Category Archives: Adventures

Adventures, Jeep Badge of Honor, Troy's Blog

Beginning Another Adventure

April 13, 2019 Troy

Recently I returned from the first, in what I hope to be many, adventures off roading in a Jeep. For much of my life I’ve had a really close friend who has owned a Jeep shortly after he could drive. We would would take his Jeeps off roading beginning with fairly easy dirt or gravel roads with a few bumps in them and gradually increasing the trail difficulty to some rock climbing and steep sand trails with a little mudding. Of course the ability of his Jeeps has increased as well to be able to conquer more difficult places. It’s always been fun! In June of 2018 we began discussing the idea of more intense off road adventures but really didn’t know what level of difficulty we were actually up for. After kicking around some ideas of maybe just visiting some National Parks near California and driving their off road trails to what it would take to drive more challenging trails. As the year ended we came across the Jeep Badge of Honor program which highlights over 40 trails across the United States and rates these trails by level of difficulty.

Doing some more research on these trails, we began to focus on Moab, Utah and all of the trails around this town. When this area was first suggested to me I about fell over. It’s kind of like National Park central and I’m always up for exploring another National Park. The more difficult decision was how long to stay in Moab. Different trails came up and finally three were chosen. Not too difficult but enough challenges to see how these Badge of Honor trails work. As we rang in 2019, early April came up as our preferred timeline for some nice weather on average for this adventure but not too busy with people on vacation. Over the next several months we booked accommodations and additional modifications were made to the Jeep for some intense rock crawling among the cliffs and canyons surrounding Moab.

For much of March it seemed as though time was going so slow as I was really looking forward to getting to Utah and experiencing some trails in this scenic area. One day I went in to work only to be asked what time the next day I was leaving for Las Vegas. My quick response was today is going so slow and at the same time there was much to do as I was flying out later that afternoon. This was met with a little surprise and then understanding as I hurried through my list of things to do and headed out once they were taken care of. A few more items to take care of at home and then it was off to the airport for a flight to Las Vegas were I would meet my friend for this new adventure.

Thankfully Delta was playing some movies I hadn’t seen yet taking my mind off of my eagerness to get to Las Vegas a little. I did continue to look out of the window trying to determine where we were. I’ve flown this route enough that I know a number of the landmarks along the way. Unfortunately clouds covered much of the route making tracking the flight more difficult. I know, they show the planes location on the screen attached to the seat in front of me but I really didn’t want to know how far or close we were as I was already impatient enough to endure the length of the flight. At times there were breaks in the clouds allowing me to see some mountains and then Lake Mead appeared. My level of excitement jumped at this spot knowing Vegas isn’t very far away now. Then the plane began its descent. Just before the descent I was able to watch the sun dip below the clouds as sunset arrived signaling the end of the day. We began to descend into the clouds below and a few minutes later the lights of Las Vegas became visible. A few pictures and we were on the ground. Forty-five minutes later I was greeting my friend, climbing into the Jeep and heading towards Utah. A few hours of driving and we decided to find a place to stay bringing an end to the start of the Jeep Badge of Honor adventures. So much more to come!

Adventures, Lake Superior, Troy's Blog

A Winter Trip North

January 27, 2019 Troy

A cold, windy winter weekend exploring the shores of a cold Lake Superior provided a beautiful landscape to those who were willing to venture into seemingly inhospitable conditions. Arriving in Duluth the night before with temperatures just below zero and a strong northern wind made me question my own sanity and the safety of the conditions to be venturing outside the next day. Just a few minutes outside was enough to make any portion of skin exposed to the elements burn and start to lose feeling. How would it be to spend hours outdoors with these conditions which were forecast to be even worse in the morning even though the sun was expected to be shining bright?

