Stoney Indian Pass

This hike was one of my favorite of all time. From start to finish it was magical. We got great weather, we ate like kings, and we didn't kill ourselves with our pace. We took it all in. With easy vistas like these you gotta. Scott, Brett, and Amy were perfect backpacking companions. I had never gone through the Belly River Valley towards Stoney Indian Pass but had wanted to for several years after seeing some of Scott and Cody's pictures. Next time I plan on going all the way past Cosley Lake, up through the Stoney Indian Pass and over into Waterton National Park. I honestly can't wait to get back there. Glacier National Park was already my favorite NP in the US and this hike I think solidified it for good. *All pics were taken with the iPhone 4s. Kinda wish I brought my Canon but these hold up pretty good I think.

Vimy Peak

Had a chance to hike the second highest peak in Waterton National Park recently with some friends. It was a great day. The highlight was shale surfing down the mountain and pushing large boulders down to the valley below.

Canadian Roadtrip

^The gang just before we departed Salt Lake. 7-11 was a must for a snack stop.

^Damien, Ashley, Paula, and Katelin met up with the rest of us in Missoula after driving through the night. Once that happened we were rolling 18 deep. Two vans and a hatchback. Wes' family were nice enough to let us crash their pad on the way up.

^We had to stop by this trading post in Hungry Horse, MT. The owner of the place even got in a picture with us wearing his coyote medicine man hat. Classic.

Avalanche gorge with some of the group.

Classic group shot once we started on our way up "Going To The Sun Road" in Glacier.

Looking at some Grizzly bears we spotted from the car in Many Glacier.

Evan, Beau, and Tadd going over the cache of pictures from the day before.

Panorama of Waterton Lakes Nationl Park

I don't know what I got myself into but all of a sudden I was among 17 friends heading up to Alberta, Canada on a roadtrip. What started out as a small group of friends heading up north turned into a much larger group and ultimately a party on wheels. Typically when you think of a group this size one might be turned off, but this was different. Everyone was on the same page. I couldn't have asked for a better mix of friends and personalities. There were some real characters in the group and it kept an already lively group even more lively. Never a dull moment. The trip went on without a hiccup or issue. Coordinating this many people in a foreign land was actually quite easy. I didn't think it would come together as it did but really I owe it all to the fact I have honestly, the. best. friends. ever. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to associate with. If you want to go on the next one, next summer get at me. I didn't think I would have it in me to do another one but after it was all said and done I couldn't wait to show more people some of my most favorite places on the planet.

Yosemite

I hadn't been to Yosemite since I was a kid so this little weekend trip was a bit overdue. I couldn't pass up a weekend hanging out in a campsite in the valley with several good friends I grew up with back in Newbury Park. I could talk your ear off about this place and how enjoyable it was. A few things I'll touch on briefly: We ate like kings (honestly ate more than I do at home thanks to Rob and Brian getting fanatical at Costco and stalking up two full size coolers), we didn't hike half dome but it will be done next time in the not too distant future, we found a great swimming hole off the beaten path on the Merced River and it didn't disappoint, the company was great and so was the weather. What more could a guy ask for?

*I would break down each picture but I won't get into it here. Shoot me a message or an email if you have a question. All pics were taken with my trusty iphone. I've been bad at bringing my G9 around with me since my phone is so convenient and produces pretty decent quality pictures. 

Zion National Park

Took a quick trip with a great littl crew down to Zion National park. Chris, Madison, and Kyle were a good group to go with. We hiked Angels Landing after camping just outside of the park on some BLM land. You can't beat free. I even got to break out my Poler Tent. It was a pretty good weekend. Also, we made it down to Bryce Canyon to watch the eclipse. I'll make another post with some of those pics soon.

MADE IN ICELAND

This gal documents her trip throughout Iceland perfectly. Not just because she has skills with her videocamera, or picked spot on music for her production, or happens to be quite charming, or chose an incredible location, but because she weaved a bit of a story into her documentation. Enjoy all fifteen minutes of it.

POLER STUFF

I got me a Poler two man tent this summer and I must say I'm quite happy about it. I would have gotten one if it was a different color but it just so happened to be one of my favorites so it worked out great. I don't remember exactly where I came across their site but all I gotta say is that I'm happy with their products and I can't get enough of the pictures they post on their blog. I'm looking forward to seeing what other crazy gear they start offering throughout the year. These guys are onto something. They will be rolling out more products so keep going back. Support what they got going on. You won't regret it. I was so stoked to get my tent I immediately set it up in my room and slept in it the first night I got it. Weird? Perhaps. Normal for someone who likes camping and everything else associated with it?

Yes indeed.

I wish I would have brought it out to Hawaii this time around. It would come in handy right about now. 

CHIEF MOUNTAIN

Ever since I was a young child I've wanted to hike to the top of Chief Mountain. I remember as a little 9 or 10 year old, watching a group of my older cousins, a few uncles, and my grandpa heading out to hike to the top. I was pretty bummed about not being able to go with them. Well I finally got to the top this summer. It was worth the wait since the mid 90's. Totally worth it. It wasn't even that bad of a hike. The 45 minutes of traversing up the shale was the only difficult part but other than that it wasn't bad at all.

Two summers ago I had an opportunity to hike to the top of Old Chief but wasn't able to make it due to a couple reasons. One being the fact I invited a gal I was spending time with at the time to come and she forgot her passport (needed to get through the border and into the United States, in which the mountain is just barely located) and due to me not really explaining to her that it was a serious hike that requires more than just a pair of Keds (the only type of shoes she brought with her) and a granola bar. I ended up having to tell my buddies I wasn't going to make it, which bothered them considering we had planned the trip weeks in advance and were pumped to conquer it.

I ended up taking the gal on a date which included us canoeing and having a picnic on the other side of the lake we were on and having a really good time. Seriously, it was really fun... but it was not fulfilling my dream of hiking Old Chief. To make matters worse, I had to endure many taunts and various different kinds of verbal abuses, along with them making up a hand signal that mimics the face of the mountain that reminded me how I didn't make it up to the peak like they had (talk about humiliation).They still bring it up, no lie. All in all I learned my lesson and have vindicated myself from here and forever onward with my long overdue excursion.

I won't say anything else about the hike (I'll let the pictures do the talking) except that I'm grateful for Chanel for getting the group together and making things happen.

P.S. If you look at the header to my blog, it's pretty easy to tell which mountain is Old Chief. That's the view I have from my house. Not too shabby.

P.S.S. Here is a picture of Jeff and Ben making fun of me with their silly little hand gesture.