unlike the previous night, where I laid awake in fear of falling out, the second night was much better. I slept so sound. I'm looking forward to going with this setup again soon.

Day 3

This was bug out day. Simply got up, packed up, had some granola and a trail bar and got on the road back to Portland. We had flights to catch back to Dallas/Fort Worth. Thanks to my wife and Darrel's wife for giving us the weekend to enjoy nature, fellowship and fun. Thanks to Darrel for trusting me.

If you ever find yourself in the Pacific Northwest, I highly recommend the Gifford Pinchot. Darrel and I would have loved to explore some of the other areas, closer to Mt. St. Helens including the Lava Tubes. We'll save that for another trip.

2016 Trip to the Slot Canyons with Brandon

2018-04-30T23:43:00.002-05:00

It's no secret that one of my favorite places to visit is the slot canyons of southern Utah/northern Arizona. I have spent more time there than any other spot on my backpacking/hiking trips. It is where I got my name, CanyonMan. This is where it all started. In 2007, 4 buddies and I spent 5 days exploring places like Buckskin Gulch, The Wave, Hole-in-the-rock road, Spooky Gulch, Peek-a-boo slot and the Golden Cathedral.

Since then, I've been to Antelope Canyon, Zion, Bryce and many other parts of canyon country. In May of 2016, I had a conference in Las Vegas and had my son fly out on the last day for a trip to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

One of the many things I love about the rugged terrain of canyon country, and especially Escalante, is the ability to sort of do what I call car backpacking. Along the Hole-in-the-rock-road, you can find primitive camping allowing you to bring some good eats and drinks and just day hike into some of the most spectacular slot canyons in the US. We often bring some ribeye steaks, potatoes and carrots along with a little whiskey for a night cap.

The Hole-in-the-rock road is a 55+-mile washboard road leaving out of Escalante, UT and headed to the Colorado River. About every 5-10 miles, there is a spot to park and hike in to another set of slots. It is the old route that the original members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints took in covered wagons to bring supplies from the river to Salt Lake City. As rugged as it is now, I can't imagine doing this on wooden wheels loaded down with supplies. I've never actually made it to the Hole-in-the-rock road (HITR), but I hear there is one that leads down to the river. I hear the last few miles are pretty rough and require high-clearance and 4WD.

On this trip, our plan was to drive up from Vegas and find our first nights camp near Zebra slot at around mile 8 on HITR. We arrived rather late, so we just camped in the parking lot at the trailhead. My son slept in the back of the SUV and I made a cozy bed on the ground. This gave me a great sunset and sunrise view, plus a fantastic show of the stars in the Utah sky. If you've never been to this part of the world, you will not even know how many stars you can see in the sky. There is far less light pollution here than anywhere else in the US. There are so many stars that can be seen, it is difficult to make out the most common, and easily recognizable constellations, like the Big Dipper and Orion's belt.

My bed on the ground next to our SUV.

Day 1 - Zebra Slot

In the morning, we got up and had a simple breakfast bar, and headed out to find Zebra slot. I have been here a number of times, but this was to be Brandon's first trip to this slot. The trail is about 5.5 miles out-and-back. The trail starts across HITR from the parking lot and heads west through a mostly flat, open area. After about 1.5 miles, the walls start to rise up and close in forming a small canyon. You will have to pass through a cattle guard and continue to head northwest as the canyon walls grow and tighten up. At around the 2.2 mile mark, you'll come upon a wide open wash. Turn left and head north up the wash, keeping to the right, but staying in the wash, you'll eventually run right into the mouth of the slot.

I have been in this slot when it has been bone dry and when it is full of water. On this trip, it was full of water. When there's water in it, be prepared to get wet. There's typically no need to swim, but you're gonna be up to your waist in a soupy mess and an occasionally a few dead animals.

You'll know early on if there's gonna be water in the slot

Brandon wasn't too sure about wading

Just one of the dead animals you'll find floating

It gets about 2-3 feet deep in spots

Selfie


Zebra slot gets its name from the striations in the sandstone

If you are up to it, you can continue down the wash from the Zebra to a small slot known as Tunnel Slot. It's been full of water every time I've been there.You can pretty much just poke your head in unless you feel like swimming.

Tunnel Slot entrance

Brandon practicing Stemming

Retrace your footsteps back down the wash, or do what I enjoy doing and go cross country across the plateau above the wash until you dead end back at where the trail hit the wash on the way in. Then, follow the trail back to the parking lot.

From the parking lot, we drove down another 18 miles or so past the Dry Fork turnoff where the trailhead for Spooky, Peek-a-boo and Brimstone is. We found another turnoff with a durable camping surface and made camp for the night. We broke out the steaks and potatoes for a delicious post-day1 hike meal.

Day 2 - Spooky, Peek-a-boo and Brimstone

In the morning, we drove back to the trailhead. The Dry Fork road off HITR is really rough. It's located at around mile 27 on HITR. Without high-clearance, you'll only be able to make it about halfway to the trailhead and will need to walk the rest of the way. There's ample parking at the trailhead and this is usually one of the busiest trailheads along HITR, so plan on arriving early.

From the parking lot, you will head west down a sandstone ridge winding your way down about 100-200 vertical feet to the wash below. Once you get to the bottom, follow the trail hugging the sandstone wall on the right. After about .5 miles or less, you'll see the mouth of Peek-a-boo slot. There's a 20-foot climb up and into the slot or, what I typically do is hike through the next slot, Spooky and then go cross-country to the back-end of Peek-a-boo, which was the plan on this trip as well.

Spooky is about 3/4 of mile past Peek-a-boo, down the wash. You can typically follow the footprints. Like I said, this is a busy place. If you're claustrophobic, be prepared to turn back in Spooky Gulch. There are spots where the slot shrinks to around 6 inches wide. However, if you can make it to the back, you will be rewarded with a spectacular experience. This is a must see on any trip to the Escalante.

The mouth of Spooky Gulch

It gets tight pretty quick

There's a few good places to stop and relax

It's really tight

Not for the claustrophobic

The plan was to come out the back side of Spooky. I had done it as recently as the year prior to this trip, but on this trip, the exit on the back side was blocked by a chokestone. If you've seen the movie 127 Hours or read the book that it's based on, Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aaron Ralston, you'll know what a chokestone is. If you haven't seen or read either, think of jamming a giant rock into a crack. After some attempts to mantle and climb around the chokestone, Brandon reminded me that he knew how this movie ended and we decided to turn back.

When we exited the slot the way we came in, we climbed up the side of the slot and got on top to go cross-country to the back side of Peek-a-boo. Heading north through the sand and scrub brush, you'll find many cairns marking the route over to Peek-a-boo. Dropping in, it starts as a shallow carving in the sandstone and quickly winds it's way into a 20-30 foot deep slot canyon. There's a reason it's called Peek-a-boo. The slot makes constant s-patterns providing many hiding spots where you can't see around the corner. There are even some very interesting rock formations and natural bridges.

Dropping into Peek-a-boo

Some of the unique natural bridges

The downclimb out of the slot is a bit tricky and not recommended if you're afraid of heights and are not comfortable with climbing maneuvers. If you have multiple people, it might be worthwhile to carry some rope to lower those less comfortable downclimbing.

There's a third slot in this area, known as Brimstone, but I have yet to find it. Brandon and I spent an hour or so looking for it, but were unable to find the slot. I'll keep trying.

Back at the trailhead, we drove down another 3-4 miles to the Red Well trailhead. Again, we found another durable surface for our camp that night.

Day 3 & 4 - Coyote Gulch

In the morning, we packed up our backpacks for an overnight in Coyote Gulch. This was my first trip into this canyon. While not technically a slot canyon, it is very unique. This is at least a 7-10 mile roundtrip, but can be made as long as around 30 miles if you want to go to the end and back. We chose to stop about 4-5 miles in and camp for a night. We would then just hike down the canyon and back out.

The hike down from Red Well descends probably 100-200 vertical feet to a wash. Walking in the wash is like walking on the beach. After about 1 mile of slow moving through the wash, the landscape begins to change. You go from very sparse, desert landscape to cottonwoods. Cottonwoods generally signify a proximity to water. Sure enough within a short distance, a small trickle of spring water begins to flow from the ground. As you continue to move down the trail, the trickle becomes a creek and eventually becomes a decent flow. The depth never gets more than about 6 inches deep, but you will end up having to walk in the water.

You need to decide whether to hike in boots and just get 'em wet or hike in sandals. I have a tough time hiking in my Chacos for any distance because of blisters, but I chose to try it here. After about 2 miles, I regretted that decision and eventually switched back to my shoes.

Along the way, you will pass many tall sandstone walls, arches and alcoves. These are sometimes lined with ferns and other greenery growing out of the sandstone where water seeps out of the walls. This is a juxtaposition of stark desert landscape and lush rain forest type greenery. It is very rare to find an oasis like this.

We eventually found a great campsite on a bench above the creek and made camp for the night. Unlike most places in the desert, there are quite a few mosquitoes and biting flies around here, due to the moisture. Bring your favorite bug dope. I prefer Natrapel. I have tested it in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and had no bug problems in one of the most biting bug intensive areas in North America.

You could probably easily spend 3 or more days here exploring many of the cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, natural bridges and arches in Coyote Gulch. We unfortunately only had 2 days. It is awe inspiring and well worth the trip. Definitely not an easy hike in, but worth the effort.

It was tough getting to this point, but the water is refreshing

The trickle starts to carve the rocks

One of the many arches and alcoves along the way

You're gonna end up walking in the water

Strange sights in the desert

One of the arches

Cooling off sitting in the creek

Chilling out

Nice little campsite for the night

What a view

Some small waterfalls

Petroglyphs

Remnants of a Native American dwelling

Hiking out the next day was tough, knowing it was the last day of a great trip. I could spend weeks and months in the canyon country. The desert has its own unique beauty to it.