Hoping to see the sunrise from the shores of Lake Superior, two friends who had never been to Minnesota’s North Shore and I got up well before the sunrise to grab breakfast and travel from Duluth to Tettegouche State Park. Anticipating a beautiful sun rise over the vast lake to begin a day full of exploring some absolutely amazing sights, our day began to a blaring alarm clock startling us quickly and reluctantly awake. After breakfast the outside temperatures were reading 15 degrees below zero. That’s Fahrenheit! I began to wonder if my car would even start at these cold temperatures. Maybe staying in the nice, cozy hotel would be a better way to spend this day. Instead I pulled on my heavy winter jacket and headed outside. That immediate blast of cold air took my breath away bringing the cold instantly to my uncovered hands and face as I looked up at the sky to see bright shining stars looking back at me. Unlocking the car I quickly got in the drivers seat and hoped for life to return to my vehicle. Turning the key was met with some resistance, almost as if the car was trying to tell me we were going nowhere on this clear, cold morning. Then the engine fired bringing life back into the quiet parking lot. Loading any gear we could possibly think of needing, we were off to endure this cold challenge nature was presenting. A little over an hour later we arrived at one of my favorite state parks – Tettegouche.

During this time in the car it had only barely begun to warm to a comfortable level making it a difficult choice yet again to crack open a door to venture into the frigid conditions waiting for us. The sunrise was supposed to have occurred several minutes before we arrived but there was so much sea smoke rising from the completely unfrozen waters of Lake Superior creating a cloud filled sky that there was no sign of a warming sun piercing the horizon. How could the lake be completely open in such freezing conditions? Deciding it was time to begin our adventure our doors opened to the cold air blasting from a wind blowing so hard from the north it was tough to even close a car door against its power. This icy wind made it feel like it was more than 30 degrees below zero! There could be no exposed skin if we were to stay outdoors for more than a few minutes. Thankfully there is a Visitor Center and rest area that remains open 24 hours a day allowing us to grab the winter gear and head inside to change in a more comfortable environment.

Now, with everything covered as well as we could, we headed to the beach to discover whatever beautiful sights Lake Superior had for us. Within a minute my glasses became covered in frost from the moisture in my breath quickly freezing to each lens making them useless in this environment. Hands and feet became a little cold to start but warmed up as the heat packs began to work their luxurious, hot magic making this outside ice world hospitable for a little while. Exploring along the shoreline, as we traversed icy and snow covered stairs making it treacherous requiring each step to be carefully placed, the beautiful winter landscape enveloped us helping to forget the extreme winter conditions surrounding us. Even though the water was without ice covering it, the entire shoreline showed January’s wrath as anything touched by a drop of water was now covered in layers of thick ice from the shore to cliffs 30 – 40 feet above the now calm waters. A warning of Lake Superiors potential power.

After climbing over ice covered boulders and walking along a beach or two, we decided it was time to head inland for more explorations and be witness to the waterfalls now frozen in place under a thick blanket of snow. Before venturing off to the waterfalls and river that make them, a short stop inside the visitor center was needed to bring feeling back into our faces. A few minutes next to the roaring fireplace and comfortable chairs made it near impossible to leave. Finally prying ourselves from these warm chairs we were back outside hiking along the Baptism River in search of a winter wonderland and any potential wildlife daring to venture out of their dens. There was about two feet of snow covering every portion of the ground slowing down travel over summer hiking trails. Fortunately others had forged a path making it passable without the aid of snowshoes. Trudging along the frozen rivers edge, the bright sun made its forecasted appearance highlighting each turn of this beautiful winter landscape. With the river running well below the surrounding hills we were given a much appreciated reprieve from the strong north winds making the outdoor environment much more tolerable. We could even remove some of the heavy pieces of cloth protecting our skin from freezing. Eventually the waterfalls appeared covered in several inches of ice and snow. In some areas running water could be seen through the ice along with a few spots of actual open water captivating us in this beautiful winter scene.

After tiring from the deep snow it was time to return to the now cold vehicle and find a warm place to sit and eat as we have felt the pangs of hunger for awhile. Recovering it was decided to continue on to some of the other treasures of the North Shore. Our next highlight was the popular Split Rock Lighthouse which was bathed in a warm afternoon sun now shining over the vast lake providing for some nice photo opportunities. Others were stopped at the same overlooked we decided to view this iconic lighthouse from hoping to catch the full moon rising over the ledge this building sits next to. Unfortunately the moon was coming up in the wrong place to be able to create this desired photo but it was still a beautiful scene.

