Category: Hike

Views from Mt. Tamalpias

Beth talks fondly about Mt. Tamalpias from the days before we married. She lived and worked for a time in Marin County just north of San Francisco. While climbing Mt Tam has been (and remains) on my list of things to do, I did drive up today and took the short hike around the peak.

The reason I didn’t hike it today was for lack of a trail. For a short few years there existed a tourist train which made the steep ascent via many switch backs up to the peak. It railway started service in 1896 but by 1930 was closed due to a tragic fire that burned down the facility, competition from the new fangled automotive, and the onset of the Great Depression. However, the path of the original tracks exists to be hiked and next time I’ll find them!

Hike Mountain Travel

Climbing Two Peaks

View from the Peak — “Dad, you got your pictures!” Courtney said. Yes, I certainly did, and they were all that I’d hoped for. My highest compliment? Beth said “They’re great!”

When I travel I monitor my peripheral vision. When something piques my interest then I make a mental note of it. In this case, two mountain peaks in the southwest had caught my eye, scaling them was on my agenda, and now seemed like the perfect opportunity … so I climbed them!

The first hike was to the top of Chiricahua National Monument’s Sugarloaf Mountain. The elevation change was only a few hundred feet and the distance was less than a couple of miles but it was still a challenge. Why? The sun was setting and I needed to get back to my car before it set so I made haste!

Chiricahua National Monument Fire Station

Bike Hike Mountain Road Travel

Where Prairies Meet Rockies

Post author By TravisGood
Post date February 16, 2011
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Air Force Academy Chapel — This striking building is the Chapel at the U.S. Air Force Academy. When the ambition is to build a national-monument calibre school in little time then including architecture such as this can go a long way toward accomplishing the goal.

Boulder … Denver … Colorado Springs, all major Colorado cities sitting at the edge of the Great Plains with their backs to the Rockies. All relatively close to one another and all very worthy of exploration. Here I paused for two days in my cross-country drive to get exercise and enjoy the uncharacteristically warm weather.

Cave Hike Travel

Caverns at Carlsbad, Again

Post author By TravisGood
Post date January 18, 2011
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Guadalupe Mountains National Park is next door to Carlsbad Caverns. I’ve hiked there before and wanted to hike there again but time did not allow it. Instead, I visited with Rangers and planned a future trip which will include a hike to the summit, Texas’ highest point.

Want to have one of the world’s great caves to yourself? Visit at 8:30 AM on a Sunday and it’s yours. While I was not the first to arrive at Carlsbad Caverns National Monument, I was the first to descend by foot.

The Natural Entrance Trail is 1.5 miles long and takes you 750 feet below ground. It’s a walk I’ve done before and was glad to do it again. To experience the transition from a sunny day through the twilight zone into total darkness is memorable. Doing it alone makes it almost spiritual.

This visit I was not going to explore the bottom as I usually do. I already have hundreds of pictures from this area and, while I LOVE the freedom to roam provided at this park, I wanted to do something different. I wanted to see a cavern I hadn’t seen before. I wanted a tour of a restricted area.

Canyon Hike River Train Travel

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Post author By TravisGood
Post date October 21, 2010
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The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway tried to cross the Rockies by way of the Gunnison River but found the Black Canyon impassible. Still, it did arrive at the canyon's mouth at Cimarron.

Great Hike: Gunnison Trail (caveat: this is only for experienced hikers)

Nature created conditions where a powerful river cut a deep and narrow slice out of a hard granite terrain. The result is a canyon whose walls are very steep and access to the river below is very difficult. One consequence for visitors wanting to hike in the park is that there are few trails of any length. Almost all the trails are short and lead to overlook points along the rim road. One of the few exceptions is the Gunnison Trail which descends 1,800 feet in just one mile. Along this trail you actually hike from the rim to the Gunnison River’s shore. There was little doubt that this would be my pick!

Falls Hike Mountain Road Travel

Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs

Post author By TravisGood
Post date October 13, 2010
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Catalina Casino — My turn-around point was off the coast of Los Angeles where I attended the JazzTrax festival, a perennial favorite, and home of the world famous Avalon Casino.

Great Hike: Zumwalt Meadows

Sequoia and Kings Canyon are two national parks which share a border. They’re both vast, their histories are intertwined and they are run out of the NPS as one unit. Given I had one day to take in both of them I made a plan to skim the surface. No time for extensive hikes but I’d make every effort to pass though each of their five regions and visit its primary sites, as recommended by Park Rangers. First stop was the Visitors Center for advice on how best to spend my time.

Hike Lake Mountain Road Travel

Crater Lake NP

Touching Crater Lake — Everyone has those silly little things they want to accomplish. One of mine was to touch the water of Crater Lake. Now I've done it and here is the proof!

Great Hike: Sun Notch Trail

The hike I chose is more a sentimental favorite for me and perhaps not for everyone. Sun Notch Trail is short (0.5 miles), relatively level, and not exactly full of sites to see. However, parts of the trail along the cliffs provide excellent views of Phantom Rock, a deliriously appealing island within Crater Lake. I’ve visited the park three times in the past few years and was never able to get close to Phantom Rock due to weather. This time on this trail I was practically on top of it while the morning sun made it shine. Finally I was able to photograph her in detail.

Hike Mountain Road Travel

Lassen Volcanic NP

Muffler Man Cowboy — Muffler Men are everywhere! Even on backroads in the middle of nowhere they can be found, with unique character and custom detailing, in magnificent shape and accompanied by a Guest Book which request you provide your contact information!

Great Hike: Bumpass Hell

Until I arrived at the hydrothermal basin at the end of Bumpass Hell Trail I wasn’t sure which path I’d select as my Great Hike. Many were enjoyable but this one had steam plumes, radiant ground colors, bubbling waters, and the smell of sulfur in the air. Add that my best views of Lassen Peak came from along the trail and you’ve got the winner. It was a crowded path on this beautiful Saturday but well worth the 3 mile effort each way.

Hike Lake River Road Train Travel

North Cascades NP

Grand Coolie Dam — You know you've arrived in the Pacific Northwest when you start seeing massive hydroelectric projects everywhere. Grand Coolie is the world's largest dam.

Great Hike: Thunder Knob

First, I have to admit that until two or three years ago I had never even heard of North Cascades National Park. Second, I went expecting to appreciate one thing and came away also appreciating something very different. Third, I can’t believe how lucky I was to have had perfect weather. This visit for me was to virgin territory and once again I recognized that the National Park Service manages some wonderful parks.

My orientation pass through North Cascades gave me confidence that its nature was going to impress. Glaciers here had molded impressive mountain shapes, had carved valleys down which wide rivers now flow and which contain great lakes of clear blue waters. But what I also realized is that man had come in and harnessed all this for power, for recreation and for preservation. While I did choose a Great Hike, it’s not all that impressed me.

Animal Hike Lake Mountain Road Travel

Glacier NP

On previous visits Spokane had impressed me so before I left the following morning I visited a few favorites. Here is the entrance to the tranquil Japanese Garden in Manito Park.

Great Hike: Logan Pass

You can’t hike all day in Yellowstone, shower, then head out to Glacier and expect to arrive at anything resembling a reasonable hour. Regardless, that’s what I did and by 1:30 AM I was at my campsite at the East Entrance to Glacier. When in awoke the next morning I was greeted by some of the most beautiful weather I’ve ever experienced and there I was in one of the most dramatic landscapes in the U.S. The stage was set for an excellent day of hiking adventures.