GPX Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/w1scmn2zwhfsjo8/Pine%20Knot%20GPX.gpx
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Pineknot - Big Bear with C & A
The elevation calculation on this is not accurate from Garmin Connect, but the elevation image does seem accurate. The elevation gain was really 1818 ft. FYI that the GPX for this includes a detour as we got off course at one point. This hike is worth repeating.
GPX Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/w1scmn2zwhfsjo8/Pine%20Knot%20GPX.gpx
GPX Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/w1scmn2zwhfsjo8/Pine%20Knot%20GPX.gpx
Friday, May 27, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Big Falls - Mt. Charleston, NV
Big Falls hike isn't the first hike people think of when hiking to a waterfall in Mt Charleston. We had already done the more popular Mary Jane Falls a few times and decided to try out the this hike to get to Big Falls for something different. The trail starts out at the same parking lot as the trail head for Mary Jane Falls. The parking lot is the first on the left on Echo Road. If you miss the turn and continue on Echo Road, you will end up at the parking area for Trail Canyon. You actually start at the Mary Jane Falls trail head and make a turn towards the left when the Mary Jane trail curves to the right to start switchbacks to Mary Jane Falls. It's not that clear on the trail where you turn off, but we used http://www.birdandhike.com/Hike/Mt_Char/Big_Falls/_Big_Falls.htm as a reference. Mary Jane Falls is an official hike of Mt. Charleston, and Big Falls is not, which is probably why it's not super clear where to turn off the Mary Jane Falls trail.
We had researched this hike and it was described as having a lot of scrambling and being short, but fairly difficult. We didn't experience much difficulty because of the time of year we went. It was too early in the season and the snow hadn't hardly melted from the Big Falls trail so we had a fairly easy, but cold climb, as we ascended to the falls. The reason we went so early in the year was that we wanted to make sure we caught the falls, as we know waterfalls in the desert are definitely seasonal. The snow acted like a buffer between us and the debris we were supposed to be scrambling up so we made quick time up. Poking through the snow blanket was a lot of tree debris and it looked as if an avalanche had occurred, although probably not true by any means. Under the snow blanket, you would normally climb a canyon full of boulders and logs.
Phil and I hiked with a couple of friends and none of us were prepared for the amount of snow we encountered and we (especially the girls in their shorts and t-shirts) shivered up the mountain. Once you get to the last steep hill, the snow was somewhat mushy and we picked up some walking sticks to hold our footing. The actual falls were flowing and the mist coming off the falls was substantial enough to get damp and chilled when you walked up to it. The falls were about 60 feet and pretty impressive. We didn't stay long, however, due to the cold and lack of proper clothing. In fact, the girls ate more than half their lunch on the way down.
Also, the supposed distance is 2.8 miles round trip, but we ended up shorter, probably due to the snow making our route more direct.
This hike is a definite must do again, as we want to experience it when there isn't quite so much snow and we can do some more scrambling and go up to the actual falls and enjoy a nice picnic lunch.
We had researched this hike and it was described as having a lot of scrambling and being short, but fairly difficult. We didn't experience much difficulty because of the time of year we went. It was too early in the season and the snow hadn't hardly melted from the Big Falls trail so we had a fairly easy, but cold climb, as we ascended to the falls. The reason we went so early in the year was that we wanted to make sure we caught the falls, as we know waterfalls in the desert are definitely seasonal. The snow acted like a buffer between us and the debris we were supposed to be scrambling up so we made quick time up. Poking through the snow blanket was a lot of tree debris and it looked as if an avalanche had occurred, although probably not true by any means. Under the snow blanket, you would normally climb a canyon full of boulders and logs.
Phil and I hiked with a couple of friends and none of us were prepared for the amount of snow we encountered and we (especially the girls in their shorts and t-shirts) shivered up the mountain. Once you get to the last steep hill, the snow was somewhat mushy and we picked up some walking sticks to hold our footing. The actual falls were flowing and the mist coming off the falls was substantial enough to get damp and chilled when you walked up to it. The falls were about 60 feet and pretty impressive. We didn't stay long, however, due to the cold and lack of proper clothing. In fact, the girls ate more than half their lunch on the way down.
