Jacob W. Frank: Blog

Yellowstone: Union Falls and Mr. Bubbles

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 22:54:34 GMT

Hey Everyone,

We've had a trip to the Bechler region on our to-do list for a long time, but the best time to go is during Corrie's work crunch time. With the spectacular late-season weather that we've had this year, we were able to sneak in an overnight trip to Union Falls and a two-night trip into Bechler Canyon.

To start, we drove out to the Grassy Lake Reservoir Trailhead. The final drive down to the parking lot is steep and rutted. If you don't have an off-road vehicle, it's probably best to walk it first to see if your car can make it. After a short distance from the parking lot, we were greeted by a Yellowstone boundary sign.

After a mile, we arrived at the Falls River crossing. It's wide and cold. I think crossing this early in the season would be fairly challenging, you definitely want to make sure you have some trekking poles.

Once on the other side of the river, the trail is mostly nondescript and through the trees. There are a few points along the way that open up, but the views in the distance are of more trees.

While this trail may be a destination hike, the final destination is ABSOLUTELY worth the 15+ miles roundtrip. We arrived at the overlook in the afternoon as planned. The light at our back created a nice little rainbow in the spray of the falls.

I noticed that there was a small trail down to the base of the falls. After getting fairly wet from the spray on the hike down, I was able to find a dry spot where I could take a photo.

We hiked back to the junction and took the trail up to Scout Pool. It's not a hot spring, but the water has some thermal influence so it's probably in the 70s. It was a great spot to jump in and wash off the sweat from the day's hike before heading back to camp and hitting the sack.

The following morning our plan was to hike back to the trailhead, then take Grassy Lake Road west until we could hook up with Cave Falls Road and take that into Bechler. We certainly missed the peak of the fall color, but there were still some occasional pockets of color. The other thing we noticed is how incredibly clear the water is. When the sun is overhead and you look with polarized lenses, you can see right through the water like it's barely there.

The hike back out was uneventful, although there's a fairly steady climb out from the campsite on the way out.

Back at the trailhead, we jumped in the car and headed over towards Bechler. It's about 2.5 hours of driving on the dirt road. In some places you need to go very slowly due to the condition of the road. We arrived to the area late afternoon, set up camp, and then drove out to Cave Falls. It's not a huge drop, but it's a wide falls with a decent amount of water, even this late in the year.

The following morning we set off from the Bechler Ranger Station to spend two nights in Bechler Canyon. As with Union Falls, the trail starts off in the trees, but eventually it opens up when you arrive to Bechler Meadows. After crossing the suspension footbridge, it's about three miles to cross the entire meadow.

At the mouth of Bechler Canyon, the vegetation completely changes. It turns into Fern Gully with giant spruce trees and ferns everywhere.

Once in the canyon, you gradually start to climb as you make your way up to Three Rivers Junction. Along the way you hike by another couple beautiful waterfalls. The first, Colonnade Falls, is a two-in-one.

Shortly after Colonnade Falls, you arrive at Iris Falls. There was so much spray coming off this falls, that when I took a photo of it I was almost able to see a full 360º rainbow.

We arrived late afternoon and called it an early night after the big hike in. The following morning, we made breakfast and got an early start on the short hike up to Mr. Bubbles. With the cooler air temps in the morning, we were able to see all the thermal features near the Bechler River that we didn't notice the day before.

The trail through the canyon takes you near some beautiful thermal features. I tried to find the names of features on a map, but I'm not sure if there are official names or not.

As we arrived at Ferris Fork junction, we started seeing signs of more thermal influence in the water.

Once we passed Ragged Falls, we arrived at the spur trail out to our destination.

Hiking in we could see a thermal feature dumping into the river. Upon closer look, there was a boiling hot spring and travertine feature.

At the end of the trail, roughly 16 miles from our starting point, we arrived at our destination. We have plenty of friends that suggested we hike out here, but we didn't really get what all the fuss was about. Now that we were here with the place to ourselves, we could see the allure.

It wasn't until we jumped in that we "got it." The area where you soak, aptly named Mr. Bubbles, is a mixture of hot water from a nearby spring and the cold water from the Ferris Fork. Depending on where you sit in the feature, you can "adjust" the temperature to your liking. During the 2.5 hours we soaked, we couldn't believe we had the place to ourselves. We kept saying that someone was going to show up eventually, but it never happened.

Back at camp, we ate lunch and then took naps in the sun. I went back out to take photos during the sunset before happy hour and dinner.

The weather was clear and we were close to a new moon, so I decided to head out to try and get some photos of the night sky. I scouted a place during my sunset stroll so I knew where I wanted to shoot, but unfortunately I didn't have a tripod. So after creating a janky way to hold my camera with my trekking poles and pack, I was able to capture a keeper.

The next morning we had a long hike and drive ahead of us, so we started early. Even though we were back tracking, it was nice to get to see the same spots in different lighting.

Especially the waterfalls... They were in the shade this time around so I was able to do some longer exposure shots of the cascades and falls.

Back in the meadow, there was some haze in the distance that prevented us from seeing the Tetons with too much definition.

We could even smell the smoke in the air a little bit. We made it back to the trailhead in the early afternoon, tired, but recharged from a spectacular trip in a new part of the park for us.

Trip details: In total we hiked just shy of 50 miles. The roundtrip out to Union Falls and Scout pool is about 17 miles with ~2,000 feet of elevation, and roundtrip out to Mr. Bubbles is about 32 miles and ~1,900 feet of elevation. It seems like the window for this trip is between late-August and when the snow flies. I'd love to hit this in peak fall color, but it seems that we were just on the back end of it, especially with the big winds that were in the area the week before.

Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness: Clay Butte to Flat Rock Lake Loop

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 02:12:47 GMT

Hey Everyone,

It's that time of year, Labor Day Weekend, where we usually head into the mountains for a trip of epic proportions. Last year, we hiked out to Thorofare Ranger Station in Yellowstone. This year we planned to head back into the Absaorka-Beartooth Wilderness in Custer Gallatin National Forest although it would start and end from the Clay Butte Lookout Trailhead in Shoshone National Forest. We planned for five days of backpacking, two of which would mostly be off trail. On day two, two of our friends planned to take an alternative route in so they could hike with us on days 3-5.

The Wx window looked great and the fireweed was already starting to turn red. We stopped in Cooke City for some coffee before setting off from the trailhead around noon.

Day 1: Clay Butte Lookout to Granite Lake

The start of the trail was a lot of downhill to the south shore of Granite Lake. That was welcomed since our packs were especially heavy with five days worth of food. There was a slight tinge of haze in the sky, but Pilot and Index peaks were out in their full glory.

When we made it to the south shore of Granite Lake, we had a small water crossing that was about knee deep. Toklat, who isn't a huge fan of water at times, dove right in after me and crossed with no issue. Near our crossing was a giant group site with a bear box. If it wasn't so close to the road it would probably be a fun place to hang out for the weekend with little effort to get in there.

After the crossing we hiked along the west shore of the lake through some meadows that looked like they would be extremely buggy in the spring and summer. By this time they were mostly dry and easy to cross. Eventually the trail moved away from the lake and up some steep granite terrain.

At the top of the climb we were greeted with another great view of Granite Lake just as the light was starting to get nice. We stopped for snacks before the final push to our first camp spot of the trip.

Since we've never been in this area before, we didn't know exactly where we could camp, but we had good ideas based on studying satellite imagery. So when we walked into Granite Lake we were pumped to find a primo campsite with a hang pole right near a rocky beach.

Day 2: Granite Lake to Jorden Lake

We woke up early to make coffee and breakfast along the lake and enjoy the sunrise. It was a bit chilly, but we didn't get any frost over night.

After breakfast we hiked north along the inlet and up the drainage to Lake Elaine. It was extremely slow going, since the "trail" was steep and overgrown with lots of downed trees.

As we gained the pass, we could look back and see Granite Lake in the distance.

At Lake Elaine we took the time to grab a snack and enjoy the views.

From the foot of the lake, the trail followed the west shore of Lake Elaine until it climbed another pass towards Farley Lake.

It was lunch time when we arrive to Farley Lake. We filtered water and relaxed for a long break. It's a good thing we decided to stop, because we took a wrong turn at the junction. I realized it when we were eating, so we only added like 15-20 minutes to the day.

From Farley Lake there was a final high pass until we arrived at our destination of Jorden Lake.

As we approached Jorden Lake, we dropped down to the outlet and crossed one final hill before we arrive at our campsite.

Again, we didn't really know where we would camp, but we found another spectacular camp spot. This time we had our own private cascade behind our lakefront site.

Our friends were supposed to arrive around 6pm, but by the time we crawled into the tent around 8:30 they still hadn't arrived.

Before we went to bed that night, we discovered a hole in our sleeping pad. We were able to patch it with some duct tape, but it would prove to be an issue for the remainder of the trip. The benefit? Waking up in the middle of the night because you're cold only to realize that the Milky Way is out in its full glory.

Day 3: Jorden Lake to Flat Rock Lake, off-trail

When I woke up the following morning I noticed that we had a new tent next to ours. Turns out that our fiends showed up only a few minutes after we crawled into the tent.

After a nice breakfast along the lake, we poured over our maps one last time before we started our off-trail climb.

When we arrived at the first of many lakes of the day, I couldn't help but just saying "wow!" over and over again. The morning was still cool and the wind had yet to pick up, so the reflections in the water were beautiful.

Our first "reroute" on the day came at Anchor Lake. When you look at a map, sometimes it looks like the route "goes" when it doesn't. All it takes is an 8ft ledge or fallen tree to prevent you from going a certain way. That kind of stuff doesn't show up on a map. But that's the fun of a route versus a trail. On the flip side, route finding can be mentally taxing. Always having to pay attention to each step instead of being able to engage "autopilot" on a trail.

At Big Butte Lake, we stopped for a snack and to scout another reroute. The weather was perfect without a cloud in the sky.

We arrived at our first pass on the day. At the junction we had the option to continue north or east. We wanted to get all of the elevation out of the way first, so we continued north along a series of unnamed paternoster lakes.

As we wrapped around the lake we could look down the east drainage to Gravel and Till lakes.

It was extremely slow going, due to both the terrain and the views. But we took our time and plugged along.

After lunch, we reached the final pass on the day around 3pm. From here we would start our descent towards Flat Rock Lake.

Lots of steep downhill through unstable boulderfields.

After eight or so hours from when we started, we arrived at our final descent to Flat Rock Lake.

Our plan was to camp on the east side of the lake, but since we arrived so late all the flat spots around the lake were already taken. So when we walked past a couple flat spots near the west inlet creek, we made a team decision to set up camp. This was the best decision of the trip. Not only was our view from camp next to another cascade, but our view of the lake from a nearby rock outcrop was spectacular.

Day 4: Flat Rock Lake to Thiel Lake, partially off trail

The following morning we woke up to some slight haze in the air, but it was still gorgeous. We ate breakfast, packed up and headed towards Martin Lake for the night.

The route today looked to be mostly downhill, until we would meet up with the trail near Green Lake. From there we would gain a couple hills before we reached our destination.

The valley just below Flat Rock Lake is spectacular. There's a giant river bar surrounded by tundra at like 9,000' elevation. The water levels were very manageable this time of year, and I'm sure that the water in the spring makes this route much more difficult.

There were a few of those hidden cliffs I mentioned earlier, so the route wasn't super apparent at first. But after a few backtracks we eventually down climbed a steep hill and made our way to Alp Lake.

From here, we planned to meet up a with a social trail that we found on satellite imagery. Here, just like many of the lakes with boulderfields, we had to keep from stepping on all the pika scurrying around.

At the outlet of Alp Lake we found the social trail. It wasn't always super apparent, but it was a little refreshing mentally to know that we wouldn't wander up to a cliff and have to reroute. Once we made it to Castle Lake, we stopped for lunch and our buddy pulled out his rod and reel to see if he could catch some trout.

After a nice break we were back at it. More slow going, but we were following a route at least.

Eventually, we made it back to the trail, where we dropped down into Green Lake. From here we climbed back up a short but steep ridge to Trail and Kidney Lakes. After the climb, we stopped at Trail Lake to filter some water and do some more fishing.

From Trail Lake it was only a short distance to our destination. Since we arrived fairly early in the day, we decided to push onto the next lake which would add another 2-3 miles on the day. But it would also ensure that we would be closer to the car for the following day on the hike out.

As we hiked past Kidney Lake, I kept turning around to check out the views behind us. When we got to the pass I stopped for pictures. When I turned around, BAM! Spectacular mountain views of where we had been hiking the past few days in the distance.

This was our final pass on the day and would be hiking past a few unnamed lakes on the way to Thiel. But before we would arrive, we had hike down one final "hill," as it was described by one of the few hikers we passed on the trip. It turns out it was steep, like the trail down to Brink of the Lower Falls in Yellowstone, but without pavement and with giant rocks.

