OR-Mt. Hood

Posted on May 25, 2016 by rcragun

Summit Date

May 25th, 2016, around 7:00 am

Party

Ryan Cragun & Tom Triplett

Trip Report

For the previous 45 highpoints I had done, my wife had expressed some concerns, but had never insisted that I hire a guide. With Mt. Hood, given that people die on the mountain regularly and that it is snow-covered year round and that I had no prior experience climbing in such conditions, she insisted I hire a guide. And, frankly, since I climb mountains as a hobby and would rather not die, I found her logic compelling. My hiking buddy, Tom, and I located the Timberline Mountain Guides online and made a reservation for late May.

The way the guiding service worked was that we paid for a package. We were supposed to arrive at the Timberline Lodge (which is a ski resort on Mt. Hood) two days before we would try our ascent. I had a nightmarish experience with Spirit Airlines that almost killed the trip before it started. Their flight into Tampa that would then take me to Dallas before heading to Oregon was delayed, and the only way they could get me to Portland that day was without my checked bag with all my gear. I ended up canceling my flight with Spirit and re-booking on Delta last minute (which wasn’t cheap) but was able to get to Portland to meet up with Tom on the night of the 23rd. We picked up our rental car and some supplies, then headed to the Timberline Lodge where we had booked the cheapest room they had (with bunk beds).

Bright and early on the morning of the 24th we headed to the offices of the Timberline Mountain Guides and met the guides and the other hikers who would be headed up the mountain with us. There were nine hikers with three guides, for a 3 to 1 ratio. Of the nine hikers, 8 of us had a fair amount of experience; 1, Terence (not his real name), did not (we’ll come back to him). We first went through the gear we brought and then were outfitted with any gear we were missing. I don’t have an ice ax, mountaineering boots, or crampons. I also didn’t have a puffy jacket at the time (though I do now). I ended up renting all of those.

After we were all geared up, we headed out of the office and to a nearby slope where we spent about 4 hours going over snow climbing techniques. We covered all sorts of topics: hiking in the snow without crampons, hiking with crampons, how to use ice axes for balance and for self-arrests, and how to hike short-roped in groups of four. It was a pretty good crash course on snow and ice mountaineering. We also got a pretty good sense of which of the 7 other hikers could be trusted, and who was not as skilled on the mountain (ahem, Terence). Tom and I ended up working with a guy named Jim who was the oldest in our group, but he was a solid hiker, even if he was a little slower than the rest of us. His reliability on the ropes (we could be tied to him the next day) made us want to have him on our team, but the guides ultimately got to choose the rope teams.

After our morning of training, the guides gave us some final instructions about when we would meet and what we should bring, then let us go. We had a few things we needed to do. The guides mentioned the possibility of taking skis or snowboards up on the snowcats to the top of the resort, which is where we’d start our hike the next morning, so we could ski or snowboard down from there after we had summitted. Tom and I decided to rent snowboards so we could take advantage of that opportunity. I also realized that my thick gloves I bought in the early 1990s for snowboarding had lost their ability to keep water out. They were completely waterlogged after the 4 hours of training. I needed new gloves. Luckily, we found a ski shop in the nearby town that had some really nice gloves (that cost a small fortune). I would have been miserable if it were not for those gloves. We also picked up some last minute supplies and had a big dinner before heading to bed early to try to get some sleep.

We didn’t sleep all that much, maybe three hours, before we got up around 12:45 so we could meet at 1:30 to catch the snowcat to the top of the resort.

The snowcat took about 30 minutes to get to the top of the resort. We then had to gear up, and Tom and I had to stow our snowboards and boots. That meant we were a little later getting ready than everyone else, which drew the attention of our third guide who had not helped with the training the day before and we were just now meeting for the first time. He was probably in his 50s, European, and very professional. He also was completely no nonsense on the mountain. He started out eyeing Tom and I as we took a little longer than everyone else to get geared up because we had to ditch our snowboards. As a result, we were at the end of the pack when we started out.

We hiked for about twenty or thirty minutes to get us warmed up, then stopped for about 5 minutes so we could adjust our layers. At that point, Tom and I snuck up to the front of the pack as we didn’t like being slowed down by the hikers who weren’t moving as fast as we wanted to. That was a good move. We stopped a couple more times between that first stop and the Hogsback, which was the staging zone for our final ascent and the place where we would get our harnesses on and be divided into rope teams. Every time we stopped, it seemed like the group was getting more and more spread out; some of the hikers were much slower than others. Tom and I were nipping at the heels of the guide who was breaking the trail for us, but only because we do a lot of hiking and are in pretty good shape.

