I probably will not post again until I am in Colorado, so I wanted to get a quick update out. things have really fallen into place and the weather outlook is rather rosey, with the exception of a couple days. My hiking plans have become more firm, thanks in part to the help of Rob Wilson from Back to the Parks.

A lot of people have asked about my safety while hiking alone. Let me put a few concerns to rest.

First, there are no documented sightings Grizzly Bears in Colorado. They live mostly in regions further north. the black bears that live in Colorado will more often than not leave you alone unless you have food. I plan on leaving my peanut butter & jelly at home.

Second, people are concerned about me getting lost. Me? Lost? Truthfully, I ordinarily have a decent since of direction. My family used to drive me around when I was very young and see if they could confuse my sense of direction. I mostly succeeded in keeping my sense of direction. apart from navigating Pittsburgh, which is a bit of a Herculean task, I have only been lost twice in my life. Once was in downtown Chester, PA on a Saturday night and the other was while following what turned out to be a pretty obscure trail in Mingo Creek County Park. However, you only need to get lost once for things to go very badly. I will be, for the most part, following heavily traveled trails.  I have also signed up for a Ranger-led hike at a particularly confusing section of  fins at Arches National Park, the Fiery Furnace. I have also signed up for a private jeep tour in the San Juan Mountains. I would not want to navigate some of those roads in a passenger rental car. But, there are at least a couple of hikes that are not really so well marked. One in particular is a Class II archaeological site, False Kiva.  The National Park Service does not publish those sites or directions to the site, but will provide directions upon request at the Ranger station. I have directions and plan on checking in with the Ranger before embarking. I will also track my hike with live updates via my Android phone. Lastly, I am hoping to use a GPS tracking device, the Spot Persona Tracker (not a phone) which will transmit check-ins and send an SOS signal for help if needed. I also have loaded off-line maps of the parks onto my phone and carry an extra battery for my phone, plus the 10 hiking essentials.

Lastly, if you have known me for any real length of time, you know I am excessively prone to ankle injuries. since going through physical therapy a couple of years ago, I have noticed significant improvements in ankle strength. Also, I always wear my Montrail hiking boots, which provide excellent support.

Like last year, you can connect via Facebook, Twitter, Ustream, Flickr, and Youtube.

Here is another video showcasing the area:

An interesting side note, the origianl “True Grit” movie was filmed in the area.

View coming into Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park

Although the one blog has not been active, I have been very active behind the scenes, working out little details like planning hikes, mapping out sunrise and sunset times and locations, gathering supplies, and planning expenses.

I am down to less than a month before departure. I will post more frequently as the time draws closer, but here are my thoughts and challenges right now. Join me as I think out loud for a bit.

Day One

My flight lands at 7:30 AM so I want to take advantage of the day. Yet, I know I need to be wise about planning the elevation of my hikes. I have some ideas for lower elevation hikes, places like Lake Isabelle, Lumpy Ridge, Part of the Thunder Lake Trail, or even auto touring. I think I want to hang close to the edge of the park so it is a quick drive back to my friends’ house. I would welcome suggestions.I am also open to some hiking outside of the park in the Boulder area.

Where to Go?

I am also looking for ideas for the late morning until later afternoon. I might be fortunate enough to see some of the volatile Colorado weather help me out from the harsh light of mid-day sun, but in case we have nothing but beautiful blue skies, i will be looking to hike shaded spots like the brief jaunt to Albert Falls.

Allergies, Bugs, and Snakes

Yes, allergies, bugs, and snakes, let’s deal with all of the unpleasantness all at once. I have also taken a more conservative approach to my planning scheudle. I saw that I was over-packing the schedule bit on the Utah end of the trip, so I have scaled back a bit. You just can’t see it all in one, or even two trips! It might take dozens of trips to see it all in the Moab area, seriously!

I am looking forward to a different climate. My allergies usually subside in early July and don’t come back until late August. This year they never took a break and have been much worse than normal. I enjoyed a break from allergies last year in the Southwest. Let’s I hoep I get the same respite this year.

I have ran across plenty of complaints about bugs in both RMNP and Moab recently. I don’t remember bugs in either place last July. Was it just too hot for them? Will they already be done for the season in early fall?