As we arrived at Thiel, the obvious spots along the lake were already taken. We kept along the trail until we noticed a small social trail into the trees on the south side of the lake. As we followed it into the trees, we were greeted to another camp spot with great views. Of all the lakes, this was the least "user friendly" since there wasn't a rocky beach, but we were able to get water without getting stuck in the mud. We had the best sunset of the trip here to boot, although a bit hazy.

Day 5: Thiel Lake to Clay Butte TH

The final day we woke up and hit the trail early. Before we hiked in on Day 1, we read about the possibility of weather on the afternoon of Monday (today). So after a quick breakfast, we were hiking back to the car. This point of the trip with much lighter packs.

We had a small river crossing and a couple new sections of trail, but eventually we were back on the same route that we hiked in to Granite Lake.

We were cooking at this point, taking full advantage of the flat trail and the fact that we didn't have to stare at our feet.

The last challenge was the short-n-sweet hill that we had to climb back to the car.

Trip details: 5 days, 4 nights. 30 miles, ~5,700' elevation. ~10 miles off-trail

We've done a handful of trips in the Beartooths, and they were all awesome. This trip was the best that we've done so far. Successfully hiking off trail for this trip will open up a bunch of new opportunities for us as we plan for more trips in the future.

Yellowstone: Sportsman Lake and Electric Pass

Sat, 24 Aug 2024 16:54:00 GMT

Hey everyone!

We finally made it up to Sportsman Lake and Electric Pass after years of talking about it. During our initial planning, we had always looked at going in from the Glen Creek Trailhead, but after asking around and looking at the maps, we decided that going in from Highway 191 made more sense. It's a mile or two shorter, plus you don't have to hike over the pass both ways.

After we ate second breakfast in West Yellowstone, we drove up to the Fawn Pass Trailhead. While putting the finishing touches on packing we saw another group getting ready to hike in for the night with a few llamas. Since Corrie used to pack llamas in Colorado, I had to make sure and get a photo for her.

Not too far from the road, we arrived at our junction. Apparently we weren't the only "hikers" in the area. It rained the night before so there were lots of tracks on the trail, including a sow grizzly and her cub.

Eventually, we arrived at our first creek crossing. It didn't look very deep so I tried to rock hop across, unsuccessfully. That meant I was hiking with wet feet the rest of the day. This was also the first big trip for us after being sick from COVID for 2 months, so my feet weren't tough yet. Perfect recipe for blisters...

The trail takes you along Fan Creek the entire way up. There are plenty of places to filter water, and the views of the meandering creek are great.

You're slowly gaining elevation the entire way up, but the last couple miles of the trail there's a bit of a climb. Eventually, you're looking down on the bowl where Sportsman Lake sits. After a few switchbacks and a short trail through the trees, you arrive at the lake with great views of Electric Peak in the distance.

The following morning it was a beautiful sunrise. After breakfast, we planned to hike to Electric Pass and back. It's only about three miles to the top, but you gain around 2,500 feet.

So we climbed and climbed.

And climbed a bit more.

At the pass, you have a great view in almost all directions. We topped out just over 10,000 feet.

Electric Peak is only another 1,000 feet higher than the pass, but it's another three miles (six total) and the route goes down and up a few times before you reach the summit.

If we were to come back here and weren't coming off a long illness, it could be fun to attempt a summit from this route.

But it wasn't in the cards for this trip, so we headed back down towards the lake.

That night we were greeted to one of the best sunsets on the year, and without any wind there was a great reflection in the lake.

The following morning we woke up early to beat the heat. We saw a few critters including marmots and whitetail deer.

Trip details: In total, we hiked just shy of 30 miles with 5,000 ft elevation gain. The majority of the trail is well graded so you don't notice the elevation, except from the lake to the pass. You definitely notice that. We didn't see anyone once we got past mile 7ish, which meant that we had the entire lake to ourselves and didn't see another person for almost two days. Overall great trip and I highly recommend the area. Bring a rod if you like to fish!

Peru: Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 23:09:08 GMT

After months of planning and nearly 24 hours of traveling, we landed in Cusco. Corrie and I were the last of our group of six to arrive. Our Apumayo guide, Yamil, and driver, Diego, were waiting for us at the airport with a sign with my name on it, a first for me.

At the hotel we met up with the rest of our group and went out for an early lunch. After lunch we took naps and met up with Yamil for a tour of historic Cusco. One of the first things we learned about the city and the culture is that Cusco was the capital of the Inca empire. They were amazing planners and engineers. Their architecture and system of trails is a testament to that.

The Spanish also built directly on top of the Inca buildings. Usually they built their churches on the most important Inca sites.

The following morning we visited our first Inca site, Sacsayhuamán. Located on a steep hill that overlooks the city, the fortified complex has a wide view of the valley to the southeast. Archeological studies of surface collections of pottery at Sacsayhuamán indicate that the earliest occupation of the hilltop dates to about 900 CE.

From there we drove to the Inca complex at Písac. Similar to Sacsayhuamán, the complex here is located on a mountain above the town. The big difference here, this is the first site that we saw with extensive terraces.

This site was also the first with active fountains. The engineers built these fountains at the base of the structure. The idea was that it was a place to clean before they entered these holy sites. Directly behind the fountains we saw a bunch of holes in the rock. We were told these were tombs for important people, and the holes were from grave robbers in more recent history.

After leaving Pisác, we made our way to Ollantaytambo. We had to take the long way around to get to our hotel because there was a festival going on. There were bull fights and parades in the town square. One thing is for sure, Peruvians know how to throw a festival. They have some of the coolest clothes.

After the festival, we walked around the town before grabbing dinner and heading back to our hotel.

The following morning was a beautiful sunrise. After breakfast the clouds had burned off and we had our first view of the mountains.

We packed up our bags and headed to explore the Inca site at Ollantaytambo. One of the highlights of this site is that during the Spanish conquest of Peru, it served as a temporary capital for Manco Inca, leader of the native resistance against the conquistadors. He fortified the town and its approaches in the direction of the former Inca capital of Cusco, which had fallen under Spanish domination.

This site also showcases more of the exceptional engineering skills of the Inca. The rocks used to build this site were quarried from about a mile away, on the opposite side of the valley, halfway up the mountain. They had to move them down the mountain, across the river, and back up the other side of the valley, where they were expertly shaped, chiseled, and polished. In some of the larger rocks, they carved indentations to place a metal piece to hold the rocks together as they were stacked, similar to a bowtie inlay in wood working.

Now that we were primed with all our Inca knowledge, we were ready to start the trail. We handed our extra gear over to the porters and headed to the trailhead.

Inca Trail Day 1: KM 82 to Huayllabamba, ~7 miles, +1,700/ -750’

About halfway through the day's hike, we came across the first of the many sites we would see along the route to Machu Picchu, Patallacta. This site was burned by Manco Inca Yupanqui, who destroyed a number of settlements along the Inca road system during his retreat from Cusco in 1536 to discourage Spanish pursuit. In part due to these efforts, the Spanish never discovered the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu or any of its settlements.

Yamil mentioned that the route we were hiking was not the shortest, or easiest route to Machu Picchu. It was a route through the mountains that was designed for royals as a route to take as a pilgrimage. The route was designed to be close to the heavens, as it was considered holy to be near the gods.

As we slowly climbed out of the valley, we started getting some spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.

At camp we had dinner and watched the sunset, followed shortly after by a nearly full moon set over the ridge.

Inca Trail Day 2: Huayllabamba to Pacamayo, ~5 miles, +4,200/-2,100’

The following day was the most difficult of the entire hike. We had to climb out of the valley and over Dead Woman Pass. We had a big breakfast and set off for the day. Everyone was feeling good, but Corrie mentioned that her breakfast wasn't sitting well with her. We were worried she may have eaten some food with gluten, but it turns out that she caught a stomach bug. About a third of the way up the pass, she had to pull over and throw up in the bushes. She said she felt much better, but I still took the gear from her pack and we continued up the trail.

We took our time, stopped frequently, but still made good time. I can't believe how it must have felt doing that section with a stomach bug. Corrie's a beast.

At the pass we hung out and had snacks and watched the clouds blow over the mountains.

After the steep climb up, the trail ahead looked like a steep climb down to camp.

On the way down, looking back, you could see the profile of the "dead woman," the namesake feature for the pass.

We went down...

And down...

And down some more.

We arrived at camp, had some freshly made popcorn, and grabbed one of the worst showers I've ever had. Not only was it ice cold, but when I turned it on it was a powerful stream of water that hit me right in the plums. It hurt, a lot.

Corrie still wasn't feeling well, so I went for a short walk to check out the area and look for birds. The clouds in the valley were blowing through and it was awesome to the see the peaks and ridges pop out from above.

Inca Trail Day 3: Pacamayo to Phuyupatamarca, ~5 miles +1,900/-1,700’

The following morning we woke up early and hit the trail to beat the heat. The trail from this point and beyond was the original trail and the actual stones laid by the Incas. Until this point, the trail was rehabilitated by the Peruvian government sometime in the 1940s. The trail and stonework is simply amazing. It's unbelievable where they were able to put the trail in some places they did and that it has withstood the test of time. In some places it's literally through a jungle. Without maintenance, the trail would become completely grown over in a year.

We grabbed second breakfast and enjoyed the views at the pass.

We could see the Vilcabamba Mountains and the cloud forest below.

As we dropped off the ridge down into the forest we saw the only mammal of the trip, a little buck feeding in the bushes.

Just before lunch we arrived at Sayacmarca. At the base of the stairs to enter the site, there was another fountain for cleansing.

The cool thing about this site, is that it wasn't built near a spring. The engineers of this site built an intricate system of canals that ran along the ridge of the mountains to the site, and through the site.

As we explored the site, the clouds rolled in and obscured the surrounding mountains.

I also noticed some new interesting design features in this site, including water drains and some kind of rock rings. My guess is they were used to partition rooms with rope or something.

From this site you could also look down valley to the next site we would visit, Qunchamarka.

Just beyond the site we stopped for lunch. After we were done eating I took a nap because I was starting to feel a little off.

Along this section of the trail, Yamil pointed out the best examples of how the trail was designed for people to run it, even while going downhill. The small curves allowed someone to run while maintaining control, like making turns while skiing down a hill. The trail system and the Incas who used it, could run over the mountains between Cusco and the sea in a single day. This allowed the king in Cusco, or Sapa Inca, to eat fresh fish from the ocean, hundreds of miles away.

About an hour after lunch I could feel my stomach starting to turn a little. I didn't think much of it at first, but eventually I realized that I needed to hit the restroom ASAP. The last mile before camp, I pulled ahead of the group and started a slow jog. I made it to the restroom with almost no time to spare. My stomach felt better for about 10 minutes, but then it got worse from there.

While resting at the top of the hill in Phuyupatamarca camp, we hung out at watched the clouds roll by. Eventually I had to head to the tent and lay down because my stomach was hurting so bad. Corrie gave me a couple Pepto pills to help, and 90 seconds later, just like her, I was puking my toenails off.

Inca Trail Day 4: Phuyupatamarca to Machu Picchu, ~7 miles, +700/-4,700’

After a night of shivering and sweating, I woke up before sunrise and was greeted to one of the best views of the trip. The clouds had cleared and we were staring at the second highest mountain in the area, Salcantay. Apparently my "offering" to the gods in the bushes would provide us with great weather for the last day of the trip.

At breakfast, the group showed me photos and videos from dinner the night before, including bananas foster. I picked the worst night to get sick, but I suppose it was better than having to hike Dead Woman Pass, like Corrie.

This would also be the last time that we would see our support team. So we grabbed a photo in front of Salcantay. While we were setting up for the group photo, all the guys were pulling out their cell phones and taking photos of the mountain. When the local guys are taking photos, you know that you're witnessing something awesome.

This trip wouldn't have been what it was without our support team. Our chef Daniel, prepared an amazing menu and the rest of the team carried all our food and equipment over some serious terrain. It was awesome to see these guys in action. Our two veteran porters, Mario and Bautista, have been hiking this trail for over three decades. We can't say enough great things about them.

From our group picture spot we could also see Intipata below us, a site that we would be walking through later in the day.

We would be dropping nearly a vertical mile in total today, and as soon as we left camp we started going down.

And down...

And down..

We eventually made it to Intipata. This is the first place where I saw a good example of the stairs in the terraces up close. They were long flat rocks built into the walls that protruded out.

Did I mention we hiked down?

Shortly after Intipata, we arrived at Wiñya Wayna. This was the first site that I made the realization that most of these places had great views. Yamil pointed out to us that the Incas worshipped the mountains. The snow capped peaks were called apus. So, if we were living during the time of the Incas, we would not be too concerned about the beauty of the buildings, but rather the buildings were built in such a way and in such a location that allowed you to take in the beautiful views of the mountains and Mother Earth, or pachamama.