When we finally made it to the Hogsback, it was just beginning to get light (the sun wouldn’t come up for about another hour).

It took almost 20 minutes from when Tom and I arrived at the Hogsback with the lead guide before Terence showed up with the last guide. The guides told us to get our harnesses on, then snuck off to the side to have a conversation. They came back a few minutes later and announced to the group that Terence would not be going any further as he was not physically fit or skilled enough to continue. Unbeknownst to Tom and me, who were at the front of the group, Terence had been struggling since our first stop. He was asking other people to carry stuff for him, was trying to walk up the mountain backward in crampons because he was tired, and was generally causing problems. There was no way the guides were going to let him continue up the mountain – it was way too dangerous.

All the hikers in our group had signed forms saying that the guides had final authority on the mountain and that we would do whatever they said. We had also signed a form saying that we would maintain a 3 to 1 ratio with the guides, and if that meant that one person had to turn around, two others would go with them. Now, in this situation, the guides gave Terence an option. He could stay on the Hogsback and wait for us to summit and then come back down, after which we would all descend together. Or he could hike back down with a guide. Terence chose option 3: He would pretend to wait at the Hogsback, but as soon as the rest of us left, he said he was going to try to summit without the guides. Considering the liability issues associated with what Terence was saying, the guides had no choice but to insist that Terence went down the mountain tied to a guide. And that meant that two of us had to go with him.

No one volunteered.

We were all pissed. This also delayed us on the Hogsback for about 30 minutes while we tried to work things out. The guides made a number of calls, to their bosses, to Terence’s emergency contacts, etc. Nothing would change Terence’s mind about waiting. Eventually, the guides came up with an alternate plan. There were a father and son doing a private hike up the mountain with another guide from Timberline Mountain Guides. When they got to the Hogsback, our guides asked them and their guide if he would take one of our hikers in light of our situation and they agreed. That meant just one person would have to go down with Terence. Again, with no one volunteering, we were kind of stuck, until one of our guides decided that, if we didn’t tell anyone, he would take four of us. He put Tom, Jim, and I together with another hiker (basically, four of the more reliable in our group). Terence was then short-roped to the new guide who wasn’t putting up with his nonsense at all and pulled off the mountain.

With Terence out of the picture, we then started our ascent. We skirted around the Bergschrund and the primary chute that most people climb and instead went up the Old Chimney route, which wasn’t as busy. Even so, there must have been close to 50 or so people climbing the mountain the same time we were.

I should note at this point that we had absolutely perfect weather on our climb. Once we broke through the clouds, we had an amazing view. We basically climbed Mt. Hood above the clouds, as you can see in this photo:

We made slow and steady progress up our route. About 100 feet below the ridge, our guide anchored us to the mountain, climbed that last really steep section, set another anchor, then belayed us to the top. It isn’t quite a 90 degree, vertical slope there, but it’s close. I’m sure that is the most dangerous spot on the mountain. Just to be extra cautious, our guides made sure we couldn’t fall there.

We made it to the summit around 7:00 am. There were a few other people up there, but not many. Our guides gave us 20 minutes or so to grab a bite to eat and take some pictures before we headed back down.

The reason they climb Mt. Hood at night is because the sun can heat up the ice at the top of the mountain. When the ice warms up, it’s more likely to break and fall on hikers and is generally just less stable. The idea, then, is to summit as early as possible and then get off the mountain before any ice starts falling. I did, actually, get hit in the leg with a piece of that very dense ice that was dislodged by a hiker above me and can attest to the fact that it is insanely dense. It left a good bruise where it hit me on my thigh. Also, on the way down, we did hear a lot more cracking than we did on the way up.

Our descent was much quicker than our ascent. Once we got back to the Hogsback, we took off our harnesses and stowed our ice axes. We then made very good time down the mountain. At the top of the resort, Tom and I had our snowboards waiting for us, and one of the guides had brought up his skis so he could make sure we made it off the mountain alright. We switched out our boots, packed everything into our packs and then headed down the resort on our snowboards, capping off an amazing hike.