Our final destination was Gooseberry Falls but daylight was becoming less and less so we needed to continue on from the lighthouse down the shoreline. We arrived with enough daylight to walk over the now heavily frozen river to view these popular waterfalls which were now covered with layers of ice which were covered by the beautiful glistening snow hiding almost any sign of water flowing over these solid cliffs. Laying on the snow the soothing sound of moving water could be heard almost lulling us to sleep on top of the soft, white powder we were laying on. I could have stayed there listening for a long time if it weren’t for the call of another scene needing to be photographed. I wanted to stay until well after sunset to capture the bright moonlight shining bright on all of the snow and ice so after the sun went down we spent a few minutes recuperating in the heated visitors center before grabbing camera gear and finding our way through the dark onto the solid river for some nighttime photos. Finally the stars began to shine and the moon rose high enough to shine on this sleeping landscape bringing a different view of Gooseberry Falls than I had looked at before. With numerous shots now recorded in the camera it was time to end our day and search out a warm place to eat once again.

Adventures, State Parks, Troy's Blog

Birds of Itasca State Park

October 20, 2018 Troy

While camping in Itasca State Park this past summer I was hoping to run across several different types of birds that I’m not use to seeing. While out exploring I came across several that I’ve seen multiple times but where still fun to watch on a beautiful summer morning as the sunlight spilled across the landscape. During one of my early morning excursions I stopped at a large pond with the camera to enjoy breakfast and see what wildlife appeared. Soon after settling in along the shoreline I spotted a loon across the water swimming and fishing. Watching for awhile this loon seemed to be swimming around the lake near shore. I decided to wait for awhile to see if it would make to my side of the lake giving me an opportunity to snap a few pictures before continuing on with the day. Eventually the loon appeared right in front of me and actually surprised me a little when it surfaced as the last time I saw it it was headed back to the other side of the pond. It’s always fun to see loons moving around in the water.

On another morning I headed to a dock along Lake Itasca again hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the areas wildlife and was not disappointed. The morning started off with a green heron flying out of the fog rolling over the surface of the water and landed on a branch over the water a short distance away. As the sun began to emerge eagles began to soar overhead in search of a morning meal adding to a Northern Minnesota experience. They seemed to keep an eye on me but weren’t real concerned that I was there and eventually landed in trees not far away. I could hear them call from time to time as another eagle across the lake answered with an occasional screech.

Back at the campsite is where I really experienced some birds I’ve not seen before. The first one happened to be an American Redstart which would fly from branch to branch in search of more things to eat. Unfortunately I was unable to capture a good photo of it in spite of having a few opportunities out in the open. As soon as the best chances would arrive someone would walk by and chase the bird further into the trees. It was still fun to watch while there it was there.

A red-eyed vireo made an appearance around the campsite in search of insects and seemed to be having great luck while moving up and down and around the trees circling our tent. This was another bird I’ve not had the privilege to watch before. At least I don’t recall seeing them in the past.

Another bird to visit the campsite was a young chestnut sided warbler. I’ve seen yellow rumped warblers before which are similar in appearance but not a chestnut sided warbler. That brown on the side gives the bird an interesting look. This one stuck around often times getting too close for me to catch a good picture so I kept trying to step away from it so I could photograph it eventually getting a photo.

One of the last birds I saw was a black and white warbler. This was another bird I have not seen before. Itasca State Park has a bird checklist so I would be looking over it as I saw some of these unfamiliar birds to see if I could identify them and then check them off. I didn’t get very many and all that I did see are listed as common in that area but it was still fun to add these to my list of birds overall. It would be fun to take another opportunity to see more some time.

Adventures, Camping, Troy's Blog

Return to Lost Lake

September 9, 2018 Troy

After my trip to Lost Lake in July I couldn’t wait to return having so much fun the first time and much more to explore that just wouldn’t wait until next year. So a few days after getting home I booked Labor Day weekend for another extended weekend of exploring, fishing, and campfires. Even though it marked the end of summer I was eager with anticipation of what was in store for a second visit to the cabins for weeks beforehand. The summer goes so fast as it is that I try to never look forward to upcoming events, but enjoy the things that are happening in the moment so as to not rush the summer away. As hard as I tried I couldn’t keep my mind off camping in the north woods of Wisconsin and I was not disappointed. Why is this area so much fun? For me it has to do with a number of things. First off it is a beautiful area full of lakes, scenery, and wildlife and I can just take it all in without the responsibilities of every day routines. Secondly I get to just be me and basically relax. There’s no being a father, husband, or son for a few days which can be a nice break. I love being those things but a break is kind of nice once in a while. And lastly I like heading to this area of Wisconsin because I get to see an old college friend and hangout doing whatever we want to do whether that’s fishing all afternoon, playing with our cameras trying to capture the beauty of the area, or exploring a new lake or trail.

