That One Cool Hiking Blog
The Adventures of the Indiana Joneses
Hiking provides a number of health benefits. Not just physically, but also mentally and spiritually. Our family became keenly aware of a specific benefit through personal experience a few years ago. We were planning a trip back in 2012 not unlike the trip we are planning right now. The boys had never been to visit the desert southwest that Randi and I had fallen in love with. They had heard us speak in glowing terms and excited tones of the grandeur that we had seen and very much wanted to see it for themselves. We planned a three-week RV trip to Utah for early May. Keep reading
Last week Michael and I got the opportunity to make a quick trip to Pensacola to see the boys. And when I say quick, I mean we drove down Monday, spent Tuesday with the boys and my family, and drove back Wednesday. It was exhausting and wonderful at the same time. We basically crammed a full visit into one day and tried to see a little bit of everyone and do a little bit of everything. Keep reading
As many of you already know, we are going on a trip to Utah early this summer. We’ve been planning which hikes we want to do, what gear we need, and how to make coffee out in the middle of nowhere. One other thing we’ve been planning is how to share it all with you guys. As the saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Unfortunately, a picture doesn’t even present the absolute magnificence and splendor of the desert southwest in all of its glory. But, we are going to do the best we can. In order to do this, we decided to upgrade our equipment. Keep reading
I love to hear other outdoor lovers tell about their experiences and what cultivates their love for nature. Today we have a quest post from a long-time friend of our family. Joel Ruse spent his younger years right here in the Hoosier state. After college he followed a job opportunity and settled in the mountains of Colorado. He’s experienced a lot of life since leaving us behind and has developed a special attachment to the land he now calls home. Keep reading
Nine weeks from today we leave for the magnificent deserts of the American Southwest. Places where we find the beauty and majesty of God’s creation on full display. We can’t wait. That particular region has the ability to refresh our hearts and renew our souls like no other. Maybe it’s the air, maybe it’s the solitude, or maybe it’s just the opportunity to unplug from technology for a while. It’s just…rejuvenating. Yeah, that’s a good word…rejuvenating! Keep reading
Everyone will be happy to know, I’m sure, that we have made a decision regarding our trekking poles. I know you all have been on the edge of your seat since last Saturday morning waiting for the notification that a new email has arrived that will satisfy your insatiable desire to know what we have at last decided. No?…Okay then, maybe my life is not as exciting as I think it is. Nonetheless, here goes. Keep reading
There has certainly been a learning curve on this whole Utah trip. What with all the decisions to make regarding lotteries and all. I mean I had to overcome a lifelong aversion to gambling just to make that happen. Now we move on to another matter completely. Three points of contact. Anybody know what that means? I first learned about it working construction and ladder safety. The idea being to always have at least three points of contact with the ladder. Two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand. Okay, I get that. But what does ladder safety have to do with hiking? Keep reading
Hey everybody! SweetPea here. I know you’ve been dying to hear from me so I thought I would share my dilemma with you. To be honest, I’ve been a little busy. I know what you’re thinking, “What could SweetPea possibly have to do since hunting season is long since passed and it’s the middle of winter?” Hey, there’s more to me than hunting birds. I mean that is right up there at the top of the list and all but there’s more to life than hunting to this girl. Keep reading
Well…almost. We took our shot at the lottery for Coyote Buttes and The Grand Canyon and came up empty on both counts. The drawing for the overnight in the Grand Canyon was supposed to be submitted during the last 10 days of December for trips planning to hike in May. We were well outside that window but decided to try anyway on the off-chance there might still be openings. Who am I kidding, right? The most famous national park in America…in May…sure there’s going to be openings left. No. But since we’re gambling anyway, why not give it a shot? Keep reading
Did some research today looking at the possibility of doing a rim to rim hike at the Grand Canyon. We are going to check into it a little more, but as of right now, it looks like it may not work out for this May. If we were going to do it all in one day, we could, but we would probably die – at least I would – I’m not in good enough shape. I mean come on, it’s only 24 miles. Piece of cake, right? Ha! We decided for my sake that we would spend the night down in the canyon. Therein lies the problem. Phantom Ranch requires reservations at least a year in advance; and of the three campgrounds down in the canyon, there are only 2 nights in May that might still be available. There is a waiting list for all of the above, so there is a slight chance something could open up. Keep reading
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