Panorama (well, full-fledged video this time)

Directions to Timberline Lodge

Kolob Canyon and Taylor Creek Trail

Posted on June 25, 2015 by rcragun

After spending the night at America’s Most Wanted Bed and Breakfast in Colorado City, we were headed home. But we wanted to do a little more sightseeing on the way. I have done a lot of hiking in Zion National Park, but primarily in the main entrance (southern side of the park), and didn’t realize that there was a Western entrance that is right off of I-15. My brother-in-law mentioned it to me and I thought it might be fun to check it out on the way home.

I had scoped out the hikes in advance and had discussed the possibility of doing a hike with Toren. Given his age, we weren’t sure if he was going to be up for too much hiking, but he agreed to try a 5-mile hike. The hike in this part of Zion National Park that seemed best suited for his skill level was Taylor Creek Trail.

We pulled into Kolob Canyon around 10:00 and drove around to check out the sights for a bit. Here’s a panoramic shot of Kolob Canyon:

And a shot of Debi and Toren at the lookout:

After checking out the sites we then headed to the parking lot for the trailhead of Taylor Creek Trail. Toren was actually pretty excited about the hike initially and did pretty well going down into the canyon and for a while when the trail was flat. But it did get hot and he started to get a little tired. After a while, he started to say that he didn’t think he could go any further and he kept asking to stop for breaks. That was probably close to the 1.75-mile mark. We told him we were close to the end and tried playing games to keep him distracted. Eventually, we made it to the grotto at the end of the hike and he suddenly had all of his energy back as he wanted to go explore.

Here’s a photosphere I took at the grotto:

And a picture of the three of us at the grotto:

the three of us at the grotto at the end of Taylor Creek Trail

We stayed at the grotto for at least 30 to 45 minutes as Toren was having fun and we thought we’d enjoy the place. However, a group of young boys showed up eventually and they ruined the ambiance as they were yelling, screaming, and generally being annoying. We left at that point so we wouldn’t have to deal with them on the way out.

Toren did well for a while on the way out but eventually started getting tired again. To keep him entertained, we tried to find lizards, insects, and other animals and kept trying to draw his attention to cool plants, fungi, and other cool stuff. It worked for a while but he eventually lost interest. At one point he said, “Let’s not pay attention to nature, let’s just get out of here.”

So, we did. Here’s our trail map:

Alaska Cruise – Juneau (Mendenhall Glacier)

Posted on June 13, 2015 by rcragun

As with my adventure with Debi in Skagway, when my mother-in-law asked what excursion I wanted to go on, I looked for the one that seemed the most physically demanding in Juneau as well. That one turned out to be a helicopter ride to a glacier followed by ice climbing and hiking on the glacier (see here; it’s called the Extended Helicopter Glacier Trek). With this excursion, I was supposed to get an hour ice climbing with axes and ropes, followed by a couple hours hiking around a glacier, into caves, tunnels, etc.

Well… There was a hiccup. The day before my glacier adventure I got a call in my room on the ship from the people who manage the excursions. They said that there were not enough people who signed up for my excursion. However, they then said that there were enough people signed up for the same excursion about 30 minutes after mine, so I’d still get to go on the excursion, just 30 minutes later. That was fine with me.

The next day I got off the cruise ship with the rest of the family (they were going on a seaplane ride) and found the people who run the excursions. That’s when they broke the real news to me. Of all the people who were on the three ships in Juneau that day, I was the only one who signed up for that excursion. No one else wanted to go ice climbing. However, there were enough individuals signed up to do the glacier trek (not the extended glacier trek), that I could do that. Basically what that meant is that I wouldn’t get to do any ice climbing with ropes and axes, but would get to hike around on the glacier for a couple of hours. And they would refund the difference (it’s an expensive excursion). I didn’t really have an option, so I agreed and waited around until the van from the tour company showed up.

The van drove me to the Juneau airport and into a commercial area where the tours were based. There I met the other people who were going on the trek with me: two men from Belgium who were not on one of the cruise ships and a guy from California who was working as a tour guide on one of the whale watching boats. In other words, of the ~7,500 people in port that day on cruise ships, none of them wanted to do the extended glacier trek but me. Their loss!