Back at the car, we re-hydrated, loaded the car up and headed back down HITR towards Escalnte. We stopped at Nemo's Drive Thru for some burgers, fries and shakes. Don't expect it to be fast food. Perfection takes time and Nemo's does it right.

If you are interested in heading out to this little slice of heaven, I recommend picking up a book. It's entitled, The Non-Technical Hiking Guide to the Colorado Plateau by Michael Kelsey. There's a whole section on hikes and slots off Hole-in-the-rock road, plus many more gems in and around Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. I have so many pages dog-eared, book marked highlighted and notated in this book. It's a 400-page bucket list for the canyon hungry hiker. If you're wanting to kick it up a notch, he has a Technical Slot Canyon Guide as well.

2015 TYLER SUMMER TRIP TO COLORADO PART 3 - RMNP and Boulder

2018-03-27T22:30:00.003-05:00

This is part 3 of our 2015 Summer Trip to Colorado. In Part 1, we spent a few days near Buena Vista, CO. In Part 2, we attempted to hike into the Holy Cross Wilderness, but storms drove us out and we ended up spending a few extra days in Vail.

After a relaxing few days in Vail, we made our way to Rocky Mountain National Park. One of our favorite spots to visit. When we come to RMNP for front-country camping, we always try and stay at Moraine Park. It is a very nice campground right outside Estes Park, CO. There are plenty of campsites, but for the summer months they book up early, so get online and reserve your spots in January-March.

We booked a great campsite, on the C-Loop around site 242. We had a tremendous view of Long's Peak and some great hammock trees. Below, you can see our wonderful assortment of tents. 6 people, 2 per tent, means 3 tents, strategically placed on the tent pad.

Great view of Long's Peak from our campsite.

Thank goodness there was a bear box for storing our valuables.

As with most Tyler adventures, we sought out a nice fishing spot with some hiking. Our first stop was the streams directly behind Moraine Park, on the way to Cub Lake. Since the family has become addicted to fly fishing, our hikes have gotten shorter and shorter. This day, I am not sure we hiked more than a mile.

We didn't catch a ton of fish, but got to enjoy some parts of the meadows of Moraine Park that we typically have not explored. Our youngest, Blake, enjoyed getting in and out of the river as much as fishing it, despite the chilly water.

Blake enjoying the cool water.

The second night we were there, we had a couple of exciting events.

First, we found out that a leading astronomer from the University of Colorado, Boulder was going to be at the Moraine Park Amphitheater giving a presentation. My daughter, LT, and son, Dylan, were very excited. He talked about topics ranging from the make-up of the galaxies to what causes phenomenon like the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). The kids, my wife and I were very intrigued by his presentation. Dylan even got his answer as to whether Pluto is a planet or not, you can thank Neil Degrasse Tyson for the declassification as a planet, by the way.

Second, as we were returning to camp, we heard a lot of yelling and screaming from some of the nearby campsites. One of the other campers informed us that there was a bear in camp and be on the lookout. Sure enough, a few minutes later, a small, very frightened, black bear ran right behind our campsite. It happened so fast, unfortunately, we did not get any pictures. The bear was in no mood to stop and wait to be photographed. He high-tailed it out of site in no time. Dylan, was extremely shaken up by the presence of a bear near our campsite. We assured him that bear was not coming back and he eventually calmed down.

The next day, we set out for another fishing adventure. This time to Sprague Lake. We fished the outlet of the lake, we fished all around the lake and didn't have much luck. Some storms rolled in and cut our day a little short, but it allowed us to head into Estes Park for some pizza and adult beverages.

Upon arriving, we found a spot of snow, high up in the mountains, that made mommy's day. We named it Snow Ghost.

Snow Ghost

The next day, we packed up and headed down to Boulder for a couple of nights for some fishing in Boulder Creek and a day of fun at the water park. Brandon and I walked up and down Boulder Creek, managing a few different varieties of Trout. I actually completed my Colorado Grand Slam for the trip, catching a Rainbow, Greenback Cutthroat, Brook and Brown. Brandon actually did as well, but he didn't have a picture of his Cutthroat, only a cutbow, so they didn't count it officially. We all know he did it, though.

On our last full day, we went to get our icing on the cake. If you've never been to Water World, we highly recommend it. It is one of the greatest water parks we've been to. They won't let you fly fish in the lazy river, though. There are a few lazy rivers, some great tube rides and overall, lots of family fun.

We also made a stop by University of Colorado, Boulder to let my daughter take a look at the campus. It's beautiful, and I was pulling for it, but she ended up choosing the University of Oklahoma. That's been a great choice for her and she loves it.

So, that's the end of the line for this fun filled, Tyler summer trip. 12 days total, 10 days of fishing. Not too bad.

2015 Tyler Summer Trip to Colorado Part 2 - Vail

2018-03-02T22:59:00.000-06:00

Ok, I know what you're thinking. CanyonMan, come on, Vail? There's no way to rough it in Vail, and you're pretty right. Vail is a really fantastic place, all the amenities you'd want in a high-tone vacation spot. But CanyonMan needs to get outdoors. So, we set off to downtown Vail and Vail Village to check out the scene and hopefully find some fly shops. Sure enough, we found a couple of them. We also found a river, giving Brandon and I the itch to get in. We kept wondering what the city of Vail would think of a couple of Texans getting in the river with fly rods in downtown Vail. Linda and Lauren convinced us that it probably wasn't a really good idea. We did however find out there were a few lakes in the area that were supposed to be good fishing spots.


Brandon and I trying to figure out if we should get the fly rods out

LT enjoying some ice cream and the beautiful weather. She was our family photographer.

One of those lakes was the Black Lakes, right off I-70 at Vail Pass near Copper Mountain. It's an easily accessible lake that can be fished from pretty much anywhere around the lake. We all gave it a go and, I believe, pretty much everyone caught something. Mostly rainbows, but we also caught some really strange small fish.

The Black Lakes

Had no idea what these were, but we caught a few of them.

The weather started off gorgeous. The sun was shining and the fish were biting. Blake, with his spin caster, false hooked the largest trout the Tyler family has ever caught. It was massive. Brandon had to hold it with two hands.


Blake's massive trout.

Shortly after this, the Colorado afternoon thunderstorms rolled in and forced an early end to our day.

The next day, we went to Copper Mountain village to walk around and see what was there. We had a great burger for lunch, and then decided to stop back by the Black Lakes again to see if we could catch some more of those monster trout.

We didn't have much luck on this day. We were only there for maybe an hour before a nasty storm blew in, dropping the temperatures to around freezing. It began to sleet and, again, we called it a day.

LT bundled up as it started sleeting

We drove down the third day to Minturn to check out the quaint little town and see if there were any other fishing spots we haven't hit yet. We couldn't find anything and the weather turned bad again, so we headed back to pack up for the next leg of our adventure, Rocky Mountain National Park. Look for that in Part 3.

2015 Tyler Summer trip to Colorado Part 1 - Buena Vista

2018-03-01T23:50:00.000-06:00

As always, we planned a summer trip, usually 1.5-2 weeks in length, to either the mountains or to the beach. This year, we planned on the mountains. And, for the Tyler clan, you can't beat the mountains out west, so, go west, young man!

A typical Tyler family mountain trip will entail a few things:

Some front-country camping
Some backpacking
Some fly fishing
Some staying in a house or cabin
A lot of driving

This trip was going to be no exception. The plan was to drive from Grapevine to Buena Vista, CO where we had rented a house for 4 days. Then, go backpacking for 3 days in the Holy Cross Wilderness outside Minturn, CO. Next we had rented a condo for 3 days in Vail, CO. 3 days camping in Rocky Mountain National Park, in Moraine Park Campground. Finally 3 days in Boulder before heading back home. Whirlwind tour of Colorado.

This was our first trip to Buena Vista, or BV to the locals. We had no idea what to expect and we were eager to explore some new parts of Colorado. The house we rented had a spectacular view of the Collegiate Peaks and backed up to a beautiful stream heading towards the Arkansas River. Buena Vista is an outdoorsman's dream town. You have the mountains for hiking, backpacking, mountain biking and (if you're into this thing) OHV. There are a myriad of high alpine lakes chock full of trout and the Arkansas river is one of the top rivers for fly fishing, but also white water rafting.

The view of the Collegiate Peaks from the house

The downtown area of BV is loaded with shops and restaurants and even a nice park or two to relax in. And, of course, plenty of fly shops, which we enjoy hanging out in and getting beta from the local guides. We reciprocate by buying plenty of flies and gear, some that we don't need.

Our first day there, we headed to the Arkansas and tried our luck in the big river. Due to some late winter snow storms and recent heavy rains, the river was running pretty strong. We still managed to pull a few out by picking some deeper pools and hitting some spots behind big boulders. Regardless it was a beautiful day and I saw this beauty sitting by the river.

My beautiful wife enjoying her boys fishing

Dylan showing off his new fly rod

Blake hadn't been converted to a fly fisher yet

Brandon practicing to be a fishing guide

Daddy the fishing guide

The next day, we drove up to St. Elmo, a ghost town not far from BV. We wanted to see if actual ghosts live in the ghost town. SPOILER ALERT: they don't. We walked around the town and looked in some of the old, abandoned homes and shops. If you get the chance and are in the BV area, I recommend the drive up.

The remnants of a town that time passed by

Brandon and Dylan looking for ghosts

Anyone need to go to the bathroom? Must be cold in the winter.

The general store still is operational in town

There is still a functioning general store in St. Elmo where they have a bunch of old stuff for sale, and you can grab a snack and a soda. Behind the general store is a small stream, so there's gotta be fish in it right? The Tyler's had to find out. We drove around some of the old gravel roads, dodging OHV's to find a quiet set of riffles in search of some bends in the poles. We found a nice spot, had a little lunch and caught a few handfuls of small fish. We always have fun, no matter how many or few, no matter how big or small. We just enjoy being together, outdoors, experiencing nature.

