I strongly advocate finding a friend to accompany you on a hike. This is especially true if you are a beginner or a senior. In addition to being safer, if you pick the right partner(s) the hike will be more fun. Experiencing the adventure with someone of like interests, feeling safer in numbers, and having […]
Hiking: Pushing Yourself Gradually and Sensibly
The degree of challenge of a hike is highly individual and a lot of factors come into play, not the least of which are age, fitness, medical condition, and the amount of passion you have for getting outdoors. If there are any concerns about medical condition, confer with your doctor about your hiking plans. Even […]
How to Stay Safe When You Encounter a Black Bear
Please note I am talking about the American black bear and definitely not the even more dangerous grizzly or brown bear. Thankfully, I have no experience with those species. The black bear can be an assortment of different colors, from black to dark brown, cinnamon, grayish brown, blond, and even black with a blueish tint, […]
A Hike into Lake Christine Wildfire Area on Basalt Mountain: One Year Later
The Lake Christine wildfire started on July 3, 2018 and burned over 12,500 acres, much of which was contained on mostly uninhabited Basalt Mountain. Three homes were destroyed, and 500 homes were under mandatory evacuation several times when the fire rekindled. The fire burned within sight of our home looking west towards the locus of […]