Also always a treat to catch a bald eagle in the wild. Saw one in a public park in Denver earlier this year. Real delight
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/01/nx-s1-5175086/arrest-in-killing-montana-camper-bear-attack-ruled-out Caught him Stupid fucking Nazi left a beer behind that he drank
I've done Bear Mtn in Sedona every month this year. Planning on doing it for the 11th time Monday since we're off work Start at 4600 ft, go up to 6400 ft over 2.5 miles. Basically a perfect morning workout and the most strenuous hike in Sedona May Spoiler up in the clouds in October Spoiler
AB Young Trail is also a perfect morning workout Start at 5200 ft, go up to 7200 ft over 2.5 miles August Spoiler September with smoke in Oak Creek Canyon Spoiler
O'Leary Peak in September. Start at 6900 ft, go up 5 miles to 8900 ft One of the best trails to run on in the US Spoiler
Atalaya Mtn in Santa Fe last weekend. Very similar to Mt Elden in Flagstaff in that you start around 7000 ft, go up 3 miles to about 9200 ft. Very nice morning workout before reading in their downtown area the rest of the day Spoiler
Sedona is so clutch in the winter. 100+ inches of snow every winter at 7K feet? No problem, just drive 25 miles south to 4500 ft
We love our weekends folks. Sedona is my favorite place on the planet. Officially have done Bear Mtn every month of 2024. Perfect weather down there after having to scrape ice off my windshield up here Spoiler
Nice. When do peaks like Humphrey's usually melt out for spring/summer hikes? Looking to get down there this year. I know if varies by snowpack, so just looking for a general rule of thumb. I don't mind carrying an axe and traction for reasonably short stretches of snow, but I do mind postholing for miles.
If you've got foot traction early/mid-May would be fine, especially this year with how dry it's been. Early June is probably the best bet for being able to do Humphreys without it being miserable because of the wind though
My city has a bunch of incredible parks that are more than a simple neighborhood walk, but less than a big mountain hike. 3-4-5 miles loops with approx 1,000 ft of elevation thru really cool forests. A large portion of them are off-leash, so you can let your dog go wild. Saturday and Sunday I took the pup on a 2-3 hour romp thru these parks. Great way to spend a slow weekend Spoiler
14 straight months getting on top of Bear Mtn as of this morning. I stop at the exact same points every single time lol Was like 72 and perfectly clear in Sedona. Wildfire season is looking like it'll be pretty bad this summer with how incredibly dry it's been all winter Spoiler
Started prepping my summer itinerary this weekend. I want to do all 5 Washington volcanoes within the next 2 years, St. Helen's and Adams this year. Rainier will have to be guided, that's flexible. I've done Baker. Glacier is the 5th, it's a 4-day hike just to get to the mountain, then a 2-3 day climb. At least 10-days round trip. Maybe that'll be my 2026 goal. But trying to do three 5-night trips this year.
Holy shit! Won the Mt. Rainier lottery to book backcountry permits. Never won before in 8 years of trying. Been wanting to do the Wonderland Trail forever - 85 mile loop around Rainier: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-wonderland-trail Fuck. Yes.
Random drop-in: If anyone is interested in an overlanding built 4Runner, shoot me a PM. Think I’m getting ready to part with this:
Attempted this a few years ago, but got smoked out and had to bail. Going to try again July 4 weekend. Thinking 4 or 5 days
Going to go over Labor Day, 8 days/7 nights on the trail. Big. Spoiler Have one friend that is about 50/50, but may be doing this solo. Will be an incredible adventure.
Booked! Some of the sites I wanted were already booked, but I'm reserved: Day 7 is going to be something. Good thing is, those little muffins to the right are front country spots where you can store food. So don't have to carry 8 days of food, can go down a day before and drop some supplies. GAIA route: Spoiler Day 7 - will be by far my biggest day ever with a pack:
Taking the pup on her first camping trip this weekend. Doing a bro trip with some friends to a front-country site, just some car camping. We have a keg, speakers, lights, grills, elk steak, duck eggs, frisbees, and a lot of mushrooms.
looking forward to being down in Sedona for sunrise tomorrow. Need to do Bear Mtn this weekend to get my streak to 15 straight months Winter weather and Achilles tendonitis have been slowing me down some this year but have still had a couple sweet road trips to Tucson and Monument Valley Four-day work weeks starting soon
I slept through all my alarms Saturday and ended up just going to a tennis match and reading in town all weekend... So used a mental health day today to go down to Sedona and keep my streak alive Bear Mtn Spoiler
Cross-posting from latest purchase thread -- Does anyone have any suggestions for trail runners? I love to go hiking while traveling but I have a size 13 foot so the hiking boots take up way too much space. I want to find something that is sturdy enough to wear with some decently intense hiking through forests and rocks and whatnot, but also I could wear walking around a mountain city. Example, heading to St Kitts and Nevis for my 40th in a few months and plan to hike both volcanoes which go through jungle, but would also like to be able to wear them walking around the towns and areas (when I'm not wearing sandals).
adidas ultraboost all terrain if you want no ankle support or Adidas Terrex Free Hiker if you want something w/ ankle support
Huge fan of Salomon. I use Speedcross for trail running, day hikes, and everyday use. I'm wearing them now. My boots are also Salomon. Edit - Ha no I'm not, forgot I had Dunks on today.
I may not be the best resource on this because I wear chacos to hike 90 percent of the time and I hate wearing boots. So ankle support and protection aren't high on my priority list. But when it's too cold for sandals I have a pair of Nike Pegasus Trail shoes that have Gore Tex. They're lightweight and comfortable and keep my feet dry. They have a rock plate to protect you from sharp rocks.
Hiking in chacos is crazy to me, even tho I see folks do it all the time. My feet would be hamburger meat. I have beautiful, dainty soles and heels.
Spending a couple days in Salt Lake City. Won’t be able to venture too far out of the city but any recs for a nice hike?
I don't have much experience in that part of the state, but one I did enjoy was Wind Cave. It's about 1:30 north of SLC near Logan, which may be further than you want to venture. Its a nice switch back trail that climbs up to a cave area in the rock that has nice views of the mountains on the other side of the gorge. It's 3.7 miles round trip. If you have time to continue up the highway past the trailhead its a beautiful drive all the way up to bear lake. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/wind-cave-trail