One of the monster brookies Dylan caught

The next day, we drove up to Cottonwood Lake picnic area to spend the day eating and fishing and maybe some more fishing. The weather kind of cooperated. It was a bit drizzly, but we didn't let it bother us too much. Brandon showed off his prowess with the fly rod, despite the weather.

Brandon releasing one of the many fish he caught

Rain or shine, baby!

As the weather deteriorated, we decided to pack it in and call it a night. The next day, we drove up towards Leadville and found a nice lake and some surrounding streams that were supposed to be some good spots for fish. Emerald Lake and Halfmoon Creek looked promising. We first hit the lake. We're fairly certain it was the previous days weather that spooked the fish, because we didn't catch much of anything, except Linda. Linda knelt down and got a Rooster Tail treble hook stuck in her leg. This was a first for me and fortunately, a paramedic was in the area and gave me some pointers for making the removal process as painless as possible, still very painful. With his tips, I managed to quickly extricate the hook from her leg.

Linda's leg and pant legs were a bit beaten up after the removal of the Rooster Tail

We worked the entire perimeter of the lake with no luck, the boys, however, enjoyed the backcountry pizza I made them. I should post a blog soon on my recipe. Lauren enjoyed the Mac-n-cheese.

After a little lunch, we headed over to try the Halfmoon creek. Dylan and Blake were done fishing and decided to simply play in the rocks and sand and creek. Brandon and I went full frontal assault on the creek in search of the elusive trout. Still, no luck. Regardless of our lack of success fishing the area, this is a very quiet, peaceful area with lots of places to have a picnic and enjoy the sounds of a babbling creek with the family.

We arrived back at the house and started packing all the backpacks for our next leg, a 2-night adventure into the Holy Cross Wilderness. It has become an art form of packing 6 backpacks, sharing loads across all of the family members while keeping the loads weighted more towards myself and Brandon, the pack mules. Our packs generally work out to something like this (including food and water):

Brandon and Chris - 35 pounds each
Linda and Lauren - 25 pounds each
Dylan and Blake - 10-15 pounds each

Not bad for a family of 6 for 3 days.

The look on Blake's face says it all, "this is not gonna end well".

This year, it was not meant to be though. We arrived at the trailhead in a rain/sleet storm. Hoping for the best, we shouldered our packs and attempted to hike in. We were hoping for a clearing in the weather as we were getting mixed reports. It was not in the cards. The icing on the cake was when we were about 3/4 of the way to the destination, we came upon a spot that I had seen on the map which I thought might be the deal killer. I knew it was steep, but had hoped that it might be in the trees, somewhat hiding the steepness. Nope, it was a straight drop off and was about a 100 yard section around a curve. We decided with the sleet/snow mix and no end in site, plus the dicy nature of this section, it was best to lick our wounds, live to hike another day, and go find some warm shelter.

By the time we got back to the truck, we were in a deluge. As it turns out, unfortunately, another hiker was struck by lightning and killed a day or two later in the same general area we were going to be in. It is sometimes better to bail than take unnecessary risks or force everyone to be miserable.

Well, as luck would have it, Brandon and I found a little stream near the road on the way out. Guess what, there were fish in it. Tiny ones, but fish all the same. So, we did what everyone would do, right? We stopped for a little fly fishing excursion, in the pouring rain. Everyone else stayed in the truck but Brandon and I muscled through it. We just can't help ourselves.

Like father

Like son

We made a call to our condo in Vail and as luck would have it, it was open for us to come in 3 days early. Yeah! We made a beeline to Vail. I'll pick up there next.

Two weeks in the Jennie Lakes Wilderness - Part 2

2018-02-22T22:51:00.001-06:00

In part 1 of this, my wife and I spent 3 days at Jennie Lake. After our trip, my wife flew back home and I picked my son, Brandon, up at the airport for part 2, a 4 day trip.

Our original plan was to go south into the Golden Trout Wilderness, but due to the extreme drought conditions, it was highly recommended to seek out the high alpine lakes instead of the small creeks at lower elevations. After some quick search for beta and asking around some of the local fly shops, we settled on a trek back into the Jennie Lakes Wilderness, but this time up to Seville Lake.

We set out from the Rowell Meadows trailhead for a fairly strenuous 6.5 miles. You have a big elevation gain of over 1,000 feet in the first 2 miles. Once at about 9,000 feet, it levels off for the next 2.5-3 miles and then there's a drop of about 400 feet in 1 mile or so to Seville Lake.

Like the trip my wife and I did the week before, there were some really nice meadows, especially Rowell Meadow. We did pass through some areas that were affected by some recent fires. We had planned on filtering water on the way up, carrying only about a liter of water each. The harsh drought had turned the creeks along the trail to nothing more than trickles, forcing us to wait until we got to Seville Lake to filter some water. This is something to be aware of if you do this hike.

Just before you arrive at Seville Lake, you pass through a pretty dense swath of trees, keeping you from seeing the lake until you are at the lake. It's quite a beauty when you get there.

Arrival at Seville Lake

After filtering some of the cool, pristine water and re-hydrating a bit, we set up camp. We found plenty of flat ground to set up our tent and still have a nice view of the lake. You can find plenty of sites on 3 sides of the lake.

Now, it was time to get the fly rods out and see if we couldn't have better luck than I did the week prior at Jennie Lake. Since it was later in the day, we could see a hatch starting and many trout rising. Brandon tied on his favorite fly, a tan Elk Hair Caddis. He started what would be a record trip for the both of us, slaying the brookies. Over the next two full days, we would lose count at over 60-70 fish, all catch and release, of course.

One of the many brookies we caught

Since we were now at the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, Brandon and I stayed up a little late that first night to catch a glimpse of the fireworks. As I had hoped, it was quite a show. Even with a bright, high moon, I was able to see an amazing display of nature. I had never seen a meteor shower, only a few shooting stars. This was more than I had expected. At times, huge streaks of light would race across the sky. Once or twice, I even saw what looked like a fireball streaking through the towering trees around our camp. If you're ever planning trips for late summer, I highly recommend finding a low light pollution area around the 8/14 date every year. You won't be disappointed, just be sure to stay up to around midnight or later.

The next day, we spent the entire day at Seville Lake catching tons of brookies. We may have seen less than a handful of people. We did have one gentleman come up to our camp looking for some of his friends. It's been one of the few times I've been a little nervous meeting people in the backcountry. Mind you, we're about 7 miles into the wilderness and he has nothing more than a bottle of water and a very large Bowie knife on his hip. No other gear, no map, no compass. He gave us a brief description of where he thought they might be and we consulted our map. I found a trail on the map that would take him there, but he deemed that it was a more direct route to go up and over the steep granite ridge behind Seville Lake. He thanked us for the help and he set out on his way.

There were a few other small lakes around Seville Lake. Since we were having little or no challenge catching fish out of Seville, we decided to give some of the other area lakes a go. We found no signs of life in any of the other nearby lakes, but saw some tremendous scenery.

On the third day, Brandon and I planned to head over to Lost Lake for a try. We packed up the cooking equipment and the fly rods and set out for a short 2+ mile trek. Lost Lake is a nice little tarn, but is a bit challenging to fish. The lake is pretty well ringed with trees right up to the shore. There is a few slabs of granite that protrude into the lake that make nice fishing spots, though. And, as we did at Seville Lake, we caught a mess of fish. Brandon continued to slay them. Here we found a mix of trout, still predominantly brookies, but a few rainbows.

Lost Lake

Now, fortunately, we brought the cooking equipment, because we forgot to bring the water filter. After a few hours baking in the afternoon sun, we had finished off our water supply. This is the first, and ONLY, time I have ever had to boil water to drink. I am fairly certain, it will be the LAST time as well. It is real easy to boil the water and purify it, it's a whole other game of getting it cooled off enough to drink. When you're extremely thirsty and staring at a cool, clear, pristine lake, you get really impatient waiting for the water to at least cool to tepid to get a sip.

Father and son after a long day of slaying fish

While we were waiting, we fixed a little lunch of tuna and mac-n-cheese. We found a spot of shade, took a nap and relaxed. After another hour or so of fishing, we set off heading back to Seville Lake. We spent one last night at Seville Lake. I caught another showing of the Perseids and in the morning we packed up to head back out. On the way out, we caught a glimpse of an ominous sign that reminded us, in the bakcountry, we're not at the top of the food chain.

Fresh claw marks on both sides of a tree about 50 yards from our tent

When we arrived back at Sequoia National Park, we found a good burger joint in the park and dug into a big burger and some sweet potato fries.

It was a great couple of trips, back-to-back. I'd love to do it again. If you ever find yourself in Sequoia National Park and you're looking for some places to go for a quick overnight or two night backcountry excursion, I highly recommend venturing into the Jennie Lakes Wilderness. There's easy access from all around Sequoia NP, including the Lodgepole Campground.

Two weeks in the Jennie Lakes Wilderness Part 1

2018-02-17T11:07:00.000-06:00

In August of 2014, I had the great opportunity to take two separate trips into the Jennie Lakes Wilderness in California. The plan was to fly with my wife to Fresno and spend 3 days at Jennie Lake. Then, I would have my son fly out and my wife fly back when we would spend 4 days around Seville Lake and Ranger Lake.

I had heard about Jennie Lakes from various hiker forums while looking for fly fishing spots near Sequoia and Kings Canyon. The Jennie Lakes Wilderness is located about 60 miles due east of Fresno and is sandwiched between Sequoia National Park to the south and Kings Canyon National Park to the north. Nestled in the Sequoia National Forest, the Jennie Lakes Wilderness is chock full of meadows, lakes, and mountain views.

