A few days late because I was in the mountains!
Photo of the Week 7/15/19
Author: Adventures Outdoors
I try to be a pretty laid-back person. I enjoy triathlon racing, a few beers, and finding the comedy in life. Kentuckian.
Loading Up!
Got started gathering the gear and loading the pack for the quickly approaching Colorado trip!
This always starts the buildup of excitement before a cool trip. I hit up REI for some food and fuel, but really didn’t need to get much this year. Really trying to get down just the stuff I need, which of course includes my french press coffee mug. I’ve got the pack loaded with about 90% of my stuff, came in a 27 lbs with no water. Pretty happy with this and intent on avoiding the weight creeping up by throwing in things at the last minute that are not needed. I know better but sometimes keep making the mistake.
I usually rely on the freeze dried foods like Mountain House. There are some dinner entrees that I really like. Not sure if they taste so good because of the energy you’ve expended by the time you eat them, or if they’re actually good. I guess I’d have cook one at home and eat it. Doubtful I’m going to do this, and why know that they only taste good because your super hungry, in this sense it’s better to just believe! 😁
I tried the Scrambled Eggs and Bacon breakfast once, it was the complete opposite of good. Fortunately for me I love having oatmeal for breakfast, sometimes at home, almost always while backpacking!
If you’d like to try out some Mountain House entrees, here’s our Amazon Affiliate link for one of my favorites, the Beef Stroganoff!
Have any great backpacking tips? Feel free to share!
Going Down the Trail is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use.
Photo of the Week 7/8/19
1 week until the Colorado backpacking!!
Photo of the Week 7/1/19
Stoked the Colorado backpacking trip is only 2 weeks away, so here’s a pic from one of those great trips!
Humphreys Peak Hike
As the Colorado backpacking trip approaches it’s always nice to get in a little high-altitude training, so we headed up to Flagstaff to hike Humphreys Peak, the highest point in Arizona.
We left Phoenix just after 6am, making it to the Snowbowl parking lot around 9. The I-17 75 mph speed limit helps make the miles pass by.
We pulled into the trail-head parking lot at Arizona Snowbowl and got ready for the stroll. The Forest Service has a pop-up set up with a couple of rangers there to advise people on the trail and strenuous nature of the hike, a nice service.
Here’s the Arizona Snowbowl Webcam to give you a good view of the mountain!
We hit the trail and across the first ski run and into the trees we went. There were a number of people we started off with who we would end up yo-yoing past for most of the hike. The first half of the hike is in a beautiful pine forest, you just have step over lots of roots and rocks. After just a bit you pass the sign marking the start of the wilderness area.
About 1/3 of the way through the trees we started to run into some patches of snow, they were a little slippery but are easily crossed with the help of the trekking poles!
The steepness increases as you get closer to Agassiz Saddle, between Humphreys and Agassiz Peaks, but I love to get above treeline. It really feels like you’re in the big mountains once you get out of the trees. As long as I can remember I’ve always just trudged through the part of a hike in the trees but really get the stoke going once I’m up high!
We stopped at the saddle for lunch and a good rest break before heading up the ridge towards the summit. One thing about Humphreys is, never believe your looking at the summit until you’re standing on the top. My friend Bill was calling it Mt Liar because of all the false summits!
We hung out on top for a bit, talking with some other people up there. We all got a pic with the sign and headed out for the trek back to the truck. We saw quite a few people starting out in the later afternoon, still in the trees asking how far to the peak. I told them it was far.
It was a fun day in the mountains, unfortunately my Garmin said unsupported file format when I tried to upload, so no maps or cool data to pass along. I really wish if that was going to happen it would be on a short run around my house, not on a cool mountain adventure that took 8 hours! Overall, awesome day but it’s a haul up and back from Phoenix all in one day. Left my house at 5:30 AM, got back at 9:45 PM.
Photo of the Week 6/25/19
Photo of the Week 6/17/19
This week’s photo is of the Siphon Draw Trail in the Superstition Mountains, a really cool hike, and tough if you go all the way to the flatiron!
Photo of the Week 6/10/19
Here’s my best outdoor picture of the week, a beautiful Arizona Sunset
Afternoon at Canyon Lake
We cruised out to Canyon Lake, part of the Salt River, to hang out and so I could do a little SUPing. It’s about an hour from the house and the last part is a cool drive through some amazing desert scenery.
We brought Walter the Dog, we’re trying get him used to having people around so he can go do more stuff with us. He gets a little crazy around people he doesn’t know…
Since it was a Tuesday, and starting to get hot, I thought it would be quiet at the lake, but there were a good amount of people out there having fun. It always makes me very happy to see people out enjoying our National Forests, Parks, and public lands, they are one of our countries greatest natural resources.
The main reason we were there was just to relax in a cool outdoor spot not too far from the house, we were able to find a spot on the shore with a tree for some shade. We got a little camp set up and enjoyed the afternoon and some sandwiches. Most of the time there was a nice breeze and the water was super refreshing! Once I got the SUP inflated I took it for a cruise, paddled through some good rollers from the passing boats and almost fell in!
If you head out to Canyon Lake or any of the Tonto National Forest Recreation areas, make sure you get a Tonto Pass before you get all the way out there. They’re available at most gas stations and such as you leave town.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to get in SUPing, this paddle board has been awesome so far!
HydroForce White Cap Inflatable Stand Up Paddleboard SUP and Kayak 10′
Going Down the Trail is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and would recommend.
A Few of My Favorite Pics from Past Year’s Adventures
While I think we all know that no picture of an amazing outdoor scene truly does it justice, you can still capture some great shots. I think I’ve gotten some cool shots for some guy snapping pictures with his phone’s camera while hiking around, so here’s some of my favorites.
All pics taken with various models of iPhone and some have been instagramed.
Colorado
I’ve been taking a backpacking trip to Colorado every summer for the past 3 years, it is not hard to find some beautiful views,
Grand Canyon
Last year was my first time hiking Grand Canyon and it was awesome, so awesome I’m going again this September! If you took a picture of every amazing view you’d never get to the bottom,
And there’s always more pics on the ol’ Instagram.
Going Down The Trail 