At the tour headquarters, they geared us up for the hike – red or orange waterproof jackets, waterproof pants, hard shell boots, gaiters, gloves, harnesses, and helmets. Then they loaded us into a helicopter to fly up to Mendenhall Glacier. Here’s a view of the glacier from the airport (just after we took off):

This was part of the flight up to the glacier:

And here was our helicopter leaving after it dropped us off:

Once on the glacier, we met up with our guide who helped us get crampons on and then outfitted us with ice axes. She then proceeded to walk us around on the glacier and teach us about glacier hiking at the same time. It was actually really, really informative. I learned that crevasses can only be 150 feet deep (still plenty deep) because there are two types of ice in glaciers. The top 150 feet are brittle; whatever is below that flows like molten glass or plastic. I also realized that crevasses are really only dangerous when you can’t see them (e.g., after a fresh snowfall). If you can see them, you can easily avoid them. The other danger on a glacier is a moulin, or hole carved by water that can go all the way to the bottom of the glacier. Where we were hiking, the glacier was 1,000 feet thick. So, a moulin at that point could be 1,000 feet deep. Moulins are far more dangerous, though we walked by some that were full of water, since those were plugged at some point and you wouldn’t fall to the bottom – you’d just get wet if you fell into one of those. Finally, just getting around can be a little dangerous, but once you get the hang of the crampons and how to maneuver with them and the ice ax, it was pretty straightforward and not at all dangerous IMO.

We saw some waterfalls:

And hiked into some canyons:

Climbed into an ice overhang (not exactly a cave):

me in an ice overhang (not exactly a cave)

And stood abreast of a crevasse (that opened into a big crevasse, but was pretty small here):

Here’s a panosphere of what the glacier looked like:

We probably spent about an hour and a half walking and climbing around. I would have enjoyed the ice climbing, too, but even what I got to do was awesome. And having done it, I would definitely recommend that anyone in mediocre shape consider doing it. It wasn’t strenuous and was an amazing experience. I felt very comfortable after about 30 minutes and was ready to try something more extreme after that point. I didn’t, but I would have!

Anyway, here’s a clip of us flying back off the glacier:

After I got back, I headed back into town. There was a hike near the cruise ship, that sounded fun, but the distance of the hike meant I would get back just as the ship was supposed to leave, so I ended up just getting back on the ship.

Later that day in the hot tub I ran into a family from Tampa who had gone on a similar helicopter ride, but they didn’t get to do the “extreme” hiking. They just walked in a big circle around the base camp on the glacier. But they really enjoyed that, too.

The seaplane ride was, according to the rest of the family, pretty fun. However, most of the kids fell asleep (too much fun I guess).

Alaska Cruise – Skagway and Laughton Glacier

Posted on June 12, 2015 by rcragun

Just after my mother-in-law booked the cruise to Alaska, she then emailed all of her children and their spouses and asked what excursions they wanted to go on. My general approach to excursions these days, since I’m starting to get older, but am still active enough to do lots of things, is to try to do the most extreme, active things I can. When I’m 90, maybe I’ll slow down. But, for now, I ask, “What’s the most physically extreme excursion available?”

In Skagway, the most physically demanding one I found was a 5 mile round trip hike to the Laughton Glacier. I convinced Debi to do it with me and the rest of the family would watch Toren as they went on a train ride. The description of the hike sounded cool, but the part I loved was in the Notes concerning the hike:

Guests should be in good physical condition, able to walk over uneven and sometimes challenging terrain including rocks and tree roots, and hike in all weather conditions. The hike typically covers 5 to 7 miles.

I read this to mean that it was going to be physically demanding. Um, yeah. Not so much.

We met in one of the theaters for the excursion and I tried to size up those who were going on the hike with us. It was only about 8 of us, and they mostly seemed to be active adults, though most were clearly not serious athletes. As we got off the boat, we found a guide for our hike, who walked us about 3/4 of a mile to where we got on the train. Everyone seemed to make that walk fine. 😉

At the train, we met up with some passengers on another cruise ship, increasing our party to about 15 total, with 3 guides. On the train ride up to the trailhead, they had us make our lunches and provided everyone with tons of snacks, water, and fanny packs. Since I had my own backpack and bladder, we opted not to take the fanny packs or water, but we did take the snacks (multiple candy bars, trail mix, nuts, etc.)