I scouted out a route that my wife and I could hike from the Big Meadows campground to Jennie Lake and just relax by the lake for a couple of nights, enjoying the meadows, stars and fly fishing.

My beautiful hiking partner and I

For the previous several years, this area had been in drought conditions and the trail up was very dry and dusty. There were also fires burning near Yosemite causing a smoky haze to hang over King's Canyon that was visible through most of the trip.

I had chosen this time of the year in hopes of getting a great, unobstructed view of the Perseid meteor shower which occurs in mid-August every year and peaks around August 14. The hike to Jennie Lake took about 3-4 hours, with about 1,400 feet of elevation gain in around 5.4 miles. There were sections that were pretty strenuous, but overall, it's a moderate trail.

When we arrived at the lake, I was pleasantly surprised to see we were the first group to arrive, which was shocking for arriving on a Saturday. Due to the popularity of this spot, I was expecting to be camping with at least a dozen or so other campers. We set up camp with a nice view of the lake, a spot for the hammock, and there were some great flat rocks nearby that made an excellent kitchen and dining room table.

Nice camping spot, fly rods ready to go

After setting up camp, a man arrived with a pack train carrying gear for a large group, possibly 8-10 people. My wife wasn't worried about the number of people, she was asking me why I didn't hire him to carry our gear. The group, while rather large, camped a good distance from us and was very courteous and quiet.

We set up the fly rods and set out to test the waters for some of the famed trout that are known to be in the waters of Jennie Lakes. I'm not sure if it was due to the extreme drought conditions or if the fish just weren't liking what I was offering, but we caught very few and had very few takes. Nonetheless, the scenery is spectacular.

CanyonMan casting for some trout, with no luck

Linda enjoying some coffee in the morning

We were still a little early for the peak of the Perseids, and the moon was full providing far too much light pollution to see the meteor shower, but I still had another 4 or 5 nights in the wilderness to see them.

On our second day, we took a day trip around the area to check out some of the lovely meadows and views out to Sequoia and King's Canyon. We hiked out of Jennie Lake around Poop Out Pass and made a loop back to Jennie Lake.

Linda looking for bears in the meadow, no luck

The views of the surrounding Sequoia National Forest

On day 3, we enjoyed some breakfast, a little more fishing, and then packed up and headed back.

Linda on the way out. She loves the large confier trees

I would like to come back to this area again some time and would highly recommend this trip for a relatively easy 3-4 day trip. The logistics of getting to the trailheads for Jennie Lake are very easy. The elevation is not too terribly high. I think Jennie Lake is at around 9,000 feet and you're starting at around 7,600 feet. Definitely bring the fly rods, I hear the fishing normally is very good. As you'll see in my Part 2 entry, my son and I did much better at some other lakes in the Jennie Lakes Wilderness, so fish are here.

Coming back and ready for 2018

2018-02-10T12:27:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a long time since I've made a post. Not sure exactly why, but I'm ready to get back into it. I have done plenty of trips since my last posts, but I just haven't written about them. I look forward to catching you up. 2017 was a tough year for me physically.

Since I was in high school, I would have major lower back muscle spasms at least a couple of times a year that would leave me flat on my back for a day or two. I had to be very careful at all times on how I reached for things and picked things up. If I stepped off the curb the wrong way or picked a piece of paper up at a strange angle, my back would be thrown into a spasm and it was extremely painful. This caused me to miss out on a lot of a family vacation to Florida in 2016. After that, I decided enough was enough and started moving towards surgery. In February of 2017, I had a microdiscectomy to relieve my back pain that had plagued me for 20 years or so. The surgery shaved bits off of the discs that were bulging out and pressing on nerves in my spine. Since that time, almost a year later, I have had very little, if any, back pain issues. I didn't know at that time, that would be the first of a few trips under the knife for me in 2017.

In June, my oldest son and I took a trip with my brother-in-law and my nephew to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), outside of Ely, Minnesota. We planned on a 5-day trip where we would canoe out of Ely up towards the Canadian border. I will post an entry on this trip soon. About the third day in, the weather had turned rainy and much colder. While stopped for a lunch break, I was walking around many of the granite outcroppings. I hit a patch of wet lichen, causing me to slip backwards. I dropped my right hand behind me to break my fall. I heard something pop. I, fortunately, didn't break anything. My back side was pretty sore, but I lost a lot of strength and some feeling in my right arm, my dominant arm. I had some extreme pain in my right shoulder, but had no idea of the extent of my injury. It was a tough couple more days paddling around and having to paddle out.

To add insult to injury, on the way out two days later, I was getting extremely hypothermic due to being wet and the air temperature hovering around 40 degrees and water temperatures around 40-50 degrees and a 20-30 mph wind. Losing balance and dexterity, I misjudged my exit from the canoe at a portage and fell out of the canoe, catching the gunnel underneath my right shoulder, causing me to lose some feeling and again lose more strength in my right arm. We eventually made it out of the BWCA and I was able to warm up, after about 4 hours of shivering. I still had no idea how bad my shoulder was, but I couldn't lift my arm much above waist high.

For the next several months, I couldn't lift anything more than a milk jug without pain. But I was able to regain mobility and feeling, so I sort of figured it would heal on it's own. Little did I know the pain in my shoulder would save my life.

In July, the family took a trip to southwestern Colorado, around Durango, Silverton and Ouray. This is one of our favorite areas. Again, I will post an entry on this great trip. While on this trip, the family did a two-night trip to the Blue Lakes outside of Telluride for a little backcountry camping and fly fishing. I had very little issues carrying a fully loaded pack at elevations up to near 12,000 feet. I had no idea that I was carrying a ticking time bomb.

In August, my wife and I were moving our daughter into her dorm at the University of Oklahoma for her freshman year. This is when I started to notice some extreme pain in my right shoulder, that seemed to radiate to my chest. I thought it was simply related to my injury I sustained while in the BWCA in June. So, I made an appointment with my Dr. to have him check me out and see how I could get my shoulder injury looked at. I had to wait a week because I had a trip to Bogota, Colombia coming up.

During my week in Bogota, I had hoped to do a hike to the Páramo outside Bogota. For those that have never been to Bogota, it is a city in Colombia that is at around 8,000 feet above sea level, 3,000 feet above Denver. The Páramo is a high alpine, tundra region in the Andes mountains, at around 11,000-13,000 feet. As much as I wanted to see this unique region, I was having difficulties walking down the streets of Bogota and ended up having to bail on a planned day trip. I spent the day walking around Bogota and struggled walking more than 100 yards on the streets.

I flew back home and met with my Dr. who agreed that something was wrong with my shoulder, but based on the symptoms I was having, felt there was something else going on. He sent me immediately to the Emergency Department for a stress test. The cardiologist on staff that day recommended, instead, a cardiac cath procedure. This is where they would thread a tube through my wrist up, into my blood vessels near my heart and inject a dye of sorts that allows them to see arterial blockage. Through this procedure, it was determined that I had two areas of blockage in , one at 99% blockage and one at 75% of the left anterior descending artery. This was my ticking time bomb, and is commonly referred to as the "Widowmaker".

The cardiologist was able to insert two stents to open up the artery and prevent an eminent heart attack. What I thought was shoulder pain due to a shoulder injury was actually restricted blood flow causing my heart to work extra hard, and now, I am a cardiac patient for the rest of my life, hopefully, a very long life.

After the stents were in place, I was amazed at how well I felt. I had much more energy and was much more lucid. I had not realized how I was being dragged down prior to the surgery. I distinctly remember telling a friend a few years ago that I had noticed a drop off in my energy levels. I wrote it off to the fact that I was getting older. I now know that it was something much deeper.

However, I still had shoulder pain. So, I decided to see a shoulder specialist. I received multiple MRI's and xrays which came to the conclusion that I had two torn muscles in the rotator cuff that would continue to deteriorate over time and needed to be fixed, but due to the cardiac surgery in August, for which I am on blood thinners, I was not able to undergo surgery for a while.

In December, my shoulder surgeon and cardiac surgeon came to an agreement that I could come off the blood thinners for 4 days, have the shoulder surgery and then go immediately back on them. The surgery was successful, but has an extremely long recovery time. I am hoping that by the end of March, I will be able to shoulder a pack and venture out for some more CanyonMan adventures. I have a planned trip for spring break to Beaver's Bend, Oklahoma for some fly fishing and hiking. I'm looking forward to that.

So, I'm glad to be back and look forward to catching back up on some of my families adventures over the past few years that I have not posted.

MYOG - Backcountry Plate from a Water Jug

2013-04-29T09:34:00.001-05:00

For those of you who are new to backpacking or hiking and are not familiar with the term MYOG, it stands for Make Your Own Gear. Many backpackers, especially ultralighters, are always striving to reduce weight where possible, so they either improvise off-the-shelf gear or they make their own from various materials.

Since we were car camping on this tour of the Slot Canyons, we were able to take some luxuries with us in the Jeep. We were able to stock a cooler full of steak, veggies and a few adult beverages. We even brought a small grill to cook everything on. One thing we forgot, plates. Now, yes, we could probably just pick the steak up and eat it like our long lost ancestors did, but we are a bit more civilized today. Heck, they didn't even cook their meat, just ate it raw with their bare hands. Even though we were car camping, we were still about 1.5 hours from the nearest store, and they would probably be closed by the time we got there. Having spent quite a bit of time in the backcountry and even frontcountry camping, you get pretty creative and learn to improvise.

We had brought 4 gallons of water, and after the first day, we had consumed one of those. Looking around the back of the Jeep for something that might work for a plate, I spotted the empty gallon water jug. I noticed it had two flat sides that would be the perfect size for a plate. Taking out one of my 10 essentials, a knife, I began to cut the two larger flat sides of the container.

