What is Geocaching? – A Guest Post
The following is a guest post by John Koster an avid Geocacher! You can find out more about John on his blog: Cachin' In. In 2005 I was home for a summer internship with the Alabama Geologic Survey when some of my friends asked if I wanted to “go look for something hidden, with a GPS?” I said OK, but I honestly had no idea what we were doing. We ended up at a war memorial near the mall and the
Joe’s Life Outdoors – A Guest Post
The following is the first Guest Post to ever be featured on MyLifeOutdoors. Thank you to Joe at The Adventures of Jobiwan for promptly providing a wonderful guest post. In a recent post by Steven, he had asked if anyone would be interested in writing a guest post. I thought that I would give it a shot. This is my first ever guest post so I hope I don't scare Steven's followers away with it. This also gives me the opportunity to promote
Pine Peak, Texas – 7,710 feet – The Trip From #$@&?
Since the first time I set foot in the Davis Mountains I have been in love. The Davis Mountains are the largest chain of mountains in Texas and second highest chain in the state. The problem is, most of this chain is privately owned, which means hiking and camping are off limits in all but just a few places. Mount Livermore, Davis Mountains, TexasOne of the only exceptions is the Davis Mountain Preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy. But even
Balmorhea State Park – San Solomon Springs, Texas
Over mother’s day weekend my mom and dad came into town and wanted to go camping with the family. Due to some other obligations we couldn’t be gone long. So we headed down to Balmorhea State park for a short overnight trip. Balmorhea State ParkBalmorhea State Park is located southwest of Balmorhea, Texas in the foothills of the Davis Mountains. We arrived in the park just before sunset with enough light to set up camp. With the tentsup we took
Guadalupe Peak – Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas
This summer I am taking a group of teenagers Backpaking in the Arapaho National Forest outside of Denver Colorado. We plan to spend 3 nights in the backcountry and summit a 13,000 foot mountain. Many of these young people have never been backpacking, or camping and some have never even been hiking. I knew many of them had signed up without knowing what they were getting themselves into. So as a “warm-up” hike we headed out to Guadalupe Mountains National
Fire destroys Parts of Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area
The Last Chance Fire continues to burn in the steep, rocky, inaccessible terrain of the Guadalupe Mountains. Thanks to a comment from an anonymous reader I have just discovered the Fire has also burned areas of Sitting Bull Falls including picnic pavilion overhang covers, electrical poles, associated trail systems, and climbing area at end of Forest Service Road 525A.Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area before the Last Chance FireAs I posted earlier this week the recreation area is closed for the
Wildfire Hiking Safety – What to do if Caught Outdoors in a Wildfire
With all the fires burning and trails closing I started thinking about what I would do if caught hiking in a wildfire. I did a little research, consulted the US Forest Service, and a local fire marshal to find out what is the appropriate course of action when caught outdoors in a wildfire. Be Aware of Active Fires and Fire Danger:Before you set out to go hiking, camping, or backpacking check local conditions for fire danger and active fires in
Sitting Bull Falls, New Mexico
Since I moved out to West Texas and was introduced to the Guadalupe Mountains, I have wanted to visit Sitting Bull Falls. The Guadalupe Mountains form the highest mountains in Texas and are the focus of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The mountains extend into New Mexico creating the Guadalupe District of Lincoln National Forest. In this “forest” is a rare desert stream that cascades 130 feet over Sitting Bull Falls.Sitting Bull Falls We decided we would head out for a day
Toll Mountain Summit – Big Bend National Park, Texas
Our first night in the High Chisos Mountains a friend and I decided to bushwhack to the summit of Toll Mountain. At 7415 feet Toll Mountain is the 19th tallest mountain in Texas. That morning we started our hike climbing 1643 feet up the Pinnacles Trail to the saddle between Emory and Toll. We set up our first camp at the TM1 campsite near the bottom of the saddle. Continuing east from our camp we climbed an additional 420 feet
Davis Mountain Preserve – Open Days and Weekends 2011
The Nature Conservancy's Davis Mountain Preserve has released their open weekends for 2011. The Davis Mountain Preserve (home of Mt. Livermoore 8378 feet, highest in the Davis Mountain range) will be open on the following dates:View from the Limpia Chute Trail, Mount LivermoreMarch 12th - Open Day April 9th- Open DayMay 13th - 15th Open WeekendJune18th - Open Day July 22nd - 24th Open WeekendAugust