The train stopped about half way up the track and we got off, then geared up. It was at this point that I started to feel a little bad for the guides. There were three guides, all women who were a lot smaller than I am (though they were all very tough and solid hikers; no doubt about that). All of the guests on the hike had tiny packs that weighed maybe 5 to 10 pounds, at most. Each of the guides had monstrous packs that weighed 40+ pounds. I felt bad for them because I knew they were carrying those packs for me, not for them (I felt that way even though I knew they were getting paid to do it). I was tempted to offer to carry one. I was sure they wouldn’t let me, but I would not have minded.

Once we were all geared up, we headed out. The trail was very well-maintained. The elevation gain was minimal. And the pace was… very… slow. Plus, we stopped every twenty minutes or so for the guides to ask if anyone needed anything, another candy bar, water, bug spray, sunscreen, to be carried, etc. The pace was so slow, I couldn’t help but hike right on the heels of the guide leading the group.

We stopped about half way up (1 1/4 miles) at an outhouse for a bathroom break. At that point, the guides realized that there were some faster and some slower hikers, so they suggested we split into two groups and the faster hikers could take the more “rugged” trail. I was all over that! Debi was too. She’s not as into hiking as I am, and she was wearing borrowed shoes that were rubbing her heels a bit, but she still felt the pace was too slow. The group split up and Debi and I stayed right on the heels of the guide as she took us up the rugged path. It was a bit more rugged, but it was definitely not 3 hours of boulder hopping on Granite Mountain. We did go faster, which was nice.

We stopped once on the rugged path just as we were able to make out the top of the glacier:

Just below the glacier (it got washed out in this photo)

Then we hit the glacier. Since this one doesn’t end in the ocean, you get a very different perspective. The bottom part of the glacier is largely covered with rocks and sand, though you can see ice through the rocks and sand.

The Laughton Glacier when you first see it on the hike. — The Laughton Glacier when you first see it on the hike It actually starts just below the icy part in the photo; the two rock/dirt covered hills in the center are part of the glacier.

We carefully hiked up onto the glacier a few hundred feet, found a nice scenic place to sit, and broke out our lunch. Here was our view:

Where we had lunch on the Laughton Glacier.

Panorama of the glacier from our lunch spot (click for full size)

And if you want the immersive experience, here’s the view as a photosphere:

The guides, in their massive packs, carried up huge thermoses of hot water, so we could have apple cider or hot chocolate for lunch. As bad as I felt that they had to carry those packs, the hot drink did taste great on the cold glacier.

We spent about 45 minutes on the glacier, then headed back out. We continued to stop every 20 minutes or so, and made another bathroom stop on the way down, until the last 1/4 mile or so. Then the guides got word that our train was coming and suddenly we were moving!

We made it out to the railroad track with about 2 minutes to spare:

We hopped back on the train, rode it back to Skagway, then walked through Skagway, and headed back to the cruise ship, where we met back up with the rest of the family.

Here’s the hiking route:

Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t pay to do that hike again. I’d pay for the train ride to get up to the trailhead, then do the hike without guides, as a few people did when we were there. It’s an awesome hike, but if you are at all fit and a competent hiker, there is no reason to have a guide on this hike.

Ireland – Carrauntoohil

Posted on May 26, 2015 by rcragun

I’m always up for a good hike, and it often turns out to be a great way to see places most people don’t see. One of the places people recommended I visit in Ireland was the Ring of Kerry. As luck would have it, the tallest mountain in Ireland, Carrauntoohil, is within the Ring of Kerry. I did a bit of searching and learned about an alternate route, the Coomloughra Horseshoe, which starts from a different place than most people who hike Carrauntoohil and makes a loop that tops the three tallest mountains in Ireland, Carrauntoohil, Caher, and Beenkeragh. I was hoping to do the complete Horseshoe, but was also paying very close attention to the weather. The route between Carrauntoohil and Beenkeragh involves a climb over a razor back ridge that seemed like a bad idea if it was raining or cloud covered.

I got up early, had a hearty breakfast of sausage and eggs at my B&B, then headed to the trailhead. No one else was parked at the trailhead, but I assumed some others would be coming along later.

I had okay directions from several websites, but knew I had to do some route finding along the way. Alas, the clouds were still hanging quite low when I started the hike and, by the time I reached Cottoners River dam, I was in the clouds and could only see about 50 feet in front of me. I knew roughly which way I was supposed to go, so I headed that way and tried my best to track my route on my GPS. Here’s a short video of what it was like hiking on the lower part of Caher before I crossed the vegetation line and was hiking just on rocks:

I eventually made it to the top of the first mountain, Caher, and was quite impressed with the elevation gain and ruggedness of the mountain. It was turning out to be a fairly challenging hike. Plus, the humidity in the clouds led to condensation all over me:

Me at the Caher summit with condensation on my hat.

