winter hiking

2023 Hike 6 - Hilburn Preserve

52 Hikes With Mike - Hike 6

Hilburn Preserve - Shelton, WA

I took a short drive (maybe 25 mins) to a small town called Shelton and parked behind the Ford dealership to go for a hike along the Goldsborough Creek. I didn’t want to adventure too far, and I wasn’t really feeling much as far as physical exertion, so I this little stroll looked perfect. It was a relatively easy trail, through some gorgeous trees covered in moss towering over an abundance of ferns.

It was a short hike through the first part which was right along the creek, through some big trees. From there, it opened up and I had to cross over some fallen trees. I followed the trail to the railroad tracks, and crossed, but it got a little thick and I didn’t feel like going any further. I turned back and took an alternative route through some bigger trees. The sun was streaming through, it was a gorgeous morning. The moss was illuminated and the ferns were a brilliant green. The area was relatively quiet and I saw no one around.

Happy trails and stay safe out there! Enjoy some photos.

Jan-Feb 2021 Hikes

Here’s a brief write-up of the hikes I’ve taken through February of this year.
Thanks for following along.

Hike 1 - Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

  • Hiked 3.15 miles with my Eric, Brian, and Jen

  • West Mountain Trail, Mountain Top

  • It was rainy, gray, and cool and we brought the dogs

  • This was my first visit to Hot Springs

  • 0 lbs of trash recovered (very clean)

Hike 2 - Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

  • Hike 5.25 miles with my Brian

  • Sunset Trail - it was gray and cool and it snowed

  • We took the the big dogs with us

  • 0 lbs of trash recovered (very clean)

Hike 3 - White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

  • Hiked 3.25 miles with Mike and Cora (and their doggo)

  • It was bright and sunny, but not hot

  • The sand dunes were cool and the illusion of being lost is real

  • Take plenty of water!

  • 0 lbs of trash recovered (very clean)

Hike 4 - Huntsville State Park (Texas)

  • Hiked 7.13 miles on the Chinquapin Trail (solo, no dog)

  • It was sunny and warm with a good amount of people

  • The wind through the pines was magical and made me feel truly escaped

  • 0.5 lbs of trash recovered (not a whole lot, mostly wrappers/toilet paper)

Hike 5 - Lake Mineral Wells State Park (Texas)

  • Hiked 5.24 miles with my aunt on the state trailway system towards Mineral Wells, TX

  • There was so much trash, I couldnt’ even get it all. This path follows the highway and it’s just not great.

  • Very noisy and it was borderline rainy

  • 0.5 lbs of trash recovered (so much more, would require more bags and parking closer)

#hike4 - Cook County, Minnesota

This hike is becoming an annual tradition for me and I'll take it.  Every year, my buddy and I are trying to get up to his aunt's remote cabin in the winter.  Anyone we know is invited, but they must brave the cold and trek across the frozen lake.  This year, it was just the two of us because it was rather last minute, but hopefully we'll get a good annual group going sometime each year in mid-February.

We hit the lake at sunset, getting to the cabin at dark on the first night.

Date: January 26-29, 2018

Location: Cook County, Minnesota

Distance: 3.5 estimated miles

Trails: Straight shot across the lake from the boat landing to the cabin landing, up through the woods to the ridge

You always go into this trip not knowing exactly what to expect, as the area is pretty remote.  We arrived at the spot where you can safely park, unloaded, and followed a snowmobile trail down to the lake.  From there, we had pretty smooth sailing with hard, crunchy snow and no need for the snowshoes.  Once to the cabin landing, we have a huge hill to hike up and there was only about 8-12 inches of snow there, which is relatively low and made for an easy climb with our sleds.

The cabin has no modern amenities, no frills, and no mercy.  There is a good wood stove, an outhouse, and it's bitter cold for the first few hours upon arrival.  After getting the place warmed up, it's cozy and great for drinking your favorite cocktail, playing board games, or reading a book.

On Saturday, we trekked up to a ridge just beyond the cabin.  The hike is through the woods, without any real trail, and the snow level was manageable in most places, and was a nice way to break up the day.

Temperatures upon arrival were near 30 degrees Fahrenheit, but fell to -10 by the time we left.  Last year we hiked across the lake from the cabin landing to another lake, on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, but this year we just didn't make it for some reason or another - probably the temps.  On our last morning, we attempted the "throwing hot water in the -5 degree air" thing and that was pretty cool - I did my best to capture a photo of that below.

For more background info and a more detailed account of previous cabin adventures, check out my last trip here.  I hope you all have great hikes this week and happy trails!

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