Literally after each site, I left saying, "This was my new favorite site." And after Wiñya Wayna, there was only one left to see...

We climbed up the steepest steps of the trail, called the "Monkey Steps."

And followed the trail a short while until we reached the Sun Gate.

It was still far away, but after four days of hiking we had our first views of Machu Picchu.

As we continued along the trail, the anticipation was building and I caught a second wind. We walked past more sites along the way including an altar. On the winter solstice, this altar is the first place where the sun hits during sunrise.

Just as we arrived the light started to get nice and the clouds started building.

After four days of seeing minimal people on the trail, arriving at Machu Picchu was a bit overwhelming, but we were PUMPED to be there.

As we stood there, the light kept changing as the clouds moved over the mountains. After we took a few photos, we headed to the bus stop to take a ride down to Aguas Calientes and check into our hotel.

Day 5: Exploring Machu Picchu

The following morning, we woke up early and caught a bus back to Machu Picchu to explore the complex. After five days of exploring Inca sites, this place was amazing and lived up to all the hype. The architecture was spectacular, and the terraforming that took place that allowed them to build in such a precarious place was astounding.

While the granite used to build the site was quarried from a location adjacent to the site, all of the dirt and sand that was used to fill in the terraces was hauled up from the river. The more we learned, the more incomprehensible it all became.

After exploring the site for a few hours, we took the bus back to town, grabbed lunch and hit the train station back to Ollantaytambo.

Diego picked us up at the station and we drove back to Cusco. We ordered takeout and hung out in the courtyard of the hotel the last night, drank wine, and recapped the highs and lows from the last five days of the trip. Overall it was one of the best trips I've ever done, even with the puking and nearly shitting myself.

In addition to all the sites, we saw a bunch of beautiful birds and wildflowers.

If you'd like to do a trip like this, you need to book a guide and secure your permits in October. I'd absolutely recommend Yamil and Apumayo!

Custer Gallatin: Porcupine Cabin

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 00:31:25 GMT

This winter has been fairly lackluster as far as snow goes. Before this trip we only skied four times, compared to last year we had nearly three weeks by now. We were pumped to get some fresh snow earlier in the week, and the weekend was calling for an even bigger storm.

This is our first winter cabin trip on the year. We had another one planned a couple weekend ago but I got sick and had to cancel. This is the third of the three cabins in the area, we skied to the other two, Crandall Creek Cabin and Ibex Cabin, last winter.

We parked at the winter trailhead and set off to ski the short two miles into the cabin. It was a sunny. bluebird afternoon.

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We arrived at the cabin late afternoon and got a fire going to warm up the cabin. We made dinner and drinks and then waited for the sunset, which turned out to be pretty nice.

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The next day we ate some homemade coffee cake for first breakfast and washed it down with a few cups of coffee. The weather hadn't rolled in yet, so we decided to try to get a short ski in for the day. Since we were on the front end of the storm, the temps were too warm for our skis, so we ditched them and headed into the forest for a hike instead.

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We got back to the cabin in time for lunch and DRT (designated rest time). After our nap, we woke up to a HUGE snowstorm. We made some hot apple cider and watched the storm blow out the window.

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Before dinner we got a break in the storm, but we were surrounded by clouds. It was like being in a giant white bubble. Not long after the wind and snow picked back up, so we spent the rest of the evening in the cabin relaxing.

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The next morning, we woke up to 8" of powder and fog, but after an hour or so it started to burn off. We skied over to the woodshed to chop and haul wood.

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Once we cleaned up and restocked the cabin with wood, we grabbed a group photo before skiing back to the trailhead.

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The stoke was high with the downhill and fresh powder.

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Trip notes: Porcupine Cabin is HUGE and sleeps eight people. Most of the cabins we visit are a single room, but this one has two bedrooms in addition to the living space. The snowpack and weather kept us from exploring too far from the cabin on our layover day, so it would be nice to go back another year with better conditions. Overall it was a great trip and I'd definitely recommend it!

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Custer Gallatin: Star Lake and Lulu Pass

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 21:15:55 GMT

Some friends from Florida visited this past weekend and I finally checked off a to-do that been on my list for a long time. Snowmobile up into the Beartooth Mountains. We headed out to Cooke City early morning and saw the typical winter sights: bison, moose, and a few deer and elk. We arrived in Cooke City suited up, and headed up the Lulu Pass Trail. Unfortunately, this winter has been the warmest and driest in decades, so the snowpack was extremely low at lower elevations. That meant that we needed to stop often and cool the sleds. Eventually we made it to Mud Lake where there was deeper snow and it was pretty much game on for the remainder of the day. 20240202-jwf-0696NPS / Jacob W. Frank 20240202-jwf-0738NPS / Jacob W. Frank 20240202-jwf-0746NPS / Jacob W. Frank

From Mud Lake we continued up to Round Lake, which has great views of Sheep Mountain. We took the opportunity to finally open up the throttle a bit, to see what these new sleds can do. They are REAL fast.

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Once we got a feel for the sleds our guide, Cole, took us up the Goose Lake Jeep Trail where we had some great views of the Spires, the same mountain we saw this past summer backpacking to Aero Lakes.

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Eventually we made it to Long Lake, which had some smaller hills we were able to climb.

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I told Cole I'd be happy to take some photos of him if we wanted to tear it up. So he did.

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The views weren't too shabby either.

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From there we headed up to Star Lake at the edge of the Wilderness Boundary where we were able to get in some first tracks.

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Even though snow levels were significantly lower than normal, we were still able to explore a lot of the terrain up there no issues.

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After everyone getting stuck multiple times, wallowing in powder, and digging ourselves out, we figured it was time to head back to town. Instead of backtracking, we headed northwest from Long Lake around Sheep Mountain to hook up with the Lulu Pass Trail again. The views along the backside of Sheep Mountain were expansive.

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Once we made it to Lulu Pass it was smooth sailing the rest of the way home. Back in town we hit up the Miners Saloon for a celebratory pint before we headed back home.

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Trip notes: It's not cheap to rent sleds and hire a guide. Especially when you compare it to backpacking. But it was worth it. You work a lot harder than you'd think, especially if you're a new rider. Even if you don't fall, which you most likely will, you have to jump around on the sled and really use your body to stay upright. When you do fall, you're trying to dig your sled out in waist-deep powder for at least a few minutes, sometimes longer. We rented through Beartooth Mountain Adventures and I'd definitely recommend them. Our guide Cole was great and was worth his weight in gold. Not only did he take us where we needed to go, but we'd still be stuck up there without him. Definitely a team sport.

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Yellowstone: South Boundary Trail to Thorofare Valley

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 19:10:15 GMT

We just got back from our 6-day, 78-mile trip into Yellowstone's Thorofare. It's touted as the most remote location in the contiguous 48 states. There are three trails that lead you to the area starting in the park, and the shortest trail is about 32 miles one way. This is the longest trip, both in duration and length that I have ever done.

After years of talking about it, and then six months of planning it, the week finally arrived. The weather looked clear but windy for the first few days, then starting to deteriorate after that. Our plan was to catch a shuttle across the lake to Terrace Point, then hike south into the Thorofare and back to our car at the South Entrance via the South Boundary Trail. Here's how it went.

Day 1: 12.5 miles, 1,415 ft elevation gain

We loaded up our gear on the boat and set off from Bridge Bay Marina. After about 30 min on the water, that "clear but windy" weather made it clear to us that we weren't getting across the lake today. So after turning around we debated our options back on shore. We decided that we wanted to take shuttles/hitchhiking out of the equation, so we changed our itinerary and would hike in and out via the South Boundary Trail. That means our 55-mile trip would now be closer to 80.

By the time we made it back to the South Entrance and set off, it was 1pm. We forded a clear Snake River and hiked through a mostly nondescript landscape for the first 6 miles. Eventually we reached an open meadow where we met up with the Snake River again and Snake Hot Springs.

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Eventually we came across our second and last river crossing for the day. We took a break along the river before hiking the final two miles to our camp.

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Day 2: 12.25 miles, 3,001 ft elevation gain

With our late arrival in camp the night before, we didn't get hiking until about 9am. Today was supposed to be the most challenging day of the trip. The hike over Big Game Ridge takes you in and out of the park and offers views all directions when you're over 10,000 ft elevation. The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky, which also meant that we were exposed.
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Eventually we gained enough elevation where we could see the Tetons to the south starting to rise up from the hills.

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Once we gained the ridge, the views of the Grand and the entire Teton Range were spectacular.

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We continued along the ridge with more spectacular views to the north and east, including Heart and Yellowstone lakes, the Absaroka Range, and even Electric Peak.

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Just before we started to descend, we decided to grab lunch with a good view.

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Eventually we made it off Big Game Ridge and were back to another crossing of the Snake River, just before we reached our spot for the night.

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Day 3: 14.25 miles, 2,202 ft elevation gain

I woke up with a sore hip flexor, which isn't uncommon for me when backpacking. When we set off it took a little adjusting to get my pack in a comfortable spot. After walking for about 5 minutes, my hip/leg muscles were tighter than I thought. I stretched for 10 minutes, and I realized that my hip felt fine as long as I didn't have my pack's hip belt on tight. It was great I figured that out, but not great to realize that I was going to have to hike the day with a pack without using my hip belt.

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We gained our way through the woods and eventually to Mariposa Lake.

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As we continued east, we started to descend along Lynx Creek. There were many small water and bog crossings. In the mud we started seeing lots of bear tracks, both big and small, black and grizzly. At one point along the trail while making noise, we both were hit with the smell of a rotting carcass. We both immediately picked up the pace until we were out of the area and could no longer see any tracks. (More on this during the following day)

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After about mile nine we could finally see the mountains to the east of the Thorofare Valley.

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At mile 10 we made our way to the valley floor and stopped to rest before we had to ford the Yellowstone.

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After scouting a few options, we found a good spot to ford that was only over our knees.

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After a few more miles we finally made it to our destination, the Thorofare Ranger Station. We had seen photos of it, but it was pretty cool to see in person. We also explored the barn and the most remote outhouse.

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We hung out on the porch, reading the visitor log of those who made the trek before us, waiting for the sun to set.

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Day 4: 14.25 miles, 2,340 ft elevation gain

Now that we had hike the 39 miles to get out here, we were only half way. In our initial plan we were supposed to have a layover day in the Thorofare, but with the new itinerary we would be hiking every day. So we woke up early so we could take in the sunrise before starting our 14 mile day. This morning I noticed that in addition to my hip, my achilles was swollen and it was hard to get my boot on. No biggie, we only had 39 miles to go. Corrie offered to take extra weight and put me on the "mountain skittles" (ibuprofen) regimen to keep the swelling down.

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We hiked back across the valley taking in the views, which were spectacular.

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On our way back across the Yellowstone, the wind had died down from the previous afternoon so much that we were greeted to a nice reflection.

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I mentioned earlier that the previous day we had hiked near a carcass on the trail. On our way back through we were expecting to come across the same smell but didn't. So our guess is that it wasn't a carcass, but more likely a bear that we hiked past. Bears, especially grizzlies, can be very smelly. Since we were seeing lots of tracks and scat in the area where the smell was, and there was no smell the following day, we think there was probably a bear in the area. Eventually we made the climb back out of Lynx Creek to our camp, where we could see tomorrow's objective, Big Game Ridge, rising above the trees in front of us.

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Day 5: 12.25 miles, 2,438 ft elevation gain

We had another early morning and took in the sunrise again. Achilles still swollen, we set out.

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We crossed back over the Snake River and made our way up Big Game Ridge as the clouds slowly started to build.

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This time our views at the top were obscured from a low cloud ceiling. We could see Yellowstone Lake but not the Teton Range. Just as we were finished eating lunch, we heard our first roll of thunder. We packed up and kept heading west.

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Just as we got off the ridge the rain started...and it didn't really stop until we made it back to the car the following day.

Day 6: 12.5 miles, 698 ft elevation gain

This day I only took one photo since it was raining all day. But as we made it back to Snake Hot Springs, it was too pretty to not take my camera out. The cold temps had caused the hot spring to steam.

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The last six miles of the trip was through a flooded trail and deep mud. We called it the "swamp of sorrow" and occasionally felt the need to yell "Artax!!!" After getting home and googling it, I realize that it's actually the "swamp of sadness." When we finally made it to the final crossing of the Snake, we didn't even bother changing shoes. We were covered in mud up to our knees, so we took the opportunity to use the crossing to wash all the mud off.

The trip was a lot of type-2 fun, but now that we are on the couch eating homemade muffins and looking at photos, we can look back on the tip and say it was a good time!