On this trip it almost felt like a completely different place. Yes the lake is still there with the resident loon and the roads are the same but so many things around us gave new adventures. First off shorter days made a huge impact which I wasn’t fully expecting. It felt as though a good part of the day had already disappeared by the time day light became bright enough to see which just had a domino effect the rest of the day with everything happening later. Yes I was aware of earlier sunsets and later sunrises but the days flew by even faster than I anticipated as often we would be preparing dinner by lantern and fire instead of eating under a setting sun. The fire would just get going nicely when the yawns could no long be ignored and it was time to retreat to bed for the night although one of the nights we did continue to fight the tiredness and photograph the night sky. Some of the other differences between the July and September visits where clouds and rain, mushrooms, waterfalls, and light painting.

Our second night in the Chequamegon National Forest we found an area on a nearby lake where we could take in the sunset as the forecast called for clouds skies and some rain over the next few days so that was possibly the only opportunity to watch a beautiful sunset and we were not disappointed. As it turned out that was the last visible sunset during the rest of our time there. During our last night a nice thunderstorm rolled through completing the camping experience. Because there was so much rain mushrooms were popping up all over. It seemed as though I would photograph one and only a short distance away there would be another different, interesting mushroom. We lost count how many different mushrooms we saw and photographed over our long weekend there. I’ll probably do another post on only the mushrooms of Lost Lake. There is a waterfall drive in the area we were in which shows off a number of different rapids and small waterfalls. Even though they are not very high they are still mesmerizing to watch and listen to and well worth some time to explore which is something we didn’t do on our first visit to the area.

During one of the nights sitting by the camp fire we looked up and notice a break in the clouds revealing the numerous stars shining across the sky so we quickly grabbed a camera and some lights and headed to lake side for a little nighttime fun. The clouds really seemed to add drama to the night sky making for interesting photographs. Also we decided to attempt light painting which turned out great and was fun to play with. That started as night fishing with lighted bobbers and turned into photography experiments since the fish weren’t really interested in eating anyway. While there were these different things to explore there were some things missing which made this a different experience. There were a lot less frogs, no red dragonflies, and few butterflies. Fortunately there were also less mosquitoes even though they really weren’t all that bad in July. All of these changes made for a unique experience that finally satisfied my urge to camp at Lost Lake again this year. It does seem to be only a temporary sense of completeness as there is talk of returning next summer for another opportunity to enjoy these surrounding again.

Adventures, New Experiences, Troy's Blog

Walking Across the Mississippi

September 1, 2018 Troy

One of my goals during the raising of our children was to take them to the beginning of the Mississippi which is located at Lake Itasca. A few of the landmarks I think anyone living in Minnesota should see include Lake Superior and the North Shore, The Minnesota State Fair, Minneapolis and St Paul, and where the Mighty Mississippi River begins. As we continued on our quest to complete our National Parks Monopoly board I began to run out of time to experience the Mississippi headwaters with the children and was thinking this wouldn’t happen. Fortunately there was a portion of the summer with no travel plans and we decided to add Voyageurs National Park to our board which was not all that far from Itasca State Park where this large river begins.

Leaving Voyageurs late in the afternoon we arrived at Itasca State Park at sunset to a porcupine crossing the road in front of us. That seemed like a good omen to begin this portion of our journey. Getting to our campsite at dark made it a bit more challenging to set up the tent and get everything ready so we could sleep but eventually we were successful and grabbed a snack before crawling into the sleeping bags for some much needed rest before a full day of exploring this area boasting the start of the Mississippi. Unfortunately it was a cool night with temperatures falling into the 40’s Fahrenheit making it a little difficult to get a good nights rest but we eventually emerged from the tent, grabbed some food and headed out with the first stop the Headwaters Visitors Center.

By the time we arrived at this river crossing it was mid-day and there were a lot of people exploring this start to one of the longest rivers in the world. This made it a bit of a challenge to grab some family photos so we watched as many other people along with our children ventured across the rocks or through the water to add walking across the Mississippi to their list of accomplishments with the goal of returning at a quieter time. I did take a few photos at this visit to the headwaters just in case plans changed and we became unable to get here with a smaller crowd. Even with all of the other people exploring around here it was fun to think about how far this water will travel and how long it will take for the water we were walking in to reach the ocean so far away. Fortunately we did make it back the next day after the visitors center closed so there were a lot fewer people.

With less people we set up the camera and took a few family photos for memories and then played in the water a little more without worry about causing issues with other visitors. To get to the beginning of the Might Mississippi you have to park at the visitor center and walk a short distance to the lake and this small river. Hard to imagine the Mississippi as a small river. I’ve grown up visiting this river often a little further south watching as barges moved cargo up and down it and couldn’t imagine it being a small river to walk across at some point. There are a few other locations in the state park where you can walk or drive across the little Mississippi which we did to fully take in this idea. One thing that always seemed weird to me was this river flows north for a ways before finally turning south. The land here is a high point so everything flows away in several directions which is why the beginning of the Mississippi River runs Northward before the ground gets lower allowing the water to return to a normal direction of flow going south. There’s a webcam set up to view the headwaters if you’re interested in viewing it live. Mississippi Headwaters Webcam

Adventures, Camping, Troy's Blog

Lost Lake

July 20, 2018 Troy

Just after the Independence Day holiday in the United States I ventured off to Western Wisconsin with an old time friend from college to explore the Lost Lake area in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. This was my first time camping in a national forest and this was a great spot for my first attempt. I’ve read that if you’re going to a National Park you should often check out a nearby national forest for accommodations which are often more available and can be more affordable.

The cabins at Lost Lake were renovated in 2012 under the federal stimulus and provide a fun and affordable trip in well kept facilities in the beautiful Northwood’s of Wisconsin. The cabin we stayed in can accommodate up to 6 people with plenty of room. Fortunately the weather was absolutely perfect with daytime temperatures in the lower 80’s Fahrenheit for enjoying the area lakes and cooling off to the upper 50’s during the night for great evening sleeping.

There are several lakes in the area to explore but we always returned to Lost Lake for some swimming, fishing, and wildlife watching. It’s a small lake which does not allow any boat motors keeping it peaceful for all to enjoy either by swimming, fishing, or kayaking. I would get up at sunrise or shortly there after to enjoy the calm, quiet lake and watch a local loon or eagles fishing. A great break from the busy daily routines I’m commonly use to.

One of the creatures in abundance at Lost Lake are a frogs which can be heard throughout the day and into the night. Once I figured out what they looked like under the water with only their heads peering out at me it got a little frightening. At one point I counted over twenty frogs staring at me and several times more than a dozen just watching me. I was certain there would be nightmares about frogs attaching me during the night but fortunately that did not happen. Large bullfrogs can be found and heard all around the lake. I kept waiting for them to say ‘bud’ with another answering with ‘wise’ with ‘errrrr’ being croaked off in the distance. For those who don’t know this was a commercial created for Budweiser many years ago.

After enjoying a fire near the cabin one night I ventured down by the water to take in the night sky. The number of stars shining and reflecting in the water was just breathtaking. My plan was to take a few pictures and retreat to bed for the night as it had been a long day and I wanted to get up for the sunrise the next morning. After photographing and enjoying the night sky with peaceful sounds of frogs for over an hour I decided it was time to call it quits. After a few hours of some great sleep I drug myself out of bed to watch the sun appear over the horizon the next (actually the same) morning.

Light began showing in the sky way too early in July in Northern Wisconsin. I ended up getting out of bed at 4:45 in the morning with plenty of light to see my way from the cabin to the lake to witness the sun coming up an hour later. While I only got just under 4 hours of sleep that night there was no hint of being tired as the morning was so calm and peaceful it almost didn’t feel real. Fortunately I have photos that tell me otherwise. Clouds didn’t cooperate in the morning to provide one of those amazing sunrises with a colorful sky and while there was some fog on the lake I was hoping for more. Still watching the world come to life with birds moving to and fro while the loon and eagles began to wake up and start searching for food was well worth getting up for. Besides, if there were clouds for the sunrise there probably would have been clouds blocking all the stars just hours before.