The resulting plate was fairly sturdy, had rounded sides to keep the juices from running off the plate, easy to lick clean (a necessity in the backcountry), and even though we were not backpacking, it is extremely lightweight and resistant to breaking in your backpack. I have a trip planned for this summer, I might try this out as my go-to plate.

On most of my trips in the past, I've carried the Orikaso plates which are made of pretty much the same material, but require you to perform Origami to use them. I have always liked the Orikaso, but I'm thinking my Water Jug Plate might be a winner.

A variation on this I've seen is to cut out the bottom and use it as a bowl.

Give me your thoughts.

Back where it all began - Day 1 - Spooky and Peek-a-boo.

2013-04-23T00:37:00.001-05:00

I recently returned to where the CanyonMan story all began. I went on a 4-day trip to the Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument area. The plan was to drive from Phoenix to Page, AZ late Wednesday night. Early Thursday, we would drive the 4WD, Smokey Mountain Road from Big Water, UT to Escalante, UT and then over to Hole-in-the-rock Road. We would spend two days exploring Spooky Gulch, Peek-a-boo slot, Zebra and Tunnel slots. On Friday night, drive back to Kanab, UT to attempt to snag permits for The Wave area of the Vermillion Cliffs / Coyote Buttes Wilderness Area. We would hit Buckskin Gulch and The Wave on Saturday and/or Sunday and have some time to see Antelope Canyon. We would see 5 or 6 of the most spectacular slots in the world.

As planned, we made the drive from Phoenix to Page, arriving late Wednesday night. We awoke early Thursday morning, grabbed some supplies and headed out towards Big Water. The Smokey Mountain Road, while marked as a 4WD road, could probably done with a 2WD High Clearance Vehicle. We did not have much difficulty making it up and over in our Jeep Liberty. Most of the time, we ran it in 2WD anyway. The view from the top of the Kelly Grade is spectacular.

You do have an option, if you're headed to Hole-in-the-rock Road (HITR). A "road" from about mid-way between Big Water and Escalante, called Left Hand Collet. On this trip, we were told by the BLM office that it was declared "impassable". We headed their advice. Back in 2007, we made it through in a Jeep Commander. I would not recommend this route in anything other than a 4WD High Clearance vehicle, with the proper equipment to self-rescue. Part of the route is spent driving through a creek bed. Depending on snow and water, the road conditions can vary dramatically from season to season. Best to check with the BLM before attempting this route. The Smokey Mountain Road dumps you out right into Escalante. Time-wise, you don't save anything by going this route as opposed to the highways 98 and 12 around, but the scenery makes it worth it.

Our first stop on Hole-in-the-rock Road was Spooky Gulch and Peek-a-boo slot. There are many sites that will instruct you on how to get here, but it's about 26 miles down HITR. You will turn left on a dirt road and continue about 1 mile to the trail head. It is very easy to find. Others will have more detailed directions. Especially the trail guides on http://www.trails.com. Additionally, there will be different recommendations on the routes to take to see both Spooky and Peek-a-boo. Most will recommend entering Peek-a-boo, then coming in the back side of Spooky. I have always done this by entering Spooky, then dropping into Peek-a-boo and coming out the entrance of Peek-a-boo. Pick your poison. The entrance to Peek-a-boo is a challenge as is the exit from the back side of Spooky. Not difficult, but a bit challenging.

If you have never done a slot, as was the case of my hiking partner on this trip, you're in for a treat with these two slots. They immediately immerse you into the world of slot canyons in the Southwest. Spooky gets very narrow, very quickly. If you are claustrophobic, you might want to re-consider or consider this as therapy. At one of the first narrow spots, I could not even squeeze my chest through. I had to duck down a bit and slide sideways through. I'm not skinny, but I'm not extremely large either, so be prepared for some tight spaces. You will be rewarded with some of the most spectacular views of the forces of nature on this earth. Imagine the power of the water that formed these canyons.

One of the tight spots in Spooky - note the debris

Having fun in Peek-a-boo

Some of the interesting arches in Peek-a-boo

The entrance to Peek-a-boo is directly above us

Spooky is about a half-mile to 1 mile long and requires a lot of squeezing and sliding through tight spaces. It has a sandy bottom and very rarely has water in it.

Peek-a-boo, which is about a half-mile closer to the trailhead than Spooky, is a fairly short slot. Like I mentioned earlier, you can either do Peek-a-boo first or Spooky. There's not even a need to go all the way through Spooky, you could simply go in and come back out, then go in and come back out of Peek-a-boo. There are lots of options. However, I highly recommend going through one and coming out the other.

The entrance to Peek-a-boo from the trailhead is a short climb/scramble up the sandstone, you can see this in the picture above. It's maybe 15-20 feet high. If you have some good grippy soles and no fear of heights, the entrance is pretty simple. There are even hand and foot holds carved into the wall. Once in Peek-a-boo, there's a large pothole, that has been dry every time I've been here and it was on this trip as well. There are other spots within Peek-a-boo that do hold water, but I don't see where any would be impassable, even if full.

Peek-a-boo is much different than Spooky. It has more open spaces and arches that offer some great photographic opportunities. Additionally, the kids like it because it's much like the playground equipment with tunnels. From the entrance to the end, Peek-a-boo is probably no more than .25 miles. It narrows up towards the back of the slot where you can come out and walk around on top. There are very easy to follow cairns between the back of Peek-a-boo and Spooky.

Allow yourself more than a couple of hours to explore these two great slots. The hike to them is short, but it's great to just look around and up and down and be amazed.

Backpacking Trip to the Indian Peaks Wilderness

2012-01-12T21:15:00.000-06:00

My wife and I were fortunate enough to be able to sneak away for a long weekend this summer to the Indian Peaks Wilderness. This wilderness area is about 45 minutes west of Boulder and about 30 minutes south of Estes Park, right outside the Rocky Mountain National Park boundary. I had a work trip to Boulder earlier in the week, so it made it a good choice for the last minute trip planning.

Our plan was to drive to Camp Dick, park and hike into the Middle St. Vrain Backcountry Zone. We would camp at Red Deer Lake for two nights and then hike back. Roundtrip would be somewhere around 17-18 miles gaining around 2,000 vertical feet in elevation to camp at around 10,500 feet.

During the winter of 2010-2011, Colorado saw near record snow fall, so I was a bit nervous when I called the first week of July to request the permit and was told there was still too much snow, but to continue to check back. July brought warmer temperatures which melted the snow, allowing us to get a permit, but it came with warnings of wet, soggy conditions which translates to lots of bugs.

We were pleasantly surprised when we got there. While it was a little soggy, and there were a fair number of bugs, it wasn't unbearable by any means and the crowds were very thin. Indian Peaks is known to be very busy on the weekends, so we were very fortunate that there were not hoards of people.

For the most part, the Indian Peaks trails are well signed and easy to follow. The trails were very well maintained. The scenery was definitely National Park worthy, it is bordering Rocky Mountain National Park after all. Due to the lingering snow, we didn't stray too much off of our planned route. We ran into several hikers coming from beyond Red Deer Lake saying that there was way too much snow, which made it difficult to follow the trails and difficult to walk without crampons. Taking all of this information, we decided to just relax at Red Deer Lake and enjoy the time off.

Leaving the parking lot at Camp Dick, we followed the Buchanan Pass Trail along the Middle St. Vrain Creek. We made a brief stop for some lunch at Timberline Falls, then continued on up towards Red Deer Lake. The topo map we had showed a Red Deer Cutoff Trail about halfway up the Buchanan Pass Trail, but we could never find it, so we continued down the Buchanan Pass Trail until you hit the main trail leading up to Red Deer Lake.

The wildflowers were in full bloom, painting the meadows with bright yellows, reds, blues, and a myriad of other colors. We definitely timed this trip right for wildflower spotting. Most of the first part of the trail is spent hiking under a canopy of evergreens, and thanks to the snow melt, slogging through a few mud puddles. About 4 miles in, the trail opens up and you are hit in the face with a beautiful view of Sawtooth Mountain.

Middle St. Vrain Creek with heavy run off

Sawtooth Mountain

About 6 miles in, you cross over Middle St. Vrain Creek using a footbridge. Part of the hand rail was broken, making Linda a bit nervous walking across the bridge with a gushing creek just a few feet below her. After crossing the bridge, you then start a pretty steep ascent towards Red Deer Lake and Buchanan Pass. In a little over a mile you find the main trail leading to Red Deer Lake. This gains 500 vertical feet in less than .5 mile. It was still fairly snow covered, even in late July. By the time we got to the top of the hill, just below Red Deer Lake, we were standing on about 5 feet of snow.

Red Deer Lake apparently is not frequented too much by campers. There are very few trails around the lake with very few good campsites. We did a lot of bushwhacking to find a good spot, but eventually found a great spot, right above the lake with plenty of room for our tent, and a good dining area. We were close to the lake to make retrieving water fairly painless. Additionally, I packed in my fly rod for the first time ever and the proximity to the lake made it easy to just pop down to the water and cast a fly every once in a while. We even found a nice spot to put the hammock up with a great view of the lake and surrounding area.

Here are some of the pics from the trip.

What a beautiful sight. The lake's nice, too.

My first fish on a fly rod, and in the backcountry!

A great place to chillax.

The iceberg kept crashing into the water all weekend.

Linda even picked up the fly rod.

What a gorgeous sunset.

On Sunday, we packed up and headed out. This was a drastically different type of trip than any of my others. We stayed close to the camp, relaxed, fished, and enjoyed each other's company and the beautiful scenery. As far as backpacking trips go, this was definitely my most relaxing trip ever. I'd love to do a trip like this again, soon. I really enjoy spending time with my lovely wife and I'm truly blessed she enjoys to spend time with me doing this sort of stuff.

The hike out was all downhill and didn't seem to take too long, but we did take time to smell the flowers, literally. Here are a few sights from our trip out.

