Time to Hit the Trails Again! Where Will They Take You?
It looks like that trend is about to break, though, and bring us back down to reality. Still, things are looking pretty good for getting back outside, and I can't wait to start hitting some trails again. I already have some backpacking trips lined up, and am re-assessing my gear inventory for this year. My biggest highlight of this season will be hitting the Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia--a wild, rugged and mountainous area with incredible hikes and views. My pack and tent are screaming to be taken out of the closet! Simma down now, gear!
I'm looking forward to making some great outdoor and gear review vids in the coming weeks, so I hope people will stay tuned to my YouTube channel for some exciting new stuff! Look for gear reviews on Marmot, MSR, REI, Big Agnes, and Black Diamond gear and more, and some trip vids to Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. See you all soon!
Day 1: We left Dayton on Frontier Airlines Friday morning, May 27th. It was a beautiful day, and the flight was perfect. After landing in Denver, we did our typical housekeeping activities at the airport and then header over to the REI downtown Denver flagship store. Imagine one store having everything you could ever want or need for camping/hiking/backpacking, etc.! We spent at least two hours in the store, checking out equipment and drooling over gear we couldn't afford. It was a blast! While there, an REI employee informed us many of the trails in the high country were closed due to snow, and that this was the most snow they'd seen in a very long time this late in the year. We knew we'd have to alter our hiking plans to lower elevations for this trip. Finally, we picked up our rental Kingdom 6 and Coleman propane stove for the campsite. REI is like a playground for any outdoor enthusiast--but bring your pocketbook. You won't leave the store without buying something!
Day 2: The next morning, we decided to head into Boulder and do a lower-elevation hike to acclimate a little. Our first hike of the trip was to Royal Arch in the "Flatirons" region of the Front Range. Now, I'm going to state for the record that "day hikes" in Colorado are a lot different than day hikes in Ohio, and the people of Colorado are a different breed. The hike to Royal Arch was, in my opinion, a strenuous one, gaining several hundred feet in a relatively short distance. The trail is steep, rocky, and an un-acclimated soul (like myself) might consider the pinnacle height of nearly 7,000 feet a little exhausting. Still, it wasn't anything a normal person in relatively good shape couldn't do. Dressed in full hiking gear and pack, I almost felt silly compared to the families with young children and dogs walking, jumping, skipping, and literally running up the trail. It was everything for me to manage my breathing and not pass out, while others had no problem going up this trail. The view at the top, though, was worth every step. From Royal Arch, one can view the entire town of Boulder and far beyond. It's a sight that can only be experienced and not relived through photos.
Day 3: Day three was our longest venture, with a total mileage of somewhere around 14 miles from Moraine Park, up to Fern Falls, on to Cub Lake, and back down through the Moraine Park Meadow and back to the campsite. We hiked from Moraine Park campground up to "The Pool", a cool and inviting rapid of gorgeous snowmelt. From there, the hike got...interesting. We had decided to make the hike up to Fern Lake, because of all the great things we'd heard about it. Because of all the remaining snow cover, there was still anywhere from one to eight feet of snow in the higher elevation. As we trekked up the mountainside, the snow got deeper, the air got thinner, and the hike was rough on this Ohio boy's body. It was an absolutely gorgeous day for hiking, though, with a clear blue sky and temps in the 60's. Fern Falls was rushing with ice water as it came down the mountain. We hiked further up, and it was a rough go slogging through the melting (but still deep) snow. Finally, we made it to Fern Lake, still frozen over. What a gorgeous sight! Still, what would have been a merely "moderate" RMNP hike was, for me, an exhausting one, and I soon learned what it was like to have acute mountain sickness. This was a not a good feeling, but it quickly went away as we came down in elevation. We decided to press on to Cub Lake (well 
Day 4: On day four, we decided to take it easy on our aching bodies and explore more of Boulder. We headed back down to the "Big Blue Stem" trail--a four miler in relatively flat terrain, just outside the Flatirons. Along this scenic, almost desert-like environment I was reminded I was in the West, and was waiting for a cowboy to come riding out on a horse at any moment. Along the trail we walked right over a local snake, grabbed his picture and just kept going. After the day before, even four miles felt like ten.
Day 5: Day five, our last day in RMNP before heading to Denver, we decided to do some driving and exploring around the area, and drove up to Bear Lake. Normally, there is a 1-mile paved trail around the lake which would be considered "easy". But, on this day it was covered in about six feet of snow. Without crampons or snowshoes, the slick, icy snow was treacherous to walk on. I opted to not even attempt it, while my counterparts took off and made a natural snow slide down a mountainside. I continued to capture amazing still shots of the surrounding mountains. From there, we went to Sprague Lake and captured even more amazing photos as we headed out of the park and down to Denver.
Zaleski Sate Forest is located in south-central Ohio, just a short jump north of the Ohio River. It is in one of the most rugged and scenic areas in the state, and boasts some of the truest "backcountry" conditions in the great state of Ohio. There are deep ravines, craggy cliffs, and rushing streams. Several of the higher hills reach 900 feet or more in elevation (with some topping 1000), adding to the sensation of being in a (very) small mountain range. These Appalachian foothills are truly natural gem.
Of course, the rain stopped by the time we made it to camp. Thankfully, we were able to set up our tents/tarp and eat dinner in dry comfort. Our fire never really got to where we wanted it, but was pleasant enough for a nice evening. We enjoyed chatting about stupid things and playing with a green laser pointer while an obnoxious group of high-schoolers/young college kids made serious noise at the campsite beside us. My idea of backpacking and camping usually doesn't involve obnoxious kids.
It was annoying, to say the least, and they didn't go to sleep until after 1 a.m. We gave them a piece of our mind, which didn't seem to affect them. Over their loudness, I heard coyotes howling somewhere down in a hollow not far away. The more the girls in the youth group giggled, the more the coyotes howled.
About two in the morning, the rain started up again. It rained steadily all night, and we woke up to soaked tent flys and fog. It was chilly and damp but not raining as we packed up. The annoying youth group beat us to the trail, so we relished in our newfound quiet. We finally hit the trail and the sun came out, making for a nice second day. We wrapped up our backpacking excursion around noon on day two, and headed for home.