upheaval dome syncline trail- canyonlands national park

After we finished the Grand View Point Trail we drove to Upheaval Dome for the highlight of the day’s activities, Syncline Trail in Canyonlands National Park.

Upheaval Dome is believed to have been created by the impact of a meteorite, as you can see from the crater and concentric circles in the picture above.  Syncline trail is a loop trail that follows the perimeter of Upheaval Dome for 8.3 miles, opening up midway through the hike.  This particular hike takes about 6-8 hours and would classify as strenuous, involving quite a bit of scrambling.  The trail is marked by cairns for the duration of the hike.  The trailhead starts at 5680 feet elevation and slowly descends over 1000 feet for the first half of the hike.

I have to admit, from everything I have read about this trail, that April is the perfect time to be in this area and an ideal time to hike this particular trail.  July temps easily reach in the 90-100′s.  That would make me reconsider what time of day I would attempt to hike this trail and what I would pack (like a gallon of water).  Our April hike stayed in the mid-60′s and allowed us to pack a couple of liters of water.

The stunning beauty of this desert area is comprised primarily of sandstone and shale, which make for some amazing formations and sights.  There was one particular area (picture below) where we sat down and just took it all in.  It was absolutely quiet, not a sound to be heard… just complete stillness.  Such artistry in what we saw and the stillness of being enveloped by all of it.  A person does not get to experience that very often.  It was heavenly.

No… Patrick was not drinking the water!  It was staged.

At the midpoint of the hike it open up with the opportunity to take a trail to the center of the crater.  Although we initially wanted to take that trail, we realized that the first half of the hike took longer than we had anticipated… because we stopped for so many pictures!  We decided to not make any stops for the second half of the trail so that we could finish in reasonable time.  Take note: if you travel counter-clockwise on this trail… the most strenuous portion is the last mile with a 2000 foot vertical ascent to get back to the parking lot.  Needless to say, I didn’t take many pictures during this time.

Syncline Trail, which loops around Upheaval Dome in Canyonlands National Park, is an absolutely amazing and rewarding 8 mile hike that will not only give you an amazing full body workout because of the hiking and scrambling, but an opportunity to see views and formations that will give you glimpses of heaven.  I highly, highly recommend this hike.

Brandon

grand view point- canyonlands national park

We took a somewhat spontaneous trip to Utah at the end of April.  It was meant to be a very quick trip, leaving Indiana on a Wednesday night and driving straight through to Moab, Utah.  We arrived on Thursday afternoon with plans to hike all day Friday, mountain bike all day Saturday, and then drive through Arches National Park on Sunday (leaving for Indiana late Sunday night).

As a side note, I was a bit nervous as we traveled west through Kansas and Colorado because it was, not only in the low 30′s, but snowing.  I packed as if the temps were going to be in the 50-60′s, so needless to say I was a bit cold when we made a stop in western Kansas with the temperature at 28 degrees.  Fortunately as we passed into Utah the temperatures and weather normalized.  The temperature ranged from a high in the 70′s to a low in the mid 40′s, which was very nice.

On Friday morning we decided to hit a very short, and not very taxing, two mile roundtrip hike in Canyonlands called Grand View Point.  On the map below you will notice a large Y in the middle of the park.  This hike is located at the very bottom of the Y.    While this hike is leisurely enough for families it should be noted that there are NOT guard rails.  Caution should be used with small children.

When hiking Grand View Point you may want to pack a little bit of water.  Granted, it is only a short two mile “in and back” hike from the parking lot, but it will take you longer to finish this hike than you might expect- because you will want to take a million pictures.  Every step of the hike is full of stunning beauty.

At the end of this trail, there is an amazing payoff (as if the whole hike wasn’t enough).  For those willing to do a bit of climbing up some large boulders… the view is UNBELIEVABLE.  You don’t have to climb the rocks to experience the view, but I recommend it.

If you are in the Canyonland National Park, do yourself a favor and hit the Grand View Point trail.  You will not regret it!

Next post Upheaval Dome Syncline Trail- Canyonlands National Park

Brandon

earth’s gorgeousness

Knobstone Trail- Elk Creek to Delaney

I will be updating live throughout the day as we hike a 15-mile section of the Knobstone Trail in southern Indiana.

