Tag: hiking

Big Goals For 2011

January 6, 2011 /

So beginning this year I have been thinking of the goals that I set last year and how I either achieved them or failed at them horribly. I am happy to say that I was able to accomplish one of the biggest goals that I have wanted to do for a while and that is bike to work more. As you can see in my last few posts I was able to do that and it was great. I had a goal of 15 times and I did that and more. I am going to triple that number for the coming year and shoot for 45 times.

Another goal of mine was to go climbing a bit more. I have to say that I wasn’t able to accomplish this. I did go out, but not the 30 times I was hoping. I did however go out hiking more as that is a lot easier to do with young kids. Both my boy and girl love the outdoors, and I have carried them, held their hands and watched them grow in the outdoors this past year. A little mud has never bothered my little princess.

This year I am not putting a number on how many times I would like to get out climbing. I am going to shoot for maybe a little more lofty goal of doing a few more multi-pitch climbs this year. I have picked out one in general and I have pinned in up on the cork board in the kitchen to remind me of it daily. I will be doing a lot of indoor climbing this winter to prepare myself for this climb.

Running is also another activity that I need to do a lot more of. I remember the days of coming home from work and trading the work shoes to the runners and hitting the pavement almost everyday. I have been trying to figure out when and how I am going to workout a little more and the answer that I keep coming up with is cut out a little sleep. I probably don’t really need 8 hours anyway. I never got that much sleep when I was back in college and working two jobs.

Something that I said last year I think is still applicable this year to all of us. “I am good at coming up with excuses at why I can’t reach a certain goal or maybe why I haven’t been able to go outside as much as I would have liked (Kids, work, family, tired). But when it is all said and done, these are just that, EXCUSES.”

I hope we can all figure out a way to stop making excuses and start living our dreams. I would love to hear from all of you. What are you planning this year? What goals do you have? What excuses you might have as why you didn’t accomplish your goals last year and how you are going to achieve them this year. Please reply to this post and by doing so we can all help each other succeed.

We need to get kids outdoors!

June 8, 2010 /


I was just going over the 2009 Participation Study by the Outdoor Foundation. It is a interesting report covering what is happening in the outdoors and who is participating. The report showed that there were increases in outdoor activities and that more people were returning to nature. Both hiking and camping showed increases of 9% and 7% respectively. 48.6% of Americans ages 6 and older participated in outdoor recreation and 43% of the outdoor participants are female. One of the sad statistics showed that “43% of outdoor participants get out less than every other week — shedding light on America’s current obesity and inactivity epidemic.”

The report shows that the most popular outdoor activities by participation rate are:

  1. Freshwater, Saltwater and Fly Fishing (17%)
  2. Car, Backyard and RV Camping (15%)
  3. Running, Jogging and Trail Running (15%)
  4. Road Biking, Mountain Biking and BMX (15%)
  5. Hiking (12%)

I think the most discouraging statistic is that outdoor participation among youth ages 6 to 17 dropped by 6%. This has been a trend for the last three years. The greatest decline was among the youngest (ages 6-12) surveyed. This shows that it is important for all of us to try and help get children outdoors earlier. Children also said that “fun” was an important part of motivating them to get outdoors. So it is important to remember to take it slow and make it fun for kids will want to do it again and again. I believe as we do this, children will learn to love playing outside and the obesity rate will decline.

There are many programs to help children get outside and play.

This is just a few. There are many more in your local area. If you have would like to read the full report please visit  Outdoor Industry Association. Also if you have any great ideas of how to get kids outside, please comment so we can help each other get kids outdoors.

One of Winters Best Recreational Activities

December 22, 2009 /

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Winter can be a time for many people to be wishing for the summer months to come and the snow to disappear. Many people are ready for spring and summer, so they can get back out into the mountains and experience some of the favorite trails. Living in Utah, I hear a lot of people complaining about the snow. There are some days, even I am ready for the snow to be gone, especially after a slow commute into work during a blizzard. But since I was a little kid, my mom was always so excited when it snowed. So by default I have always enjoyed playing in the snow. I have snowboarded and snowmobiled since I was little, but a few years ago I came across snowshoeing. Snowshoeing is now one of my favorite things to do in the winter weather.

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Most hikes that are done in the summer can now be accessed in the winter. You can find yourself in solitude while snowshoeing even on some of those over-crowded summer trails. A hike that you might have been on a hundred times in the summer will look like a new hike in the winter. So head out and rent some snowshoes and give it a try. I believe one time out and you to, will be hooked. So far everyone that I have taken, has either went out with me again borrowing a pair of mine or went out and bought their own pair. If your planning on taking kids, I recommend dragging a sled up for they can ride down. Or at least for I can ride down with them.

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Battle Creek Falls

September 15, 2009 /

This is a short hike that we did today. Getting to the trailhead is simple enough and the falls run all year because of a spring. It is a simple 1.6 miles round trip making it a quick and easy hike to go on one evening. Dogs are permitted on leash. It was a pretty hike and I don’t think that I have ever seen as many catepillars in one day as I seen on this trail. They were every where. My son loved it.img_5572img_5574img_5580

Getting There: Battle Creek Trailhead- From I-15 take the Pleasant Grove exit 275 and go northeast on Pleasant Grove Blvd. At the intersection with State St. continue straight onto Center St. Turn right onto 100 E and then left onto 200 S. Follow 200 S to where it ends at a small dirt parking area. The trails starts just before you go over the bridge to Kiwanis Park to your left.

Children Need the Outdoors!

June 20, 2009 /

This morning I woke up thinking, “what should I do today.” The first thing that I thought of was to go up climbing, so we gathered the gear and headed out. As we headed across town I saw the dark clouds forming directly over the mountains we were heading towards, but we continued towards the blackening sky. As we came to the bottom of the canyon it was drizzling rain. As we continued up the canyon it just got worse. We decided to try a new route that we had never been to and, knowing that we might not get to climb, we thought at least we could go and check out the route. We threw on our rain jackets and headed up the trail. This is where my son comes into the picture.

He is just over two years old and loves (love being an understatement) the outdoors. The rain and water did not slow him down a bit. The only thing that was bothering him on the trail was the hood on his jacket. Once I removed that he was just fine, his hat was soaked, but at least he was happy.

After looking for the route we came back to the car with feet and pants soaked. I have always understood the importance of performance gear for myself but it can be hard to find good gear for children. The market is growing and I am happy to see this growth as I have two kids and plan on taking them outside as often as I can. This morning though as I was dressing my boy for today’s adventure I put on some socks we got a couple of years ago from a starter company. The companies name is Roonwear. They make clothing for active children and their tag line is “…because kids sweat too.” He has worn these socks before and I really didn’t think much about the socks when I put them on him this morning, they just matched. But I was very impressed when we got home and his feet were dry. Pants sopping wet but socks and feet dry. I know now each time we go out hiking the first pair of socks that I will put on him, are the socks from Roonwear.

I know there are other companies that make clothing and gear for kids who love the outdoors and I encourage anyone who has children to find and support some of these companies. As I said in the title “children need the outdoors” and to make them happier and in turn us parents happier, we need people making performance gear for children. Please comment if you know of any other companies who make great gear and clothing for children.

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