How could I ever chose a favorite hike or trail? Would it be The New Years Day hike along the Carson River where we saw the great horned owls in the tree, or snowshoeing out in Hope Valley where we saw the team of Husky's pulling the dog sled? Maybe it was the snowshoe hike we did with Snoeshoe Thompson and on the way home saw the bald eagle feeding on the calf afterbirth in the field.

Wait, perhaps it was the windy hike to the Incandescent Rocks with super views of Pyramid Lake.. And the killer pizza we ate afterwards while we warmed up. A contender might be the hike I took up to Hobart Reservoir and the large herd of deer came out of the forest to greet us...or the hike we took to to Grimes Point to collect Wonder stones and to visit the 4000 year old caves and petroglyphs. My pockets were so full of these beautiful Wonder stones, striated with yellow and purple, that my pants could barely stay up.

Another choice hike was when I took my friend from Jumbo Grade by Washoe Lake and we hiked along the American Discovery Trail all the way to Virginia City-home of the Mother Lode Comstock and the wild horses we saw in the hills. It could be the hike we took on the new trails in Genoa where we came across the beautiful waterfall and the very scary warnings about the STEEP descent.

In the running would be the hike on the Tahoe Rim Trail when we hiked to the "bench" that overlooks Lake Tahoe. Or...discovering the trail on the cliffs above Sorensen's Resort that overlooks Hope Valley. How could I leave out the hike to Showers Lake, or Thunder Mountain where I celebrated my milestone?

In the end, if I had to pick, my favorite would be between my first-ever backpacking trip to Dardanelles Lake or bouldering up to Echo Peak with the views of Upper Angora Lake, Lower Angora Lake, Fallen Leaf Lake and Tahoe. NO NO, wait! I think my favorite hike so far might be the Barker Pass on the PCT where we saw all the thru hikers walking hundreds of miles.

Oh my. So hard to choose.

My favorite hike so far this year was out in Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks, CA. That's right, I said Thousand Oaks, not Yosemite, not Big Sur but the burbs of LA.

It is tough to think that you are living in the West when living in LA. LA is LA, there isn't a lot of cowboys, wide open spaces without telephone poles etc. but this park in Thousand Oaks gives you the western experience. Beautiful vistas with brown grass swaying in the breeze. An amazing waterfall with green and yellow colors that is one of the prettiest waterfalls that I have seen. An old cave that was a resting place for Indians for centuries. Rugged backcountry terrain that can give you all the single track thrills you could want. This park, this small park, has it all. It makes me feel like a cowboy.

Best hike of the year, so far.

The first hike my 9 year old son and I took when school was finished for him was my favorite. Mashamoquet Brook State Park in Pomfret, Connecticut. Watching him getting ready filling his pack with a sandwich, apple, and a towel (for the swim!) and filling up with water brought back my own memories of summer vacation!

It was only a quick 4.25 mile loop in CT, but nothing is better than being out there with him. We saw Indian Chair first and then it was on to The Wolf's Den, after that Table Rock. This being mid June in CT, you can imagine the humidity and of course the mosquitoes. (which by the way, we forgot the bug spray!!!). Well, at about the 3.25 mile mark is where the small mucky watered swimming hole is located. Great place to jump in and cool off those hot mosquito welts!! ha ha.

After an hour or so swimming and luching, it was only a quick 1 mile back to the truck and some ice cream cones at a roadside stand.

I did 3 different mountain summits (1 of the 3 i did 3 times this summer), many dayhikes and 1 overnighter so far this summer but nothing beats watching JR swatting bugs and complaining how hot it is. Hopefully next year he and I will do an overnighter but I think the best hikes are always the ones with the best company

i have to say the Loyalsock trail in NEPA was my favorite this summer. once you reach the haystacks you will not want to leave. amazing boulders, rock formed waterslides into deep pools. this place is heaven. campsites are amazing as well. wonderful rock kitchens that we all keep up and clean. we usually do 2 nighters, sometimes 3 nighters. tough place to leave for sure. cool site here. glad to be aboard

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Favorite trip so far this year was to Middle Fork Trail in the Cucamonga Wilderness. Finding the elusive falls was a treat and a perfect find. It was so clean as if no one has ever discovered it. I can't wait to visit that area again.

Right now I am waiting out the southern summer in anticipation of the fall and winter hiking season. I look forward to exploring the Richland Creek Wilderness area in AR. I recently started backpacking and have not had a chance to explore this apparent gem of a location. Best hike so far was way back in March along the Buffalo National River where I had the pleasure of a river otter encounter.

Lake Como in the Sangre De Cristos in Colorado. I know its a developed campsite, and that it is sometimes frequented by 4 wheelers, but you can't beat the view of Blanca, Little Bear and Ellingwood Point; and hiking in and camping at 11k is wonderful. Not to mention you have two easy peaks you can bag in a day and if you are more technical, you can do Little Bear. Its a beautiful place to camp right at the tree line.

I plan to do a backpack elk hunt in western Colorado this fall. I will hunt w/ a friend from Alabama. We plan to hike w/ backpacks for about 4-5 miles into the national forest. We will hunt from spike camps consisting of 2 man ultralight tents & go from there for 5-7 days or until we get our elk. We will take water filters & eat freeze dried meals while there. It seems the further one gets from the road the more enjoyable the adventure is. I am looking forward to this in about 7 weeks in Colorado.