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Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness: Aero Lakes

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 17:04:58 GMT

Aero Lakes has been on our list since 2018. For whatever reason, it didn’t line up for us to put on the books until last year, 2022. In June there was the flood and access was difficult so we pushed it to this summer. Then the weekend we were supposed to do it, it was like 80% chance of rain and thunderstorms so we pushed it back one final time.

We started from the Lady of the Lakes upper TH and set off for a camp spot at Upper Aero Lake. The trail was mostly through the forest with occasional views along the Zimmer River.

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Once we crossed the river, the trail gains about 1,000 feet in a mile as you approach Lower Aero Lake.

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Near the foot of the lake, the trail turns into more of a route as you navigate around the lake.

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Our plan was to camp at the upper lake, but we were starting to get tired and it was nearing dinner time. So once we made it to the head of the lower lake, we decided to see if we could find a nice camp spot, which we did. The spot came with views of two waterfalls and a reflection pond with a backdrop of Mount Villard.

Once the tent was up, we cracked our beers and went for a swim, then made dinner as the sun dipped below the horizon.

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The next morning I woke up to some spectacular scenery. The wind had died down and the sun was just starting to come up.

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After taking in the sunrise, we ate breakfast and headed out for our layover day. The plan was to head to the upper lake, and both saddles between Rough and Sky Top lakes.

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Once we made it to the pass above Sky Top Lakes, we decided to eat lunch and take in the views of Montana’s tallest mountain, Granite Peak. The wind picked up and the clouds started to build, so we decided to head back to camp.

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The hike out was a little windy, but our packs were lighter and the views were incredible with blue skies.

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We really enjoyed this area and it seems that there is a ton to explore. We were happy with our camp spot and we could stay in the same location for a whole week and do different day hikes each day. Here is the profile from the trip in one direction to our highest point.

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Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the photos!

Yellowstone: Sky Rim

Sat, 05 Aug 2023 18:08:19 GMT

Backpacking trip #2 of 2023 is complete! The Sky Rim Trail has been on our list since 2018. We had plans in place in 2019, but the week we were supposed to go I was injured and needed surgery. So we were excited when we saw that the weather was predicting clear skies for the weekend. We started our big day early in the morning, and decided to do the loop counter clockwise. We were on the fence about which way to go, but we decided to do the uphill through the trees in the coolest part of the day. We made our way through the fields of delphinium, filtered water, and filled up our packs because the Sky Rim is without water. With our packs full of water, we hiked through the subalpine forest and the hillsides of heartleaf arnica until we reached the tundra of the alpine.

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The Black Butte Trail eventually hooks up with the Sky Rim Trail, where we would be on the boundary of Yellowstone and Custer Gallatin National Forest for the next 5+ miles. We decided to hike the ridge over to Wickiup (or Bighorn Peak depending on which map you look at) to take in the views and drink our summit sodas at just a bit under 10K ft. The flanks of the peak offer dramatic views with interesting geology. This area of the park and forest is also where many petrified trees are found. From the peak we were able to check out views into Paradise Valley and Gallatin River Canyon.

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After our snacks and refreshments, we headed back to the Black Butte Trail junction to continue the hike. We assumed that once you gained all of the elevation by hiking in the direction we did, that the remaining portion of the trail would be relatively downhill and/or flat. That assumption was a bad one! There was a significant amount of downhill, but it was immediately followed by more uphill. With all the ups and downs, we climbed nearly a vertical mile in addition to the huge distance we traveled.

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In between the steep ups and downs, there was the occasional flat sections of trail with expansive views off the trail in both directions.

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The day was hot and the trail is exposed, so we decided to take a break in the shade and grab some snacks. As we ate we realized that we sat in the middle of an archaeological site full of lithic scatter. It's likely that the same reason we rested here, is the same reason that American Indians did also: shelter from the wind and sun and spectacular views in all directions. It appears they sat here crafting their stone tools, presumably watching for wildlife.

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About the midway on the trail between the Daly Creek and Black Butte, directly above Tom Miner Basin, we started hiking my favorite section of the trail. The ridge walk was relatively flat and the views are spectacular.

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As the day went on we started running low on water and regulating our temps were getting challenging without any shade. So when we found a small patch of snow we took full advantage to cool off before continuing along.

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Eventually we came across the Daly Creek Trail junction and started our descent. This is also about the time that we ran out of water.

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Eventually we made it back to the creek where we filtered water and cooled off in the shade. The bugs were fierce, and we weren't the only ones who thought hanging by the water was a good idea on this hot day.

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Here is the profile of the hike. It was a haul, but I think it would be much more enjoyable if we did it again in the fall when the temps are cooler and the bugs are gone. Overall, the Sky Rim is probably my favorite trail in Yellowstone to date. Our to-do list of trails is still long, but if you're into mountains and big views, I would highly recommend this trail. Make sure to bring a filter and lots of bottles to hold water. Thanks for reading, cheers!

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Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness: Elbow Lake

Sat, 29 Jul 2023 13:42:24 GMT

We kicked off our backcountry season this year (July 7-9) with a new spot for us, Elbow Lake. Our friends who had been before all had great things to say. Here are my favorite photos from the trip, enjoy!

We started off early to beat the heat since it was going to be uphill the entire 8 miles to the lake. There was plenty of water for the dogs along the way which was great.

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Once we started to climb out of the forest, the views of the valley keep getting better and better. The wildflowers were great, but I think we missed the peak of the balsam root by a few days.

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With breaks and lunch, it took us about 6 hours to climb the 3,400 ft and 8 miles with full packs. When we arrived, we were the only people at the lake. We picked a spot to throw up our tents, made dinner, and watched the sunset while enjoying hot apple cider and bourbon.

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The following morning we woke up at sunrise to a completely still lake. We made coffee and breakfast along the shore and watched the light slowly creep down the face of the giant granite walls. There are a few lakes in the basins above Elbow Lake, and our plan for our layover day was to explore the basin to the east of Cowen.

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We started to pick our way up through the boulders and along the creek between the two lakes.

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After taking in the views along the upper lake, we decided to hike up to the ridge for our turnaround spot.

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It was a spectacular day in the mountains. The weather held out all day and we were able to swim back at Elbow Lake before the sun dipped behind the ridge. Around that same time another group of friends showed up in time to eat dinner with us. At sunset we started a fire and passed around the bourbon until it was gone. A great end to an even better day.

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The next morning we were treated to another great sunrise. We ate breakfast while our gear dried out in the morning sun. Eventually we packed up and headed back to the car.

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Overall we had a blast, and it's likely that this will turn into a yearly visit. There are a ton of areas to explore above the lake, so each visit can be a little different. I think a push for the Cowen summit is also likely in the future. Here's the profile of our trip including the layover day, from the trailhead to the highest point we reached.

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Thanks for dropping in, Cheers!

Jake

Lava Beds and Tule Lake National Parks

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 23:33:00 GMT

After our visit to Oregon Caves and Redwoods, Corrie and I headed to Lava Beds and Tule Lake. It was our first visit to these parks as well.

Lava Beds National Monument

We arrived just in time to grab one of the last remaining campsites. We shared it with a nesting Bullock's oriole pair and a few other new birds for us. After dinner we went out for sunset. We had beautiful views of Mount Shasta and learned about the Modoc Indians of the area.

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The next morning, I woke up early with the sunrise and went for a little walk from the campground. We made coffee and we set out early to hike to the off-trail caves. We explored the lava tubes and pictographs, found new birds, and explored our favorite cave of the park, Golden Dome. It has a bacteria that shines gold with a headlamp. We spent the heat of the day underground until our tent received shade from the nearby tree in our camp spot.

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Back at camp we took naps, made dinner, and set out again for sunset. This time we planned to hit nearby wildlife refuges for birding and also catch the sunset at Petroglyph Point. The Tule Lake area used to be completely underwater and was drained for farming. This rock was once surrounded by water and Modoc Indians would float out to it and leave their mark. It's one of the highest concentration of petroglyphs in the US. The refuges are now in place to make up for the lost aquatic habitat lost when the lake was drained. On the way out we came across a rattlesnake in the road, saw tons of nighthawks, and had it essentially all to ourselves. We were able to stop in the road for photos whenever we saw a bird or other wildlife.

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Tule Lake National Monument

Before heading back to the airport, we took a tour at the new Tule Lake National Monument. They have a brand new visitor center that gives tours of the only building left of the Tule Lake Segregation Center, the prison. We were both fairly unfamiliar with the story of the relocation centers, and the tour did a great job of exposing us to another harrowing story of the history of America.

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I enjoyed visiting all the parks, but I have to say that Lava Beds and Tule Lake were the standouts for their natural and cultural resources, respectively. Carlsbad Caverns really got me interested in cave parks, especially those with off-trail caves, and Tule Lake has such a powerful story.

If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time and I'll be sure to share more blogs this summer as we have some cool upcoming trips planned!

Oregon Caves and Redwoods National Parks

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 22:00:00 GMT

My wife and I recently visited Oregon Caves and Redwoods national parks for the first time. We flew into Medford, excited to leave the airport, shop, and immediately head to Oregon Caves to camp in their campground. When our bags didn't arrive, we called an audible and rented a hotel in town while we waited for our camping gear and clothes to arrive. Not gonna lie, showering and sleeping in a bed after a day of stressful traveling was welcome.

Oregon Caves National Monument

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We hit the road the following morning and stopped at the visitor center in Cave Junction so I could pick up a junior ranger booklet and map of the park. We tried to do some reading as we drove up to the park, but the road is scenic and winding. We arrived early for our cave tour, so we walked around and checkout out the exterior of their historic lodge, which was unfortunately closed for renovations.

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We made our way through the cave in about 90 minutes on a guided ranger tour. The cave is made of marble, apparently only one of three in the US. The other two caves are in Sequoia and Great Basin national parks. There are a few grand rooms, but a majority of the cave is tight quarters, and the secondary formations are not as intricate as other limestone caves like Carlsbad Caverns. We hiked a short trail to warm up after the cave tour and headed on to Redwoods. We would have stayed longer, but the off-trail cave tours had yet to start for the season. A reason to return!

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Once we got out of the cave we hike up to check out the view from the Cliff Trail.

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Redwoods National and State Parks

We camped in Jed Smith Campground for three nights. The first day we kayaked the Smith River where we saw a family of river otters eating a lamprey, plus lots of new birds for us, including a black-crowned night heron eating a salamander. Our goal was to kayak the river to the ocean, but as we neared the estuary, the tide started coming in and the wind started howling. If we stopped paddling full speed, we started moving upriver. We tried to get out of the wind on the other side of the river, but the waves were cresting over our bows, so we bailed back to the other side of the river and let the wind blow us on shore. We used our map to find an alternate take out and had the shuttle meet us there. Once we were out of the water, I was able to confirm that there was a hole in my boat, which was causing me to drag. Needless to say, we were excited to be out of the water after that adventure.

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Back on dry land we headed to the campground where the park was hosting a Tribal (Tolowa) event on the shore of the Smith River. They roasted salmon by fire on redwood spears and made sand bread in the pebbles heated from a fire. The Tribe was also shaping a kayak from a redwood log and teaching the public about the cultural significance. After a short speech and prayer from a Tribal leader, we all ate together on the shore of the Smith River. It was a pretty spectacular event.

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After the event we explored the groves, Stout and Titan. The Stout Grove is one of the most iconic groves, where Star Wars was filmed.

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The Titan Grove is accessed by a brand-new trail and boardwalk system.

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The Following day we headed south to hike the James Irvine / Fern Canyon / Gold Bluffs loop. The hike is about 12 miles and leads you through multiple ecosystems as you make your way through the forest to the coast and back. Near the coast is the popular Fern Canyon, which is basically the only place we encountered any people, other than a few groups hiking the whole trail with us.

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Our final morning, we got up early for sunrise because it was our only opportunity for tide pooling. We drove out and hiked down to Endert's Beach where we explored sea arches, sea stars, anemone, birds, and a dead seal being scavenged by a turkey vulture. This was my first time exploring tide pools, it was a lot of fun to try and find interesting shots while dodging the incoming tide.

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After the tide pools we headed back to camp to pack up and head to Lava Beds National Monument.

Custer Gallatin: Ibex Cabin

Sat, 25 Mar 2023 19:25:00 GMT

This trip to Ibex Cabin was our first to the cabin, but our third ski trip to a cabin in Custer Gallatin National Forest. We skied to Crandall Creek Cabin earlier in the winter and went to Trail Creek Cabin the previous winter.

After the long drive to the trailhead, we got an even later start when our car got stuck in a snow bank. Fortunately, there were some locals who were sledding for the day and threw us the keys to their truck so we could use it to get ourselves out. "Just park it and put the keys in the center console." This is the kinda stuff why I love living out west. We threw a couple beers in the snow near their truck as a thanks before we set out on the six or so miles to the cabin.

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The views were SPECTACULAR and since it was so late in the season, we had some great conditions to crust cruise. We stopped for lunch after a while, and eventually dropped down to the meadow where the cabin was located.

