We hiked here in July of 2014. Wow! That felt like ages ago! We are certainly different people since that visit! We had a great time then! But is was fun to see it with fresh eyes! On our first visit to Kolob Canyons in Zion National Park, We drove all the way to end of the scenic drive and then came back to hike Taylor Creek Trail to see the double Arch Alcove. That trek was a great introduction to Kolob Canyons, but we felt we should come back for a second look. We were Staying in Las Vegas and had made a day trip up to Cedar Breaks National Monument north of Kolob Canyons on I-15 and decided that we should stop to see what we missed. We stopped by the visitor's center and then took off for our driving tour of the park. Once we got to the end of the road, we decided that we could handle the 1-mile hike on Timber Creek Trail. The mountains were awe inspiring and we enjoyed our time on the trail. Click below to see our adventurer! Thanks for reading/watching! Keep on trekking! We always want to take longer trails, but drive time and daylight have usually been what have thwarted our efforts. This led us to get back into camping! Our camping "reboot" started at Hawn State Park to hike the whole Whispering Pine Trail. It is 10 miles and has 2 loops. Until now, we have only managed the North Loop. Since we camped the night before, we had plenty of time to hike all of the trail and explore a little more before sundown. We got a pretty early start after a good breakfast including bacon. I wanted to do the trail backwards of the suggested counter-clockwise direction. It makes me feel that we avoid some of the crowds at the beginning of the trails and provides a different view of the trail. Even though we left early, we didn't see any animals other than a turtle on the trail. That's not too surprising, Whispering Pine Trail and Pickle Creek are very popular trails. We did manage to trek both loops of Whispering Pine Trail. The caves and creek at beautiful on the South Loop and the solitude was perfect. We probably saw less than a dozen people all day. The Whispering Pine Trail is a great trial and we highly recommend it. We added the Pickle Creek Trail to the end so we could walk along the creek at the end of our day. it was lovely! Please enjoy the video of our trek. After we hike 11 miles, we deserve cookies! SO we made some over the campfire that night. Please check out how we made them in our Dutch Oven. (You should probably eat cookies while/after watching.) Until next time, keep on trekking! If we go to bed early enough, 4:00 in the morning is not an issue. If we have amazing sights to see, a hike at 4:30 is easy! Both of those factors aligned on our trip to Grand Canyon National Park on the North Rim last July. Our friends happened to be at the Grand Canyon Lodge at the same time we were and wanted to join us for a sunrise hike and breakfast. We are so glad they did! **Special thanks to John, Donna, Joe, and Sue for hiking with us! I can't say that a sunrise in a National Park is boring, but the clouds on this morning made the sky spectacular! So, Not only was the Canyon stellar, but the sky made the experience awesome! As we always say, pictures and video can't do it justice. We still try. Please enjoy our hike to amazing views! Until next time, keep on trekking! We were going to skip this one and try to catch a good spot on the Grand Canyon Lodge Patio (www.grandcanyonforever.com/) before dinner and sunset. However, we have learned that when someone on the waitstaff at breakfast says, "Go on this hike," we should go. The staff at the parks know where the best trails are to escape the crowds. This time was no exception! This 1-mile hike was calm and beautiful. We saw less than 10 people in the hour-plus we were on the trail. The spring was like "Weeping Rock" in Zion National Park. It was filled with moss and dripping quite a bit. We watched a storm cloud pass over, but never got rained on. The rocks were beautiful and the side canyon was enchanting. All in all, we can't say enough good things about this hike. It is certainly on the "must do" list. Enjoy a few more pictures and video from our hike below. Until next time, keep on trekking! When we told people that we were traveling to the Grand Canyon, their first question was, "Are you going to the bottom?" Our answer was usually, "Not in July with heat warnings." We found out this trip that we didn't have to go down to the bottom (with at least 100 other people on the same trail) to enjoy hiking Grand Canyon National Park. The 10-mile Widforss Trail was the awe inspiring solitude we were looking for. We saw less than 15 people in the 