Arches National Park; Fisher Towers

Carly and I drove into Arches National Park near Moab on July 25th, and after taking a few touristy pictures at "Park Avenue" and "Balanced Rock," we went straight for "Delicate Arch." The slog up to the arch wasn't too bad, mainly because cloud cover blocked the blistering sun. Upon arrival at the arch, we decided to delicately traverse the base of the arch, which was somewhat exposed, and then got some unique photography from a side that most tourists don't experience. We eventually ended up on a buttress that looks down upon the arch...the same view that is displayed on the Utah license plate.

After spending an hour at "Delicate Arch," we hiked back down to the trailhead, briefly taking a detour to view petroglyphs, and then driving on to "Sand Dune Arch" and "Broken Arch." They were nice arches, but nothing as dramatic as "Delicate Arch." We then decided to refuel in Moab, and then head out to Fisher Towers. These mudstone towers are a rock climbing mecca, but also offer a trail that skirts around their base. We hiked the trail for 2+ miles to an overlook that provided a great view of the surrounding canyon lands and massive towers. After a big day of desert hiking we then went back to Moab for well deserved beer (and steak, for me).

Ruby Mountains - The Great Salt Lake - Park City, Utah

I drove from Eureka, CA to Elko, NV on August 23rd, and then explored the Ruby Mountains near Elko on the 24th. This mountain range was heavily glaciated in the not so distant past, evident by the broad 12 mile long U-shaped valley that I drove, as well as the cirques hanging beneath the peaks and ridges that lined both sides of the valley. This area seems loaded with great trails, some that I hope to explore in the future.

After the Ruby Mountains, I drove east into Utah, and crossed the Bonneville Salt Flats. A flat expanse of white surrounded both sides of I-80 for tens of miles leading to distant desert mountains. After exiting the flats, I soon arrived at the Great Salt Lake, another geological feature that I have only seen from an airplane. I hung out on the rocky shoreline that protects a boat dock at Great Salt Lake State Park, making sure to not get too close to the giant spiders that were taking refuge within every gap between the rocks. 

After staring across the salt lake and distant mountains for an hour or two, I drove over to the Salt Lake City Airport and picked up Carly Kovacik. We then made a quick drive over the Wasatch Mountains and had dinner in Park City, Utah. There is so much wealth in that town! It was fun...the beer and food was good, and I enjoyed strolling through downtown looking for magnets to add to my refrigerator collection. After our evening in Park City, Carly and I then drove four hours to Moab, Utah.

Brokeoff Mountain-Lassen Volcanic National Park

Kristin and I hiked Brokeoff Mountain in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Ongoing drought has decimated the early summer snowpack that I experienced last year when I hiked the mountain. But that was fine, it gave me a different perspective during my second ascent. We made it up and down the mountain in four hours...a nice quick hike on a brilliantly sunny Northern California day. After the hike, we made a stop at a boiling pool of mud at West Sulphur Creek--evidence of the volcanics that are still present beneath the surface. Check out the video at the bottom of the post.

Northern Lost Coast

Quick afternoon trip to the northern Lost Coast southwest of Ferndale, CA. 

Another Ascent Up Salmon Mountain

My coworker Zahaira Velez and myself made quick work of Salmon Mountain during late June. This is my second ascent of the mountain during the past month. It's a great hike in a beautiful wilderness so no complaints on my part. We passed a group of people improving the trail for horses, and it turns out I met the leader during a TREX prescribed burn last October. I hope we will meet agin this fall. Zahaira and I followed up Salmon Mountain the next day with a hike around the wild shoreline of Trinidad and the redwoods of Arcata. It's good to get outside during this period of covid madness.

Trinidad, CA and a Birthday Hike in Prairie Creek State Park

Kristin Bowman and myself enjoyed the beach scenery in Trinidad, CA on June 11th, and then followed that with a hike in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park on my birthday, June 12th. We walked a trail I've done numerous times in the past, heading north on the Foothill Trail, then heading uphill on the Rhododendron Trail before heading downhill on the Cal-Barre Road. We were in the rain most of the hike, but it was still fun. We ended the day eating a vegan concoction for dinner, as well as cherry cheesecake.

Canyon Creek Lake

My coworker Zahaira Velez and myself did a 16 mile roundtrip out-and-back to Canyon Creek Lake in the Trinity Alps located in Northern California. The scenery was a mirror image of the granite spires typical of the Sierra Nevada located well to the southeast. We hiked 7 miles up trail and then reached a creek crossing. I wimped out and crawled across a set of logs spanning the creek, while Zahaira was more brave and did a balance beam act across the logs that put me to shame. We reached the lower Canyon Creek Lake a mile later and soaked in glacially carved sidewalls towering above the U-shaped valley. A storm was rolling in and it actually started to snow and sleet at our elevation (around ~5,500 feet MSL)...snow in June!...we took one last look at the lake and then booked it back downhill.