So little time....

I spent all day Friday at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area near Fredericksburg, Texas. I have a lot to share with little time to post it. Here are a couple of pictures to tied you over until I can do the trip justice.

 

Enchanted Rock summit trail with Turkey Peak in the background.

Enchanted Rock viewed from the Echo Canyon Trail

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Texas Snow and Texas Pyramids

Snow is very rare in Texas...and even more rare in Midland. So I was quite surprised to wake up this morning to a little more then 4 inches of snow.

 A little more then 4 inches of snow last night...and still coming down.

Even when is does snow it is usually not much more then an inch or two and very icy. Texas can't seem to handle snow...so anytime it does all the schools close. The snow today was a good soft powder perfect for making some snow sculptures. And with no school my daughter and I dawned our warm cloths and went outside to have some fun.

 

The only thing that is more rare then snow in Texas are pyramids

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My Anti-Stink Shirt Came Today

I received my Active Agion Anti-Stink shirt today. Read my previous post to find out more about what Active Agion Anti-Stink is all about. It seems like a nice shirt, well made, a little thin, but breathable.

There is a large seem that runs down the middle of the shirt. I assume to divide the anti-stink treated side from the stinky side. The shirt came with a card that labeled the different treated sides. Only problem is which way am I to read the card? Looking at the card, which would make the anti-stink side on my left? Or holding the card the same way I am standing which would make my right anti-stink? I guess I will find out once I start to stink on one side and not the other.

 

A description card that came with the shirt.

I am headed out for some fun this weekend so I should get to test it soon. Inspector 49 was a little sticker happy, I tried the shirt on and when I took it off my body was covered in little stickers that said "M 049." At least I am well assured that the shirt was thoroughly inspected.

 This is only a few of the stickers that I pulled out of the shirt.

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Real Texas Mountains and the Texas Mountain Trail

I want to say thank you to Texas Mountain Trail Daily Photo (TMTDP) for featuring a series of photographs from My Life Outdoors. If you get the opportunity to check out TMTDP or their website, Texas Mountain Trail, you will learn a lot about all the wonderful things far west Texas has to offer. The Texas Mountain Trail is a non-profit organization that seeks to make Texas’ six westernmost counties become more visitor friendly. Their website offers detailed information about hiking, biking, cycling, running, camping, birding, and even train spotting in far west Texas.

Vast, beautiful, remote, solitude, friendly, hot, unique…these are just a few words that describe far west Texas. Having lived in Texas all my life, and having seen a large portion of a large state, I have to say that west Texas has become one of my favorite regions. The thing that strikes me most about west Texas is the mountains. While I was living in the DFW area I knew Texas had some “hills” (as I thought of them) somewhere out west, but I never knew just how wrong I was. With the highest points in Texas reaching far above 8,000 feet and rising more than 3,000 feet above their surrounding landscapes you can’t say Texas has only “hills.” These are true mountainous areas with truly rugged, remote, difficult summits.

A good friend of mine who grew up climbing the Wyoming Tetons once commented that Texas summits where some of the more difficult and technical hikes he had set out on. You could spend a long time just trying to summit all the peaks in Texas and have a long list of bragging rights to go along with it. Not only that but you won’t find the crowds that exist trucking up the fourteeners in Colorado.

I encourage you…next time you set out to summit a lonely peak…consider a Texas peak. It’s a different kind of remote out here. I think you will be surprised (as I was) at what you find.

Here is a list of Texas’ highest peaks: Thank you to Paul at Paul's Texas Peaks List who accumulated this information.