I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone. I'd like to go back sometime when we could explore some other areas, like Buchanan Pass and Coney Flats.

Family Summer Trip Day 12 - Spooky Gulch and Peek-a-boo Canyon

2012-01-10T20:30:00.001-06:00

Today, we were going to make the short drive from our Bryce Canyon campground to the Escalante / Grand Staircase National Monument and visit a spot I last visited in 2007. This was the origin of my trail name, CanyonMan. It's about a 45 minute drive from Bryce Canyon to Escalante, UT. From Escalante, you turn off Highway 12 onto Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Then, it is another 45 minutes or so down the bumpy, gravel road.

To give you a sense of what it's like finding this place, here's the directions to the trailhead:

Go 24 miles on Hole-in-the-Rock Road to Cat Pasture where you'll see a sign for Early Weed Bench. Go 2.5 miles more and turn left on a dirt road. Turn and follow this dirt road 1 mile to a parking lot.

From the trailhead, you drop down about 100 vertical feet to the canyon floor. About 1/2 mile from where you hit the canyon floor, you get your first glimpse of the Peek-a-boo slot canyon, I recommend bypassing this and heading to Spooky first. Continuing down canyon another mile or so, you will run into Spooky Gulch. This is an extremely narrow canyon, but it's a great way to get your introduction to slot canyons, because there's no climbing to get into it, you simply walk right in, whereas Peek-a-boo requires a bit of a climb.

Entrance to Spooky Gulch

Entrance to Peek-a-Boo Canyon

There's several options to navigating these slots.

Go in and out of Spooky from the entrance and then walk back to Peek-a-boo and go in and out the entrance (what we did this time)
Enter Spooky, come out the back end, then navigate your way to the back side of Peek-a-boo and work your way down to the entrance (what I did in 2007)
Climb into Peek-a-boo and out the back end, then entering Spooky from the backside and come out the entrance (what a group of scouts were doing when we were there this year)

You could easily spend a day in this area. There's a third slot in the area, Brimstone, but I've never done that one. I hear it's a bit more challenging and there are areas which you can get stuck in, so I would recommend going with a partner if you're going to attempt these.

The whole family eventually made it to the back of Spooky. Some were a bit more intimidated than others by the tight spaces, but we all eventually got back there. Here's a few pics to give you a sense of how "tight" I'm talking. If you're claustrophobic, this might not be the spot for you. Believe it or not, we saw a guy that was probably 5'10" pushing 250+ pounds make it through, so you can squeeze.

We played around in here for a bit and stayed in the cool shade, it was probably 30 degrees cooler than in the sun.

We exited Spooky from the entrance and walked back to the mouth of Peek-a-Boo. Here everyone, except myself and my daughter, opted not to enter. Like I mentioned, it's a bit of a climb, so I understand. We helped probably 5 or so others get in or out while we were there.

Once you climb into Peek-a-Boo, it's not as narrow as Spooky, but it is otherworldly. It almost looks like an alien planet. There are multiple cris-crossing arches and passageways. Here's a few shots from inside Peek-a-Boo.

LT and I spent just a few minutes in here, enough to give her an idea of what draws me to this place. I always tell everyone, there's something special about the desert. It just has it's own beauty to it. It's not for everyone, but these places are phenomenal.

Family photo in front of Peek-a-Boo

We exited Peek-a-Boo, gathered the family for a photo. See the pic above and notice the carved out area above us and to the left. That's where you climb up. It looks pretty straightforward, but is extremely worn and very slick. It's not terribly difficult, but is a bit nerve racking if you're not used to climbing on sandstone.

It was extremely hot that day and we were running low on water. A bit of advice, even though you are less than a mile from your vehicle, pack plenty of water. We brought a liter each and were only out for 2 hours, but we drank every bit of it and my youngest was pretty parched by the time we got back to the truck.

If you find yourself in southern Utah or northern Arizona, I highly recommend spending some time around Hole-in-the-Rock road. There are many slots in this area. There's a really good guidebook on all the different hikes in the area. It's the Non-Technical Canyon Hiking Guide to the Colorado Plateau. I highly recommend picking this up.

Finally, if you're coming to this area, it's worth knowing why it's called Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Check out this Wikipedia article on the Hole-in-the-Rock. It's an interesting bit of history and you'll be amazed when you see what it looks like now and imagining what it would have been like in the late 1800's when it was being used by the Mormons. They must have been some extremely hearty people.

Family Summer Trip Day 11 - Bryce Canyon

2012-01-09T16:04:00.000-06:00

After spending a day and a half driving from West Yellowstone, MT through Salt Lake City, UT to Bryce Canyon National Park, we were ready to get out and stretch our legs and walk around. Additionally, we had been in winter-like weather since Day 2, so, everyone was ready for some warmer temps. For those that have never been to Bryce Canyon, it is unlike any other place on earth. While there are many places that have sandstone and arches, none (or very few) have the number of strange formations known as hoodoos (see picture below).

The Hoodoos seen along the Queen's Garden Trail

We arrived at Bryce Canyon campground around 1pm and quickly set up camp. I had not reserved a campsite because I was under the impression, based on the NPS website, that they didn't reserve tent sites, only RV sites. Apparently, there are different rules for the two campgrounds. Something like they take tent reservations in the South Campground, but not RV and vice versa in the North Campground. We were fortunate and grabbed one of the last campsites in the North Campground. It turned out to be one of the better sites in the park, I think. FYI, be prepared to get dusty camping in Bryce.

After a quick camp setup, we headed out on the trail. The plan was to do a short day hike down to the floor of the canyon and back up.

The descent to the Canyon floor.

For a quick view of Bryce and all it's beauty, this was a great hike. From our campsite in the North Campground, we followed the Rim trail to the Navajo Loop trail. Here we descended close to 500 vertical feet to the Canyon floor using a long series of switchbacks.

On the Canyon floor, we joined the Queen's Garden trail. You hike along the Canyon floor for about a mile, then you start heading back up 500 vertical feet to Sunrise Point. Along the way, we saw things that reminded us of an old Bugs Bunny / Road Runner cartoon.

Where's Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner

In all, it was a short hike, around 3 miles. We were back at camp by 4pm or so and ready to make dinner. Tonight's dinner... foil dinners. Mmmmmm.

Bryce Canyon National Park is fairly small and could probably be seen in a couple of days. Our plan was to get up the next morning, though and head to the Escalante / Grand Staircase National Monument.

Family Summer Trip Day 9 - Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

2011-09-10T14:33:00.000-05:00

It was a pretty hefty drive from West Yellowstone to the Canyon Area. It was cold and rainy and it seemed like a good day to be lazy, but it was also our last full day in Yellowstone. We were going to drive the next day to Salt Lake City, UT. So, we packed everyone up and set out. We stopped off near Yellowstone Lake and Grant Village. A lot of the areas near there were closed off due to the Elk Calving season. We headed up to the Canyon Area. By the time we got there, it was lunch time, so we grabbed a quick lunch and then headed down to the Lower Falls and Lookout Point. This is another special place in Yellowstone and the pictures can never do it justice. The falls are gigantic, 300+ feet high and about 70 feet wide. There's a path that will take you down to the edge of the falls, but we didn't make it down there. We stayed along the edge of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Everyone was a bit cold and tired, so we headed back to the cabin after this.

But first, one last stop to play in the snow...

Family Summer Trip Day 8 - Old Faithful Geyser Area

2011-09-10T14:14:00.001-05:00

On Day 8, we headed to the Geyser Basin in Yellowstone to see Old Faithful and other hydrothermal activity offered in the park. The day started off with a bang when we came upon a traffic jam near the Old Faithful entrance. We pulled over to see what everyone was gawking at and spotted the large Grizzly about 100 yards from the road. This would be the first of two bears we would see today. The other bear ran right through the Old Faithful boardwalk area. In both cases, the bears seemed extremely scared of all the people around.

Walking around the Old Faithful area is an awe inspiring sight. There are so many different types of hydrothermal items such as geysers, hot springs and fumaroles. There's the distinct smell of sulfur in the air as well. If you go and you take kids, make sure they stay on the boardwalk. Getting off the path is illegal and deadly. It was amazing though to see the animals such as the buffalo and grizzly just walking around, seemingly unfazed that they could fall through the crusty earth at any time and be boiled alive.

We spent probably 2 hours just walking around the Old Faithful area waiting for the timed eruption. While not the most reliable eruption, they pretty much have it down to a 15 minute window when it will erupt again. So, we found our viewing spot, sat down and waited. Sure enough within 5 minutes of their guesstimated time, Old Faithful started to bubble, gurgle and spew. If you've never seen it, it's well worth it. This was high on Linda's to-see list and it was a great show.

After that, we headed over to one of the many restaurants around the Old Faithful Lodge and grabbed some lunch. Shortly after lunch, we headed over to the Black Sand Basin area and then hike back over to the North end of the Old Faithful area and then over to Biscuit Basin. It's an easy hike, but there's usually not a whole lot of people out there, which is nice. About half a mile in, we ran into a small herd of buffalo hanging out by one of the hot springs. We snapped a quick family pic and moved on by them.

At the far North End of the Old Faithful area, most people turn around, but you can take a small trail North towards Biscuit Basin. We did so, despite the signs of "high bear activity".

It wasn't until we got to the Biscuit Basin that we found this sign. Which prompted a visit by the Park Ranger, asking us if we had just come through there and if we had seen any bears.

The boys got a good picture with them and the Park Ranger.

I walked about 1.5 miles back to the Black Sand Basin area and got the truck and came back to pick everyone up. It was a fun filled day. On the way home, I stopped off to try my hand at fly fishing, but had no luck. The water was gushing with snow melt.

