Great Hikes

This is very frustrating

Sissy — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:44:19 +0000

Just when I start using this site again, the format goes wonky and I can’t seem to work out how to get the photos back to their normal size.

I will keep working on it but for now everything is a mess!

Blisters!

Sissy — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:55:52 +0000

The hikers nemesis, what can we do? I will share my experience with them and please comment with your tips.

Very few hikers can say they never get blisters. I have a few friends who have claimed in the past they had the perfect blister-proof boots. Then I found out they’d never taken a very difficult hike in them.

Some hard-core climber guys I know have showed me calluses that are large and well established enough to protect their feet but this would never fly for a girl. We use pumice stones and spend lots of money on pedicures to prevent our feet from looking that way.

The right socks help. I’m a huge fan of the ‘Wright Sock’ for running but I have not seen their amazingly effective 2-layer system implemented into a hiking-type sock. Often, I mimic it by using a good smart wool hiker over top of a nylon dress sock. It works fairly well but if you are particularly susceptible to blisters or if you already have huge blisters from hiking in new boots and commit to doing something, like….oh, say, participating in a mini-triathlon there is only one solution I’ve found. Duct tape. As long as you put it on when your feel are dry it will keep any chafing from occurring. One caveat: get the good stuff. Pay an extra buck and don’t get seduced into trying cute pink or purple versions. Silver is the color. If it does not stick securely you will be worse off than if you had not put it on at all.

What are your methods for preventing blisters? I know you’ve got your opinions so share!

Winter Hikes – Pros and Cons

Sissy — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:00:01 +0000

We know it’s tougher to get out in the dead of winter. The days are shorter and of course it’s much colder. You might need more gear (snowshoes can be helpful) and sometimes you feel like that kid on a Christmas Story. You know: ‘I can’t move my arms’.

Sometimes you might just feel like flying somewhere warm to get your outdoors time, and that’s a good option also, but if you bundle up and make the effort the rewards are there. You might see more wildlife in the winter as food gets scarce, like this big horn sheep.

One of my favorite things to do is hike along creeks in the winter – becareful not to tread on thin ice – and look at the beautiful way the water freezes into into interesting ice shapes and then snow falls on top of it. Truly amazing the variety of designs nature offers up.

Getting the Lead Out

Sissy — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:45:35 +0000

I had the idea for making this a hiking blog a year ago. My last post proclaiming it a hiking blog was Jan 21st, 2009. Since then I have not posted a single word. But, with the start of the new year I’m not only getting the lead out and getting outside more, I’m also getting the lead out to post.

This blog will contain stories on hikes completed, dream hikes, gear, ideas, and generally all hiking related stuff. There might be some lists of ‘best hikes’ but in general I’ll try to avoid that kind of thing. Hopefully I’ll get comments that will help me to improve as time goes on.

New format! New purpose!

Sissy — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:02:35 +0000

I’m sure I’ve lost my audience after not updating my blog for months. See, the thing is I started using Facebook. Yes, I thought it was for kids, too. But really everyone is out there, and I’ve started uploading all my photos there, and everyone can see them and the information about yourself you choose to share. It’s really replaced the need for me to keep up this blog, so if you used to see what we were up to on here, join Facebook and keep in touch that way! You’ll be surprised how many people you know and ‘old folks’ are out there.

But I still have this blog…it’s free and all. So this is going to become a hiking blog. It is going to chronicle great hikes made or attempted by me, hikes I’d like to do, planning for future hikes, and ideas for other crazy adventures that involve hiking. I think it will be pretty fun both to write and to read. I’m also going to change the name from ‘To Infinity and Beyond’. Any suggestions for a new name?

So, keep checking for new stories and information about hikes large and small.

Let’s try this…

Sissy — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 03:37:10 +0000

So, I’m tired of my photos being used by other people on their blogs/websites. I mean some people ask and then it’s OK but I’ve found them randomly copied and not always in the context I’d like my work to be presented in. So, I’m going to put my photos on Flicker and post a link. It’s more work that way so maybe they’ll get copied less. So, if you want to look at some pictures from our hike up Mt. Yale or fall colors in Colorado (and some random dog pics, too) click on the link below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31040550@N08/

Some pictures from Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park

Sissy — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:56:00 +0000

We visited Estes a few weekends ago, it is so beautiful up there. The Elk were pretty crazy, it’s getting close to their mating season I guess. They were chasing each other all over the golf course and were bugeling so loud at night it kept Woody and Molly awake! I finally remembered to take my good camera somewhere so I got some pretty decent shots.

Just hanging around the golf course.

A pretty bird.

Relaxed elk

Now matter how many times we go, I am still in awe of how beautiful it is in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Dave and Hank with a cool rock formation.

BBQ October 11th

Sissy — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:39:14 +0000

We are having a BBQ Saturday October 11th if anyone is looking for an excuse to visit Denver this fall. Nothing big just food, drinks, and games. Wooohooo!