Hiking in Depth

05/05/2022

The short 1.6-mile round trip hike to Aztec and Granaries Buttes seems like it could be lacking, but there is a lot to see. Several Ancestral Puebloan structures from granaries to eagle catching sites. Desert plants like Pricklypear Cactus, Winterfat, and Cushion Buckwheat. Expansive views from canyons to the La Sal Mountains. If your visit to Canyonlands National Park in Utah is short I would put this hike high on the list of to-dos. I have a longer four-minute video that goes live tonight on my YouTube channel at 6:15pm PDST.

https://youtu.be/H5JFDNoCwLI Stop by and watch it with me!

Filmed: October 2021

04/14/2022

There aren't many better ways to get some solitude than heading off into the snow covered wilderness for a night of winter backpacking.

This was my first time snow camping and luckily I waited for a weather window where it was clear, windless and dropped to only 25F overnight. Starting at Barlow Pass Sno-park I followed the Pacific Crest Trail for about 4 miles to Lower Twin Lake were I had a nice lunch of tuna onigiri. I then hiked around the lake and up to Upper Twin Lake for a total distance of about 5.75 miles. After setting up camp, I watched the sun go down and kiss the top of Mt. Hood which was the only part visible from camp. Luckily I had my drone and surprisingly the lake is not within the wilderness boundary so I sent it up to capture the last of the glowing pink light before heading to bed to the sounds of a Barred Owl (Strix varia).
I have a full length 15-minute video of the trip that will be premiering on my YouTube channel tonight at 7pm. Join me to watch it live and ask any questions! https://youtu.be/ibCMsJH84VU

Note: All drone footage was taken from outside the wilderness area.

Filmed: February 2022

03/08/2022

When your body is aching and you just want to sit down, nothing beats finally getting camp setup. Bonus if you're snow camping and can build a trench in the vestibule, it becomes the perfect bench to sit at and cook dinner.

This photo is from an overnight snowshoe trip I did a few weeks back to Upper Twin Lake near Mt. Hood. I should have a video of the trip done in a couple weeks. 👍
Photo Taken: February 2022

03/05/2022

I'm already starting to dream of sunny spring skies and wildflowers, but it's still winter. If you're still in the winter vibes mood check out my latest video which is a snowy hike amongst hot springs and waterfalls in Yellowstone:

During a mid-October road trip through Yellowstone National Park a mild snow storm rolled through, leaving some roads closed and the trails covered in snow. ...

03/01/2022

The trail to Mystic Falls is one of the easiest in Yellowstone National Park so usually it's not the best way to beat the crowds. When an autumn snow storm drops a half foot of snow though it can be pure solitude.

The hike begins with a tour through Biscuit Basin, which was originally named for geyserite formations around a few thermal features that visitors thought resembled biscuits. The most prominent "biscuits" surrounded Sapphire Pool however, in 1959 the Hebgen Earthquake had a major effect on this area. The day after the earthquake Sapphire Pool was filled with muddy water that didn't disappear until 1971. More surprising is that four weeks after the earthquake Sapphire Pool began to have enormous eruptions, some of the most powerful to ever happen in the park in fact. The eruptions which were 120+ feet tall and just as wide blew most of the "biscuits" away from the pool. Eventually the eruptions began to subside with the last two happening in 1991 and at a height of "only" 20 feet. The pool is back to being as beautiful as ever and not nearly as dangerous as it has been.

I have an 8-minute video of the hike which is releasing this Thursday at 7pm PST. Join me here to chat live: https://youtu.be/2jOCojqfFTA

Filmed: October 2021

02/07/2022

I've always been more of a snowboarder and occasional cross-country skier, but I've been interested in the access that snowshoes can get you. I picked some up earlier this year, but didn't make it out for the first time until recently. Dad (Curtis Barnard Sr.) and I popped up to White River so I could take a test run on the shoes and he could use his new skis. The snow was a little hard, but everything worked out pretty well and now I'm planning some longer hikes and probably some overnights before winter is over.

Filmed: January 2022

02/02/2022

The color of this Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) grove begins to shift from vibrant green to a brilliant yellow signaling the coming snows of winter.

Aspens have the widest range of any tree in North America spanning from the Alaskan interior all the way to Mexico! It's a wonder that they've spread so far as they typically "reproduce" via root sprouts or suckers. However, they are able to reproduce via seed, it's just that the viability window is short and the environmental requirements are narrow so most don't survive. This suckering or cloning behavior has created one of the largest living organisms on earth, the Pando clone in Utah. This single genetic grove is over 100 acres in size and weighs some 14 million pounds! It may not be getting larger anytime soon as a study from 2018 found that it hasn't grown in the past 30+ years.

I'm not done with the interesting facts though. You've probably heard of petroglyphs, maybe pictographs, but have you heard of arborglyphs? It's carving of shapes, symbols and words into living tree's and Aspens have an abundance of them throughout the Western US. Basque sheepherders, who came to the US in the mid-1800's, spent lonely summers amongst high country Aspen groves. With no one to keep them company they took to carving names, poems, thoughts and images into the trees. These arborglyphs are slowly disappearing with the death of each Aspen tree which rarely live more than 150 years.

You can read some more about the carvings here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r4/home/?cid=fseprd973418

Photo Taken: September 2020

01/20/2022

Cheers to a Sawtooth Sunset.

Taking in the sunset from the east side of the range makes it clear why they were named the Sawtooth Mountains. Even though there are no active surface glaciers today, the area has been frequently glaciated in the past. These glaciers sculpted the Idaho and Sawtooth batholiths into the jagged range we see today.

Batholiths are large pockets of magma that cooled under the earths crust. One of the more famous batholiths is the Sierra Nevada Batholith which makes up Yosemite and it's dramatic granite walls.

Reminder that this video is going live tonight at 7PM PST join me to chat and watch live. https://youtu.be/58Q9T6TLXtM

01/19/2022

Everyone always dogs on Idaho, but I'm convinced it's an official campaign to keep us outsiders from seeing how awesome it is.

We made a quick trip to the Sawtooth National Forest and surrounding area where there are tons of great hiking trails. Even without a lot of time we were able to hike the 5-mile round trip Fishhook Creek trail for sunrise and then head over to Sunbeam Hot Springs for a soak. I have a longer video which is going to be premiering on Thursday evening at 7pm PST on my YouTube channel. Tune in and watch it live with me!
https://youtu.be/58Q9T6TLXtM

01/11/2022

I'm always on the lookout for new and familiar plants on the trail. Tam McArthur Rim had a good mix of both. Lower down I encountered the familiar Mountain Hemlock with it's distinctive drooping top and a late blooming Lupine with it's unforgettable purple, pea-like flowers. Higher up and into the alpine zone the landscape was dominated by low growing plants like Penstemon, Buckwheat and Anemone.

01/07/2022

On the edge of the rim.

Lucky for us, glaciers carved the 500 foot basalt precipice of Tam McArthur Rim which now offers commanding views of Cascades features near and far. In this photo you can see Little Three Creek Lake, Black Butte, Mt. Jefferson and if there wasn't wildfire smoke Mt. Hood in the distance.

The feature was named in honor of Lewis A. "Tam" McArthur in 1954. McArthur served on the Oregon Geographic board for 35 years and authored the first three editions of the excellent book "Oregon Geographic Names." His son would take up the mantle and go on to publish 4 subsequent editions of the book before passing away in 2018. I frequently use the book in my own research about hiking and history in Oregon. According to the latest edition of the book McArthur likely would not have approved of using his nickname in the naming of a feature as he took geographic nomenclature more seriously.

12/30/2021

A nice big flush of mushrooms on the Oregon Coast.