Going South...

I've been thinking a lot about going south... driving to Costa Rica. It's about 4,000 miles and would take about 10 days or so. 2 days to get to the Mexico border, 2 days to get through the rough, desolate part of Mexico, then about 2-3 days, minimum, along the Pacific coast... through Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Zhihuatinejo, and Acapulco. I wouldn't want to rush through these places! Might even want to spend a day or two in each until I get to the Guatemala border. I'd hit the border crossing first thing in the morning, then for the next 3 days, hit a different countries border crosssing first thing in the morning... El Salvador, Nicaragua, then Costa Rica. They say it can take a while to get across each border. I understand there's even a couple water parks along the way, in a couple of these countries! Once in CR, I could relax... take my time arriving in San Jose. But anxious to see a couple friends. There is a great need for volunteer mission work there. MAF, the Naz Seminary and then the SNU Research facility a little south and up in a cloud forest. Wonder if I could get 4-6 weeks off work? This has been on my mind a long time. I thought it might go away in time, but it hasn't. In fact, it's getting stronger in my mind.

There are many of my favorite things to do, in Costa Rica. Hiking, mountain climbing, biking, kayaking, white water rafting, etc. In fact I've heard the largest bike park in the world is near the NE top of the Nicoya Peninsula. And the kayaking is good on the rivers as well as the ocean. I might just stay there!

Help me think realistically. Logically. Sensibly!

Zion National Park

It was a very successful trip to Zion. 38 miles in 3 days. Lots of switchbacks and slot canyons. One day we crossed the same creek 22 times, each way. Angel's Landing was my favorite hike. So much diversity and incredible sites. Observation Point was long and steep, but about half way was the most amazing place. Surreal. It was just this opening in the slot canyon with a creek running through it. A great place to stop off and cool the feet down and have a snack. Day three was all down hill the first half, and then a climb back out to the trailhead. Not my favorite way to hike, but the Kolob Arch was amazing and well worth it all. It's said to be the third largest natural arch "bridge" in the world at 287'. More pics can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=184907&id=1126171114&l=4464cc463b

Overall, this was a great trip. Very calming and relaxing, though strenuous. You know how good it feels to just totally run yourself down?

On another note... many other fun times coming up during the summer. As I ponder Zion and the other places I'm looking forward to being this summer, I'm reminded of Psalm 24...

¹ The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;

² for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.

And... Genesis 1, the Creation story. What is your interpretation of the Creation timeline? What does it mean to you... "there was evening, and there was morning the first day...."

Change is in the air...

It seems to be finally warming up some. There is new grass germinating and starting to sprout in my forever dirt "lawn." Even though it has been snowing recently in the mountains, I'm ready for summer. Looking forward to spending a lot of time on the boat, but also doing some new exploring in places I haven't been. But also revisiting places that I have great memories of. Like the Sawtooths, Hells Canyon, McCall and of course Mt. Borah again this summer. But, next week a small group of us are going down to Zion in Southern Utah. Some friends of mine just returned from there and their pictures have snow in them, but I'm guessing by this weekend, it will be mostly gone. It will be fun to explore the Narrows, the Subway, the rim and anything else we have time for. As summer approaches, many new things will make themselves known. Change just seems to be in the air. So, I'll just stay the course and welcome anything that gets in my path!

Mt. Hood

We got back down to Timberline Lodge, Saturday about 3pm. It was not a summit day. High winds, snow, sleet, hail and no visibility kept us in check. The plans were to start out about 2am, crampons, ice axes, helmets, extra layers and food for a couple days, and skis on our backs, but as we sat in the 4Runner at 11pm the night before, feeling it move from the winds and hearing the snow and small chunks of ice blowing sideways against the rig, we rethought our early morning departure. So, as we hunkered into our mummy bags, comforting thoughts of a full night of rest overtook any desire to awake in 3 hours to begin our ascent. Next thing we knew, soft blue light was filtering into the windows, thru a layer of snow and ice. The wind was still blowing. Snow was still falling, so after a leisurely cup of coffee at the lodge, we geared up for an exploratory hike up the hill. 4 long and miserable hours later, we found ourselves at the end of the navigation wands, only two miles up from the trailhead. Very cold, yet sweating, we headed due west, in search of the top of the Palmer lift, where we would change boots and step into our skis. Visibility was still bad. So bad, in fact, that I stepped off a 3' wall of ice. We began our decent, staying next to the lift for a reference point, and not knowing what would come across our path. We were tense and extremely cautious. After about a mile, Susan offered to lead the way. I was keeping my eyes on her, knowing that if she was okay, I would be too. Next thing I knew, she had vanished. Just completely disappeared. Gone. I slowly approached the place where she mysteriously sunk out of site, and there she was in a heap about 6-7' down. She had skied off a cliff! A bit frightened, but not injured, she was able to get up and ski on after a few minutes of regrouping. On down the mountain a bit further, an opening in the soup opened up and as we approached the lodge, it came into view! We skied through a beautiful expansive meadow, in fresh, light snow as we neared Timberline lodge and the guests in the windows enjoying a warm lunch. It was a great site!