The entire Knobstone Trail is about 40 miles. Two weekends ago, a couple of the guys went out to tackle the entire trail. It was an ambitious goal for a few reasons. Of course it was very cold and snowing, which made the conditions quite muddy, but there was an even greater obstacle: elevation.

I know that sounds crazy because Indiana is vertically challenged. But, I am dead serious. Over the 40 mile hike the total elevation gain is 10,500 feet. I know, I know that is insane! That is as much elevation gain as we did in July in the Rocky Mountains. But that just proves how hilly this portion of trail is in southern Indiana.

The guys covered approximately 25 miles before calling it quits because of the conditions. I am joining them today to finish the final 15 miles.

7:15 AM- leaving Columbus, Indiana

8:15 AM- From I-65 we dropped off one car at Delaney Park. It was about 10 miles off of I-65 and took about 30 minutes to get to the park.

What a beautiful drive. The sun was rising over the hills. We left Columbus with Thunderstorms and 41 degrees. Looking at clear skies now and already 56 degrees. Fantastic day for a hike!

9:00 AM- Starting at Elk Creek. Beautiful, beautiful morning.

First 15 minutes greeted us with a nice 200 ascent. Stopped to zip off the legs. Already 60 degrees.

9:40 AM- Nice breeze. Rewarding hike.

10:05 AM- This is NOT a trail for beginners or for families or anyone out of shape. The ascents and descents are rigorous. Definitely pushing me early.

11:40 PM- The reason the early ascents and descents were so rough was because there are no switchbacks anywhere. It is point A to point B. I am going to refer to this trail as The Good Ole Boy trail.

Pretty trail though. Not any green yet. Still too early. Looks like Fall. On a trail deviation right now due to the tornado last year. Probably at the six or seven mile mark.

Well the deviation only took us to mile 38 (which is only 5 miles). A lot of deviation walking with little return!

1:23 PM- Right before mile marker 40 Patrick said that other than the first three ascents.. this trail is pretty good. After marker 40… we hit the toughest ascent. Woof. We have about five miles remaining.

3:01 PM- Getting close to the end. I will write a summary when I get home. BUT just after mile marker 43 we hit the beast. It went STRAIGHT up and definitely was a hard way to end.

SUMMARY

As you can see from the elevation chart above, the Knobstone Trail has many peaks and valleys, which make the overall elevation gain over 45 miles significant.  For this particular trip we started at the third red line around the 32 mile marker and finished at around the 46 mile marker.

We started around 9 AM with the temperature right at 60 degrees.  Quickly into the hike we each had to loose some clothing.  We had a constant 20 mph breeze that accompanied us over the 15 miles.

The greatest challenge was the lack of switchbacks and you should make a note of this.  Hiking a straight shot up a hill (and going down) at a 65 degree angle will test your stamina and your knees and ankles.

The greatest head-scratcher was around the 37/38 mile marker.  We descended over 150 feet straight down, turned to our left, and then the trail went back up to the ridge from which we had just descended.  As soon as we got back to the top, the trail went immediately back down.  It was incredibly frustrating and redundant.  We could not understand why they did that.  We thought we were on a hidden camera show.

Ultimately, this portion of the Knobstone Trail is quite enjoyable and worth the effort.  There were several areas where it leveled out and afforded some leisurely hiking.  I wish the area would have been greener but it was still early.  A few more views of the rolling hills would have been nice, but I really enjoyed my time there.  This is definitely a unique area in Southern Indiana to get opportunities for significant elevation.  I can see why so many use this as a training ground for the Appalachian Trail (AT).

brandon

6 Things You Need to Know at 20 degrees

I have done several multi-day hiking/camping trips in which the daytime and nighttime temperatures were consistently at or below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

I have several things that I do, not only to stay warm, but to also insure that I do not get hurt or become hypothermic.

In this post I want to share some ideas that may help you if you are considering hiking/camping in freezing conditions or if you consider yourself a novice who is still learning.

