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Taggart and Bradley Lake Trails Hike

 Two friends and I drove to the Taggart Lake trailhead in the Grand Teton National Park about noon in mid September. The skies were clear after a rainy and winter mix the day before. Aspen trees were in their early stages of changing their colors for the fall. The lot was more crowded than expected on a Friday almost two weeks after Labor Day. One friend lived in Jackson Hole and knew the area well,  and he gave us several options once on the trail.  We decided to take the Taggart Lake Trail counter clockwise. The trail followed a stream, which provided a pleasant soundtrack to our leisurely pace. The skies were clear with Cumulus clouds, some that would never reveal the top of The Grand Teton peak.  We took the fork to Bradley Lake trail at the fork and could see Taggart Lake as we made our way up the trail. The elevation gain was minimal with occasional rises and drops. The trail is well worn with few exposed rocks and roots.  Stream along Taggart Lake Trail At the lake we took time
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Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim Hike

Our goal was to hike rim to rim in the Grand Canyon in one day. We trained for several months to endure basically one mile elevation drop on the descent from the north rim to the floor of the canyon and the one mile elevation gain on the ascent to the south rim. We planned to follow the North Kaibab Trial to the Bright Angel Trail . Everything and everyone was on plan to reach our goal.  Only one issue: the heat on the floor of the canyon.   We began our adventure on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 from the north rim. This was the earliest all of our schedules would allow for the climb. However, our friend and guide said this was the latest she had ever done the hike. (She usually hikes/runs rim to rim to rim in March or October.) The reason for the other dates we discovered was that the heat on the canyon floor rose to around 100 degrees F during the midday hours. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Grand Canyon Lodge cabin Tuesday afternoon, we took the Trans-Canyon Shuttle from the south rim t
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Tres Cruces Costa Rica

 I try to find a hike or something out of the ordinary when I travel. In 2023, I was invited to speak at a conference, MICN Re-Fresh , in San Jose, Costa Rica. The conference was held at the International Baptist Church , Paul Dreessen, pastor. Paul knew I liked hiking and adventure so he lined up a hike on the Tres Cruces Trail just north of his home in San Antonio de Escazu.  Paul’s house sits at about 4100 feet above sea level, and the highest point on the trail is about 6600 feet. The trail is only about 1.5 miles one way, so it is a pretty steep climb. Getting to the trailhead was challenging enough. When I commented about the steepness of the trail, he asked, “I thought you were in shape to hike something like this?” I replied, “I’m in shape, but not for this!” I had not done much leg work getting ready to speak at the conference.  Once we found the trailhead, which is hard to find without someone who has been there before—that is why you always hike with a local, experienced hi
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We Are One

We are one       in our sin and       our suffering  We are one       in our wounds and       our scars            scars from our sinful choices           wounds cut by the sinful choices of others We are one      at a table set by suffering sacrificial love      invited by One           who sacrificed his life to heal the scars of our sins           who suffered at the hands like those that wound us  We are one      by his healing love           salve for our woundS           the story behind our scars We are one      not by           color                race or                     creed      earth-bound labels that drive us apart We are one      freed slaves all            rescued by the Conquering King      joy-filled servants           to those who wound us and           to those freed with uS We are one      we feast at the table of his presence           as aliens and sojourners in a hostile land           no green-card status      we are citizens of heaven We are one      h
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I Celebrated my 70th Birthday on the CT (Segment 14)and Mt. Shavano

You can tell by my other posts, I like backpacking and hiking. So, to celebrate my upcoming 70th birthday (August), two friends who have shared other adventures with me partnered to complete Segment 14 of the Colorado Trail and climb Mt. Shavano . Mark and Amy have shared epic climbs and cycling events, and I was happy they agreed to join me in my celebration of life. Mark’s wife, Linda, prepared meals and snacks for us she gathered from a blog post suggesting a backpacking meal plan. We could not have completed the trip without her help. It takes a team.  We hiked the segment from the Highway 50 trailhead north to the Chalk Creek Trailhead . Most through hikers and day hikers traveled north to south, but we only had three full days to complete the segment, and we decided to do the shorter length of the trail prior to our climb of Mt. Shavano. We started from the Highway 50 trailhead at 17:00 and hiked about a (steep) mile to our first campsite. We left that camp the next morning a
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Wheeler Peak via Williams Lake Trail #67

  I have traveled most of the trails from Red River, New Mexico to Wheeler Peak. I had never climbed to the peak via the Williams Lake Trail out of Taos Ski Valley . Trail #67 comes out of the valley, past Williams Lake, and on to Wheeler Peak. The lower parts of the trail were damaged by the wind storm that tore through Taos and Red River in December of 2021 . The destruction looked similar to the destruction caused by a Texas tornado, but they don't have those in NM in the mountains; do they? The trail rises steeply out of the valley and divides to go down to Williams Lake or continue up to the Peak. The trail above the tree line has several sections of scree, which makes traversing the face of the mountain difficult.  The trail intersects with the Middlefork Trail on the ridge between Mt. Walter and Wheeler and leads to the peak. Neal and I made it in about four hours with stops to catch our breath, fuel and hydrate.  I prefer the Lost Lake Trail to get to Wheeler Peak, but Tra
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Mt. Huron, CO 14er

Vacation in Crested Butte this year included climbing Mt. Huron with friends. Some of us had climbed Mt. Belford three years ago and wanted to climb another one in the area. Also, the women in the group had attempted Mt. Huron last year and had failed. We were all there to reach the top this year.  Finding the trailhead was iffy and required a 4W Drive Jeep. (Thanks, Jeff) Some other climbers helped us to the starting point , and we were off.  The initial switchbacks and first 3/4 of the trail was an easy walk up through beautiful forest and open slopes. The last quarter mile is another story. We had been told Mt. Huron was an easy climb, "no problem," they said. However, the trails near the top were loose rock and sand, which caused you to slide both going up and climbing down. This section is the Class 2 Moderate part of the mountain trail. I prefer the ascent because of better footing, and this trail only confirmed my preference.  The summit was terrific and the view spec
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