A week on the Upper Buffalo River

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Michael R

I signed-up in February for a couple Volunteer Vacations organized by the American Hiking Society.  I completed the first one in May and have now completed the other – a week of trail maintenance and hiking in the upper Buffalo River area.  It was my first time on the Buffalo and it didn’t take long to see why so many people fall in love with the area.  The autumn color was near the peak so that certainly helped. Continue reading →

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Richland Creek Wilderness

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Michael R

The local Sierra Club group had a weekend outing in the Richland Creek Wilderness.  Rugged landscape, autumn colors, waterfalls – it was all there.  7 other people and 2 dogs participated.  One of the notable features of this 11800 acre site is that there are no official trails.  In practice, there have been enough people hiking to some of the well-known features over the years to leave some pretty visible trails.  I thought the remoteness of this area would deter visitors but I saw more here than I’ve seen on any other trip – 10 or 12 groups of 2 to 6 people.

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Piney Creek Wilderness

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Michael R

My first visit to Piney Creek Wilderness was a 2.5 hour day hike that further piqued my interest in seeing more.  I finally got back for a second visit and made it an over-nighter with 6 others  from the Adventure Club.

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Hercules Glades Wilderness

Posted on September 23, 2012 by Michael R

It was time for the local Sierra Club’s annual trip to the Hercules Glades Wilderness to celebrate the autumnal equinox, and my second visit there.  Only 6 of us went this time.

We started Friday at the Coy Bald trail head – my first time there – and hiked in on the Rock Springs trail and camped near Long’s Creek east of the falls.  The creek was mostly dry with only a trickle in some scattered areas and some nice large pools near the falls.

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Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness

Posted on September 2, 2012 by Michael R

The Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness is about 250 square miles of the Anaconda Range straddling the Beaverhead, Deerlodge, and Bitterroot National Forests in southwest Montana.  It features countless trout-filled lakes, many peaks over 9000′ with a few over 10000′, and about 280 miles of trail (including 45 miles of the Continental Divide Trail).  It’s also the site of my latest adventure – the longest and most remote backpacking trip yet.

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Return to the Rockies

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Michael R

My second trip to Colorado in the last month, and my first backpacking trip in the Rocky  Mountains.  The destination was the Comanche and Venable peaks of the Sangre De Cristo range southwest of Westcliffe.  I went with a friend who has made many trips to Colorado (including climbing quite a few 14ers) over 20+ years and who also did the Ouachita New Year’s trip with me.

A popular day hike in the area is to go up the Venable Trail, across the Phantom Terrace and the west face of Spring Mountain, then down the Comanche Trail.  We weren’t doing exactly that but would see much of the same scenery.

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Summer Sabbatical in Salida – Day 4

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Michael R

Saturday was the main event – our attempt to climb the 14,003′ Mt Huron.  This is considered to be about the easiest of all the 14er climbs, but that doesn’t mean that it’s actually easy, and especially not for a bunch of low-landers like us.

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Summer Sabbatical in Salida – Day 3

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Michael R

Friday started with a hike to Hartenstein Lake, west of Buena Vista near Cottonwood Pass.  Continue reading →

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Summer Sabbatical in Salida – Day 2

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Michael R

Day two was all about the kayaking.  The Arkansas River flows through the valley that encompasses Salida and Buena Vista and draws many people to the area.  You see many  outfitters along the highways but we went with Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center.  We had a choice of going on a raft or in kayaks.  The kayaks sounded more fun and challenging and water levels were so low that rafters were spending a lot of time dragging the rafts.  An easy choice.  The kayaks aren’t the normal kinds – they’re inflatables called “duckies”.  These are wider and more stable though apparently less maneuverable.  I usually struggled to keep it going in a particular direction so I think I would have been okay with even less maneuverability.

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Summer Sabbatical in Salida – Day 1

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Michael R

The first stop on Wednesday was Garden of the Gods.  I was here when I was about 7 years old but remembered nothing about it until I saw Steamboat Rock.  Then I just remembered that one rock.  We took a short hike here on the Ute Trail and readily noticed the thinner atmosphere.

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