Left to Do

I still would like to pick up one more pair of hiking pants and a hiking shirt, but i am not sure that I will get the chance. I prefer the Columbia hiking clothes, but they seem short on supply right now. I might try a different brand if I have the time and spare resources. If not, I will try to make do with what I have. The nice thing about the performance hiking clothes is the ability to wash them out by hand and hang them to dry, pretty much ready by the next morning. I also still have some finalizing of hikes to do, largley due to indecisiveness. I think I am closing in on a better plan for the San Juan Mountains. i am really excited to see them. The photos I ahve seen with the Aspens ablaze are incredible. This part of the trip will be more auto-touring than hiking for the sake of time.

So, these are the types of mundane details I am working out now. As you can see, I am a little OCD about planning, but I always find I enjoy myself more if I know i have made the msot of my time. It won’t be long before the mundane gives way to the west, though!

Last year only fueled the fire and so it begins with See the Parks 2011: Fall Foliage Edition. This time out we will spend more time enjoying Colorado but still work in a visit to see some of those enchanting red rocks of Southeast Utah again. With the Aspens ablaze and snow capped mountains as our backdrop, the journey west will take us to new area of western Colorado, enjoying the scenic San Juan Mountains, The captivating rocks of Garden of the Gods, the serene view of the Maroon Bells, The bugling Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park, the statuesque Fisher Towers, graceful Delicate Arch, the mysteries of Canyonlands,  and breathtaking panoramas of Dead Horse Point State Park will play the role of of the subject of this year’s tour.

Stay tuned for more details; the tour launches in less than 90 days!

Disclosure: The good folks were kind enough to send me a promo code to cover the cost of the shoes based upon my offer to review the shoes. I made no promise of a favorable review.

I received these shoes after the trip and wanted to wait to review them until I had a chance to break them in and wear them under a few different conditions. To date, I have worn them around the house, on a few outdoor ventures, and during significant rain events and hiking glen trails.

Comfort: I have found the shoe to be very comfortable. At first, it felt like an odd fit. Not a bad fit, just different than what I was used to wearing.  The instep strikes me as the differentiating factor. Because of this, I doubt the shoe will be comfortable for everyone, but what shoes is? I have read other complaints of chaffing and discomfort, but neither has been my experience.

Vibram Sole: Outstanding. I have wore these in slick conditions and had great traction. I wore them hiking in Robert H. Treman State Park in the finger Lakes region of New York and found the  soles to do quite well on  the wet, glen rock trails.

Support: These don’t strike me as a shoe I would wear for heavy-duty hiking, especially with a pack, but for light hiking, great. I loved how they performed hiking in Robert H. Tremain State Park. I was concerned about the ankle support, since I have exceptionally poor ankles and prefer hiking with boots for the support, but I had no support problems.

Water: I wore the Tawas shoes when photographing an incoming thunderstorm late this summer.  I was caught in a downpour that soaked me through from head to toe. I was so wet, I tried ringing out my clothes before I took cover in the car (it was useless.) The shoes drained the water effectively and dried out quickly. No chaffing in the long hike back to the car. The shoes did not get the heavy soaked feel when wet, either. I would say from a water shoe perspective, they were outstanding. I can’t wait to try them out in Zion National Park’s Narrows someday.

Construction/Durability: These shoes seem very well constructed. They shoe no signs of deterioration or defect.

I would recommend these shoes at the sale price, not full price. If you can get them for under $65, I think they are worth the money. I am probably in the minority, but I would love to see these type of water/canyoneering shoes with a high-top for support for those of us with bad ankles. When walking on uneven ground or streams, we need that extra protection.

Shortly after arrival and orienting ourselves with Zion National Park yesterday, the skies grew dark as we considered our excursion options. As the skies darkened and thunder became audible, we decided to stay put at the Human History Museum to wait out the storm. We quickly realized that regardless of which direction the storm’s approach, we were in a great spot to capture lightning, so Jenn quickly set up her camera.

The storm did not disappoint us. After two months without rain, Zion the worst storm it has seen in at least for seasons according to one Park Ranger. The storm produced dangerous lightning and torrential downpours.  The longer the rain continued, however, the more worrisome the storm became. The many canyons in Zion contained an unknown amount of hikers and these canyons are notorious for flash floods. Rescues cannot even be attempted by land until the river recedes and the debris clears. Later Saturday night, the sky was willed with the sound of helicopters with rescue rafts, attempting to rescue some of the stranded hikers. As of this post, it is unknown how many hikers were affected.

A waterfall appeared during and after the storm from the excess water