Family Summer Trip Day 7 - Tetons Taggart Lake Trail

2011-07-14T00:58:00.000-05:00

Today was a much clearer day. The sky was still cloudy, but the clouds were turning into the higher, white, puffy clouds and there was much hope that we would finally get to see the Grand Teton. We had to check out of the Lodge today so we got a little bit of a late start, but we were on no timetable as we weren't supposed to be in West Yellowstone, MT until around 5:30, so we had plenty of time. The plan for today was to hike up to Taggart Lake for lunch, then hike back and then drive up to Yellowstone.

We arrived at the Taggart Lake Trailhead and make the 4 mile loop to Taggart Lake. There was a lot of people across from the parking lot looking at something below the road near the river. We went over to see what it was and saw that there was a moose and her calf in the brush. Moose are one of my favorite animals to see and watch, but definitely from a distance.

After the moose disappeared into the wilderness, we got packed up and headed up the trail. This is a fairly easy trail, with only a moderate elevation gain of 300 or 400 vertical feet in 2 miles to Taggart Lake. There's an option when there's not a lot of snow to go up to Bradley Lake which I believe adds a degree of difficulty and some more distance, however, we were told not to try it due to snow and ice.

We still had some other difficulties to deal with. There's one section through some new growth pine trees where the snow had melted and the trail was covered in about 6 inches of water. The new growth was extremely dense making it near impossible to weave through. So, we ended up sort of sidestepping and using the trees bordering the trail to allow us to swing out over the trail, but keep our feet on the high side as demonstrated by my agile daughter below.

Emerging from this stretch, we came upon a clearing with some small patches of rocks. We found a black marmot, something I've never seen before. He appeared to show no fear of us and wanted to show off his nice, shiny black coat.

Shortly after this, we found ourselves at Taggart Lake. This was my first time here and it actually felt a bit like being in the backcountry. We were directly below the Grand Teton and it was extremely quiet. We only saw a couple of other groups on our hike. .

We found a nice set of flat rocks and set our lunch out. You can see the Grand Teton between my son and my wife. What a spectacular view for a lunch.

After lunch, I set up the tripod in a tree and snapped a good picture of the family. Unfortunately, the Grand got hidden by the tree. I only wish I'd brought the fly rod.

The rest of the trail was fairly uneventful and not much to see. There is a nice meadow and you get some good views of the city from above, but overall, I thought the North side of the loop was much nicer. We did however see some sort of snake along the trail. I wasn't aware there were snakes in the Tetons. I'm sure it was a garter snake or something like that.

We were hoping to see some bears, but were not fortunate enough to see any. But, there's always Yellowstone, which is next up on the trip.

Driving out of the Tetons, I took one last snapshot of probably my favorite mountain range. They are truly special.

Yellowstone National Park is just a short 30-45 minute drive up the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Parkway. There were huge snow banks from the snow plow on the side of the road the entire way. When we got inside the park, Lewis Lake was frozen over.

Lewis Lake Frozen Over

We drove through the park from the South entrance to the West entrance to West Yellowstone to check into the house we rented for the next three nights.

The house we rented was called the Bear Tracks Inn. Like I mentioned earlier, I found this on Vacation Rentals by Owner, which is a great site for finding houses pretty much anywhere in the world. The rate for the house was very reasonable and it was very clean. It was a 3 bedroom house (perfect for the family of 6) and had a big kitchen which was great for making breakfast and dinner saving us a few dollars. Dining in West Yellowstone is not cheap and the food is not that good.

The property managers run the Golden West Motel in West Yellowstone. They are extremely nice folks and if you ever need a place to stay, check out their motel. The owner of the home lives across the street and works in town at the local hardware store. She came over and greeted us and told us how to get in touch with her if we needed.

The house is conveniently located in West Yellowstone and is less than 5 minutes to the West entrance of the park. The one downside to the house was that it was located on one of the busiest streets in West Yellowstone, but I think I have more traffic sometimes on my street at home so it wasn't bad and it was very quiet at night. It's within walking distance of a grocery store and several restaurants, but I didn't find any restaurant in town that I'd recommend.

We got settled in and made our plans for tomorrow, head to Old Faithful and the Geyser Basin.

Family Summer Trip Day 5 and 6 -Teton Village and Jenny Lake

2011-07-14T00:09:00.000-05:00

After a long day of driving from Estes Park, we arrived late in the evening to the Signal Mountain Lodge in Moran, WY near Jackson, in the heart of the Grand Teton National Park. We checked into our cabin and made some dinner. The weather in the Tetons was cold and drizzly and the outlook was pretty much the same for the next few days.

Our plan was to stay two nights in the Signal Mountain Lodge and then camp two nights between the Tetons and Yellowstone in Lizard Creek Campground. However, upon checking into the Lodge, we were told that the Lizard Creek Campground was closed for another week due to heavy snow pack. This set off a big scramble to find a place to stay, near Yellowstone, over a weekend, in Summer, that would sleep 6 semi-comfortable and not cost a fortune. That's a tall order my friends. While doing laundry at the Lodge, I scoured the internet for deals on hotels, motels, and cabins. I wasn't having much luck and the wi-fi at the Lodge was a bit sketchy.

Finally, around 2:30 am I found a place on Vacation Rentals by Owner (VRBO). I'll tell you more about the place we found when we get to around Day 8 or so.

The next morning we awoke to what looked like a nice day, giving us hope for some clearer weather. By the time we were all dressed and ready to go, the skies had darkened and the drizzle came back. But we set out anyway, carrying all of our cold weather gear and rain parkas. We were heading over to the Teton Village to ride the Tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain. We were told there was about 20 foot snow drifts on top and knowing we would climb to almost 11,000 feet, the temps would be be in the 30's and the winds would probably be gusting.

We arrived at the Teton Village and as hoped, the weather was improving. It was still cloudy, but very little if any rain. We bought our tickets for the Tram and hopped aboard. If you're ever up here, always check around at your hotel or in the newspaper for coupons for the Tram. We got $3 off each person from the Lodge, but later found $4 off in the local paper.

With the greater than normal snowfall this year, apparently, tourism was taking a hit. There was too much snow to hike on and not enough to ski on. We were the only ones on the Tram headed up, so we got our own personal tour guide.

When we arrived at the top, it was a winter wonderland. The kids had a blast climbing on the snow drifts and playing in the snow. My oldest son even built a small snow cave as seen in the picture below. My daughter decided to roll all the way down the hill and found out just how cold the snow actually is. We also made some snow angels. Us Texans don't get to see snow like this very often.

At the top of Rendezvous Mountain, there's a small cabin called Corbet's Cabin. It's a great place to go in and warm up with some hot chocolate or coffee (plus some liquor if you'd like). They also serve home made waffles. These are served fold-over sandwich style with your choice of toppings including strawberry jam, maple and brown sugar butter, or Nutella (a chocolate/hazelnut flavored spread with a peanut buttery texture). We got some with jam and the butter. They were quite tasty. My personal favorite was the jam, but my wife preferred the maple and brown sugar butter. Both were really good.

We hung out on top for about 2 hours or so, then caught the tram back down and then headed over to the Jenny Lake area.

Our original plans were to take the boat across Jenny Lake and then walk up to Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls, but due to the heavy snows, they were not allowing the boat to drop off on the other side of the lake. So, we set out on a short little hike around the East side of Jenny Lake. We were just going to hike a few miles and then turn around and going back to the Jenny Lake Visitors Center. The entire hike around Jenny Lake is around 7.7 miles and is fairly level.

We hiked in about 1.5 miles admiring the views of Jenny Lake and the base of the Tetons the whole way. The tops were still covered by the clouds. I was pointing out to the family where Cascade Canyon and Paintbrush Canyon were and I was trying to describe the wildflowers you would normally see, but they were completely covered in snow. Below is a panoramic view of the Tetons across Jenny Lake.

We saw a lot of signs of wildlife along the trail including tons of elk tracks, an eagle's nest and even a bear print where he had been digging. After about 45 minutes, we turned around and headed back to the Visitors Center. We made a quick stop over at String Lake. There is a special place in my heart for this area and I look forward to coming back... many times and sharing it with my family.

String Lake is where I began my backpacking trip in 2008 and I was getting that itch again. I plan to someday soon take my wife and kids into the backcountry in the Tetons. I feel the Tetons are all about the backcountry. The frontcountry here is beautiful, but it pales in comparison to the backcountry. It's a lot of work to get into the Tetons backcountry, but the payoffs are huge.

Family Summer Trip Day 4 - RMNP Fern Falls Trail

2011-07-11T00:08:00.000-05:00

Today was to be our only full day in RMNP and I planned on taking the whole day to explore a trail none of us had ever traveled, the Fern Lake Trail. The trailhead is near the Moraine Park campground where we were camping. My first thought was to just make the 2 mile trek to the trailhead, then hike to The Pool, then around to Cub Lake and back to the campsite. Then, I decided to save the initial 2 mile hike to the trailhead by driving to there and then letting the family go on back to the campsite while I hike 1 mile back to the car. Sounded like a do-able plan.

The Fern Lake Trail to The Pool is fairly level with very little elevation gain or loss. It is only about 2.5 miles from the Fern Lake Trailhead to The Pool. Our plan was to hike to The Pool and have lunch, then hike around to Cub Lake and back to Moraine Park Campground. The total hike was going to be around 6 miles. If we felt energetic, we'd maybe try and get up to Fern Falls, but we'd heard there was quite a bit of snow and ice beyond The Pool.

The hike to The Pool is like most in RMNP, it is very beautiful with spectacular views of creeks, rivers, waterfalls, mountains and snow. I have found very few hikes in RMNP that I haven't enjoyed. This is a terrific hike for families, especially ones with small children as it is very easy and there are very few, if any, spots for the little ones to get hurt or get into too much trouble. While we didn't see any, and probably never would, I could imagine parts of this being inhabited by Mountain Lions. It was very warm and there were some nice cliffs overhanging the trail. This would be a great perch for a big cougar. I meant to ask the ranger about it, but if anyone can confirm this, I'd like to know.