Unfortunately, at this point, I had the crazy notion that the trail turned slightly on its way to Carrauntoohil. Not sure why I thought that, but I got off the actual trail and spent about 30 minutes wandering off the horseshoe before I realized I was off the trail. Thanks to Google Maps and my GPS, I got back on track and headed toward Carrauntoohil.

Just as I reached the summit of Carrauntoohil, about 30 minutes after I regained the trail, I noticed two individuals on the summit – two Russian-speaking priests in full priestly garb performing a ceremony that included chanting, praying, reciting, reading from books, and so on. No one else was on the summit, and I’ve never experienced that on the top of a summit. It went on for about 10 minutes after I arrived and I didn’t really know what to do, so I just kind of sat there, waiting:

After they finished up, I confirmed that they were priests, then took a few pictures as the sun had finally broken through the clouds.

I spent about 20 minutes on the summit, then, because it was still very cloudy, I opted to go back the way I came rather than try the razorback. It was so cloudy I immediately took a slightly wrong turn and headed down the standard route. I hiked for about 30 minutes before I realized my error and had to hike back to the route I had taken, which added another 30 minutes or so to my hike. Once I made it back to the trail, the clouds started to break and I finally started to get some nice views of the area.

Near the summit of Caher once the clouds broke.

The valley below Carrauntoohil once the clouds clear. — The valley below Carrauntoohil once the clouds cleared.

The rest of the hike was quite pleasant and I finally passed a few other people on the trail.

After the hike, I headed back to the B&B, showered, rested a bit, then went to the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club for a delightful dinner of fish and chips:

Fish and chips at the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club.

Here’s my route from the hike:

The Narrows – Top Down – Zion National Park

Posted on August 9, 2014 by rcragun

Mark wasn’t able to join Tom and I on our hike this year as he was hiking with his dad. Tom had just recently had his first Zion experience and had fallen in love with Zion National Park. As a result, he wanted to check out some of the more well-known but longer hikes in the park. Perhaps the most famous hike in Zion National Park (if not the most traveled; I think that is Angel’s Landing) is The Narrows, which hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people attempt every year. But most people who attempt to hike The Narrows try to do it from the bottom up. That’s fine and all if you don’t have much time, but it’s absolutely not the best way to experience The Narrows. To truly experience The Narrows, you need to do it from the top down, which requires a permit. And, if you want the very best experience, you should probably put in for a camping permit, as there are 12 campsites in the upper narrows that are all reserved through the park’s permit system. Camping would split the hike into two days and would give you plenty of time to enjoy the beauty of this amazing hike.

Tom and I were lucky enough to be awarded a permit for the top down hike of The Narrows, but we planned to do it in just a single day. It makes for a long day, as you have to cover 16 miles straight through, and about 14 miles of that is in a river. But we felt up to it.

We booked spots on a van with one of the outfitters in Springdale, the town located just outside the main entrance of the Park. We had to be at the outfitters store at around 6:00 and the ride to the trail head took about an hour and a half. We were dropped off around 7:30 or 8:00, and got started on the hike around 8:15 or so.

For the first couple of miles, you’re basically hiking by a small stream on a farm. We encountered quite a few cows during this part of the hike, and it’s probably why you’re discouraged from filling water bottles until you reach the junction of the Virgin and Deep Creek as the water is mixed with farm/ranch run off.

But slowly, the river widens and the canyon walls begin to get taller. Eventually, it becomes impossible to stay out of the river, and in you go. And then you get the canyons. And the canyons make this hike utterly amazing:

Tom hiking toward one of the slot canyons

The best part, IMO, about doing The Narrows top down is that there are, on any given day, maybe 20 or 30 people hiking down the top section of The Narrows with you. Tom and I ran into maybe 10 people while we were hiking the top part of The Narrows. The rest of the time, it was a serene experience – just the two of us in an amazing canyon, taking in nature’s splendor.

After about 6 miles of hiking, you reach the junction between Deep Creek and the Virgin River. The water level changes noticeably at this point. Prior to here, the water had never come up above maybe our ankles. However, from here on, water could easily come up to your knees, thighs, and at times your waist.