We're heading out tomorrow morning. Driving to Portland to gear up, then have dinner with my firstborn and her husband at Portland City Grill, then out thru Zigzag and Rhodedendron to Government Camp. We'll try to get a few hours of shut eye before the 2am departure from the trailhead at Timberline Lodge. Skis and extra layers on our backs, we'll begin the ascent, under a mostly full moon. There will be a dusting of fresh snow on the ground. All I hope to accomplish is the arrival at the Pearly Gates! The one's on the mountain, not the real ones! Not just yet anyway. If we get to the gates, we'll take some pics, then head left. From there, the top is in site! So, I'm heading into this with no strong desire to fight against nature. If it's right, we'll summit, if it's not right we won't. You'll have to check back to find out how we did. We are planning to ski down, but not from the top. Just from the bottom of Hogs Back. If the snow is fresh up there, we will ski from higher up. I'm really looking forward to this! Even though it's yet undetermined, it's fun to think about. The snow conditions have to be just right.

Stay tuned. If I make it back, you'll be the first to know!

Our left coast neighbor...

Anybody want to ski Mt. Hood in June? I'm putting together a little trip that will include a day of skiing the Palmer lift on the south slope, right along side the US Ski Team! We'll lunch in the historic Timberline Lodge. On the way over, we'll see some incredible sites along the Columbia Gorge and hike to the top of Multnomah Falls. The next day we'll scope out the Pearl District as well as a little poking around 23rd in Portland. You can get in on this all inclusive 3 day weekend for only $239 pp. Includes most meals and lodging.

Also, we're still going over to Mt. Hood, April 22 - 24 to climb it. This is not an official tour, so if you're interested in joining this excursion, let me know. You'll need to round up your own crampons, ice ax, trekking poles, headlamp, tracker and energy snacks. We'll drive over to Portland on the 22, get our gear at REI, then drive on up to Timberline to grab a little nap before we start up the mountain at midnight. We'll summit about sunrise and get back to the lodge around noon on the 23. The rest of the day and the next will be unplanned and spontaneous!

Check back for other tours!

Idaho Adventure Guiding!

This is something I've been thinking about for a while... I'll start here and see where it goes!

A little background... I've hiked, backpacked, snow skied, snowmobiled, rafted, kayaked, skydived, and mountain climbed all over Idaho. In fact, done many of these things and more around the world. There's nothing I enjoy more than introducing these things to others! I thrive on watching, participating in and sharing the thrill with others. There's so much to see and do in this state and the surrounding states, that I thought I'd do what I can to help as many people as possible experience these things at the most affordable cost.

I can put together the simplest or the most complex package you might want. It can be as simple as cross country skiing or riding quads to Silver City, for a day, or as complex as a several day trip, with the best lodging and food combined with one or several of these adventures! It's all up to how memorable and unforgettable you want it to be.

Picture this... take a scenic drive from the Treasure Valley up to the Sawtooth area, stopping along the way for breakfast in Banks and a little later... a soak in a natural hot tub carved out of the rocks along a raging, ice cold river near Lowman. On up the road, we turn off the highway about 2o miles short of Stanley, and head up over a narrow, steep dirt road for a few miles before stopping to set up camp along a rippling creek. Wake up the next morning to hot, fresh ground coffee and a full breakfast before heading up, up and up an even narrower scenic road as far as we can drive, before we have to stop and hike the last mile to a series of crystal clear, high mountain lakes to catch a few hungry trout to take back to camp for dinner. The next day, we sleep in, break camp and head back down the mountain, stopping off at Redfish Lake Lodge for lunch, then passing through Sun Valley on our way back to the valley. This long, memorable weekend can be yours for only $99 per person!

This is just one idea. Many other options and packages can be custom tailored to your time and budget requirements. For example, a guided overnight and a climb up Idaho's highest peak, Mt. Borah including meals can be done for $49 per person. In later posts, I'll put other ideas here, so stay tuned!