About 1 mile in, during the spring or after a rain, there are some spectacular ephemeral waterfalls coming off the cliffs above and to the North side of the trail.

About half way, you come to a large rock which appears to be standing on end. I believe this is called Arch Rocks. It's amazing to see how these large boulders can stand like this for years without teetering over. The pictures give you some idea of the scale.

Carrying on from here for about another mile, you arrive at a footbridge over the outlet of The Pool. Just across the bridge are some rocks that sit above The Pool which are great for having lunch or a snack. Below is a picture of The Pool. It's a turbulent gathering of water along the Big Thompson River. I fired up my Snow Peak Giga Stove and made the kids some Mac-n-Cheese as a reward for a good hike up.

We spoke with a few people while at The Pool who told us that we had done this hike in reverse and it was much easier to start at Cub Lake. They said the hike from The Pool to Cub Lake was pretty strenuous. My wife warned me not to burn the kids out this early in the trip. Knowing we were still planning on going to The Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon and the Escalante-Grand Staircase, I opted to just hike back to the car. As she is most of the time, my wife was probably right on this occasion. Besides, we had seen Cub Lake before, remember?

The next day, we'll pack the car up and drive to the Tetons!

Family Summer Trip Day 3 - RMNP Alberta Falls

2011-07-08T22:59:00.000-05:00

We arrived in Rocky Mountain National Park early and were able to set up camp prior to lunch. We had reserved campsite D147 in Moraine Park. This was our second time to camp in Moraine Park and felt that this campsite was the best location. We had a perfectly unobstructed view of Long's Peak, we seemed to be shielded from the wind and we were a good distance from our neighbors.

As usual, everyone helped out in unloading gear, setting up tents and organizing the cooking area. The kids quickly explored the area and found a small rock outcropping that made a perfect "base". The youngest boys took some of their camping toys down to their base where they could have stayed for hours.. My daughter found a tree that was perfect for climbing. After camp was set up, games had been played and we ate some lunch, we grabbed some light hiking gear and headed over to the Glacier Gorge area for our first official hike of the trip.

Our plan was to make the short hike up to Alberta Falls. We had heard there was a lot of snow in the area, but figured that the low elevation of Alberta Falls and the warm weather they had experienced recently, that there would not be an issue with snow pack. We were badly mistaken. Within about 200 yards, we ran upon our first patch of snow/ice and we were on and off it all the way up.

My kids decided they didn't need to wear their hiking shoes, since this was going to be a short, easy hike. This would make traversing the snow a bit of a challenge for my oldest boy. My daughter opted for her Keen Newport H2 sandals. Her feet got a bit cold. My two youngest just enjoyed slipping and sliding and stabbing the snow with the trekking poles.

The hike to Alberta Falls is fairly easy. There's a couple of places where there are some switchbacks and it was a bit difficult to judge the difficulty this trip due to the amount of snow, which added a high degree of difficulty to the trip. I think it's about 1.5 miles to the falls and you could easily make it there on terra firma in 1 hour. I'd plan for about 2.5 - 3 hours round trip allowing you time to enjoy some of the scenery.

I have to admit, I'm a big fan of waterfalls, and Alberta Falls is a pretty one. The icing on the cake was the amount of water running through it due to the recent snow melt. The sound of the falls was very impressive and you can walk right up next to the top of the falls and get a sense of the power generated by nature. We spent about 30-45 minutes sitting up near the falls having a snack and enjoying the sound of the falls.

We made the trek back down to the trail head safe and sound and everyone enjoyed the hike. If you have about 3 hours and your looking for a nice short hike with great scenery, I'd highly recommend the Alberta Falls trail. Don't expect to get much solitude, as "short" and "easy" translate to "busy", but it's worth hiking in company because it is gorgeous. Plan to spend some time sitting by the falls. There's a lot of great places to sit and have some snacks and just enjoy the rushing sounds. I will often record the falls just for the sounds. Here's a short video I took of the falls. Enjoy.

Family Summer Trip Day 2 - Boulder

2011-07-02T12:24:00.000-05:00

Ok, Boulder, I think is tops on my list of places to live. The weather is great, the scenery is out of this world and the town is really nice. Again, on this trip, Boulder is just a stop along our way to Rocky Mountain National Park, so we didn't stay long. We stayed at my favorite hotel in Boulder, the Millennium Harvest House Hotel. It's not a 5-star hotel or brand new with the finest amenities, but it's really close to downtown and sits right on Boulder Creek across the creek from the University of Colorado. I stay there a lot when I am working in Boulder and it's really nice any time of the year to walk down the paved path along Boulder Creek to downtown Boulder for dinner. We did just that.

Here are a few shots of our walk along the creek. We ate at the Walnut Brewery. If you're in Boulder and looking for good food and a beer, I highly recommend it.

I have plans on being back in Boulder around the end of July. I'd like to get out and see the famed Flatirons. If anyone has a good hiking recommendation, please post it.

Family Summer Trip Day 1 - Colorado Springs

2011-07-02T09:35:00.000-05:00

Colorado Springs is one of my favorite cities and would place this in my top 5 places to live. Every time I come here, the weather is gorgeous and there's a ton to do outdoors. On this trip, though, we unfortunately were just passing through, but made enough time to explore one of the best urban parks in the country, Garden of the Gods.

If you've been here, you know how special this place is, if not, you've gotta go sometime. On this day, unfortunately, we were there on a weekend and the park was extremely busy. Even with the crowds, though, there's plenty of places to go and see and get away from the people. There are miles of hiking trails and lots of interesting rock formations to see.

My family really enjoys the main entrance near Balanced Rock. They love to climb around all over the big sandstone slabs and act like they are pushing over the rock that somehow is balancing on about 16 square feet of surface area. We also got to watch several groups climbing some of the large fins (see the top picture above to see what the fins are) of sandstone and we all contemplated what were the best routes up the rock.

If you are ever in the Colorado Springs area, definitely stop in and spend a couple of hours at least, if not a whole day, in the Garden of the Gods. There's no entry fee and there is plenty to do and lots to explore. Be sure and stop by the trading post / visitor center and look around at some of the interesting items they have for sale and maybe have some lunch.

Bears in the wild... Finally!

2011-06-12T23:48:00.001-05:00

Coming to Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park, we had hoped and expected to see some bears, and in the Tetons and Yellowstone we really wanted to see grizzlies. For our two days in the Tetons and the first day and a half in Yellowstone, we didn't see any sign of a bear, much less a griz. But, finally, we got a good view of two different grizzlies. The first, we were driving along the park road when we hit a traffic jam. There were cars parked all over the road and people jumping out with their kids and cameras. We saw the bear about 100 yards in the Upper Geyser area off the road and got this great shot.

Later that afternoon, we saw another bear near Old Faithful. This griz ran right through the Old Faithful Geyser area straight across the boardwalk and up into the woods.

This same bear was later reportedly spotted near a trail we had just hiked in the pic below, notice I'm carrying my bear spray. The Park Ranger stopped us at the end of the trail and asked us if we saw it. In this case, unfortunately, not. But we got a great pic of the little guys and the ranger.

If you ever get the chance to observe these great creatures, consider yourself lucky. As we observed in this trip, most of these animals want nothing to do with humans and will run away knowing you are in the area. But, when in bear country, you must take the proper precautions.

Carry bear spray - it's not a repellant an should only be used if the bear is actually charging
Talk loudly and often when walking the trail (Blake and Dylan are our best defense with bears as they talk a lot and very loud)
Keep in a group, don't get separated and stay on the trail as much as possible
Protect your food from the animals to help protect the animals
Be constantly vigilant about scanning the surroundings for bear markings, scat and food they like such as berries
Check with Park Rangers about areas you will be in to see if there are bears reported in the area

These animals should be respected, not feared. Enjoy seeing them when you are able to.

Having a picnic under the Grand Teton

2011-06-12T00:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we got to have lunch in the shadow of the Grand Teton. For wilderness experience, I haven't found too much that can compare to the Tetons backcountry. Because of all the snow that Grand Teton National Park has received this winter, most of the backcountry trails are closed and quite a bit of the front-country trails as well. With the whole family, getting too far into the Tetons backcountry is difficult. So, we took a 3.6 mile loop hike to Taggart Lake. This was a spectacular hike that should be on anyone's to-do list when going to the Tetons. It can also be included in a trek to Bradley Lake, but due to the snow, we had to just limit our trip to Taggart Lake. Here's some shots of the family at our lunch spot. I wish I had brought my fly rod, although I didn't see too many fish in the water.

Fly Fishing Fun

2011-06-12T00:43:00.000-05:00

Ok, I promised to give Fly Fishing a whirl while on our trip and I got to today. I stopped off in Yellowstone National Park near the confluence of Nez Perce Creek and the Firehole River. I wanted to try out my new fly rod and reel. I was fairly successful in making a few casts, but quickly snapped my line somehow. I definitely need some lessons on casting and presentation but enjoyed the experience nonetheless. Tomorrow, we plan on heading over to Yellowstone Lake and I may give it another go. Otherwise, it may have to wait till Utah.

FLASK - Florida to Alaska

2011-06-12T00:32:00.000-05:00

Today, in Yellowstone National Park, I met a gentleman named Craig Randleman who is on a bike ride from Florida to Alaska. He is currently about halfway to his destination. I was so interested to hear about his story I stopped him and talked to him briefly and got my picture with him. Here's the blog, http://cirquesaction.blogspot.com/, where he's posting his story, and also his plans for other epic adventures.. I'm definitely interested in reading his posts to find out how he's doing and WHEN he finishes. If you're interested in helping Craig in his quests, you can also donate via the blog.