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We unloaded all of our supplies and relaxed for the evening. Since it was St. Patrick's Day weekend, we skied in a corned beef, some Guinness, and supplies to make green mimosas. We were pretty excited.

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That night I got up to hit the head and noticed that the Milky Way had just risen over the horizon. I didn't bring a tripod with me, but I was able to figure out how to stack a bunch of logs in a way that I could take a few snaps of the stars from the front porch.

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The next morning was another cold, bluebird day so we made coffee and breakfast to let it warm up a bit before we set out for the day to explore.

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There are a few hiking trails from the cabin so we picked one and headed out. Hiking trails aren't the best for skiing always, but we were able to make it work until we got a point where the trail was too steep to follow.

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We turned around, skied back to the cabin and decided to explore the trail on the ridge above the cabin. The views up there are pretty awesome. You can basically see all the way to the Beartooths.

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Back at the cabin, we hung out for the rest of the evening, relaxed, and played games. The next morning we had another great sunrise. We made breakfast and started packing.

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We chopped and hauled wood, did chores, and hit the trail back to the car. But not before we grabbed a group photo on the porch.

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The ski out was great. You have to do the initial climb out of the meadow, but once you're back on the ridge, it's mostly downhill. It was a fun, fast ski back to the car.

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Trip notes: This cabin was about the same size as Trail Creek Cabin, but with the best views of the cabins in the area that we had be to so far. We skied about 16 miles total, 12 of them being in and out from the cabin. I would definitely go back to this cabin again. We aren't big backcountry skiers, but we did see a lot of people in this area with snowmobiles. So if that's you're thing, I think this is a popular spot.

Custer Gallatin: Crandall Creek Cabin

Sat, 21 Jan 2023 20:25:00 GMT

We just got back from our first cabin trip in the Crazy Mountains to Crandall Creek Cabin. We all skied to Trail Creek Cabin in Paradise Valley last winter, but this was the first trip to Crandall for all of us. It was a bittersweet trip because our friends were getting ready to move to Alaska, and this was our last trip together for the foreseeable future. We loaded up our pack with tons of food and alcohol, and started the six or so miles we had to ski into the cabin.

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The winter trail is an oversaw road that is well traveled by snowmobiles. This meant the ski was fairly fast without having to break trail.

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We learned that there is a pretty extensive road system to get to the cabin, which is probably pretty fun if you have a snowmobile to explore the area.

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After winding and climbing through the forest, we arrived at the cabin in an open meadow. We used to small cabins that sleep four people max, so when we opened this cabin we were pleasantly surprised at the size and cleanliness.

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After unpacking we got a fire going to melt some water and make some drinks. One drink turned into two, and two into six.

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The next morning we were all a little slow to stir, but we made coffee and breakfast and headed out to ski out the rest of the booze in our system.

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The roads around the cabin were great for skiing since they are better graded than most hiking trails. We founds some nice views of the cabin and surrounding mountains.

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It eventually started snowing on us, which made the skiing a little sticky. So we headed back to the cabin for some DRT (designated rest time). Once we all woke up from our naps, we spent the rest of the evening hanging out at relaxing.

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The following morning we woke up to some beautiful morning light.

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We packed up the cabin, chopped wood, and grabbed our group photo before heading back to the cars.

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Since most of the ski was downhill back to the car, we made great time even though we made frequent stops to take in the morning views.

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Trip notes: Overall we skied just shy of 19 miles over the three days, with 12 of them being to and from the cabin. The cabin sleeps 6 people with three bunks, and there is a Hugh dining room table with plenty of space for everyone. This is the first of the three cabins in the area that we plan to visit and we would definitely come back here again. Maybe just drink less on day one.

Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness: Lake Fork to Sundance Pass

Thu, 15 Sep 2022 02:58:00 GMT

Fall means it's time to explore the Beartooths! During last year's trip on "The Beaten Path," the forest ranger we met at Rainbow Lake recommended that we check out Sundance Pass. Our initial plan was to do a through hike starting at Lake Fork and coming out the West Fork, but after the floods in June, we decided to go in and out Lake Fork to avoid the extra 8 miles of road hiking.

The road in Lamar Valley was also washed out, so we drove through Billings to get to the Trailhead. We spent the night in Red Lodge to get an early start, but also to financially support the town in our small way. On this trip it was myself, Corrie, Toklat, our friend Chris, and his girlfriend Brielle. This trip was her first backpacking experience! The first section of the trail was mostly nondescript, until we got closer to Broadwater Lake. We stopped for lunch and to take in the views.

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As we continued up the trail we crossed the Lake Fork before we started our ascent to September Morn Lake, where we planned to camp for the evening.

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After the steep climb we made it to the lake and found a nice spot on the east shore of the lake to pitch our tents. Once we were settled we grabbed our food and headed to the lake to watch the sunset, make dinner, and have some cocktails.

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That night I woke up to use the facilitrees, and noticed that the stars were out. I didn't think to bring my tripod on this trip, so I made do with a stack of rocks.

The following morning we woke up with the sun to check out the views and make breakfast. The plan for the day was to hike to the pass and then see where to go from there.

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Once we climbed out of the trees it was spectacular alpine scenery on a perfect bluebird day. Eventually the tundra was replaced with bare rock as the trail switchbacked its way to the pass.

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At the pass we stopped for snacks, looked at the map, and decided to hike north along the ridge towards Silver Run Peak.

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Occasionally we would walk to the edge to look into West Fork drainage. If it weren't for the flood and impacts to the trail, this would have been the route we would have taken.

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As we got higher, we started to see familiar mountains, including features like the Bears Tooth. It's always fun exploring a new area but still recognizing features even though you're seeing them from a new vantage point.

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After boulder hopping our way up the ridge we found a great place to relax, crack our beers, and take in the views. We pulled out the map again and decided that instead of backtracking, we could probably make our way down the draining directly north of September Morn Lake to get back to our campsite. On the climb up we got a good look at the drainage and noticed that it was mostly tundra and "green means it goes."

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After some route finding and slow going we made it back to camp after a full day of exploring. And since most of the day was off trail, we were all ready to grab our camp chairs, jump in the lake, and relax for another sunset.

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The next day we packed up and hiked back out to the car. On our way out we did a little scouting of the next drainage over, with First and Second Rock lakes.

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Trip totals: We did about 24 miles with just under 6,000' of elevation in three days. It was definitely one of those trips that allows you to check one thing off your to-do list, but then you add three more. Highly recommended!

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Yellowstone: Fawn Pass

Sat, 20 Aug 2022 06:33:00 GMT

We had a long weekend open up last minute and wanted to head into the backcountry. The only hiking we had done in the Gallatin Range up to this point was Sepulcher, Electric Peak, and Beatty Gulch, so Fawn Pass area sounded like a cool new area to explore. We set off from the Glen Creek TH and walked past a single day hiker, the last person we would see in three days. It was VERY hot and exposed hiking into Gardners Hole, we had to take a beat once we hit the trees to cool off and refuel. Once in Gardners Hole it's a flat hike to hook up with Fawn creek. The hike from there is a slow and steady climb to the pass with beautiful views.

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The following day we decided to hike up to the pass and check out the views. There's a small pond at the top of the pass, where Fawn Creek originates. From there we followed the trail a little further until the views opened up to the west. We were overlooking the Big Game Pass Trail and the Upper Gallatin River drainage.

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After a nice lunch and rest at the pass, we turned back to head back to camp. We were a little past peak wildflowers, but there were still plenty of late-season blooms.

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That night there was a HUGE storm that blew over Mammoth and glanced us, but we could hear the thunder roaring up the valley all night. The following day on the hike out, it was a little wet, which made it somewhat humid once the sun came out.

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We stopped for a snack in the trees in the same place we did on the way out. This time bull #24 walked pretty close to where we snacking to get some food of his own. On the hike out, he actually caught up to us and we had to move off the trail to give him space to pass. Side note: this is the dominant bull in Mammoth during the rut, and he showed up the following week to start the rut. Kinda cool to see him in his summer range.

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We made short work of the last part of the trail and were back at the car around lunch.

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Trip notes: We hiked around 26 miles in 3 days with just shy of 3200' of elevation gain. With very few campsites, and the pass about 12 miles away, there's not a ton of people out there. The trailhead is close to the North Entrance too, which means the drive to the trailhead is only like 20 minutes. One of these days we will have to hike it through to 191.

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Custer Gallatin: Trail Creek Cabin

Sat, 22 Jan 2022 20:25:00 GMT

This was our first trip to a cabin in Custer Gallatin National Forest and Toklat's first cabin trip. Normally each winter we like to plan a weekend down at Old Faithful with friends, but the cost of doing that has gotten more and more expensive in recent years. Corrie knew about these cabins and suggested this as a change of pace. You have to book the cabins like 6 months in advance, so by the time it rolled around we almost forget that we booked it. There are a few ways to reach with cabin, but we decided to go the short way which is a hiking trail. That doesn't always guarantee an easy ski, which it wasn't in places. Near the trailhead I actually took my skis off because it was steep, icy, and full of rocks. Once you get out from under the trees, the trail improved and not too much longer we arrived at the cabin.

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Since it was only a couple miles in, we decided to drop our packs and explore around the area. There seemed to be a few trails and roads to choose from, so we decided to head north west from the cabin on a trail, so that we could save the longer ski along the road for tomorrow. The trail climbed out of the forest and for a short while we had some great views back towards the Absarokas and Paradise Valley.

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The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and headed out to explore.

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This time we skied along the road to the northeast of the cabin. When you first leave the cabin there is a short descent before you steadily climb for a few miles.

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Once we got to what appeared to be the top, we decided to ski back to the cabin because our friends could only stay one night. Best thing about skiing uphill all day usually means that you have to ski back downhill. It was a lot of fun to see Toklat get after it.

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Back at the cabin we grabbed a group shot, and then hung out on the porch the rest of the afternoon having drinks in the sun.

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The next morning we enjoyed the peachy sunrise before taking care of cabin chores and then heading back to the trailhead.

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The trail was in a little better shape on the ski out since it was still early and we were able to crust cruise.

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Trip notes: This cabin was very similar to many of the other cabins that we have stayed. Small, one room, decent for two people and cramped for four. I also think the forest is planning some work on the cabin so they will be taking it offline for a bit. Hopefully once they are done with the rehab, the cabin will be in better shape than when we visited. It wasn't terrible, but it definitely needed some TLC. Overall fun trip any time you go to a cabin!

Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness: Clarks Fork to East Rosebud

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 02:58:00 GMT

Note: We took this trip in 2021, the year before the flood, but I just got around to doing this writeup. Enjoy!

We moved to the area in November of 2016. Our first few summers were spent mostly hiking in Yellowstone. It's crazy that it took us FIVE summers to finally get into the Beartooths. We figured that we would start with a fan favorite, "The Beaten Path." It's aptly named for the high amount of traffic it receives. We planned to do the trip in four days, which meant that we would likely have a day head start on all the people doing it over the holiday weekend in three days. Our friend Chris joined us. This trip was the first overnight in the AB Wilderness for all of us. Also, we can't forget that this would be our new pup Toklat's first backcountry trip also.

We shuttled our cars to East Rosebud the night before and stayed in Red Lodge for the evening. When we woke up we drove over the Beartooth Highway to get to our trailhead, the Clark's Fork Picnic area. Once we made it, we packed up and hiked towards Kersey Lake. The trail was in great shape and the fall colors were looking nice.

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We stopped for lunch at the base of a large granite wall and found what appeared to be a scent tree for bears. We continued along the trail until we hooked up with Russell Creek and followed the trail to the lake, our stopping point for the evening.

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Once we made it to Russell Lake, we found a spot to pitch our tents, grabbed camp chairs, and headed to the lake to relax. We made dinner and drinks and took in a beautiful sunset over the lake.

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The next morning we woke up with the sun and set out early. Our final destination was Fossil Lake, and we read that it could be difficult to find a good camp spot if it was busy.

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This section of the trail led us above tree line and near a handful of lakes, including one of my favorites, Skull Lake.

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Eventually we made it to the pass, which meant that the majority of the climbing for the trip was done. We could see Fossil Lake in the distance, but still needed to hike a couple more miles to get to the area we planned to camp.

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Since we arrived early, we set up tents and decided to take a nap in the warm sun. After our naps we explored around the area a bit and looked for a good place to watch the sunset and have drinks.

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The next morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise, my favorite moment of the trip. Watching a sunrise from high elevation is always beautiful, the light pops in a way that's hard to explain.

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Once we were all packed, we set out into the East Rosebud drainage. When we told some friends that we were doing this trip, they recommended that we do it from south to north for two reasons: 1) it's less elevation this direction, and 2) save the best views for last. That turned out to be solid advice.