From the junction you head down the Virgin River and slowly pass the 12 campsites that are on both sides of the river, raised up fairly high to avoid flash floods. We stopped in one for lunch, then continued on down the canyon.

At about the 10 mile mark in the hike is where you hit Big Springs. Big Springs is about 6 miles in from the bottom of The Narrows and those hiking from the bottom up aren’t supposed to go beyond that point (we met one couple who had, but they quickly turned around when we pointed out that they were near the last campsite and had hiked too far). It’s at this point that the number of people around begins to climb pretty quickly. Of course, not many people hiking from the bottom up actually make it this far. It’s six miles through a river on very uneven terrain (making for a 12 mile hike). The outfitters who gear people up with canyoneering boots and equipment must realize just how few are actually going to go far up The Narrows. My guess is that less than half of those who start The Narrows make it more than 3 miles up the river before they turn around. It’s probably only 10% to 20% who make it all the way up to Big Springs.

Anyway, from Big Springs down to the bottom, the number of people slowly increased until, at the bottom, there was a veritable flood of people. The last 2 miles of the hike or so were kind of ruined by the swarm of people. Even so, we got 14 miles of amazing hiking. We exited the river around 4:00 or 4:30. We managed to do it all in about 8 hours or so, averaging about 2 miles per hour.

If/When I do The Narrows again, I’ll try to get an overnight permit. That way, I could take my time on the upper part and really enjoy it. Then, I’d get up early the next morning and try to get out of the river before the hordes of ill-prepared tourists flood the water. (Honestly, I saw people who had no business trying to hike up The Narrows giving it a shot: pregnant women carrying toddlers in their arms; people in flip-flops; very elderly individuals who looked quite frail. More power to them for trying, but they weren’t going to get very far.)

If you ever get a chance to hike The Narrows, try to do it the right way, from the top down. If you think about it, it’s only 4 miles more than hiking from the bottom up, but for 10 of those miles, you’ll be alone to enjoy the beauty of The Narrows. It is well worth it.

California Trip – day 9 – Travel Town Museum and Griffith Observatory

Posted on October 12, 2013 by rcragun

This was our last day in California. Debi was in her conference most of the day, so Toren and I went on another adventure. I found out that the Travel Town Train Museum was giving free tours in the morning. Toren likes trains but doesn’t love them. I thought it would be fun and it was okay. He liked the fact that he got to climb into a couple of engines and play with the levers:

After the train museum, we drove to Ferndell Park so we could hike up to the Griffith Observatory. Toren fell asleep in the car on the way, so I let him sleep for about an hour, then we hiked up to the Observatory (about 2 miles round trip).

Toren liked the Observatory for the most part. We didn’t get to watch a show as they only allow kids 5 and older to see them. But we looked over most of the exhibits and did get to look through the telescope.

Just before looking through the telescope, which is right behind him

After we hiked back down we headed back to the hotel. Just as we arrived, one of my friends from graduate school called. He saw a couple of the photos I had posted on Facebook from our trip to Griffith Observatory and realized that we weren’t far from him. He had just moved to Irvine to work for Oculus (I didn’t know he had moved as he only moved a couple weeks earlier). He was able to arrange us a tour of Oculus where we got to check out the tech (it’s really amazing) and catch up with him, which was even more fun since I hadn’t seen him in ages and he’s a really great guy.

We then got dinner and headed back to our hotel.

That pretty much did it. We flew back to Florida on the morning of the 13th.

California Trip – day 5 – Riley’s Farm and Heart Rock

Posted on October 8, 2013 by rcragun

We headed out of Anaheim again on the 8th. Toren has never really spent any time on a farm. We visited a milk cattle operation once, but Toren is growing up in the city. I thought a farm might be rather novel for him. A recommendation on red tricycle suggested Riley’s Farm in Oak Glen. Oak Glen is famous for apples, which Toren doesn’t like. But Riley’s Farm has a bunch of other activities. So, we headed to Riley’s Farm on the 8th.

We got there just after a tour started, and another wouldn’t start for a while, so we joined the tour that was in progress. That meant we missed one station. It was a colonial era tour and they were showing people what life was like during colonial times. The guides were in period costume and tried to act the part (I got ours to break character because I like doing that). The group that we were with was almost exclusively intellectually disabled; it was a field trip. There were two other boys, a few years older than Toren, who were also there with their mother. They raced motocross and were home schooled. And, they were the first young boys I had met who have hair longer than Toren’s.