County Peak Height Summit Post Park 1 Culberson Guadalupe Peak 8749 Guadalupe Peak Guadalupe Mountains National Park 2 Culberson Bush Mountain 8631 Bush Mountain Guadalupe Mountains National Park 3 Culberson Shumard Peak 8615 Shumard Peak Guadalupe Mountains National Park 4 Culberson Bartlett Peak 8508 Bartlett Peak Guadalupe Mountains National Park 5 Jeff Davis Baldy Peak 8378 see: Livermore, Mount The Nature Conservancy Davis Mountains Preserve 6 Culberson Hunter Peak 8368 Hunter Peak Guadalupe Mountains National Park 7 Jeff Davis Livermore, Mount 8206 Mount Livermore The Nature Conservancy Davis Mountains Preserve 8 Culberson Capitan, El 8085 El Capitan Guadalupe Mountains National Park 9 Culberson Lost Peak 7830 Lost Peak Guadalupe Mountains National Park 10 Brewster Emory Peak 7825 Emory Peak Big Bend National Park 11 Jeff Davis Brooks Mountain 7780 No results found 12 Presidio Chinati Peak 7728 Chinati Peak 13 Jeff Davis Pine Peak 7710 No results found The Nature Conservancy Davis Mountains Preserve 14 Jeff Davis Sawtooth Mountain 7686 No results found 15 Brewster Townsend Point 7580 No results found Big Bend National Park 16 Jeff Davis White Mountain 7544 No results found 17 Brewster Lost Mine Peak 7535 Lost Mine Peak Big Bend National Park 18 Hudspeth Eagle Peak 7484 Eagle Peak 19 Brewster Toll Mountain 7415 Toll Mountain Big Bend National Park 20 Brewster Casa Grande Peak 7325 Casa Grande Big Bend National Park 21 Jeff Davis White Mountain 7286 No results found 22 Jeff Davis Pine Mesa 7285 No results found 23 Jeff Davis Brown Mountain 7273 No results found 24 Presidio Parda, Sierra 7270 No results found 25 Jeff Davis Bear Mountain 7256 No results found 26 Jeff Davis McDaniel Mountain 7235 No results found 27 El Paso North Franklin Mountain 7192 North Franklin Mountain 28 Brewster Crown Mountain 7010 Crown Mountain Big Bend National Park 29 Franklin Anthonys Nose 6927 Anthonys Nose 30 Brewster Cathedral Mountain 6888 No results found 31 Brewster Mount Ord 6803 No results found 32 Jeff Davis Mount Locke 6760 No results found 33 Brewster Vernon Bailey Peak 6670 Vernon Bailey Peak Big Bend National Park 34 Brewster Pummel Peak 6620 Pummel Peak Big Bend National Park 35 Brewster Santiago Peak 6524 No results found 36 Brewster Panther Peak 6409 No results found Big Bend National Park 37 Jeff Davis Star Mountain 6344 No results found 38 Jeff Davis Gomez Peak 6320 No results found 39 Jeff Davis Major Peak 5824 No results found 40 Brewster Amon Carter Peak 5688 Amon Carter Peak Big Bend National Park 41 Brewster Elephant Tusk 5249 Elephant Tusk Big Bend National Park 42 Presidio Fresno Peak 5131 Fresno Peak Big Bend Ranch State Park 43 Brewster Goat Mountain 4625 Goat Mountain Big Bend National Park 44 Brewster Cerro Castellan 3293 Cerro Castellan Big Bend National Park

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I won!

Yesterday I won a contest I entered on Running Buddies. I had heard about the contest through Just Northwest. The idea of the contest was for everyone to submit their best excuse for why they never get out to exercise. My excuse was that I never see anyone smiling while exercising. I said "the first time I see a jogger smiling I’ll try it." Of course this is just an excuse. If you think about it…it would be weird to see people jogging with big smiles on their faces.

My real excuse for not exercising is that I don’t have an enjoyable environment to do it in. If I had mountains, or rivers, even lakes, or hills within 30 min of where I live…I would enjoy exercising more often. As it is…I ride my bike to work when I can…but the flatness and ugliness of Midland-Odessa Texas really starts to be mundane. We don’t even have great parks. When we used to live in Arlington, TX…the city had created many “linear” parks. These where parks that stretched many miles through town and wooded areas giving cyclist a place to ride with changing scenery. All the parks in Midland are just circles around a play ground and a few trees. They aren't worth much in my opinion. 

Some people ride hwy 191 between Midland and Odessa…but this is just more flat and ugly…no changing scenery. Sigh…I guess that’s why I drive hundreds of miles to Davis, Guadalupe, and Chisos Mountain ranges. Sometimes you just need some beautiful outdoors.

By the way I won a $20 gift card to Foot Locker. Thank you Kristin and Running Buddies

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The Season - Free, outdoor, web television you don't wnat to miss.

Blue Alpine has tuned me into The Season, a short “web television project following five athletes through the course of a single season in the Pacific Northwest.” The Season documents the innovations and struggles of the different athletes in full, free, high definition.

The Season’s website says this:

“A veteran climber invents a new piece of gear. A pro snowboarder searches for a way to return to the roots of his sport. A boulderer returns from a series of injuries with new perspective. A family man goes to Whistler to test himself against mountain biking’s elite. A young sea kayaker with a troubled past sets out to reinvent his sport.”

The Season will feature 22 short episodes with episodes 1-3 already available. So far all the episodes have been under ten minutes and feature some beautiful images of these sports. Take the short time to watch…I think you will enjoy it.