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As we descended into East Rosebud we made it to the first big lake, Dewey, where we stopped for lunch. The views along the lake were spectacular.

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We heard there was a cool waterfall, Inpasse Falls, but we didn't know how big it was supposed to be. So every little fall or cascade we saw, we debated if that was it or not. Eventually we made it to the actual falls, and we immediately knew that this was the correct falls. The trail takes you right to the brink of the falls where you can overlook Duggan Lake and the entire drainage. Even though we had just stopped not too long ago, we decided that this was well worth another stop. We took a few photos from the brink and then stopped for snacks at the lake below.

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The last section of trail between us and our destination of Rainbow Lake took us along Lake at Falls. From there we would descend the many switchbacks until we made it to the camping area for Rainbow Lake.

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Now I fully realize that this was Labor Day weekend, but HOLY MOLY was this place crowded. Not exaggerating, there had to be at least 30 groups of people hiking around the lake ranging in size from 2-10 people. It was like spring break at some of the camps with coolers and people grilling out. The ranger working the site said that the site was so heavily used that they were starting to see coliform bacteria in water samples in Rainbow Lake. He actually recommended that we filter water from the inlet creek versus the lake. So it's safe to say that we were ok with getting out of there ASAP. The following morning we woke up early and hit the trail. Again, the views were spectacular and we could see why the trail was so popular.
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Eventually we made it past Rainbow Lake and were greeted to more views of the valley and Rimrock Lake below.

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Once we passed Rimrock Lake, the last stretch of the trail would descend through towering granite walls on both sides.

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Eventually we would make it to the last lake along the trail, Elk, where we stopped for a brief bit to water the dog and take in the views.

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On the final stretch of the trip, we neared East Rosebud Lake. More granite, small waterfalls, and mountain vistas.

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When we made it to East Rosebud Lake it was early afternoon. We still needed to drive back around to the trailhead and pick up our shuttle vehicle so we didn't waste much time at the trailhead. Also, this area is a popular day hike trailhead so there were lots of people. Just another reason to boogie.

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Trip notes: In total we hiked just shy of 27 trail miles and climbed about 3,600'. As long as you plan to arrive early, Russel and Fossil lakes are both great camp spots. You'll need a bear can for Fossil since it's above tree line. If you're looking for a Wilderness experience, I would avoid Rainbow Lake if possible. There are a few spots along Rimrock Lake, but there are less of them. The trip was awesome, but since it's so busy and there are lots of cool places to explore in the Beartooths, this might be the only time we do it. Definitely worth a visit if you've never been.

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Yellowstone and North Absaroka Wilderness: Sunlight Basin to Lamar Valley

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 02:58:00 GMT

We planned this trip for a couple years after hearing great things about the east side of the park and Hoodoo Basin. There's not a ton of alpine terrain in Yellowstone that's easily accessible, so I was excited at the prospect of exploring above tree line in the backcountry. We had a couple friends from Utah, Will and Susan, come up to join us for the trip.

We dropped a car at Lamar River TH and shuttled around to Sunlight Basin. We were able to get within a mile of the Wilderness boundary. There seemed to be a trail crew who had come through recently, but there must have been a recent wind storm after that effort because there were downed trees everywhere! It took us about three hours to go two miles. In places we would have to climb stacked jackstraw that would be 8-10' high with full packs. It was fun but challenging.

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Eventually we reached our Sunlight Creek crossing, the last water on the route for the day, so we stopped for lunch and filtered water before we started our climb to the park boundary.

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Once we climbed out of the trees, the views were spectacular. It was a little hazy that day from fires to the west of us, but it wasn't so bad that it totally obscured views or made it hard to breathe.

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At the boundary we decided to take a break and enjoy the views in all directions.

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The next day our plan was to hike from the eastern boundary of the park to Miller Creek. This section would also take us through Hoodoo Basin, which is the area we were most excited to visit. The only issue was that there was a low cloud ceiling, and since we were at 10K feet elevation, we were hiking in the clouds.

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Even though we were in the alpine, it was still extremely slow going because the trail was only marked with cairns and blazes every so often. We tried a handful of strategies to navigate, including one person standing at the last known trail marker while the other three people wandered into the clouds to look for the next one. This did work, but since we had such a long day of travel, we ultimately decided to break out our GPS to get us through the clouds until the trail was more well worn again.

After a little while longer, hiking through trees and still more clouds, we decided to take a break in what appeared to be a small clearing. As we hydrated, the clouds parted slowly revealing that we were actually sitting in Hoodoo Basin. We decided to take advantage of this serendipitous moment and explore the area a little more closely.

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As we were getting ready to leave the clouds started rolling back in. As we hiked out of the basin the hoodoos were once again completely obscured. It was one of those Yellowstone magic moments. Had we been there any earlier or later, we may have walked right through the area without realizing it. As we walked through the pass near Parker Peak we noticed lithic scatter everywhere, which makes sense that people would sit there and lookout for wildlife to hunt.

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After the pass the trail was mostly flat or downhill, which finally took us out of the clouds.

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Eventually we could see Miller Creek below us, we just had to hike down the switchbacks on the feature colloquially known as "Parachute Hill." It was a little muddy so we had to take our time. We rolled into camp, made dinner, and hit the sack not long after.

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The plan for this day was to hike out of the Miller drainage to the confluence with Lamar River. It was overcast, but at least it wasn't raining. The views along Miller Creek were mostly in the trees but occasionally we did get some views of the creek, and to our surprise a HUGE petrified redwood tree stump. We also came across some fairly fresh bear tracks.

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Eventually we made it to the confluence and both Miller Creek and Lamar River were extremely turbid from all the rain. The sliver lining is that it knocked any smoke out of the air we had the couple days before.

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We made it to camp, set up tents, and shortly after we were visited by this bison. We were able to watch him from our camp as he used this tree as a scratching post. We were also treated to a nice sunset along the river.

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The last morning of the trip we woke up to clear skies along the river. We packed up early and hit the trail, headed back to our car at Lamar River TH.

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We made it to our final creek crossing of the trip, Cache Creek, and it was basically a bison highway. The trail through the trees was like 12' wide. Once we were on the other side we found ourselves in Lamar Valley proper with the thousands of bison in the valley for the rut. It was a pretty awesome way to end the trip, watching the bulls chase cows throughout the valley as the sound of their bellows filled the air.

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Trip notes: the total trip was just over 36 miles and 6,200' of elevation gain. This is a really cool route because of the diversity of ecosystems you get to walk through. Hiking the eastern boundary in the alpine and Hoodoo Basin were my two favorite parts of the trip. If we had better weather, it would have been fun to explore more in the alpine. Even though we were hiking on "trail," I'm glad we had backup navigation tools for when the weather didn't cooperate. Some of the longer days hiking through the mud, we did encounter some type-2 fun, but overall this was a great trip and is now one of our favorites that we have done in Yellowstone.

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Yellowstone: Heart Lake & Mount Sheridan

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 03:27:00 GMT

Hey everyone,

After talking about it for a few years, we finally made the plan to hike out to Heart Lake and Mount Sheridan. We drove the two hours to the trailhead from the North Entrance and got on trail about 10am. The first few miles of the trail are fairly boring, since it's a sandy trail and through thick lodgepole forest. Eventually we popped out of the trees and we could see the lake in the distance. We also started to see some of the many thermal features in the area.

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Once we made it off the ridge, we descended down to Witch Creek and followed it out to the lake the rest of the way.

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Once we arrived at the lake, we hung out at camp for a little bit until it cooled off. We took the opportunity to explore around the lake and check out the Heart Lake Ranger Station.

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The next morning I got up for sunrise to get some photos of first light on Mount Sheridan, which we planned to hike that day.

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Unfortunately, a little haze from fires in California had drifted into the area. It wasn't so bad that you could feel it while hiking, but it did affect our long-distance views.

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At the top, we also got to meet a little pika friend living under the Fire Lookout. He was nervous at first, but after a while he came out to grab some food.

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We did the same. We cracked the beers we packed in, sat in the shade of the fire lookout, and ate our snacks taking in the views.

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On the way down, we decided to take a different route. Instead of taking the trail the entire way, we cut off just before we got back to the campground so we would have the opportunity to look down on the Heart Lake Geyser Basin.

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Back at camp it was crazy hot, so we jumped in the lake to cool off. As we were drying off, a 10" leech swam by. Glad we didn't have a Stand By Me moment. The next day we hiked out the same way and stopped in the Grant Village area to get some ice cream. Best way to end a trip in the backcountry!

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Trip notes: We hiked around 24 miles over the three days, about eight miles each day. We have some friends that did it in two, but that sounds more like a suffer fest to me. It would be cool to go back and spend more time exploring the Heart Lake Geyser Basin.

Rocky Mountain National Park in Winter

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 02:44:00 GMT

A buddy of mine had a birthday coming up and I was able to fly to Denver for a long weekend. I've spent a lot of time in Rocky in the summer, but I had never been in the winter. So we made a plan to stay in Estes for a couple nights and snowshoe into the mountains for a couple days. We arrived too early to check into our hotel, so we hit the climbing gym in town and then the bar for a couple beers. We decided to head to Sprague Lake for sunset, which was nice. Normally it's so crowded in the summer but there were only a few of us walking the trail.

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The following morning we drive up to Bear Lake so we could hike up Flattop Mountain. I've done this hike in the summer a few times, and I knew it was fairly safe from avalanche danger.

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Eventually we started to climb out of the trees and got some nice views of the mountains, including Longs Peak. Unfortunately, climbing out of the trees also meant the wind picked up. Substantially.

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As we climbed out of the Krummholz and into the alpine, we were completely exposed. It was straight wind in the face as we climbed up the mountain. Occasionally the wind would gust and completely obscure the views.

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It was slow going with the wind and the snow. As we neared the top the weather came in and we decided ti find a spot to crack our beers and have some snacks.

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On the way down we came across a few groups of ptarmigan in winter plumage. It's crazy how close we got to them before we noticed them.

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We made it back to the trailhead in one piece and hit Ed's for some killer Mexican food and margaritas. We had one more day to explore around but we were a little sore from the day before. So we headed back to Bear Lake but instead of climbing, we hiked out to Nymph, Dream, and Emerald lakes.

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On the way back to town we had to stop and get a nice photo of Longs Peak and the Diamond. Overall, it was a short but great boys birthday trip!

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Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Moab, UT

Sun, 18 Oct 2020 03:45:00 GMT

Just got back from 2 weeks in the high desert with Corrie and Toklat. We had plans for Corrie's 40th birthday to spend a couple weeks in France, but covid had other plans. Since we added the pup to our pack we had to avoid national parks when we wanted to hike. That meant hitting mostly USFS and BLM spots. It was nice exploring new trails in familiar areas. Having the pup also forced us to get up early to beat the heat which meant we got to watch the sunrise on our hikes without having to share the views with crowds. The first on the list was to hike Corona Arch.

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After hiking in the morning and relaxing during the afternoon heat, we decided to do a picnic dinner up in the iSky district of Canyonlands. Once we made it out to the end of the road, we cracked open the wine and charcuterie and took turns staying in the parking lot with Toklat since pets weren’t allowed on the overlook or trail. When it was my turn, I saw someone on the paved overlook with a dog who walked right past the “no pet” sign. I thought to myself, “whatever, it’s just along the sidewalk portion of the overlook.”

I shrugged it off and set out down the trail to snap a few photos. When I was hiking back up the trail the dog owner I saw earlier was coming down the trail with his dog so I politely said, “you might have missed the sign (he didn’t), but pets aren’t allowed on the trails.” He responded, “sorry I didn’t want to leave my FAMILY member at the trailhead.” For whatever reason that really rubbed me the wrong way. As a new pet owner I’m just now starting to notice how limiting parks are when it comes to pets, but we don’t get to pick and choose what rules to follow in parks. And while I’m on my soapbox, people who falsely claim their pets as service animals is also crap. I’m curious if anyone else out there feels the same way or if I’m the only one.

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The following morning we headed out to Fisher Towers for sunrise. This was a new hike for all of us. It's super fun, but there are a few ladders that might be tough for bigger dogs since you have to lower them up and down the ladders.

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At the end of the trail we found a nice spot overlooking the canyon and cracked some breakfast beers.

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The rest of the day we spent along the river to keep cool, and then went out for our anniversary dinner. The next day we drove over to Escalante and checked into our campsite.

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After our quick stop in Moab, we headed west to Escalante where we camped for the week. The first day we decided to drive around the area and pop into a few places, including Bryce Canyon since my buddy Chris had never been. No matter how many times you see the Amphitheater, it never gets old. We didn’t hike this time because we had Toklat with us, but it was nice to soak in the views from the rim.

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On the drive back to camp we saw a sign for the Toadstool Hoodoos Trail. We were sick of being in the car so we decided to hike the short distance even though it was a little hot outside. We around plenty of water to make sure everyone stayed cool.

