Canyoneering in Water Canyon-Utah

We did some canyoneering outside of Zion National Park (most of the canyoneering in Zion requires a permit and is very competitive). We drove to Colorado City and hiked up Water Canyon which is a popular canyoneering site. The road to the trailhead was pretty washed out and rutted. From the time we arrived at the trail head until we hiked up canyon to our jump off point it took about 2 hours. We had about 7 rappels all of which were fun as we descended the canyon. The last one was over water and it was cold. We actually welcomed the sun on the hike out. Paul got turned upside down on one rappel but other than that no injuries. We had a great time. On the left you see Gabe on a rappel and Paul already on the bottom. Of the right you see me swimming through the water with the rope on the final rappel.

Great Sand Dune National Park

Two years ago I got a national parks book as a gift. I asked Gabe to look through it and pick parks he would like to explore someday. One of the parks he picked was Great Sand Dune National Park. My brother Paul described it as a "big kitty litter box" as we drove in on the entrance road. However as we began to hike the dunes to our destination (the 750 ft.dune)we all realized that this is a truly unique park. The mountains in the background offer a wonderful blue contrast to the brown sand dunes. Paul took the picture on the left of Gabe and I hiking toward the top of the 750 ft. dune and Paul is buried in sand on the right. The video shows Gabe sprinting down a small dune which give you an idea on the scale of the dunes.

Mesa Verde National Park

The Cliff Palace was something we had always seen in pictures so as we drove through SW Colorado on our way back to Wisconsin we decided to stop and spend a day here. The ruins were 700 years old and scientists can only speculate why the Native Americans moved off the mesa into the cliffs and why they only lived there for 90 years before moving out. These are multiple family dwellings that are wonderful works of architecture. They have been protected from weather by the cliffs for centuries. On the left is the Cliff Palace as seen from the trail leading in. On the right are Gabe and I in the Balcony House.

Zion National Park

We had always heard that Zion should be on the must visit list for national parks and is certainly lived up to its reputation. My brother Paul, Gabe and I spent three days here hiking and canyoneering. The canyon is majestic with it's beautifully layered rock. Shuttles take you in and out of the canyon to cut down on traffic in the park. Pictured on the left bottom is Paul, Gabe and I on Angels Landing, on the left top is Gabe on the spine leading to the top of Angels Landing and on the right is Gabe and Paul on the side of a trail leading into a narrow canyon hike.

Bryce Canyon National Park

We hiked around in Bryce Canyon, Utah on July 25th, 2011. I highly recommend a visit to this park as the Hoodoo's are a unique rock formation and the trails are challenging. We hiked the Navajo Loop and Peek-a-boo Trail which turned out to be a bit more taxing than we thought. We got caught in a summer monsoon and were fortunate that we had our rain gear. They closed some of the trails down (while we were on them) due to the rain. On the left is Gabe overlooking the main viewpoint at Bryce and on the right is me on the Peek-a-boo trail.

The Arches National Park

The thing we will remember most about camping at The Arches is the intense heat and trying to find shade at our campsite in the high desert. The best time to do anything here is in the early morning or late in the evening. Regardless, this park as some of the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises we have ever seen. We camped in the Devils Garden. Pictured on the left is Gabe at Delicate Arch and on the right is a sunrise in the park.

Climbing in Colorado National Monument

On, July 23, 2011,Gabe and I climbed Independence Monument in Colorado. The weather was hot and dry and it took us a while to adjust to it. The climb was 5 pitches on Otto's Route 5.8 difficulty. The sandstone offered plenty of friction and quite frankly spoiled us when compared to climbing at Devils Lake. The first 4 pitches were in the shade and the rest of the time we were in the sun. There was no hiding from the sun after that point. We were getting baked and not looking forward to the 2 mile hike out. The climb, however, was great and the view at the top was wonderful. Well worth the trip/effort.

Ice Climbing in Wyalusing

Gabe and I went down to stay at my brother Paul's house in Prairie du Chien last night (1.29.11). We wanted to go ice climbing in Wyalusing Sunday and we had not seen Paul in a while so it all worked out well.

The weather was nice (high 20's). We parked off the road next to the quarry and hiked North on the railroad tracks until we saw the climbs. The main route was being lead by a couple of guys from N.Dakota so we kept walking until we found some shorter climbs with nice ice about .5 miles down the tracks. Access was good so we set up a top rope and did some laps on the short but fun route. It was very clear we were not in climbing shape. Paul came with us to get some exercise hiking.

Gabe is in the photo on the left and Paul is in the photo on the right.

Good time had by all.