Episode 1 gives you a good glimpse into what The Season is all about and is provided here for your convenience:

The Season Episode 1 from Fitz Cahall and Bryan Smith on Vimeo.

View the rest of the episodes on The Season's website

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Lost Mine Trail - Big Bend National Park, Texas

The Lost Mine trail is one of the shorter hikes available in Big Bend National Park. It receives its name from legend that claims a secret mine once existed in the area. Legend says workers were blindfolded before being brought to the mine to work in order that they could not disclose its location. To my knowledge no one has ever found the lost mine, but if you have only a short time to visit Big Bend, Lost Mine Trail should be on the top of your list.

 

Green Gulch viewed from the Lost Mine Trail

My family and I set off on the trail one late afternoon in May. We didn’t have much time before the sundown, but decided we would go as far as we could before dark. Although there is potential to gain over 1000 feet of elevation on this hike you don’t really feel like you are climbing. The climb up Lost Mine Trail is gradual and some might even say relaxing. On the trail you get wonderful views of Green Gulch to the north as well as Casa Grande peak (7325 feet) to the south. Once you reach the “Lookout” you can take in magnificent views of Juniper Canyon to the southeast.

Along the way we saw many examples of BIBE native plant life and wildlife.

  

A Road Runner that crossed our path on the Lost Mine Trail

 
The trail stops short of Lost Mine Peak (7550 feet) and we never made it to the end before needing to turn back. As we headed back down the trail we watched the sun set over the Chisos Mountains. It was a good thing we turned back when we did…we made it back to trail head just after dark.

 

Juniper Canyon viewed from the "Lookout" 

  

The Lost Mine Trail and Casa Grande (7325 feet) in the background

Sun Setting in the Chisos Mountains

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Santa Elena Canyon Paddle Trip - Rio Grande River - Big Bend National Park, Texas

Some time ago the family and I went down to Big Bend National Park for my daughter’s birthday. We had many adventures while we were there (all of which I plan to share with you someday), but our most anticipated adventure was a paddle trip into Santa Elena Canyon. Something I have always wanted to do was paddle the Rio Grande so when we made plans for Big Bend I knew a paddle trip had to be on the itinerary. With my daughter present I knew we had to keep it safe and simple. I checked the flow gages for the Rio Grande and discovered there was too little water for most of the trips available in the Big Bend region. I checked several guides and called around and eventually decided we would paddle up river into Santa Elena Canyon to see Fern Canyon. According to everyone I spoke to that would be one of the only paddle trips with enough water to keep it enjoyable. Not only that, but Fern Canyon was supposed to be a beautiful side canyon two miles upstream with “ferns growing where water is seeping out of the canyon walls.”

Santa Elena viewed from the inside looking down stream.

I’m sad to say we never made it to Fern Canyon. Our first mistake was renting an inflatable kayak. Those things are worthless. We always take our Dagger and Perception with us and prefer them over renting, but on this particular trip my wife’s teenage brother was with us, so we needed a third kayak. Nobody in the area rents anything but inflatable’s, which I am sure are great, but not when you are paddling upstream. The thing would not track at all and my brother in law was having the hardest time keeping up with the rest of us. I eventually ended up giving my kayak to my wife so she could paddle with my daughter. My brother in law then got my wife’s perception, and I ended up with the inflatable. It was hard work paddling the inflatable, but I thought, at least now we could continue upstream. I really wanted to see Fern Canyon.

 

My family and that dreaded inflatable kayak.

It wasn’t long before the water became too shallow to continue. We tried to get out and drag the boats for awhile but the soft muddy river bottom made this extremely difficult. No one was having any fun and it was evident. I eventually gave in to my family’s constant requests to turn back after one short mile. It seemed I was the only one that wanted to see Fern Canyon bad enough to continue. Everyone was relieved when I finally gave permission to turn back. In their defense…it was a pretty miserable trip.

 

We pulled off to the side to enjoy some lunch.

The NPS list the upstream paddle to Fern Canyon as “quite leisurely.,, If the water level is low” adding “you do not have to fight the current much going upstream.” This is a lie If you plan to rent inflatable’s from area outfitters. The water was as low as it gets on our trip and the inflatable couldn’t handle even the slightest bit of current. Keep this in mind and rent somewhere else and bring the boats in yourself. Also be prepared to drag through the mud if the water level is low.

 At times it looked like the river just ended with a solid wall of rock.

I hope…no, I will go back some day and do a proper trip down the Rio Grande. There is so much river down there. I may never get to do it all. But this last trip didn’t satisfy my desire to paddle the Rio Grande. So there will be a trip in the future.

