Blog: Trail Adventure Stories

Off Roading to Find a Comet In the summer of 2020 the comet Neowise came into view from Earth. It was visible from nearly anywhere as long as the night sky was clear. We live in the Northwest so the sky is often filled with moisture. Adding any form of light pollution from city lights make viewing the stars and sky a lot more difficult. A group of us had decided to take an ATV trip to a lake we've never visited called Killarney Lake. The total trip was about 135 miles round trip. Packing extra fuel was a requirement. We traveled on forest service roads through the back country. At times we wouldn't see anyone for hours at a time.We finally got to the lake and camped out at a groomed site on the lake. The boys slept in hammocks and the fathers set up tents. We started a fire, cooked some dinner and did the usual camp activites. As it got dark, one of the boys said, "has anyone seen the night sky like this?" We were far enough from the city there was no light pollution and we could see the stars with clarity. Ju... Read More

Polar Bear Plunge In college we lived in Provo, UT. There is a large mountain called Mount Timpanogos located on the Wasatch Front that you can see for miles. It has a trail system with one of the routes leading to the highest peak of the mountain which is just shy of 12,000 feet above sea level. The hike is 14 miles long round trip and has 5,300 feet of elevation gain. It's a considerable challenge.One summer, a bunch of us decided to take on the challenge. We set out early in the morning with day packs and a lot of enthusiasm. The scenery is beautiful and there is plenty of wildlife. We saw a moose munching in the willows along the stream. The trail has a lot of switchbacks because of the significant elevation gain: 5,300 feet over a 7 mile distance. We strongly recommend being in great shape to make the ascent.Around mid day we summitted the mountain and looked out over the Utah valley. It was a stunning sight! As we looked around the other direction we noticed the well traveled glacier on the oth... Read More