What's New on Explorumentary
- Register for Habitat Restoration Volunteer Activities with Idaho Fish and Game: Planting for Fire Restoration near Boise, Saturdays, March 6 - April 10.
- New Post: Gallagher Peak, Salmon River Mountains, Idaho
- New Post: Utah's Red Rock Country
- Dave Brasuell, Retired Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps current biking miles - FIT after 50
- The Workout Drug - latest research on exercise benefits in FIT after 50
HIKE/BIKE BLOG POSTS
click below to find hikes by state
click below to find hikes by state
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Image of the Month
William - "I like the smell of flowers!"
Quote of the Month
"At a certain point, you say to the woods, to the sea, to the mountains, the world, Now I am ready. Now I will stop and be wholly attentive. You empty yourself and wait, listening." - Annie Dillard - born April 30, 1945 - Happy Birthday! More Quotes Latest Blog Post
Gallagher Peak: 6,074' - Salmon River Mountains, Idaho
3/22/21: Get a taste of true Idaho wilderness on this short climb to a lush and undisturbed summit with a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) history. Just be prepared for some challenging bushwhacking! |
April's Helpful Technique - Finding North using your Compass
Do you know how to use a compass? First hold it flat away from metallic objects, parallel to the ground. When you have determined where the North arrow points, rotate the bezel ring to line up the zero or 360 -degree mark with the North arrow. Now you are pointing north. You should orient your map the same way as your compass is pointing. This is is just a rough guide as declination - the difference between magnetic north and the north on a flat map come into play. More on that later. 
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Four "Grand Slam Peaks"
Late winter/spring training hikes in Boise National Forest, Idaho
Late winter/spring training hikes in Boise National Forest, Idaho
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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. |
Mt. Heinen: Grand Slam Peaks Completed!
6/5/2018: This steep ridge hike out of Arrowrock Reservoir in the Boise Mountains provides an exhilarating view of water and mountain ranges. |
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. |
Popular Posts
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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. |
No Mans Mesa hike in Grand Staircase-Escalante NM
7/21/2018: A unique opportunity to see a near-relict, pristine desert ecosystem from Lick Wash Trail; solitary and remote. |
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Previous Posts
Lucky Peak Hike, Boise: The Ridge Less Traveled II
2/20/21: In search of new routes and solitude on Lucky Peak, an historic mining district, Boise. |
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Johnstone Peak: 9,949': This Hike for Henry Brown
10/20/20: Navigate off Pioneer Cabin Trail's beaten path for a massive view of Idaho's rugged Pioneer Mountains. |
Wolf Mountain: 8,876' and Point 8610 via Jennie Lake Trail in Boise National Forest
11/16/20: Seldom summited, this remote and jagged peak is a great combination of on-trail and Class 2 scrambling and navigating. |
Red Rock Country
1/7/21: Reflections on Southern Utah's warm colors, great images of past hikes, and a remedy for the winter blues. |
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Burger Peak: 10,320' - Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness, Southern Utah
6/16/20: We escaped scorching St. George to a cool forest to navigate through snow drifts. |
Jackson Peak: 8,124' - Boise National Forest, Idaho
8/1/20: Lightly-traveled single track to fire lookout and views of Sawtooth Mountains. |
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Cat Mountain: 3,852' - Tucson Mountain Park
3/19/20: Climb the ash tuff rocks of Cat Mountain for a dual view of the sprawling city of Tucson and other high points in this ancient caldera. |
Elephant Head Peak, 5,641' - Santa Rita Mountains, Southern Arizona
2/20/20: combination trail and off-trail fun Class 2-3 ridge climb to view of Arizona's sky islands. |
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Bald Mountain via Station Creek - Garden Valley, Idaho
11/30/19: This hike close to Boise offers a quiet Ponderosa pine forest and great views of Boise NF. |
Tucson Mountains Tour: Golden Gate Mountain, Bobcat Ridge, Little Cat Mountain
1/30/20: Summit three high points in the "Tucson Mountain Chaos" in an ancient caldera. |
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Alpine Peak, 9,861' -Sawtooth Wilderness: Never Stop Climbing Mountains
8/27/19: Scramble to Alpine's summit for tremendous views of Sawtooth Lake and peaks. |
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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. |
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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 |
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. 
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. |
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 
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". |
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. |
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. |
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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
If you don't mind steep drop-offs and want to witness an incredible view of Zion Canyon, this hike's for you!
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Alpine Peak Summit - Sawtooth Mountain Wilderness
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4th of July trip to Challis, Idaho: Gold Bug Hot Springs and Merriam Lake in the Lost River Range
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