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Google Ski View

The Goat reported the other day that Google's street view is now available for some ski slopes. Beginning with the olympic venues and expanding in the future. Here is a map from Whistler Resort. Its just like skiing only a lot lot slower.



View Larger Map

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Ski Exercise

After hitting the slopes this last week I realized just how out of shape my legs are. By the end of the first day my legs felt like noodles. And it doesn’t help that Taos is close to 80% moguls most of the time. If I am going to survive my March ski trip I am going to have to build up my quadriceps among other muscles in my legs. I have been looking around for some good ski trip preparation exercises. Here is what I have found.

Exercises: Strength and Endurance

Get Fit for the new Ski Season

Skiing Exercises: Great workouts to help you ski all day long

Sharpen Your Edges – Ski Exercise Training Program

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Snow Bear Inn and Condominiums - Taos Ski Valley, NM

They say you get what you pay for. I guess it’s true when it comes to Taos Ski Valley Lodging. Last Wednesday and Thursday we stayed in a one bedroom one bath condo at The Snow Bear Condominiums in Taos Ski Valley. You couldn’t beat the price at $100 a night for ski in ski out condo at the base of the Mountain. That was down from the original $125 we were quoted on the phone and $150 as it is listed on their website.

I don’t want to be one who complains, but we had a rocky start with Snow Bear. First of all when you walk into the room you can’t help but notice the bed is In the way of the bathroom. You literally have to step over the corner of the bed to get into the restroom. Don’t even try to find it in the dark…you will hurt yourself. The other bed in the room seems to slope down toward the head. If you try and investigate you will find the box spring has fallen through its frame and they have stacked sheets of plywood underneath to keep it from resting on the floor. The mini fridge had an open can of fruit cocktail left from the previous guests, and there were cheerios all over the floor. You couldn’t tell the last time they had vacuumed.

 

Queen size bed intruding into the bathroom at Snow Bear

When we woke up the next morning we received our tickets from Snow Bear and took the convenient shuttle to Terry’s Rentals. We had purchased everything through Snow Bear. The rentals were a breeze, but when we got in the line for the lift they told us our tickets had expired. When we informed them we had just received them that morning from Snow Bear they investigated and realized Snow Bear had bought these tickets in bulk during low season pricing. They were no longer good due to a different price season had started some time ago. At this point we just wanted to get on the mountain and didn’t want to bother tracking down our contacts at Snow Bear to sort everything out. Thankfully the lift attendant made a few calls and replaced our tickets on the spot charging it to Snow Bear.

 

Bed falling through frame and being supported by a stack of plywood

With all that being said, we did have a good time. The owner/manager was always nice and polite and our room was extra clean the second day. The ski in ski out was nice. You ski in from the White Feather run and ski out (through narrow trees, at least intermediate skills needed) to the base of the Rueggli lift on the bunny slope. You then have to ski to Lift 3 (another short, beginner lift) before you reach anything that will take you up the big mountain. It is a little out of your way…but sure beats driving in from town and parking.

All and all if you are more budget then quality minded then the Snow Bear may be the best bang for your buck. Especially if you can get them to discount the room.

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Full day of Taos Skiing

I experienced a full day of Taos skiing today. We started out the day with some light powder which quickly became choppy before lunch. We had light snow showers on and off the whole day. Clouds would come in and dance with the mountain, sometimes limiting visibility, but mostly creating spectacular views. The valley is beautiful. I look forward to another full day of skiing.

 

  

 

Kachina Peak (12,481 feet) and Wheeler (13,167 feet) in the background

I spent most of the day switching out different skis. I started out with a pair of Salomon Teneighty Gun skis. I traded them in for some K2 Apaches once the snow started packing down. The K2’s were real sticky (I’m not sure they had waxed them at all). Toward the end of the day I decided to try some old school Kastles that I had brought from home. The Kastles were too long and would grab the choppy stuff with every turn. I have now settled on some Volkl AC30’s which I have skied before and really like. Tomorrow ought to be a much better day.

 

  

 

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Arrived at Taos Ski Valley today

Arrived at Taos Ski Valley today. It was too dark to get any good photos by the time we arrived. But I did snap this one of a 20+ foot wall of snow outside our condo. I hope to get the chance to post tomorrow night with some better photos and maybe a story or two. Until then.

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Taos Ski Valley or Bust!

Taos Ski Valley from 15,000 feet. Photo credit: Pedro's South of the Border

I am leaving tomorrow to go up to Taos Ski Valley for a few days. I hope to have some pictures to share once I return. Until then…I will say thank you for reading.

Click Here for more info on Taos Ski Valley

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