adventures

March-April 2021 Hikes

Here’s a glimpse of my hikes through May 1, 2021. Thanks for following along. I’m sharing brief, less wordy summaries and more photos. To me, it’s all about the experience and the photos capture it better than my words can in this format. Happy hiking!

Hike 6 - Lincoln National Forest (no specific location)

  • Found a small canyon on the side of the road

  • Explored about a mile in the canyon, walking through a dry creek bed

  • Discovered plenty of desert plants and fun rocks

  • Enjoyed a break from the extreme wind in the area (thanks canyon)

Hike 7 - Guadalupe Mountains National Park

  • Hiked through McKittrick Canyon to Pratt Cabin

  • The trail is well marked and visible; it’s mostly gravel

  • Pratt Cabin has shady pines and good views

  • Take plenty of water and wear a hat!

  • There are many trail options, but this particular hike is perfect for someone looking for a pretty, quick, and easy day hike

Hike 8 - Oliver Lee State Park

  • This was less of a formal hike and more of a little romp with the dogs along the creek

  • The park has a big trial that goes much higher, we just weren’t quite feeling it

  • Camping and hiking with great views of vastness in New Mexico

Hike 9 - Lincoln National Forest (Zinker Canyon)

  • This canyon is a sunny, tree-lined path up in elevation (it’s gradual)

  • I went in the evening, and the golden sun just made it feel like magic

  • So many big trees along the way

  • Definitely elk territory; we ran up on some and turned back

  • Multi-use trails - so be courteous to one another

  • Dog friendly and kind of secluded, hardly anyone out in that area

Hike 10 - Lincoln National Forest (Osha Trail)

  • Easy to get to, just west of Cloudcroft, NM

  • The trail is rocky, but not too bad and good for dogs

  • There is shade and some open spots with great views of White Sands

  • A great day hike if you’re headed to Cloudcroft and want to get a little exercise

Hike 11 - Lincoln National Forest (Upper Karr Canyon)

  • This hike was more of a stroll through a snowy forest than following a trail

  • We had a few inches of fresh snow, blue skies, and sunshine

  • The trees were tall and plentiful, as were the moments of enjoyment

  • There may have been a trail, but I’m not sure, and don’t care (I know there are marked trails in the area)

  • Can’t beat a cool, crisp day in the forest

  • This would be a great place to escape the desert heat below in the summer time and is dog friendly

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Final Hikes of 2019

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I did a little hiking towards the end of the year, but still didn’t make it to my goals of 52 hikes or hitting every adventure series bullet point. I’ve fallen short two years in a row now , but I’m not giving up. I’m starting fresh, again, and with the best intentions for 2020. The point of 52 Hikes With Mike is to encourage getting out and doing the damn thing, not JUST the numbers or the miles. (this is what I’m telling myself)

Hike 25 - Highland Park Trailhead - Trinity Trail (DFW Metro)

  • Group hike with REI DFW

  • 4.07 miles, pretty mild and flat

  • Enjoyable conversations, but no lasting connections

Hike 26 - Purtis Creek State Park

  • Hiked with my other half and Chewy the Dog

  • 4.85 miles, through the woods

  • Fall, crisp, sunny, felt good

  • Nice little park tucked away just outside of DFW

Hike 27, 28, and 29 - State Park Quest

  • Big Spring State Park - hiked the nature trail, about .67 miles. Cute little park with a nice paved loop and a little nature path and GREAT views of the nothingness around it

  • Lake Colorado City State Park - hiked the Cactus trail along the lake. About a mile of it, tiny hills and nice lake views.

  • Abilene State Park - did a mile on the Spring Nature trail. This park was an instant favorite with plenty of paths through the woods.

Overall 2019 Stats

  • 136.02 miles of hiking

  • Unique trails for EVERY hike

  • Longest hike was about 10 miles, shortest was .67

  • About 45 miles less than 2018

  • Hikes averaged just over 4.5 miles each

  • 16 solo hikes, 13 with a friend, and 3 with the dog

  • Hiked in 7 states: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Illinois

  • Visited 11 state parks and 3 NPS sites

The goal this year is to avoid getting bogged down again by work stress. When work got tough in 2019, I didn’t want to do anything but stay home and veg out. This year, I plan to channel all of my work related rage and stress into hiking, road trips, and camping. Adventure is out there and I have a few quests to finish which could really help me get some unique hikes.

2019 #hike12 & hike#13 - Illinois State Parks

Hike 12 - Illinois Park Project

Date: Friday, April 19, 2019

Location: Fox Ridge State Park - Charleston, IL

Distance: 8.5+ miles

Trails: Most trails and roadways throughout main areas

Miles from Home: 774

Weather: Cold, windy, cloudy, moist

Equipment: iPhone, Apple Watch, Olympus TG-5, gloves, trash bags, etc.

This hike was a dream. The weather was shit, the drive was long, but the people and cleanup were the shining stars. We cleaned up over 20 pounds of trash, with 18.5 of it on the first half of the day. We had a group just shy of 10 and it was so fun to stomp around together in pursuit of a better place. This event was put on by my good friend Jen at Illinois Park Project. Go check them out! It was in held in partnership with the 11th Essential, a group dedicated to publicizing and normalzing stewardship in every day life. I wrote all about them HERE, so go check it out to learn more about the good stuff going down with all of them.

The second half, call it hike 12b, was about half the group and was more throughout the inner trails of the park. It was nice to connect even further, after the main event!

Hike 13

Date: Saturday, April 20, 2019

Location: Ferne Clyffe State Park - Goreville, IL

Distance: 2.2 miles

Trails: Rebman, Hawk’s Cave, Big Rocky Hollow

Miles from Home: 668

Weather: Cool, sunny, windy, warm

Equipment: iPhone, Apple Watch

I was 34 years old when I learned that Illinois has beautiful, natural places. I was on my way back to Texas from the group cleanup and wanted to stretch my feet and get another hike before the weekend was over. I saw this place on the map, felt intrigued, and decided to stop. I’m so glad I did. WHAT A GEM. The waterfalls were gorgeous, the rocky bluffs were intense, and the general terrain was just so lovely. I had read about this place before, and forgot about it, so it was all dumb luck.

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