1. When you are cold…move!

The logic here is relatively straight forward. When you are not moving or exercising… and as the outside temperature begins to plummet… your body begins to protect essential organs. Blood circulation centrals around essential organs and limits the amount of blood circulated to extremities. But, as you begin to move or exercise, your heart rate increases and your blood begins to circulate rapidly throughout your entire body, which also begins to warm your fingers, toes, hands, and feet.

When I am stationary and begin to lose sensation in my fingers and toes, I begin moving. I do jumping jacks, push ups, and other activities that get the blood pumping. In my opinion, the very best solution (other than going indoors or starting a fire) is to put on your pack and begin hiking. Within 20 minutes of active hiking, you will warm up considerably and will feel the blood pulsing into your hands and feet.

2. Refuse the urge to wear multiple layers of clothing.

I know, I know. This one is extremely counter-intuitive. You may think that it would be a better idea to wear as many layers as possible in order to stay warm, but as soon as you are ready to begin your hike try to remove your jacket or your outer layer. At that moment you will want to resist that idea BUT, I promise you, when you get about 15-20 minutes into your hike you will have to stop and remove the layers anyway because you will be too hot and likely very sweaty. You will be able to handle 15-20 minutes of cold before you begin to warm up and you will also reduce sweating, which is a cold temp no no.

3. If you begin to sweat…

If you have read my other posts in the past you will know that I take a lot of precaution and do a lot of planning before hiking/camping trips. I do not like surprises. When hiking/camping for an extended period of time in freezing conditions, do everything you can to reduce how much you sweat. Sweating in freezing temperatures (without proper precaution) may lead to hypothermia or hypothermic symptoms. Like I said above, reduce the number of layers you are wearing while hiking. However, if you begin to sweat excessively while wearing one or two layers, take an opportunity to dry off or change shirts. If you end the day with wet clothing and no way to warm up, you could be in real trouble. Be smart, and take proper precautions.

4. I love me some warm rocks

Of course I have a mummy sleeping bag in which I sleep, but I also like to sleep comfortably even in single digit temps. Set a softball sized rock next to your fire about an hour before you plan to go to bed. Make sure that it isn’t too hot to hold and then take it with you as you get into your bag. Depending on your comfort level, you may put it at your feet inside the bag or you may cradle it close to your tummy area. When you cinch your mummy bag at the neck… all the radiating warmth of the rock will be trapped in the bag. You can thank me later.

Last year as I was readying for bed… my zipper broke on my mummy bag. It was around 7 degrees Fahrenheit. I moved the seam underneath of my body and then cradle my warm rock. I had about 6 hours of toasty warm sleep.

5. Eat

This suggestion is really simple. Keep food in your stomach. The energy that is being used to digest the food creates heat… so eat. Have snacks while you are hiking and make sure to eat something before you go to bed at night.

6. You can’t drink ice

These suggestions are more about convenience than life-or-death, but they will definitely help you out. At night when you get in your mummy bag, keep your gloves, cell phone, and/or contacts in the bag with you. The next morning you will be thankful for warm gloves to start the day, a cell phone that does not have a drained battery, and/or contacts that are not frozen. Also, keep in mind that water freezes below 32 degrees. I know you know that! But you may forget to keep your water bottle close to you and it may freeze solid. Yes, that has happened to me… and you can’t drink a block of ice. So make sure to keep your water close to the warmth of your body.

I would love to hear what you do as well! Share your secrets to staying warm in freezing conditions in the comments section.

I guess I should also say that I am NOT a medical professional, nor should my advice be taken in matters of life or death. The above suggestions have not been authorized by a medical or safety professional. They are simply my opinions.

Be safe out there!

Brandon

merrell: men's barefoot water current glove

Reblogged from a joyful procession...:

I picked up a pair of Merrell Water Current Glove from their Barefoot Collection a couple of months ago, as I was looking for a pair of shoes that I could wear at camp at the end of the day after a long hike - or- that I could wear for shorter leisurely/moderate hikes.

I have been blown away with this shoe, thus far, for several reasons.