Also, the supposed distance is 2.8 miles round trip, but we ended up shorter, probably due to the snow making our route more direct.
This hike is a definite must do again, as we want to experience it when there isn't quite so much snow and we can do some more scrambling and go up to the actual falls and enjoy a nice picnic lunch.
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| Her lips are blue from the cold. |
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| Phil pushing the limit and getting too close to the ice edge of the falls. |
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Pine Creek Canyon - K and C
A quick hike in Red Rock with C. I don't think we ever made it to our final destination as we got off course and ended up doing some bouldering and then turned back. Total miles: 2.58
Friday, April 1, 2011
2010-2011 Snow Season Resorts
When a time comes that we are not living life we may write more about each resort, but for now here's a summary of our snowboarding season '10-'11:
March 2011
Brian Head
Brian Head
Brian Head
Las Vegas
April 2011
Las Vegas
Brian Head
Brighton
Brighton
Solitude
2011 was the start of our passion for the snow. We were bit by the bug and have been riding powder ever since!
March 2011
Brian Head
Brian Head
Brian Head
Las Vegas
April 2011
Las Vegas
Brian Head
Brighton
Brighton
Solitude
2011 was the start of our passion for the snow. We were bit by the bug and have been riding powder ever since!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Angel's Landing - P&K, Nikki, Alex, and C&A
A group of our very best friends all decided to camp in Zion. It was a wonderful experience and can probably be credited with planting the seed that would become our love of tent camping. We did the famous Angel's Landing hike. Here are a few photos from the campsite and hike.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Devil's Bridge - Sedona, AZ
This is a very short, but worth while hike in Sedona. We found it on a list of the top 10 hikes in Sedona (http://www.greatsedonahikes.com/favorites.html). More recently, we have completed another top 10 hike: Bear Mountain.
The actual hike is only about 2 miles round trip, but the road to get to the hike is actually very uneven and a high clearance vehicle is recommended. Phil and I decided to take my Murano (not AWD) on the road and we made it, but it wasn't pretty and took a very long time. We enviously watched as the Jeeps hauled down the road at 3x the speed we could go. We kept thinking that we weren't going to make it to the trail head, most likely because of the slow pace, but we persisted and got to the obvious trail head on the right.
The trail is easy to follow until you get to the part where you can go up on top of the natural arch, also called the bridge, or you can go underneath it. The route up to the top of the bridge passes a nice overlook of a large Sedona mountain and was a great place to stop for pictures. Also, the route going to the top involves some mild bouldering. Since the hike was so short, we actually got pictures on top and underneath the Devil's Bridge. Karen refused to go all the way out to the middle of the natural arch since she was worried it would crumble beneath her, but Phil celebrated right in the middle of the bridge.
The drive back to the main road was pretty much just as slow as the drive to the trail head, but again, the Murano made it. Since our hike was so short, we attempted to do another hike right after, but the sun was setting too fast and we were on the darker side of a mountain. Neither of us can remember the name of this hike we attempted, but I don't think we will ever forget turning back early, running in the dirt, and being completely exhausted to avoid total darkness in the desert without headlamps.
Devil's Bridge is a must see in Sedona, but a high clearance vehicle would definitely save you a lot of time driving to the trail head. The website we used gave pretty much good directions so you would be ok to follow it.
The actual hike is only about 2 miles round trip, but the road to get to the hike is actually very uneven and a high clearance vehicle is recommended. Phil and I decided to take my Murano (not AWD) on the road and we made it, but it wasn't pretty and took a very long time. We enviously watched as the Jeeps hauled down the road at 3x the speed we could go. We kept thinking that we weren't going to make it to the trail head, most likely because of the slow pace, but we persisted and got to the obvious trail head on the right.