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The following day was a trip to Zebra Canyon. Chris' cousin Brian met up with us and its was a new hike for everyone. This place had been on my list since I lived in Moab, eight years ago. We set out early and were the only people on the trail.

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We didn't know what to expect, but when we got to the canyon there was about three feet of standing water. We all took our shoes off and made our way though. We also took turns passing Mr. T through obstacles so he didn't get stuck of have to get wet. Lucky boy.

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Eventually you get to the back part of the slot where you can tell how the canyon got its name. It's not very big, so if it were crowded I could see that being an issue, but it was cool to have it to ourselves.

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On the hike out we came across a few groups so it seems like we planned it perfectly. From there we headed over to Devils Garden to check out Metate Arch.

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Back at camp we grabbed showers and relaxed before heading out to watch the sunset.

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Another day and another hike, this time to Lower Calf Creek Falls. The cool morning air filled the canyon and the cottonwood trees were just starting to change color.

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There was a good amount of people at the falls, but it didn't feel crowded. We chilled our beers in the water and took a swim to cool off. It's pretty crazy how lush this canyon is compared to a lot of the surround areas. Gotta love water in the desert.

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Chris had to peel off this day, so it was just the three of us again. This time we planned to hike the Willis Creek Narrows. The road to get to the trailhead was too much for our Subaru to handle, it was only jeeps and trucks at the trailhead. That didn't stop us though, we just had to walk the road for a mile or so. And we were glad we did because this canyon was freaking AWESOME! It's not as narrow as Zebra, but it's like three miles long. It's a great place to escaped the heat and plus there was water for the dog the entire time. I would definitely go back here again.

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Back at camp we hung out, drank beers, made a fire, and relaxed.

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Today's adventure we planned to hike "The Box." There are a few ways to do this hike, the most popular being a shuttle and hike it all downhill. Since we didn't have two cars and we were limited on mileage with the pup, we decided to just hike it from the lower trailhead.

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It was a lot of creek crossings and neither of us wanted wet feet so we stopped a lot. Eventually you climb out away from Pine Creek and get cool views of the canyon.

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Once we figured we were far enough, we found a spot in the shade to crack beers and have lunch before turning around. It would be nice to do this hike again with the shuttle.

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Our last day in the area we decided to hike out to Escalante Natural Bridge. Fall colors were looking nice and this time we hiked in our Chacos because we knew we were doing a lot of river crossings.

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Eventually we made it out to the natural bridge, which was cool, but we also unexpectedly came across a petroglyph panel. I think this was my favorite part of the hike.

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There was also some ruins next to the panel, not sure how people got up there to build a dwelling.

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After the hike we drove over the Burr Trail Road to Singing Canyon, a nice walkable canyon right off the road. All the way at the back we heard some voices and as we got back there we saw some people canyoneering. The dude was coming off a HUGE rappel.

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After the hike we drove back to camp and made a few pit stops to take photos from the overlooks.

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We were bummed that we weren't able to do the France trip, but this was a nice consolation prize. I really love the Colorado plateau and I hope to spend even more time there in the future!

Yellowstone and Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness: Hellroaring Creek to Coyote Creek

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 03:31:00 GMT

This trip starts and ends in Yellowstone National Park, but both nights of camping are outside the park's northern boundary in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. We had never been to the area, so we weren't sure if there were designated camp spots or not. But we had a few areas in mind that would make a good camp spot if we could find a clearing. The hike was uneventful until we decided to stop for a snack around the Montana/Wyoming border. Once we sat down in the shade we were immediately bombarded by mosquitoes. We threw our rain gear on and sprayed some bug repellant. Little did we know that this wouldn't be the last bug encounter on this trip.

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After a couple hours on the Hellroaring Trail, we made it to the northern boundary and it was heavily forested. We were a little worried about finding a spot, but it turns out there is a hardened site with hang pole and all. We were pleasantly surprised. AND it even had a nice swimming hole to jump in for a swim and cool off.

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The next morning we woke up early to beat the heat and started our climb. The wildflowers were blooming and the scary beautiful. Not a ton of shade so the day started getting hot as the sun rose higher.

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Eventually we made it to our first trail junction and bridge crossing. There was a gigantic log jam at the base of the bridge. We couldn't help but think that was an accident waiting to happen if there was a flood.

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We also stopped by the Historic Hellroaring Station, built in 1925, for a snack break and photo.

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From here we would cross over Hellroaring Creek again and start our climb up and around Bull Mountain. By this time in the day we are starting to drag a little bit, the wind died down, and the temps were warm. As soon as we started our climb we entered into a forested and swampy area that was FULL of mosquitoes. It was too hot for rain gear, and the bug spray only did so much. The only thing we could think to do was to hike as fast as we could to get out of the trees and find a breeze.

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Just as we were about to bonk, we gained the saddle around Bull and were greeted by a glorious wind in our face. We took the time to sit in the shade to cool off and refuel. While we were sitting we saw two people ride by on horseback in the distance; the only people we saw for the entire three days of the trip.

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Our goal was to camp as close to the boundary as possible, near reliable water. Since we were kind of winging it, when we came across a flat spot under some big trees, we figured that would work as good as any other spot. We dropped our packs and set up camp.

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The following morning the wind died completely and we could hear the mosquitoes buzzing outside our tent, waiting for their next meal. We decided that having a leisurely breakfast was a bad idea, so we ate breakfast as we walked in circles in rain gear attempting to keep bugs out of our face. Then we packed up and headed back towards the park along Coyote Creek. We reached the boundary after a mile or so and it was mostly smooth sailing back to the trailhead. As we neared some of the park camp sites, it started raining on us a bit, but nothing torrential.

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Right before we crossed the Hellroaring Bridge over the Yellowstone River, a black bear sauntered down the trail forcing us to jump off the trail to keep a safe distance. On the climb out back to the car we saw another black bear and cub. Apparently it's a very berry area!

Trip notes: Other than the bugs, the 22 miles and 3,300' elevation gain was a real treat. I think my favorite part of the trip was the section along the Hellroaring where we camped and got to swim. We also hiked by the Buffalo Plateau area and I think we need to explore in that area a little more. Overall, fun trip and great to see a new area!

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Yellowstone River: Point of Rocks to Mayor's Landing

Thu, 28 May 2020 02:58:00 GMT

Only a few months into lockdown and with spring trying to emerge, we decided that a river trip was just what the doctor ordered. After packing up the food, beer, and gear we arrived at the Point of Rocks put in just in time for it to start snowing. After a very short debate of whether or not we should still go, we unloaded boats and shuttled vehicles to Livingston. When we got back to Point of Rocks, the weather had changed for the better and we shoved off for 40 or so river miles ahead of us. The river was high and flowing fast, which meant we should arrive to camp fairly early.

Along the river we had excellent views of all the spring birds including bald eagles and osprey fishing along the river. We even got to see some baby mergansers floating with mom.

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Even though it was a little chilly, the sun came out and Paradise Valley was living up to its name.

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About halfway on the run, we found some islands where we planned to camp for the evening. We unloaded the boats, gathered firewood, made dinner and drinks, watched the sunset, and relaxed by the fire.

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The following morning was a beautiful sunrise and a beaver swam by camp for a visit. After breakfast and mimosas, we shoved off for another beautiful day on the river.

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It was a perfect bluebird day, so we just sat back and let the world drift by.

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Once we reached Livingston, we unloaded the boats and headed home. A great trip in our backyard to kick off the summer season adventures!

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Notes: The trip was around 40 miles in length and it took us about 8 hours on the river to float the entire stretch. You don't need permits to float this section, but it is a popular day use area, especially in the summer.

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Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness: Lake Abundance Creek to Wolverine Creek

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 02:58:00 GMT

We heard about this loop from some friends the year before. Our friend Patrick decided to join us on this overnight trip. Unfortunately we were given some incorrect information and didn't take the time to follow up on it. We thought our first day was going to be about 10 miles and all flat or downhill, so we didn't feel the need to get a super early start. So after driving to Cooke City, MT, and up to the trailhead we started out on the 4x4 road until we made it to the Wilderness Boundary. A few groups on ATVs passed up but they were all just going to Lake Abundance.

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Eventually we made it to the boundary and the Lake, and that was the last of people we would see for the day.

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We were surprised with the fall colors in the high country, the weather was still still warm. It made for a hot day of hiking without any exposure.

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At around 10 miles we made it to the Slough Creek Valley, but the miscommunication was that it was about 3 miles between the two valleys. So instead of stopping, we kept hiking along looking for our trail junction. After hiking an hour longer than we should have, we all started bonking and decided to stop and refuel. After a brief rest to ee rolled into our camp spot just before sunset.

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I had read that there was a chance for northern lights so I decided to set an alarm for the evening. I'm glad I did, the stars were gorgeous and we did get a small glimmer of aurora looking up Slough Valley.

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The following morning we got an early start because we knew it was going to be a difficult climb out along Wolverine Creek.

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It was another blue sky day and again, not much shade. So when we took breaks, we took advantage of the shade we could find. This section of the trail didn't have as much fall color, but the views of the mountains were better in my opinion. Along the trail all we could talk about was hitting the gas station in Cooke City and getting an ice cold gatorade with a bag of chips.

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We made it back to the car early afternoon, plenty of time to hit the store and take our time driving home through the park. As we were driving back to US212, we were first on scene for an ATV rollover accident. Since Corrie is an EMT, we stopped and offered the person medical attention while their son drove into cell service to call 9-1-1. Meanwhile, while all this happening we are sitting out in the hot sun, exhausted, without water, waiting for EMS to airlift the patient to the hospital and move the crashed vehicle from the road so we could drive home. The lady who crashed ended up being ok, just some bangs and bruises. Crazy end to the trip.

Trip notes: We hiked just shy of 23 miles with 3,300' of elevation in two days. In an area that doesn't have a ton of loop routes, it was fun to be able to start and end in the same place without backtracking.

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San Juan National Forest: Ice and Island Lakes

Sun, 11 Aug 2019 06:05:00 GMT

Our planned backcountry basecamp spot was only about 3 miles in. Beyond that was above tree line and we didn't want to be too exposed. From our basecamp we would day hike in the surrounding area and return to camp each night. Since it was such a short (but steep) hike in, we were able to convince our friends without backcountry gear to hike in for the day and explore with us. Also, since they didn't have heavy packs and are badasses, we convinced them to hike in with some beer for the day. It was a great plan all around.

The following morning we woke up, broke camp at 6 am and headed to the trailhead. Once we had a parking spot secured we could make breakfast and pack for the trip. Good thing we did because the entire trailhead parking was full by 7 am. We housed our breakfast burritos and set off.

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We made short work of the 1900', 3 mile climb and found a great spot to set up camp. The flowers were OFF THE RAILS. They were the biggest, densest, and tallest patches of wildflowers I think I've ever seen.

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We explored the lower basin, and enjoyed the sun while it was around. We grabbed naps, then dinner, and decided to hike to the upper basin to scout plans for sunrise. The upper basin was gorgeous, but the weather wasn't great. We had some beers and whiskey for the sunset and then headed back to camp for the evening.

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The next morning we woke up for sunrise and headed back to the upper basin where we would meet up with our day hike folks.

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We made out way back up to Ice Lake and holy moly was it a SPECTACULAR sunrise up there. As soon as we crested the high point of the trail and the lake came into view, we were greeted to a COMPLETELY different view from the night before. Cerulean blue lake, surrounded by the colorful San Juan mountains.

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After about an hour of relaxing and swimming, the beer team showed up. As they pulled all the beer out of their backpacks, they revealed that they had carried about 25 beers up! It was only 8 am in the morning but we all cracked one to celebrate how lucky we felt to all be in this beautiful spot together.

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From Ice Lake we continued to Island Lake, where we planned to spend the day relaxing and drinking beers.

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When they initially pulled out 25 beers I was a little worried that we weren't going to be able to finish them all. But by 11 am we were already running low. After going back and forth with each other, I was dared to try and swim out to the island. Being a fan of cold water and a few beers deep I decided to try. I'm pretty sure I only made it about 1/3 of the way before I could feel the blood draining from my arms causing them to cramp. Next time I need to bring up a little boat or something.

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After a bit of swimming the clouds started rolling in and since the beer was mostly gone we figured that was our cue to head back to the tents anyway. About halfway back to camp the sky opened up with a mix of hail and rain, but no lightning. We said bye to the half of our group that wasn't overnight camping and laid down for a nap. The rest of the day was non-stop rain. I took advantage of being extra relaxed from the multiple IPA's at 12K feet elevation to lay down and listed to the sounds of the rain on the tent. It was such an awesome day.

The next morning we broke camp and the sun came out enough for us to dry out before packing up. In no time we were back at the trailhead where fresh clothes and cold beers awaited us. After loading up the trucks we headed to lodge, it was wedding time!