We missed the quill and ink writing station but caught up to the tour in time to churn butter, which Toren didn’t want to do. We then weaved yarn:

After weaving, we helped make apple cider:

We also got to dip candles, though they gave us a candle as a starter:

The final activity was some colonial period games. Toren picked one up pretty well:

We finished up right around lunch time, so we ate at the restaurant on site. It was pretty good, but the best part was the fresh out of the oven bread, which Toren loved as well:

After lunch, we drove to Crestline, California to do a hike I found to a water-eroded indent in a rock that is shaped like a heart. It was about a mile and a half hike. Here’s a video of the Heart Rock:

Toren did the whole thing. He’s a budding hiker!

California Trip – day 4 – Sturtevant Falls and Reese’s Retreat

Posted on October 7, 2013 by rcragun

Debi’s conference started on the 7th and I had no intention of going to evil Disney. Instead, Toren and I once again took advantage of California’s hills and did some hiking. Our first hike was to Sturtevant Falls:

Toren with his gun sticks that he collects everywhere.

Here’s a video I took of the “falls”:

Given the time of year, they aren’t really falls. But the hike was nice. It was just under 3 miles and Toren did almost all of it. Plus, there are a bunch of cabins all along the hike and people actually live in them.

Which, unfortunately, led to what happened next. When we entered the park, I thought it was a little unusual that a National Forest was open, but I didn’t really give it that much thought. The gates were open, so we drove in. But, on the way out, the gates were closed – and locked! We were locked in a National Forest:

Turns out, the people who live in the cabins have keys to the gate and can open it. Someone left it open, but it was supposed to be locked. Toren and I, plus a few dozen additional people, drove in when the gate was opened and we got locked in. Lucky one of the signs gave a number for the local police department, but they would only open it every hour on the hour. So, we sat here for about 30 minutes waiting for them to open the gate.

We then stopped in Pasadena for lunch at a crêperie, which Toren loved. After lunch we stopped at a park we found on red tricycle, the best site ever for stuff to do in LA with kids. Toren and I looked at pictures of the best parks ahead of time and he found one that had a pirate ship play area. It’s called Reese’s Retreat and is in Brookside Park, but it’s completely hidden. You really have to know that it’s there. I marked it on this map:

View Larger Map

Here’s Toren at the park:

Toren at Reese's Retreat. — Toren at Reese’s Retreat.

Toren played on the pirate ship for a while, then he headed to the large sandbox that has a couple of water outlets that run into it. He eventually asked me to play with him. Since just playing in the sand doesn’t really appeal to me all that much, I convinced Toren and one other kid to help me dig a trench that would steal all the water away from some other kids who had dug their own trench, orchestrating our own little water coup. I was quite impressed with my ability to outsmart 6 year-olds.

After the park, we headed back to our hotel, swam for a bit, then went out to eat. Debi was in her conference all day and into the evening, so Toren and I went to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. I had never been, but Toren loves shrimp, so I thought it would be a hit. Turns out, not so much. He didn’t like their shrimp, but I got him dessert, which he did love.

Toren coloring while we waited for our food.

Road Trip – day 22 (Arches)

Posted on June 26, 2013 by rcragun

Our second day in Moab took us to Delicate Arch. The hiking party was something of a motley crew:

Debi, followed by the motley crew headed up to Delicate Arch

Here’s a clip of some of the kids climbing through a water drainage tunnel along the trail:

Debi, Toren and I all went, as did her sister, brother-in-law, and their two kids. Also accompanying us were Debi’s two brothers, her dad, and her brother’s two older kids. That’s a grand total of five kids under 6 and 7 adults. I had my backpack for carrying kids, and alternated which kids I carried, though I carried Toren most of the time. Debi’s brother-in-law had a similar backpack and carried their youngest in it. He also carried his other child at times. That left Debi’s brother’s two kids, one of whom I carried on and off. Debi’s dad made it about 2/3 of the way up but decided that was as far as he wanted to go, so one of her brothers helped him down as the rest of us continued up to the arch. Here we are at the arch:

After our grueling hike, we went home and took naps or went swimming. We then went to a western gun show that evening that included a gun show, western-style dinner, and music. It was quite fitting since the trip was to celebrate Debi’s father’s 80th birthday and he loves western music. He really seemed to like the show.