The trail is easy to follow until you get to the part where you can go up on top of the natural arch, also called the bridge, or you can go underneath it. The route up to the top of the bridge passes a nice overlook of a large Sedona mountain and was a great place to stop for pictures. Also, the route going to the top involves some mild bouldering. Since the hike was so short, we actually got pictures on top and underneath the Devil's Bridge. Karen refused to go all the way out to the middle of the natural arch since she was worried it would crumble beneath her, but Phil celebrated right in the middle of the bridge.
The drive back to the main road was pretty much just as slow as the drive to the trail head, but again, the Murano made it. Since our hike was so short, we attempted to do another hike right after, but the sun was setting too fast and we were on the darker side of a mountain. Neither of us can remember the name of this hike we attempted, but I don't think we will ever forget turning back early, running in the dirt, and being completely exhausted to avoid total darkness in the desert without headlamps.
Devil's Bridge is a must see in Sedona, but a high clearance vehicle would definitely save you a lot of time driving to the trail head. The website we used gave pretty much good directions so you would be ok to follow it.
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| View of the top of Devil's Bridge |
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| That's as far as she would go towards the middle. |
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| View from Below the Natural Arch |
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Cedar Ridge - Grand Canyon, AZ
This was our first trip to the Grand Canyon and we wanted to make the most of seeing as much as we could, and of course, we had to fit in a hike. We started out our exploration of the Grand Canyon at the visitor center. The vistitor center was very impressive. Great color maps of all the hikes and a wonderful shuttle system that took you to the start of all the trails. The maps even had a picture guide to tell you how much water and food you should pack, Karen got a huge kick out of that. We started out by taking a shuttle to a scenic overlook to get a few photos and actually got some great shots of us and the canyon. See below. The amazing thing about the Grand Canyon is that it is impossible to take a picture to include the vastness that you are seeing. You can only get a snippet of the actualy scenery, it is that massive.
Unfortunetly, the Grand Canyon is VERY hot in August. We weren't quite prepared for how hot it got in the actual canyon and we set out to do Cedar Ridge about midday. We didn't have enough water and the rationing started on the hike down. The actual hiking was strenous, especially coupled with the strong heat and lack of shade on our route. The Cedar Ridge trail continues all the way to the bottom of the canyon and you can camp out the night and hike back up, but we only went down partially. There are warnings EVERYWHERE that hiking to the bottom and back up to the top in the same day is deadly. There was even a story of super-athletes that died in the canyon trying to do just that. We have been much better about bringing enough water ever since that hike.
The Cedar Ridge hike is considered a good hike for starting late and hiking in the day. It is only about 1000 ft of descension and then climbing back up. It's only about 3 miles total, but it was a hot 3 miles and we were rationing ice cubes by the end and kicking ourselves for getting such a late start. Also, the hiking guide recommended two sandwhiches (we had none) and double the water we brought. It was a good hike though when it was all done and we finished in time to watch the sunset over the Grand Canyon. We would definitely love to go back and take advantage of all the offerings. Maybe some day soon.
Unfortunetly, the Grand Canyon is VERY hot in August. We weren't quite prepared for how hot it got in the actual canyon and we set out to do Cedar Ridge about midday. We didn't have enough water and the rationing started on the hike down. The actual hiking was strenous, especially coupled with the strong heat and lack of shade on our route. The Cedar Ridge trail continues all the way to the bottom of the canyon and you can camp out the night and hike back up, but we only went down partially. There are warnings EVERYWHERE that hiking to the bottom and back up to the top in the same day is deadly. There was even a story of super-athletes that died in the canyon trying to do just that. We have been much better about bringing enough water ever since that hike.