During one of our afternoon just relaxing by the lake I brought my camera with the longest lens I have just in case there was something to capture. The resident loon kept its distance preventing a nice close up shot but that was ok. I was taking a picture of some of the frogs staring back at me when my college friend called out my name with a bit of a sense of urgency. I was all set up for my photo when he called again with a bit louder tone in his voice telling me I needed to look up only to see and eagle incoming. Turning the camera towards this majestic bird I focused in on it just in case it got closer and dove into the water in search of a fish. Shortly after I got focused in on it, the eagle did begin a quick descent towards the water only to grab a fish and retreat to a nearby tree to consume its fresh catch. Looking back at the camera I realized I caught this with a couple of frames which was fun to see even if it was from across the lake. Zooming out a little further I saw the reaction of a couple of kids floating at the beach as this eagle dove down right in front of them. What a sight that must have been! One of my favorite photos from our time at Lost Lake. It was such a great time I’m going back in September to do it again before camping season comes to a close.

Adventures, Hawaii, Troy's Blog

The Green Sand Beach – Hawaii

July 7, 2018 Troy

While spending some time on the Big Island of Hawaii there are numerous things to see and do and one of those items is to walk on the green sand beach. This is becoming more and more popular for a number of reasons. One of those is that this is one of only four green sand beaches in the world making it very unique. Another is getting there has become easier due to transportation availability. You can choose to pay for a ride unless you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle, which is definitely required, or you can hike the 3 miles one way to get there.

Our group decided to take both options. Some payed for a taxi ride both ways, some used a taxi for one direction, and others hiked both directions. These “taxi’s”, which are 4 x 4 vehicles, cost us $15 per person round trip or $10 per person one way. They save a lot of time and make this beach more accessible which is both a good and bad thing in my opinion. I chose to hike both directions because the scenery is incredibly beautiful and I’m able to physically handle this hike. Just remember to bring plenty of water to drink and sunscreen or this can turn into a miserable experience. In the photo above you can see the views while walking next to the ocean. On the right side of the photo is the trail leading from the boat landing, where this journey begins, with a few people walking over the ridge. Unfortunately they are pretty hard to see due to the size of the photo. In the very top picture you can see the beginning of the trail with a boat landing in the little bay. Again the boat landing is difficult to make out in this photo but you can see buoys in the water directing boats into the landing.

After walking over some fairly rough terrain for over an hour due to many distracting views along the way we came upon this beautiful sight of the green sand beach. Once these amazing views were taken in I was surprised at how small this beach actually is and how steep the climb is down to the beach itself. I was quite warm by this point and ready to get into the water so we quickly made our way over to the trail down to the beach and went plowing into the ocean waves. The sand is very soft and felt nice on bare feet while working towards the salty water.

There was only a little over an hour to enjoy this incredible Hawaiian beach so not much time to really explore the area around it. Once I had cooled off in the ocean there were some pictures I wanted to take while here so I dried off and grabbed the camera to remember how beautiful it is from a distance and up close. The water is such a beautiful turquoise blue, the rocks are interestingly carved by the ocean waves, and the sand is an amazing blend of green, white, and black grains which you can see in the image below. These green particles apparently are from lava mixing with certain minerals as it flows from the earth and deposited in this remote location. There’s a better explanation of this on this USGS page. I could have spent a lot more time taking in this beach but there were other sights to continue on to so it was time to return to our car and head to the black sand beach.

Adventures, Rocky Moutain National Park, Troy's Blog

Climbing Longs–A Reflection

October 15, 2016 Troy

A good gage for me of if I liked an experience is would I do it again. Would I hike/climb Longs Peak again? It depends on when you asked me. For a couple of weeks following I would’ve told you I was glad I did it but probably would not do it again. Asking a couple of months later I would definitely consider doing it again if the opportunity arose in the next couple of years. Maybe that’s me just being stupid and forgetting how strenuous the hike is even before getting to the keyhole and how difficult the thinner air above 10,000 feet makes this hike. Being stupid or not I know now what to be prepared for.

