cyberhobo

Category: Outings

  • Storm Mountain – The Monastery

    The day begins in a maddening comedy that ends with us chasing Sean down a forest road, and Sean going home with no idea where we are. We embark without him on the rugged trail to The Monastery, where we manage to do some climbing on strange new rock despite a hot sun. When we…

  • Storm Mountain Camping

    We don’t know any good open camping spots near Estes Park, but Roosevelt National Forest encompasses much of the map area northeast of there, so we go in search of a spot. Following Devil’s Gulch Road to Glen Haven we find nothing. Nor is there much prospect between Glen Haven and Drake. We’re planning to…

  • Lumpy Ridge – Fin City

    Intending to do so easy crack climbs and practice setting anchors, we head to Eagle Rock outside Estes Park, only to find “NO CLIMBING” signs posted at the access point. This resulted in a change of course to Fin City near Gem Lake, with a long approach, bushwhack, and exceedingly difficult anchor setup. We were…

  • Snowy Range – Brooklyn Lake

    It’s looking like a hot day, so we’re happy to head up to the Snowy Range for hike in the cooler altitudes. Indeed we find a nice cool breeze at Brooklyn Lake – so nice that I make a rare blunder and forget to wear a hat. We soon find out that the price for…

  • Vedauwoo – Valley Massif

    At last, a sunny day at Vedauwoo! Ann, Sean, and I figure it’s been six weeks since our last route – yow. Dad and Sarah join us for the familiar hike into Valley Massif. We do a route called Soft Touch, 5.5. The rating is easy, but true to Vedauwoo, it’s only “easy” if your…

  • Wet at Vedauwoo

    It seems like months since we’ve done any climbing and we’re itching to get on some rock at Vedauwoo, but alas, the weather does not comply. Instead we explore some of the territory east of the main area on foot, and despite the drizzle Vedauwoo supplies us with soul-nourishing experiences, as it always seems to.…

  • Tobico Marsh Trail

    Today’s outing is a lovely 2.5-mile loop in the Tobico Marsh State Game Area north of Bay City. Mom hikes this trail frequently, and we can see why. It’s thick with life – we see a few varieties of mushrooms despite the dryness and Ann spots a snake snacking on a frog. The only downside…

  • Hall Lake

    Looking for a nearby hike, we find our way to the Yankee Springs Recreational Area. The Hall Lake trail gives us a couple of miles worth of exercise, while serving up ducks, a Great Heron, and turtle tracks. There is also a good supply of mosquitoes, and it’s hot and muggy out, so we don’t…

  • Douglas Beach

    These Lake Michigan beaches are some of the nicest I’ve been to. We start in Mom’s old neighborhood at Douglas Park Beach, where she painted her popular Lake Effects posters. The roads are shady and quiet here, the beaches sunny with sand so fine it buzzes when you walk on it. There seems to be…

  • Bay City River Walk

    Mom gives us a little tour of the Saginaw River in Bay City on the local river walk trail. We pass the burned, sunken hulls of ships from the 19th-Century Davidson shipyard. A Great Heron catches fish in a marshy inlet. A freighter works its up the river, passing under the city’s four drawbridges. It’s…