The Cedar Ridge hike is considered a good hike for starting late and hiking in the day. It is only about 1000 ft of descension and then climbing back up. It's only about 3 miles total, but it was a hot 3 miles and we were rationing ice cubes by the end and kicking ourselves for getting such a late start. Also, the hiking guide recommended two sandwhiches (we had none) and double the water we brought. It was a good hike though when it was all done and we finished in time to watch the sunset over the Grand Canyon. We would definitely love to go back and take advantage of all the offerings. Maybe some day soon.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Firetower - Allegany, NY
The Mt. Tuscarora Firetower trail is perhaps the most famous in Allegany State Park. Growing up, it was a hike I did several times with many close friends and family members. When I started bringing Karen to Allegany, I was not a very good "hiking host". I would hardly take her on any hikes because, well, I was lazy. I finally promised to do it in 2010.
The Firetower trail is not a loop and its elevation profile is not symmetrical. Growing up, we always hiked the longer, more gradual side first, choosing to descend on the steeper side. However, I am easily annoyed by gradual uphill hikes; if I have to go up, might as well get it over with quickly. I convinced everyone to attack it from the steep side first.
The day was very hot and humid, probably over 85 degrees. The uphill was hard but not crazy, and even though we were all dripping in the heat, we dispatched it rather quickly. It was over a year ago, but if I had to guess, I'd say the difficult uphill lasted no longer than 1.5 miles. Shortly after that, we came upon the firetower itself. Maybe I had built up the hike (and the tower) a bit too much to Karen, because she was very underwhelmed by the tower itself. It's an old, simple steel structure that's not much to look at. These days, it's not so much about seeing the tower itself, but of doing a hike that is so intrinsic to the Allegany experience.
1-2 miles after leaving the tower, my Uncle Mark discovered he had left his camera back at the tower. He and I jogged back to get it, but in moving the other direction on the trail, accidentally took a smaller tributary to the main trail, lengthening our backtrack. We finally found his camera and jogged back to catch up with everyone else.
The trail is supposed to end where the Brow cabin trail begins, but somehow our entire group of 10 people got off track and ended up emerging from the woods behind the tennis courts at the back of the Quaker athletic field. Being Allegany veterans, we all could have found our way back to our cabins blind from this point, but it was more disconcerting that we had gotten off trail on such a well marked path. Oh well.
Firetower is not challenging or exciting, but it is so purely Allegany that I would rank it alongside Bear Caves as THE quintessential Allegany hike, one that could be done year after year.
The Firetower trail is not a loop and its elevation profile is not symmetrical. Growing up, we always hiked the longer, more gradual side first, choosing to descend on the steeper side. However, I am easily annoyed by gradual uphill hikes; if I have to go up, might as well get it over with quickly. I convinced everyone to attack it from the steep side first.
The day was very hot and humid, probably over 85 degrees. The uphill was hard but not crazy, and even though we were all dripping in the heat, we dispatched it rather quickly. It was over a year ago, but if I had to guess, I'd say the difficult uphill lasted no longer than 1.5 miles. Shortly after that, we came upon the firetower itself. Maybe I had built up the hike (and the tower) a bit too much to Karen, because she was very underwhelmed by the tower itself. It's an old, simple steel structure that's not much to look at. These days, it's not so much about seeing the tower itself, but of doing a hike that is so intrinsic to the Allegany experience.
1-2 miles after leaving the tower, my Uncle Mark discovered he had left his camera back at the tower. He and I jogged back to get it, but in moving the other direction on the trail, accidentally took a smaller tributary to the main trail, lengthening our backtrack. We finally found his camera and jogged back to catch up with everyone else.
The trail is supposed to end where the Brow cabin trail begins, but somehow our entire group of 10 people got off track and ended up emerging from the woods behind the tennis courts at the back of the Quaker athletic field. Being Allegany veterans, we all could have found our way back to our cabins blind from this point, but it was more disconcerting that we had gotten off trail on such a well marked path. Oh well.
Firetower is not challenging or exciting, but it is so purely Allegany that I would rank it alongside Bear Caves as THE quintessential Allegany hike, one that could be done year after year.
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| The group at the start of the hike (Karen took the picture so she's not in it) |
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| Us at the end of the strenuous uphill |
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| The group at the firetower |
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| The Firetower |
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
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