For 2 days following the hike to Longs Peak I had difficulty walking because of pain in my legs. Getting up from sitting and sitting back down were functions I lacked without assistance. I credit this to going 6 miles downhill at a fast pace without taking breaks allowing my legs to gain adequate oxygen while trying to avoid the surrounding storms. The other piece that took away from the enjoyment of this hike was difficulty in breathing for much of it. It felt like I was always gasping for air whenever I wanted to climb after passing the Boulder Field Campground. It would not have been as demoralizing if there wasn’t a timeline due to storms and my ride at the trailhead pre-scheduled without a means of contacting my ride to re-schedule allowing for more enjoyment of a slower pace. I was unsure of my abilities in these conditions so I had to estimate a pick up time which turned out to be too early in the afternoon.

While on the mountain trying to decide if we should continue on from the Trough or not I kept trying to determine if I would regret not summiting if that was the decision we made. Well, it’s been a couple of months now and I do not regret our decision. For the conditions it was the right call for us. It likely would have taken us an additional 2 hours to summit and make it back to our position above the Trough. We would have gotten caught in increasingly difficult conditions due to storms in our descent increasing the risk of injury or worse. I wish the conditions would have allowed us to continue to summit but that just was not our situation. There is such a great respect for those that take on this climb after having done almost all of it.

Upon completing this adventure I could not figure out how I felt about it. Was it worth all of the effort required to do it? I now feel a huge sense of accomplishment and satisfaction tackling Longs Peak. It was completely worth the work, pain, and dedication to climb this mountain. What an unbelievable experience and to have been able to share it with my oldest daughter is priceless. It would have been great to also share it with my youngest daughter but that would have been more than I could handle on my own given the risks involved above the Keyhole. The scenery was so beautiful and peaceful both on the way up in the serenity of a moon lit landscape and the way back down as the mountain tops turned white from the snow while we got rained on. It must have been a great accomplishment as I’m considering a hike to the top of Mauna Loa on our final Monopoly adventure to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which surprisingly tops out at over 13,600 feet. Additionally I monitor the Longs Peak trail conditions and webcam having a more intimate relationship with this mountain now. I love adventures and this was an amazing one!

Adventures, Rocky Moutain National Park, Troy's Blog

Climbing Longs–The Keyhole

October 1, 2016 Troy

Now at the Boulder Field Campsite we were able to take in some of the surroundings, enjoy a little camaraderie with other hikers attempting to do the same thing, and use toilets in preparation for the next portion of our morning hike. (To catch up with our journey thus far click here to read the previous story.) It was noticeable how much colder the air was here. Even though we were almost the same elevation as the top of Flattop Mountain it seemed much colder to the point of being able to see our breath from time to time. Fortunately the sun was quickly warming us up. While studying the boulder field it became obvious that these boulders filled in the keyhole and more at one time. What natural event occurred causing this part of the mountain to crumble forcing all these large pieces of rock to fall making a river of boulders and leaving this keyhole? Was it ice, an earthquake, or something else?

As I scanned around I kept wondering how can the remaining portion of this hike to the summit be all that difficult? It didn’t appear to be all that long distance wise or a great elevation change from the boulder field. Of course elevation is a major factor for those of us not use to it. After 15 minutes or so we decided to continue on towards the Keyhole. There were several other hikers that climbed up ahead of us providing information on the climb we were about to do. Watching from a little distance it appeared they were going up fairly slow and taking their time. I’ve climbed over rocks before and it doesn’t take that long to continue upward.

We decided to pack our trekking poles away as they weren’t likely to be much help on the boulder terrain and lifted the packs back onto our backs ready to continue. For this section of the hike on Longs you are basically boulder hopping. Stepping towards the next boulder hoping it’s stable while making your way increasingly higher. At least that’s the plan as it’s easy to just stay at your current altitude and just go sideways if not paying attention. Quickly you begin to realize the altitude makes things increasingly difficult simply because the thinner air causes problems getting enough oxygen to breath normally. It feels like you are running and out of breath after a short time slowing down the pace. Now it makes sense why the hikers ahead of us appeared to go so slowly up into the keyhole. In addition, the higher you go the larger the boulders get and the steeper the incline gets. Looking at the photo above you see a marmot that seemed to want to get pet. In the background is a good comparison of the boulder size next to a hiker.

Getting closer to the keyhole we reached the Agnes Wolcott Vaille built as a place of protection from storms for those attempting to reach the top of Longs Peak. Finally almost there! A few minutes exploring this shelter and it was to the keyhole to view out over the Rocky Mountains. We’ve reached the main goal of this adventure – the Keyhole!