It is too hard to decide on which one has been my favorite trip... I have been excited to get out on all the hikes that I have...

My January hike was a blast because it was actually cold, and the trail from Springer to Neels was great to revisit! Of course, I got to hang out with good friends as well as geek out on lots of new cuben gear (tent's and backpacks)...

My March trip was a blast because I got to meet a long time follower from my blog, which has turned into a great friendship. As well, I got to cover a length of the AT that I had not previously covered before either...

In May I got to take my son for his second trip up to Mt LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, as well, I got to carry my 12 year old nephew on his first backpacking adventure on this trip as well! And to make it better, Mt LeConte is what started my love affair with backpacking...

In June I got to meet up with my buddy that I made in March and attempted to hike the 72 miles of AT that runs through the GSMNP in less than 3 days. He got quite sick on the first day and we had to bail on the second day (so I'm sure this one wasn't his "favorite") but I racked up my biggest mileage in a day...about 23.5 miles and wanted to do more!

In July I got to meet back up with the same buddy and another fellow blogger, Brian Green, for a very eventful hike just south of the GSMNP along the AT...

Then, just a couple of weeks ago, around mid August, I got to hike the section between Springer and Woody Gap again for my third time! I made more memories and was able to reminiscence about 2 previous hikes along this awesome walkway... and of course I finally got to use my TD Sidewinder Caldera Cone and 1.3L Evernew cookpot which I won from right here off of Trail Groove! It was also my first wood fire I cooked over on the trail...

And now, I am planning another hike for mid October...so I am sure that this hike will be awesome too! (Maybe I will have a nice new shiny blue SP mug to sip my coffee from during those (hopefully) cold mornings...)

Spent three days and two nights at Dolly Sods. Interesting place. I was surprised to find a little bit of Canada this far south. Hiking on rocks was quite a challenge too. I would definitely recommend Dolly Sods North as a good trip for first time backpackers.

lets see here, this summer i've done two trips up longs peak, once up the standard keyhole route, the second time via loft, bagging mount meeker and SE longs (the notch) on the way to the summit, mount massive and mount elbert, doing mount elbert via the southern route called the black cloud trail which was the most beautiful 14er route i've ever hiked. I spent 3 days in the wind river mountains doing the southern tour from the sweetwater trailhead to cirque of the towers though temple pass, jackass pass, the deep creek lakes, summiting wind river peak, and then finally going over sweetwater gap to get back to my car. I spent yesterday hiking mount beirstadt and mount evans, scrambling over the knife edge ridge connecting the two called the sawtooth.

However, the best trip this year, and the one that required the most planning, was my "Criss Cross of Zion". Me and my friend jon drove through the night to get to sprindale, then took a shuttle from springdale to lee's pass, hiked the grand zion traverse from lee's pass to the east entrance over three days, then after another shuttle to Chamberlain ranch, hiked the narrows from the top down in 11 hours. Originally i had planned for us to do the narrows as an overnighter, however the beauty and awe of the zion narrows filled us with so much energy and enthusiasm, so we completed it in a day, then took a spur of the moment drive down to the north rim of the grand canyon to see the sun rise since my friend jon had never seen the grand canyon, and i had only briefly visited the south rim 4 years back.

I have also gained back the full use of my left hand after tearing two pulleys in my left ring finger last winter, so I've spent the last month easing back into climbing, and will hopefully be in climbing shape for the bozeman ice festival, the ouray ice festival, a three day avalanche 1 course in silverton, and whatever snow/ice climbing trips that may fall inbetween. Between climbing and skiing (if we get some better snow than last season), this winter should be as eventful as the summer.

Oh, and i will be writing up full trip reports for everyone's enjoyment after the summer settles down. my new Canon S100 has been performing very well and been churning out some very beautiful photos.

I am not sure I could ever pick a favorite trail, every year brings new favorites. I did, however, enjoy what I consider the perfect hike this year, to Trap Lake along the PCT in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie NF near Skykomish, Washington (starting on the Tunnel Creek Trail). No bugs, no people, clear blue skies, trail in pretty good shape, mild temps beneath a bright sun. It could not have been better. Only wished I had more than a day to spend here.

Not really a trail, but the most memorable was hiking along the Maine coast in Acadia National Park this year. But I always like our fall trip to the Manistee River Trail.

My favorite trail so far this year is not an official trail.. it is a shortcut across a field. The reason it's my favorite is because I learn the most while walking along it. The last time I walked the trail was the first time my 3yo son told me what he wanted to be when he grew up.. an astronaut-paleontologist.

My most memorable trip and also my first was in the Black Hills of South Dakota hiking 6 miles up to Harney Peak with my younger brother and my dad. That is the highest point east of the rockies and west of the appalachian mountains. I was 17 years old at the time (28 now) and we brought nothing but ourselves, trail mix, and a 1L bottle of water each. When we reached the lookout at the top and looked out at the surrounding views, it was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. Every time I go for a day hike or backpacking trip, that short haul up to that peak with my brother and dad goes through my mind time and time again. It is also what motivates me to continue doing what I love which is exploring the backcountry. I hope one day I can share those experiences with my children