Outdoors Archive:
Back From Beach Camping
Well I just got back from my beach camping trip and it was a ton of fun. We went back to Padre Island and camped at the same location we did last time. Luckily my girlfriend got some time off this time so we were able to stay longer.
Enchanted Rock
A few days ago, my girlfriend and I decided to go check out Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. It’s a state natural area made up of more than 1600 acres that’s located just north of Fredericksburg, Texas. The rock has been a National Natural Landmark since the 70′s.
What Is It?
Enchanted Rock is a HUGE boulder that sticks out of the ground more than 425 feet. The summit of the rock sits at 1,825 feet above sea level. It’s also one of the largest underground rock formations in…
Gibson Island
One of the coolest things I did while I was back in Wisconsin was check out Gibson Island. It’s a tiny island located down the street from where I grew up on the Cloverleaf Lakes. It used to be privately owned so I was never able to go check it out as a kid since it would have been trespassing.
Luckily, the residents of the Cloverleaf Lakes managed to raise over a million dollars through various sources (donations, fundraisers, etc) to purchase the island in order to protect its natural environment and wildlife. It’s amazing to see a group of people take the initiative to make something like this happen.
Beach Camping On Padre Island
This past weekend, my girlfriend and I had an awesome time beach camping on Padre Island. It was a great experience and something we plan on doing often.
This was the first time I’ve ever camped right on the beach before. I’ve slept on the beach a few times in the past but never in a tent or on purpose. We literally setup camp right above the high tide line and slept under the stars.
It’s an amazing feeling waking up to the sound of the ocean. The only downside was the fact that the inside of our tent was like 100 degrees. But it was a small price to pay for hanging out on the beach.
Did I Touch The Hollywood Sign?
As I mentioned in my first post about going to California, one thing I wanted to do was try and touch the Hollywood sign. I knew going into it that they had a lot of security around it and that it was going to be difficult.
So did I do it? Unfortunately no I did not. I decided that it wasn’t worth getting arrested or falling down the side of the hill to my death. Here is an overview of the different approach options and why I decided again doing…
The Peralta Trail
Hope everyone had a great holiday! Now, time to share another hiking experience. I recently did one of the most popular hikes in the Superstition Wilderness known as the Peralta Trail. It’s located here in Arizona east of Phoenix. I thought I would share it with everyone since it was a lot of fun.
Starting Off At The Trailhead
The reviews I read of this trail were not lying when they said this trail is used often. There were quite a few cars in the parking lot along with a lot of people. Anyways, the start of the trail was relatively flat. It reminded me a lot of South Mountain which I have hiked a few times. The trail follows along the canyon bottom for more than a mile and then starts to get a little steeper. Eventually, you start to hit some switchbacks and the scenery gets a little more interesting.
The Freemont Saddle
After hiking about 2.5 miles, you reach the Freemont Saddle. This is where most hikers turn around and make their descent back down to the parking lot. It’s a great place to have a picnic if you decide to bring along some food. I brought along some granola bars and a turkey sandwich and was thankful for it. I was starving by the time I got to the saddle.
The view from the saddle is amazing. Here is a picture looking south from the saddle:
Weaver’s Needle
That isn’t the only nice view from the saddle. Looking north, you can see Weaver’s Needle. A 1,000 ft. high rock column that is awesome looking.
Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico
After backpacking the White Sands, it was off to the Carlsbad, New Mexico Caverns. The two and half hour drive was well worth what I managed to see inside these caves.
Arriving At The Caverns
When I arrived at the Carlsbad Caverns, I started to wonder where they actually were. We were driving through mountains and eventually ended up on top of one of them where the visitor center is located. Believe it or not, they are located directly underneath the parking lot.
Once I entered the visitor center, I was immediately bombarded with different ticket and tour options. Some cost more than others and take you to different parts of the caverns. The guided tours that take you down into the less popular caves and make you crawl sounded like the best ones but unfortunately they were closed.
White Sands Backpacking
This weekend, I took a road trip out to New Mexico and Texas. Both were states that I had never been to before. Along the way, I stopped at the White Sands National Monument to do some backpacking.
If you’re unfamiliar with backpacking, it basically means you hike away from your car carrying everything you will need for the night. No coolers or cases of beer on this hike. So let’s get started…
First Impression
My first impression of the White Sand was “Wow!” I have never in my life seen something this cool (and weird) looking. It feels like you are either walking through a blizzard of snow or a gigantic bowl of sugar. Check out this picture to see what I am talking about:
White Sands, New Mexico
The Doe Mountain Trail
This past week I did another hike up in Sedona known as the Doe Mountain Trail (#60). It is right across the street from the Bear Mountain Trail which I previously did awhile back. As you can see from the picture above, it offers some awesome views of the red rocks around Sedona.
The Hike to the Top
The Doe Mountain Trail is only a 0.7 mile journey to the top of the mesa, but it is definitely worth doing. It gets a little steep near the top,…
The Hike to Browns Peak
This weekend I took another shot at climbing to the top of Brown’s Peak. It is the tallest of the Four Peaks with are located outside of Phoenix. It is also the highest point in Maricopa county with an elevation of 7,657 feet. If you don’t remember, I previously made an attempt at it and ended up taking the wrong trail. You can read my post about my first attempt here.
On this attempt, I made it within 100 feet of the peak but stopped because of the weather. So I am still satisfied with the outcome because I could have easily made the last 100 foot stretch on a clear day.
Anyways, Instead of opening with a explanation of the hike, I thought I would share this video I put together of the hike. I want to start doing more videos so here is the first attempt:
