Seasonal Hiking | Expect Experience

Hiking on the top of the World

: Image via Wikipedia

Greenland is located on the top of the world before the beginning of the ice cap of the Arctic. Greenland is considered a destination directly from the dream of a hiker. If it is complete silence and serenity than you are looking for, then there is no destination other than Greenland. Greenland is among the world’s most peaceful and beautiful destinations. The country sides are pristine with spaces as open as the curvature of the earth.

One such destination popular with hiker is Tassilaq. Tassilaq is accessible by boat and is defined as a classical arctic hiking destination. It offers hikers an adventure of a lifetime. This location is defined as hiking destination of the Alps but without the huge heard of people that flock to the alps. Tassilaq also has the best weather that Greenland can offer along with good sunlight that lets hikers see the breathtaking scenery. On reaching the peak of the many mountains and hills, the hiker can see a 360 deg view if the entire Island. It is an extremely remote destination with few of the notable arctic wildlife found here and there. To hike the entire length of the island it takes a week and is about 80 miles in length.

The hikers need to be filled with stamina and have to be agile and flexible. The experiences that hikers come back with are quite inspiring to take this hiking trip and exhilarate the tired old spirits. There are many other destinations in Greenland that are worth visiting on foot. You will surely find icy waters, granite mountains, gigantic ice bergs, water seals and crystal clear waters if hiking near to the sea shores. On reaching the birth place of one of the many rivers, you can indulge is kayaking or roving the icy cold waters of Greenland.

Filed Under: Seasonal Hiking Tagged With: Arctic, Cairn Energy, Denmark, Greenland, Hiking, Ice cap, Kuupik Kleist, United States

Switching Up Your daily Exercise Routine

The same routine and daily exercise can become boring especially if you have to train for an upcoming event. Most exercise routines are performed at home or at the gym and the same people and same scenery can become an eyesore. But if you change up your daily routine once in a while, you can get more out of your exercise and keep it interesting. Training for an event requires multiple workout sessions and if you feel that you are losing interest, try to switch up your daily routine. Instead of staying at the same place, change your location and if you are tired of the indoors, try to find a way to do the same routine in the outdoors.

One of the many fun things you can do is go hiking. You will get the physical exercise you need and the change in the environment will give you something new to look forward to. Whether you are a serious athlete or someone trying to get back into shape, you will enjoy the change. Nature is known to have a soothing effect on the eyes and brings about a certain relaxation. You don’t have to go through with your boring routine day after day. Take a trainer or a friend with you and do your basic workouts, followed by a change your lineup. You will be surprised at how well you receive the change and eventually you will want to try out different locations once in a while.

Of course there are other outdoor activities you can perform in order to get into shape. Instead of going to your local pool to swim, go to the nearest lake and it will feel more like a mini vacation rather than a routine workout. Trainers will encourage you and welcome the change in order to keep you motivated. The choice is yours and you are only restricted by your imagination and ability.

Filed Under: Seasonal Hiking Tagged With: Fitness, Gym, Physical exercise

mount Pilchuck

: Image via Wikipedia

It is not a particularly difficult six mile climb if you are in good shape. It is strenuous and you are actually climbing to the top of a small peak which makes it interesting. There is an ancient ranger fire lookout on top as well. It is a day hike with no place to camp on top.

Partly due to the ease of access, the steepness of the trial, and the sheer cliffs at top with a shocking long way to the bottom, hikers are lost here almost every year. Lost as in dead. When you make the climb and stick to the trail, you can’t imagine why this occurs but it does. Part of the problem is the steepness of the mountain and the jagged cliffs that loom in unexpected places. The trail is steep and easy to keep to, but wander off and you may put your life at risk
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The other problem with this hike is that it is heavily used and seems deceptively simple. The peak stands at 5,300 feet which does not seem like much, but at these elevations in the Cascade Range, a storm can do you in if you are not prepared. Going up in tennis shoes and shorts with no supplies? Not a good idea. Don’t do it.

Once on top the view is incredible which is why it used to be a fire lookout. Peek over one cliff and you may see sun bathers way below stretched out on a snow field during certain parts of the year! Don’t ask how they got there and don’t lean over too far!

If you decide to do this climb, be prepared with a pack full of food, water and perhaps a change of clothes . . . and a coat! Wear good hiking boots and do it when the weather is known to be good. You can get there via the Mountain Loop Highway out of Granite Falls, Washington. There is a ranger station on the way. Stop and ask questions about the current conditions of the trail and weather. Make it a safe trip.

Filed Under: All About Hiking, Hiking Techniques, Seasonal Hiking Tagged With: Cascade Range, Climb, Hiking, Mountain Loop Highway, Outdoors, Recreation, Trail, United States

Heather Lake: Stunning Cascade Beauty and Bugs!

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Heather Lake is perhaps one of the most beautiful hikes in the Cascade Range. It is not steep with an elevation gain of just over 1,000 feet in two-mile hike. It is also accessible almost year round due to its low elevation; hence, it is a heavily traveled trial.

You will walk through a canopy during the entire trip, walking over great roots of trees. It begins as ‘second growth’ forest but about halfway into the hike it becomes stunning old growth. You will love this place and by the way, so do the biting flies and mosquitoes. Be fairly warned. Low elevation hikes in the Cascades are known to be killer bug hangouts. If you hate the bugs, this may not be for you.

Once at the lake you get a stunning view of Mount Pilchuck’s north face which is a sheer cliff. It is quite a sight so bring your camera. The lake is pristine and the growth is lush. Please be careful to stay on the trails so that this little cove of heaven can stay that way. It is not a good place to camp due to the dampness of everything there. You will see some braving the tents but they will likely be very wet by morning. Make this a day hike.

You can get information on the hike From Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Service. The local outdoor stores in the Seattle area are all very much aware of this hike so getting information about it is a breeze. Like so many of the most accessible and beautiful hikes in the North Cascades, this one is on the Mount Loop Highway out of Granite Falls, Washington. The trail head is about a thirteen mile drive out of Granite Falls and a mile from the Verlot Ranger Station which is also on that highway. You can’t miss it. Stop at Verlot and talk to the folks there. They can fill you in on all the details and give you the current situation about the local bears! Yes, they like the area too!

Filed Under: All About Hiking, Hiking Techniques, Seasonal Hiking Tagged With: Cascade Range, Hiking, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, North Cascades, Old-growth forest, Outdoors, Recreation, Seattle

Washington Park Loop

: Image by UW Digital Collections via Flickr

This is a city park! Anacortes, Washington is a small Puget Sound town that is mostly ignored but for the ferry service that resides there. Hikers do not see this as a ‘destination’ which is why it’s a destination! If you are tired of the steep trails, the blisters from tough leather hiking boots and the biting flies, this may be your choice for a gentle and beautiful hike.

This is a 220 acre park right on the Sound. The park covers all of Fidalgo Head, a rocky peninsula with a forest covered crown. It is almost totally surrounded by water so elevation gain? Ha! Relax. You can walk it or bike it. Part of the trail lands you back on the road to re-connect with other trails, but it is a slow one laner with many speed bumps so no worries. You can sit on the beach and watch the ferries come and go as well as the occasional tanker and fishing boats. Since it is pretty much a local hang-out you won’t be inundated by crowds. It’s a lazy little town so relax. The light weight day-hike boots are fine here.

Get there from I-5 out of Seattle heading north for about 64 miles. Take exit 230 at Mount Vernon and turn west (left) to go under the freeway and follow the signs for Anacortes for about 14 miles. The highway has two designations: 20 and 237. Once in Anacortes, turn left at the sign for the Victoria/San Juan Ferry which is another incredible side trip one day when you have the time to trek into Canada and into Victoria BC. That is a wonder in its own right.

One final note: if you plan this trip right, do it in the spring when the tulips are in bloom. Mount Vernon is one of the world’s largest growers of tulips and daffodils. When in bloom, fields stretch forever with purples, reds, and yellows that are a shock to the system. You can walk through the fields in some cases and of course you can buy the flowers and bulbs.

Filed Under: All About Hiking, Hiking Techniques, Seasonal Hiking Tagged With: Anacortes Washington, Canada, Ferry, Hiking, PugetSound, Seattle, Trail, Washington

Glacier Basin: Ugly Hike. Destination: Heaven

Monte Cristo, Washington used to be a gold mining town at a turn in the Mountain Loop Highway out of Granite Falls. The road washed out many years ago and a gate was put up at the entrance, leaving the place to serine calm for the few residents without a road. There was, for many years, more than grumblings about the fact that these residents were erased and ignored by the State of Washington. No surprise. Governments do that. Although the story ends painfully for the residents, it is not so painful to those who want the area pristine. Some of the most beautiful hikes in the Cascade Range, such as Gothic Basin, are in this neck of the woods and the oddly hidden nature of the trailheads keeps most hikers away. That’s good for you.

If you want maps and descriptions of the area, stop at the Verlot Ranger Station about twelve miles out of Granite Falls and they can fill you in on current trail conditions in the area. You will also need to purchase a parking permit. With economy’s ups and downs, there are years that certain trails are no longer maintained as lack of money eliminates the effort. The parking permit money is well worth it.

Walk four miles along an unkempt road into Monte Cristo. Two miles from Monte Cristo, over monstrous trail is Glacier Basin, a beauty of a place worth exploring for a few days. Like the journey to Gothic Basin, this climb is very tough with the last mile seeming to be near vertical.

The gold mines that resided there are all blasted shut. Just as well. Pack the tent and the gear and stay awhile. It is sometimes crowded with climbers readying themselves for Cadet and Monte Cristo Peaks and Wilmon Spires. It can be an enjoyable time watching the climbers and sitting in flower covered meadows surrounded by jagged mountains. To maintain the beauty, hikers are asked to stay on the trails and camp at Ray’s Knoll or Mystery Ridge. The journey is worth the stay.

Filed Under: All About Hiking, Hiking Techniques, Seasonal Hiking Tagged With: Cascade Range, Hiking, Mountain Loop Highway, Outdoors, Recreation, Trail, United States, Washington

Riddle Lake

: Image by j o s h via Flickr

As far as Continental Divide hikes goes, this one is a piece of cake. It may be the easiest Divide hike. In fact, there are tougher hikes along the Puget Sound at sea level! Riddle is in South-East Yellowstone, Wyoming. The road to the trail head is right on the Divide itself, meaning there is no mountain to climb . . . at all. As in this is a flat walk! OK, there are a few mild rises.

Now that this is clear, enjoy the walk. It is less than two miles across marsh land that tends to be wet until mid-July so even though this is a walk around the block, boots are in order in case the dampness is still there when you arrive. It is also popular with the bears in the spring and early summer so the path is normally closed until mid-July anyway. Due to the bear population it’s a good idea to do this with a larger group of four or more.

Riddle lake sits at 8,000 feet so if elevation is a problem, this is the only thing to hold you back from seeing endless lilies along the shore mixed with reeds and tall grass. This aligns with a backdrop of the Red Mountains to fill the camera lens. While you are in the marshlands, you may spot some elk or even moose. You will likely see prints, including those of your buddies, the bears. It is always a good idea to keep a sharp eye out for the wildlife. You are in their front yard, not the other way around. That being said, respect their property. Keep it clean by leaving it the way they would leave it: no Twinkie wrappers allowed.

The trial head: it lies south of West Thumb Bay along Yellowstone Lake. Drive about four miles south of there and turn into a parking area on the east side of the road marked for the trail. Maps should show the Mount Sheridan Quad.

Filed Under: All About Hiking, Hiking Techniques, Seasonal Hiking Tagged With: Continental Divide, Continental Divide of the Americas, Hiking, Puget Sound, Travel and Tourism, United States, Wyoming, Yellowstone Lake

Ghost-like Journey

: Image via Wikipedia

Heart Lake in Yellowstone used to be Hart Lake. Same place in case you find an old map. It is a 16 mile roundtrip that can be done as a day hike, but if you are going to hike all that way, you might as well take the tent and the gear to stay a day or two because the place is beautiful. If you like fishing, this is the place to do it. Consequently, don’t count on being alone there. It is a popular hangout for the local fishermen.

The trail head is just over 5 miles south of Grant Village Junction. You can park at the Heart Lake Trailhead parking lot on the east side of the road. Maps are the Heart Lake and Mount Sheridan USGS Quads. That being said, if you plan to make this a three or four day trip and you like climbing, Sheridan is there for the taking.

The hike is mostly in the trees on flat and rolling grassy ground. The trail is well kept and the area is beautiful enough that the hike goes fast. You will walk through some of the 1988 burn so it will give you an eerie sense of loss in places. It’s good for the soul as this lake often comes with a description including the word pristine. The burn is a reminder of how fragile this kind of nature is.

You will drop into Witch Creek drainage and if you happen to do the hike in the winter, the steam from the Factory Hill vents will cloud the entire view. You get the bite of eerie again, this time, ghost-like nature at its best. This part of the hike was heavily hit by fire in the past, adding to the ghost nature. You will see bright yellow sulfur deposits along some of the vents, as you hear the water below hissing.

All things considered, this is a hike worth adding to your repertoire of runs to make that don’t break your back to get there but leave you with worthwhile experience.

Filed Under: All About Hiking, Hiking Techniques, Seasonal Hiking Tagged With: Factory Hill, Hiking, National Parks and Monuments, Outdoors, Parks, Recreation, Travel and Tourism, United States

Twenty-eight Miles, One Way

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Make this trip one week or longer. It’s a tough journey. You will be asked by Mother Nature to work hard getting there. But where is there? The Fitzpatrick Wilderness originally named the Glacier Primitive Area. Now you’re getting the picture.

It is just under 200,000 acres of rock and ice wilderness that will keep your interest enough to slough off the pain of the hike to get there. How beautiful is it? You won’t be alone as in it draws crowds, the campsites are overused and it sometimes looks like a line at the theater hiking in. But if you are one tough enough to have kick-stepped your way up Mount Rainier’s Muir Snow Field, listening to the rhythmic huffs and grunts of those behind and ahead, you will like this. It actually gives you a sense of camaraderie.

This is Wyoming’s greatest offering to the seasoned hiker. It is the highest peak and largest glacial area in the state, about 15 miles southeast of Dubois in northeast Wind River Range. You will witness some of the deepest cliff enclosed valleys and the most stunning blue-green glacier waters in the country, all for the price of a 28 mile hike one way! To some this may sound sarcastic. To the hiker, the true deeply driven in the heart climber, the trip itself is part of the greatest reward.

Make sure you are not holding onto one of the real old maps of the area. Massive rock slides obliterated the trailhead switch backs years ago and the entire first part of the run and parking lot had to be rebuilt. Get the newest map and the best equipment you can. A journey like this demands that you be prepared. Halfway there, you don’t want blisters, a wrong trial or a sudden realization you did not pack enough water. On trips like this, air drops are not unheard of on the Divide.

Contact Wind River Ranger District to find out what maps you need and just how prepared you need to be, then walk into the trip of a lifetime.

Filed Under: All About Hiking, Hiking Techniques, Seasonal Hiking Tagged With: Fitzpatrick Wilderness, Glacier, Hiking, Mother Nature, Mount Rainier, Outdoors, Recreation, Wind River Range

Green River and Summit Lakes: Wyoming’s Picture Perfect

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About fifty miles north of Pinedale, Wyoming, in north Bridger Wilderness, lies a sixteen mile trip into a professional photographic brochure of wilderness heaven. Be prepared to pay some campsite fees and be generally prepared for your several day journey. Spend the time at home planning well so that you can enjoy this one fully without mishap. There is reason for this last sentence. Read on.

There is an excess of trail possibilities in this area, so have your maps ready and a good idea of where you want to go. But also be ready to change your mind once into the wilderness as things may catch your eyes you hadn’t expected. Allow for some spontaneity. Most begin the trip around Lower Green River Lake along the southeaster of northeastern shore. Crossing a large bridge that crosses Green River, a three mile trek breaks you into Upper Green River Lake. This is where the terrain opens up and you begin to see the amazing possibilities. Huge will come to mind a lot.

You will wander through about 6 miles of meadows before you hit some rough stuff. Rocky trails eventually lead you to a river crossing where the bridge has been washed out countless times. You have to cross here. This is one of the reasons to call Pinedale Ranger District and let them know what you are planning. If the bridge is out, backtracking about a third of a mile will take you to a place where some wade across. WARNING: This is rough country and riverbeds change. Use your wits and some everyday common sense. Rivers don’t care about your welfare. This isn’t Disney World.

Once you clear the river, Three Forks Park is a mile and a half ahead. No camping here and they are strict about it. Twelve more miles, folks, to two more miles of steep switchbacks! Another creek and no bridge! Guess what?

Now you are getting the drift of this hike. Do your homework. If you have any seed of ‘tough’ in you, you will love this trip.

Filed Under: All About Hiking, Hiking Techniques, Seasonal Hiking Tagged With: Boating, Bridger Wilderness, Mile, Paddling, Pinedale Wyoming, Recreation, Walt Disney World Resort, Whitewater Rafting