Many hikers ahead of us proclaimed the amazing views while perched among the slim layer of rocks forming this keyhole continuing to encourage those below to reach it. They were right about the incredible views sitting in this unique rock formation. From both sides of the keyhole the landscape humbled us with its beauty and vastness. We felt so small among these huge boulders forming large mountains. It seemed to take forever to climb from the campground into the keyhole but according to the timestamps on the photos taken it only took us about 20 minutes or so to complete. While sitting in the keyhole eating a Clifbar and drinking more water we examined the next portion of trail that would take us to the summit of Longs Peak if we felt up to the challenge. I think the expression on Lysa’s face in the picture below gives a good idea of our thoughts! To continue on click here…..

Adventures, Rocky Moutain National Park, Troy's Blog

Climbing Longs–Getting There

September 25, 2016 Troy 1 Comment

Our journey towards Longs Peak began at 2:30 am. That’s 2:30 am at the trailhead! We were not the first ones there at this time of day as this is a relatively busy trail in the summer but you must start early because it is a long and challenging trail with rain/snow/thunderstorms possible during the afternoon. We began the trail half asleep and unsure of what lay ahead but there were several others here in the same situation so up we we go. Surprisingly it was quite warm at almost 60 degrees F at the start of the trail. I was expecting temperatures in the 40’s during this time of night so off came the jacket before even starting as 60 degrees F is very warm for this strenuous of hiking.

The entire trail to the summit of Longs Peak using the Keyhole Route is about 7.5 miles long each way with most of that trail needed just to get to the Keyhole. This takes you from the trailhead, up through the trees before reaching the alpine environment above the tree line, and around Mount Lady Washington. Hiking this distance on easier terrain is not terribly difficult for me and I’ve been preparing for this for several months, as you can read here, however this is continually hiking up, often time over steps, rocks, and tree roots, at a fairly steep incline. Even at that, the hiking was not as challenging as I expected which was a nice surprise. The difficulty came with the altitude. Above 10,000 feet, breathing becomes more difficult for me slowing down the pace in order to get adequate oxygen to continue on.

As we reached the tree line and began hiking in the tundra we got our first view of Longs Peak from closer up. It was a beautiful moonlit morning with the full moon hovering just above the mountain giving us a perfect outline of where we were headed.

Hopefully this is making sense because there are thunderstorms with a lot of lightning as I’m writing this causing distractions.

We took a few minutes to rest and enjoy the surroundings. It was fun to see all of the little lights bobbing along the trail both ahead of us and behind us. Like a little hiker road. While taking this photo the camera low battery symbol began to flash and I realized I forgot extra batteries for this camera and didn’t charge the batteries for the GoPro so taking a lot of pictures was out. This bummed me out because when am I likely to be here doing this again? After coming to terms with my lack of picture taking ability we moved on around Mount Lady Washington.

Almost around Mount Lady Washington and to the boulder field, the sun began to cress the horizon giving us an amazing sunrise way up on the mountain. A sight I hoped to see since preparing for this hike. It took my breath away! Maybe that was just the altitude while hiking. At this point people had created a relatively smooth trail placing stones together to create a sort of sidewalk making it more of a walk than a hike for a little distance. What a nice reprieve from steps and stones! Thank you to whomever did this.

With the sun rising we got our first good look at the mountain we were aiming to climb which is the main photo above. Surprisingly it didn’t look as insurmountable from here as it did from Flattop Mountain and other areas around Rocky Mountain National Park. We’ll see if that stays the case once we get there. Off towards the right I could see the Keyhole which has been the first goal of this hike. Anything after that would be a bonus. A short time later we arrived at the Boulder Field Campground and took a much needed rest before climbing up into the Keyhole. Yes, there really is a campground up here.

It took us about 5 hours to reach the campground and we traveled about 6 miles to this point. Feeling the strenuous hike it felt nice to sit for a little while and take in the views while mentally preparing for the next part. In my research it was said that this is the easy part of climbing Longs Peak. It didn’t seem all that easy to me! What are we in for next? To read more click here…..

Gaining Life Experience

Category Archives: Adventures

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A Winter Trip North

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Return to Lost Lake

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Lost Lake

The Green Sand Beach – Hawaii

Climbing Longs–A Reflection

Climbing Longs–The Keyhole

Climbing Longs–Getting There

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