Image of the Month
Saguaros on Golden Gate Mountain - Tucson Mountain Tour
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Quote of the Month
“Perhaps it isn't will at all that fuels a person to the top of a mountain.  Perhaps it is the ache for beauty.  A desire to be dangled over the canyon of nothingness.  To, in fact, lose one's will for a moment.  Perhaps climbing a mountain is nothing more than an act of worship, and reaching the barren perch of a summit is to experience pure awe."
         - Lucy Jane Bledsoe from The Ice Cave  -  Happy Birthday!

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Elephant Head Peak, 5,641' - Santa Rita Mountains, Southern Arizona
2/20/20:  Climb the bare-boned, steep ridge of Elephant Head Peak to witness the Shrine of the Elephant with a close backdrop of the higher forested Santa Rita Mountain range.  You must first climb through old oak trees, hike out of two canyons and walk an old mining road with huge Santa Rita Prickly Pear along the way.
Previous Adventure Posts
HIKE/BIKE  BLOG  POSTS
IDAHO UTAH CALIFORNIA​ ​ARIZONA WYOMING
Tanque Verde Peak, Saguaro Wilderness, Tucson
6/30/19: From saguaros to pines, hike through 4 biomes to immense view of southern Arizona.
Thimble Peak - Pusch Ridge Wilderness, Tucson
5/19/2019:  Hike through beautiful Upper Sonoran chaparral to a distinguished Tucson landmark with steep rock chutes.
Lucky Peak Winter Hike:  The Ridge Less Traveled
4/22/2019:  Our own spin on Robert Frost's  poem, "The Road Not Taken," we hiked a ridge less traveled to Lucky Peak in the Boise NF.
My "Neck of the Woods" - Autumn
2/27/2019:  You don't have to go far from home for adventure and beauty.  These scenes are within a one-mile radius of my house.
Canaan Mountain via Squirrel Canyon - So. Utah
11/30/18:  Classic Southern Utah adventure to a
​towering plateau of Navajo Sandstone.
 No Mans Mesa hike 
 Boulder Mail Trail to Death Hollow 
​Boulder Mail Trail to Death Hollow in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
9/3/18:   Hike the remote cross-country route of the last mule U.S. mail delivery through slickrock sandstone and sagebrush flats.
Haystack Mountain - Palm Desert, CA
2/13/2019:  Great desert hike off the Art Smith Trail with a spectacular view of Southern California's mountain ranges, and our old summit register entry from 2011.
​Table Mountain:  11,106 feet - Wyoming
10/29/18:  The sudden jaw-dropping view of the GrandTeton Mountain Range as you crest Table Mountain is worth the 4,000-foot gain; it's a view you will never forget!
​No Mans Mesa hike in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
7/21/2018:  A unique opportunity to see a near-relict, pristine desert ecosystem from Lick Wash Trail; solitary and remote.
Pinto Mountain, Joshua Tree Wilderness
12/30/2018:  The reward for the long walk across Pinto Basin followed by a rocky climb is the outstanding 360° views of the Mojave desert.
Related:  Monument Mountain, Joshua Tree NP
Goat Mountain: 11, 913 feet 
​Pioneer Mountain Range, Idaho
9/22/18:  Tough hike/scramble to second highest mountain in the rugged Pioneers with a breathtaking view and steep drop-offs at your feet.
Sabino Canyon in Tucson - Breakfast Ridge​
April 23, 2018:  A rugged and beautiful off-trail trek up Breakfast Ridge in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness through a saguaro, palo verde and ocotillo "forest"; sweeping views of Tucson.
Four "Grand Slam Peaks"  -  Boise National Forest
Mt. Heinen:  Grand Slam Peaks Completed!
6/5/2018:  This superb steep ridge hike out of Arrowrock Reservoir in the Boise Mountains provides an exhilarating view of water and mountain ranges.  
Kepros Mountain - Boise NF
5/6/2018:  A spacious ridge ramble in the Danskin Mountains with abundant wildflowers and views of snow-covered Trinity Mountains and Arrowrock Reservoir​. 
​Lucky Peak - Winter Ascent
March 26, 2018:  Snowshoe climb to Lucky Peak in Boise River Wilderness Management Area after a March snowstorm.
Cervidae Peak - Southeast Ridge Route
March 16, 2018:  Short and steep ridge hike close to Boise overlooking Lucky Peak Reservoir to a summit with great views.
Monument Mountain: 4,834' - Joshua Tree National Monument
February 20, 2018:  Sublime and "mind-expanding" cross-country hike, and some of the oldest rocks in California.
In Memory of Roger Keezer
January 17, 2018:  Roger Keezer conceived the phrase,    "Cactus to Clouds",  a now well-known extreme hike.  We hiked to his memorial in California's  San Jacinto Mountains with Maria Keezer.
​Dry Creek/Shingle Creek Loop in the Boise Foothills
December 11, 2017:   Beautiful riparian vegetation along a rushing creek and a breezy          Ponderosa pine forest just a few minutes from downtown  Boise.
Picture


Zion National Park - Double Arch Alcove Hike
October 28, 2017:  Taylor Creek Trail to Double Arch Alcove carved into Navajo Sandstone contains a treasure-trove of exposed  geologic features in a relatively short distance.   
Sawtooth Mountain Wilderness - Upper Redfish Lakes Cross-Country Hike
August 8, 2017:    Backpacking trip to Alpine and Upper Redfish Lakes, Lake Kathryn and Baron Lakes​​.
Related:  Miner Lake, Smoky Mountains, Idaho
Utah - The Cowbell and the Cryptobionic "Highway"
October 29, 2017:  Singletrack cruisin' at Hurricane Rim Trails near St. George, Utah and hittin' the bell.
Silver City Snowshoe
February 11, 2017:  Our attempt to snowshoe into the mining ghost town of Silver City, Idaho.     
Related:  Sunset Mountain Snowshoe
Miner Lake - Smoky Mountains, Idaho
​September 23, 2017:  A September snowstorm changed our plans for summiting Norton Peak, but the stunning scene at Miner Lake was worth the trek in the snow.
Angels Landing in Zion National Park - Not for the Faint of Heart
2013:  If you don't mind steep drop-offs and want to witness an incredible view of Zion Canyon, this hike's for you!
Sunset Mountain Lookout Snowshoe
​This winter's snowshoe hike to
​Sunset Peak in the Boise National
Forest was the most spectacular yet
This Hike for Henry Brown
​October 9, 2016:  When Henry Brown passed away last August, we dedicated a hike to Johnstone Peak for him in a land that he loved.
Tucson:  4 days, 40 miles, One Rattlesnake
Tucson hike highlights:  Finger Rock Canyon, Mt. Kimball, Pima Canyon, Pontatoc Trail
2013 EXPLORUMENTARIES

​Angels Landing in Zion:   Not for the Faint of Heart
If you don't mind steep drop-offs and want to witness an incredible view of Zion Canyon, this hike's for you!
Never Stop Climbing Mountains​​

Alpine Peak Summit - Sawtooth Mountain Wilderness
Cowboys and Hot Springs

4th of July trip to Challis, Idaho:  Gold Bug Hot Springs and Merriam Lake in the Lost River Range​

Habitat Restoration in Southwestern Idaho

Habitat Restoration near Kuna, Idaho
​
The Habitat Restoration page lists organizations that welcome volunteers for various land care and restoration activities.  

A schedule of current restoration activities is available on this page.​
I try my best to be accurate with my hike descriptions; please research your adventures, bring a map, be prepared!  Please contact me with comments or questions.
Thank-you for stopping by!

EXPLORUMENTARY.com