4+ hours we were on the trail. We also saw 2 Kaibab Squirrels, several ground squirrels, a lizard, and a CONDOR. The Trail is mostly shaded by Ponderosa Pines and a few Aspen Trees. The elevation change didn't seem like much. It is mostly a rim walk. I can honestly say that this was our favorite hike of our vacation. Even though we didn't go to the bottom of the canyon. I feel that we experienced the Grand Canyon in the way that was best for us. We still have more to see (as with EVERY park we visit). That means we have to go back some day. We hope you enjoy the views of Grand Canyon National Park in the video and that you will enjoy this trail yourself sometime. Until next time, keep on trekking! We believe when we get a recommendation from a person who lives in the area we are going to, we should at least check it out. So, we did. Thanks to www.instagram.com/2beagles.1jeep/ for the recommendation! Mount Charleston National Recreation Trails and the Spring Mountains National Forest are a fantastic escape from the heat and hustle of Las Vegas! When we got out of the car in the parking lot, we noticed that the temperatures have dropped about 20 degrees in our 45 minute drive from Las Vegas. This was WONDERFUL! You'll notice the pine trees and the change in color of the rocks. These views were very welcome! It all looked so lush! The hike up Cathedral Rock was a HUGE bang for our energy buck! Fantastic views in 1.4 miles. Hike along with us in our video. Keep on Trekking! When we were introduced to Cedar Breaks National Monument in 2015, we didn't have the time to take anything in. It was a quick stop, to say the least. When we had to leave, we vowed that we would be return for an "intentional" trip. This year provided that opportunity. In doing research for our vacation, Kay found Cedar Breaks NM Facebook page. It is a wonderful page that you should check out if you are planning a trip (or just like to see pretty vistas and awesome outdoor events) to CBNM (www.facebook.com/CedarBreaksNationalMonument/) We knew found out that the wild flowers would be blooming at the time we were planning to visit and that they would be having Professional Artists performing demonstrations in the park those days too. That was SO exciting! Our goal was to plan a hike to walk through the wild flowers and see the breaks. We stopped that the visitors center first and got a recommendation from the Rangers for a trail. The Alpine Pond Trail was PERFECT! We thoroughly enjoyed the parts of the park we were able to see this time. During our time in the park we got to learn from rangers, artists, and National Park Volunteers who happened to be professors on Astronomy. Cedar Breaks National Monument truly is an awesome place that should be preserved. I personally think it should be at National Park status. Maybe one day. Until next time, keep on trekking! As we wake this morning to the sound of rain, I am thankful for it. Not just the much-needed rain for the Earth that surrounds my home, but for the SOUND. It's the sound of rain that slows down life and allows me to feel that I don't need to move fast. The feel of rain on my head or down the back of my neck usually makes me want to walk a bit faster, but the SOUND helps me slow down. On our adventures, we look for the beautiful vistas and the little things along side the trail. When we stop our trek to rest or get some water, we notice the sound outside of ourselves. When we are no longer just listening to the patter our own footsteps and the swish of our clothes and the thought that are in our heads or pouring out of our mouthes, we hear the sound of our hike. In that sound, is the solitude that we seek, the adventure we strive for, and the life we live. Admittedly, we don't live in a place with the most GRAND vistas in our country. But we do find something we seek on every hike. Mostly through those sounds. So, this morning, I will enjoy the sound of the relaxation that I seek at the end of the Summer. On the days when there is no rain or wind through the trees or crickets singing, I am happy that I have those sounds saved so, I can go back to those sounds and feelings . I hope that you will find your sound location too. Until next time, keep on trekking! We THOUGHT was were doing it right! We had our map, compass, and our plan. Maybe we hadn't had enough coffee. (It was right after sunrise...) Calico 1 trail was supposed to be a straight forward hike. on the map it looked like a straight line. It is NOT. In then end, we had a great time anyway. See what happened by clicking the link below. Keep on Trekking! |
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