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Trip notes: You can easily do the hike as a day hike, but we thought it would be nice to wake up in the backcountry. If we have a chance to go back, I think I would probably climb up Grant Peak and check out the views. If you have a 4x4, there are also some sweet trails in the area like up to Clear Lake and Ophir Pass.

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Grand Teton: Owen Spalding Route

Thu, 18 Jul 2019 02:58:00 GMT

Have you ever had an idea or goal that you always wanted to accomplish, but life kinda got in the way? Or maybe the idea was was a little too big and you just wrote it off as a pipe dream? Well that goal for me was climbing Grand Teton. When I moved to Jackson in the winter of 2008 it was my first time living in the mountains. I’d never been hiking, backpacking, mountain climbing, or anything outdoorsy other than car camping, really. That winter living in the mountains set me on a different path though. I knew that’s where I wanted to be, even though I was a fish out of water. When I left Jackson that spring and drove back to Florida, I remember visiting the park one last time for sunrise and thinking how awesome it would be to experience standing on top of that mountain.

During the 11 years that followed I slowly picked up more outdoor skills as I traveled the US: hiking, backpacking, climbing, and caving. Then last winter my buddy Chris got into mountaineering and asked if I’d be interested in joining him on an expedition. "Hell no... but I have always wanted to climb the Grand.” So, over [one too many] beers @cmferrante, @andyustinphoto, and I agreed that we would make a run at it this summer.

The day had finally arrived. The plan had us hiking to the Lower Saddle to camp, summit, and then hike out. The advice we got for the approach was to start early, hike slowly, and enjoy the views. So the night before we packed our bags, divided up my extra weight I couldn’t carry (I HAD A DOCTOR”S NOTE GUYS), and loaded up the POWERWAGON!!! We arrived at the trailhead, moved the coolers into the cab of the truck, and vowed to return a few days later to consume the contents in celebration. We were off.

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We slowly made our way through the meadow, up the foothills, stopping often to drink water and eat snacks. A few weeks earlier, when I found out I needed surgery, I called the team and gave them the opportunity to back out. Both said as long as I felt good enough to hike that they were in to carry the extra weight. Since my pack was only supposed to be 25 lbs, that meant Chris and Andy were carrying close to 60-65, even though I was over my limit. So it was definitely slow going.

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Eventually we made it into Garnett Canyon where the trees and grasses were replaced with granite walls. The trail also petered out and became more uneven. We made our way through boulders, over moraines, across snowfields, along waterfalls, and up scree, until we reached the crux of the hike known as the “headwall.”

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Once we all made it safely up we felt a single drop of rain, so I suggested we duck under a nearby glacial erratic to let the storm pass. Our timing couldn’t have been better. For the next 30 or so minutes it hailed nearly 2”, then rained, then hailed some more. It was a perfect opportunity to grab more snacks and watch and listen to the lightning and thunder roll over our heads. Once the storm passed we were greeted with a spectacular double rainbow.

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The last 10 minute push and we arrived at the Lower Saddle. We filtered water, made dinner, drank whiskey, watched the sunset, and studied the route we planned to tackle in the morning.

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I went to bed nervous, doubts were flowing through my head. I wasn’t sure if I was healthy enough to climb. It’s the first time in a long time that I thought I may have been in over my head. The next day we woke up to strong winds and rain. Since our permit allowed us more time, we decided to take a layover day and not push for the summit. We checked the weather for the following day and it called for clear skies. So we just hung out in camp for the day and took in the windy views.

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Eventually the clouds parted and we were greeted to a spectacular sunset. I took the time to get Chris a new Tinder photo.

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The next day my alarm went off at 3:30 am. Coffee and breakfast by headlamps. My nerves were on edge as we watched the guided teams leave one by one ahead of us. We filtered water, loaded up our gear, and I made sure we each had our summit soda for the top. As we picked our way through the route it was slow going. I read the route enough times that everything was memorized, but doing it in the dark was challenging. Black Dyke, check. Chockstone chimney, check. Eye of the Needle, check. Just as we made it to the Central Rib I looked back to check on the guys. The beautiful pink light that hits the mountains first thing in the morning was here, and it wasn’t thousands of feet above us, but below us, enveloping the Middle Teton.

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Once we gained the Upper Saddle Chris took over. He had been training for weeks for this moment: his first lead climb. Pitch after pitch, Chris led us through icy chimneys until we arrived at the final slabs.

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As we gained the summit ridge I was overwhelmed with emotions I haven’t felt many times in my life: the first time I saw Denali or Halema’uma’u under the Milky Way, flying over Glacier, and watching my wife walk down the aisle. As we took in the cloudless views from the 13,770’ peak, I was covered in goosebumps.

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As we cracked our beers and toasted the accomplishment, our celebration turned back to focus: we were only halfway.

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We picked our way down, rappelled, and scrambled our way back to camp.

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We arrived just in time for the best sunset of the trip.

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The following morning we slept in til 8, packed up camp, and hit the trail. I'd like to say our packs felt lighter, but the food weight we carried in was replaced by our crap-filled wag bags. At least the weather was spectacular.

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Looking back, I still can’t believed it all happened. Teamwork definitely makes the dream work! Here's to the next adventure!

Trip notes: Getting to the Lower Saddle is fairly straightforward, but a difficult hike. The Owen Spalding Route is also very doable for novice climbers, like myself, if you study the route and have the right gear. We were fortunate with a good weather window and that's likely the only reason we were able to summit on this trip. Guided trips the day before us turned back due to fog and snow.

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Australia: The Land Down Under

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 02:58:00 GMT

I've been wanting to visit Australia for a while, but when we found out our friends from Melbourne were getting ready to move, we figured it was time to finally pull the trigger. We took off on Friday night and landed on Sunday morning. Our friend's picked us up at the airport and took us to their place downtown. We spent the day exploring, snacking, and bar hopping, trying to stay up as late as possible to avoid jet lag. The following day we jumped in the car and headed west to the Great Ocean Road. On the way through Great Otway National Park we saw our first wildlife sighting: a koala was walking across the road. We couldn't tell what is was at first, but when we finally realized what it was, I screamed to pull the car over and jumped out of a quick photo.

Koala climbing a tree Koala checking us out through the tree

When we stopped for a coffee and a bathroom break, there were crazy birds we've never seen before. You'll notice a lot of bird photos throughout this blog.

Masked Lapwing - Vanellus miles Galah Cockatoo - Eolophus roseicapilla Silver Gulls - Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae White-faced heron - Egretta novaehollandiae

Eventually we made it to our destination for the day: Twelve Apostles Marine National Park. It was a beautiful sunny day when we arrived. We explored the boardwalks and trails until we saw a big storm cell coming in off the ocean.

Afternoon sunshine at Twelve Apostles (wide) Afternoon sunshine at Twelve Apostles Waves crashing into the Twelve Apostles Twelvele Apostles alternate view Arch at twelve apostles

Our next big exploration day we headed out to Dandenong Ranges National Park. As soon as we got our of the car we were surrounded by exotic birds. Super colorful birds that you only see as pets in the states were all around us. We spent the day hiking through the forest, looking for birds, kangaroos, and wombats. Sadly, we never saw a wombat, only the square poops they left behind.

The sun shines through the Dandenongs Crimson Rosella Parrot - Platycercus elegans Sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) in flight Grey Fantail - Rhipidura albiscapa Australian King Parrot - Alisterus scapularis Superb lyrebird - Menura novaehollandiae Laughing Kookaburra - Dacelo novaeguineae Sulphur-crested cockatoo - Cacatua galerita Yellow wattlebird - Anthochaera paradoxa Pied Currawong (2) - Strepera graculina Eastern Yellow Robin - Eopsaltria australis Long-billed Corellas - Cacatua tenuirostris

When we were't doing trips our of the city, we would hit up the city parks. A super cool spot was the Royal Botanic Gardens. Lots of cool plants and birds to check out including my favorite bird of the trip, the Rainbow Lorikeet.

Rainbow Lorikeet - Trichoglossus moluccanus Nymphaea Lily Pied Currawong - Strepera graculina South Australia state flower - Sturt's Desert Pea - Swainsona formosa Rat Tail Cactus

Another great day in the city day we jumped on the tram and headed to St. Kilda Pier. We were hoping to get a glance at the smallest penguin species in the world: the fairy penguin. We found out that during the day they head out into the open water to hunt so we didn't have much luck. But after looking in the jetti rocks we found one hanging out in the shade. As we were walking back from the pier we did catch a glimpse of one fishing. They are awesome swimmers and extremely hard to get photos of them. The other cool species we saw was the arctic tern. We had previously seen this bird in Alaska and Iceland, but always cool to see it in an entirely different place.

Fairy penguin - Eudyptula minor Fishing Fairy Penguin - Eudyptula minor Fishing Fairy Penguin (2) Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) with Melbourne Skyline

The Australian Grand Prix was happening while we were in Melbourne, so we couldn't explore Albert Park until after the race. We hit a couple jogs around the lake and saw so many birds that we grabbed our cameras and went back just to take some photos. It's so cool that in such a big city there is so much green space for wildlife. Our friends are big birders, but by the end of the trip we had them sending us cool bird spottings.

White-faced heron hunting - Egretta novaehollandiae Australasian swamphen - Porphyrio melanotus Blue-billed duck on Albert Park Lake - Oxyura australis Crested Pigeons - Ocyphaps lophotes Black Swan on Albert Park Lake - Cygnus atratus Black Swan - Cygnus atratus Pied Stilt reflections - Himantopus leucocephalus Red-rumped parrot - Psephotus haematonotus Crested Pigeons Pacific black duck

The last of the things we saw around Melboure was heading out to Fort Nepean. We explored the fort and saw an echidna. What cool little critters.

Fort Nepean Short-beaked Echidna - Tachyglossus aculeatus aculeatus

We spent two weeks in Oz, and for the middle weekend we decided to fly out to Adilaide and take the boat to Kangaroo Island.

Gohana on the side of the road Koala resting in a tree Jewel Spider and web Black swans, Australian Shelducks, banded stilts, and eurasian coots at Murray Lake

When we are on the island we headed out to Seal Bay Conservation Park and took a tour out to the beach to see the Australian Sea Lions.

Australian sea lion yawning Australian sea lions napping Australian sea lions Males sea lions sparring at Seal Beach Australian sea lion sleepy Australian sea lion in the surf Australian Sea Lions snuggling Seal Beach, Kangaroo Island panorama Whale bones on the beach

The other day on the island we headed out to Flinder's Chase National Park and hit a few trails. The first was out to Admiral's Arch where we saw a few New Zealand Fur Seals.

Cape du Couedic lighthouse Souther Ocean from Flinders Chase National Park Overlooking the Great Australian Bight Southern Ocean tidal zone in Flinders Chase National Park Admiral's Arch in Flinders Chase National Park New Zealand fur seal on the rocks in Flinders Chase National Park New Zealand fur seal pup

Then we explored Remarkable Rocks.

Overlooking Remarkable Rocks Remarkable Rocks indeed. Remarkable Rocks indeed (2) Remarkable Rocks indeed (3) Remarkable Rocks indeed (4)

After grabbing a snack we headed out on the Platypus Waterholes Walk. Since it was the dry season, the chances of seeing a platypus were extremely low but we rolled the dice anyway. No platypi, but we did see a goanna and cool birds.

Goanna in Flinders Chase National Park White-faced heron

Since the weather was still nice we decided to hit a short walk along the Heritage Walk Trail. We wouldn't have picked this hike as a top pick since it's was only about a mile long, but we hit the motherlode of animals. On this short trail we saw wallabies, koalas, kangaroos, more birds, and an extended interaction with an echidna looking for food. It was definitely the highlight of the trip.

Wallaby blep Wallaby sitting under a tree Splendid Fairywren - Malurus splendens Kangaroo Island Short-beaked Echidna walking through duff - Tachyglossus aculeatus multiaculeatus Koala in Flinders Chase National Park Scarlet Robin - Petroica boodang Australian Magpie Portrait - Cracticus tibicen Grey Kangaroo on Kangaroo Island Cape Barren Geese - Cereopsis novaehollandiae Kangaroo Sunning Moon through the gum trees

Not pictured in the blog were all the great restaurants, dessert shops, bars, cafes, night tours, and DRT (designated rest time) naps we had. It was really awesome to visit a city with personal tour guides. City traveling is not usually what we set out to do, but it was a great change of pace. It was also great spending time with friends and catching up. What I also learned about OZ is that it's big: about the size of the US. So that means there's much more to see and do. We have some other places we want to visit in the short-run while we can still hike and backpack, but I definitely think we will be back in the area again. We also have to hit New Zealand and Tasmania. Standard: cross one thing off your travel list and then add two more.

I hope y'all are doing well, we're getting ready for winter here in Montana.

-Jake