Read more… 879 more words

Product Update from a previous post...

charles deam wilderness: peninsula trail

We recently took a weekend guys hiking/camping trip to Charles Deam Wilderness, which is south of Bloomington, Indiana and nestled right up against the Hoosier National Forestry. If you remember… a handful of us braved a single-digit weekend excursion to Deam this past January, putting all of our survival skills to the test! In January, we navigated Axsom Branch as well as portions of Grubb Ridge Loop. This time we set out without any sort of plan, except that we wanted to spend some time on Monroe Lake.

We parked at the parking lot southwest of Axsom Branch and headed northwest on Grubb Ridge Loop. Being that we started the hike in the evening, we didn’t want to be too ambitious. Our goal was to set up camp close to the split of Grubb Ridge Loop trail and the Peninsula Trail. The temperature that autumn evening was a fantastic and cool low 60′s with a low overnight in the high 40′s (perfect Indiana camping weather). We set up the tents in a really nice area with thick pine needle covering and spent the late evening around a fire.

The next morning we decided to continue on the Peninsula Trail until we hit the end of the trail at Monroe Lake. We took our time packing up and got a late morning start. With no agenda, our only goal was to enjoy our time venturing through the wilderness. With many of our trips it seems as if we are always moving and trying to get to the next destination at a reasonable time to set up before sun down. It was actually really nice to take our time. It was around noon when we made it to the end of the trail at Monroe Lake. As I looked out into the lake I saw what appeared to be an island about 1/2 mile offshore. I jokingly commented that we ought to swim out to it. And of course a few guys got really serious about it. For the next ten minutes they were just waiting for someone else to say let’s do it! I finally began to take off my boots and socks, “Let’s do it boys.” We stripped and gingerly made our way over the jagged rocks to the lake’s edge. We began to wade slowly into the cool water and then just began to swim. Our amateur voyage to the island took about 40 minutes and we were all glad that the swim was over. We walked on the other bank, looked at each other, and then wondered aloud how we were going to get back to the other side.

Never one to do more physical work when I can use my brain to avoid work, I suggested that we wave down one of the boats on the lake to take us back to the other side. Being that is was turning into a really nice afternoon, the lake activity was beginning to pick up. Our first victims came over in their speed boat and assured us that they had no interest in disrupting their fishing expedition to take us to the other side. Not to be disheartened, we began to wave down a pontoon boat that was around the bend of the lake. We thought it was unlikely that they would see us, but we began to hear cackling and merriment and knew that our arm-waving had become a source of great entertainment. Fortunately enough for us, the pontoon began to creep in our direction…and the jovial uproar grew. It was infectious, as we began to laugh as well. And we laughed even harder when we realized the boat was full of 50-60 year old ladies who had been imbibing the spirits as breakfast and lunch. Needless to say, they were more than happy to pick up some hapless, beleaguered, and shirtless hunks on beach. We boarded… became the focal point of all sloshy conversation, and then were greeted by heckles and jeers from the rest of our contingency. What a story. Too bad we don’t have photos of that huh? : )

After lunch, we decided to stay along the lake side and hike to one of the campsites on Monroe Lake.

This was a stunningly beautiful hike along the lake. The sun brought out all of the early fall vibrancy- the yellows, greens, and browns. Just being able to breath deep and enjoy such beauty recharges one’s batteries and refills one’s soul. As much as I would highly recommend this particular hike and route, there were a couple of things to take into account. Our decision to hike along the lake overall was a good idea because we didn’t have to backtrack at the peninsula. However, there were about four areas where we no longer had a path to walk so we had to hike up the steep hill, walk through the woods, and then back down to a walkable path on the lake’s edge. Maybe the greatest challenge hiking along the lake’s edge was when the terrain turned almost exclusively into an angled pathway comprised of wet shale rock. It was incredibly slick and we had at least two or three guys slip and fall. The final thing to take into account is pumping water. We brought our pumps and at our final camping destination we went into the lake to pump. It was a slow and laborious process because the water was so green that we had to clean our filters several times to get a few bottles of water.

Nonetheless, the sunset on Monroe Lake was exquisite and it was a joy to watch it settle in behind such a magnificent backdrop.

peace…

brandon