I use the All Trails App a lot while planning our hikes. I like that I can see the trail length, the elevation gain and real people’s reviews of the trail. Although all three of those things can be slightly skewed due to inaccuracies and subjective opinions. But it gives me a good start on the trails I am looking at.
After hiking to Blossom Lake I had planned on hiking Revett Lake Trail on the same day. The trailheads both left from the same location and were both relatively short. The Revett Lake Trail did not have a huge ascent, so it should have been a piece of cake! But Blossom Lake Trail wiped me out and I decided to return to Revett Lake Trail on another day.
When I was in high school I was on the swim team. My best events were always long distance. The longer the better. Why you may ask? Because I am a master at pacing.
Sometimes I can be a jerk.
Photo courtesy of Philip Longden
In November of 2014, I adopted a blue heeler named Buddy. When Buddy and I met he was 11.5 years old and had outlived his owner. He needed a home and I knew that if he was put into an animal shelter he would live there for the remainder of his days. People tend to stay away from the older dogs which is understandable as they do not live as long and potentially have more health issues, but it is also very sad as often it is not their fault that they are there. Buddy lived with us for seven months before passing away from liver complications. I believe I gave him a good final few months which I am sure he was grateful for. I was happy to give him a home but in a selfish way, I wish that I could have had him longer than I did because he was a sweet boy with an adorable personality. There is not a day that goes by that I do not miss him.
After visiting Mesa Verde I picked up Boomer from the local dog boarding facility in Cortez and we took a slightly long drive out to Hovenweep National Monument. There were points where I thought I was lost because the trip was so long and I did not exactly have real directions. Just a few road signs and some vague instructions from the website.
I realize that I have become too dependent on my GPS Samantha. Even when she leads me off course, we eventually get there. Extra miles may be driven, but she usually finds her way unless we are in the middle of no where. Due to the remoteness of Hovenweep, Samantha was taking a break from directing us around and I was relying on the old school methods, maps and the written word.
As we departed Canyonlands National Park dark storm clouds rolled in accompanied by lightning. Knowing both Boomer and me, we are scaredy-cats and I contemplated skipping Dead Horse Point State Park because of the lightning. It was going to be a bummer due to the park being dog-friendly and would have allowed Boomer to get out of the car to stretch his legs. Dead Horse State Park is about 9 miles from Canyonlands and in those 9 miles, I went back and forth about 6 times on whether or not I was going to stop at Dead Horse Point State Park.
While planning our spring trip I had debated whether or not to visit Canyonlands National Park. It was the least dog friendly out of all of the 5 national parks in Utah… but it would have been the only park of the Mighty 5 that I would not have visited. Knowing myself, and we’re going on 35 years now, I knew it would bother me not ticking all 5 national parks off my list. Especially considering I would be about 10 minutes away from the state park we were visiting, Dead Horse State Park.
It had been only two days since we had said goodbye to Buddy and I thought to cheer us up I would take Boomer to Priest Lake Idaho. Although short, it would be a road trip, which is something that Boomer and I both love. Priest Lake is nearby our home, however I have only been there a handful of times and Boomer had never been. It is truly a shame as Priest Lake Idaho is one of the most stunning places in Idaho. On this day I planned to take Boomer to Granite Falls, north of Nordman Idaho.
I am always a fan of when a brewery embraces their heritage. Wallace Brewing is located in Wallace Idaho, a town known for mining. The logo of Wallace Brewing is a miner’s helmet and two pick axes. But this is not where the mining references stop. Majority of the beer names all have some sort of relation to mining, whether it be the Jackleg Stout, The Vindicator IPA, named after a “deep, dark, rich mine shaft” and lastly paying respect to the working girls in the mining town with the RedLight Irish Red Ale.