Musings
Last Adventurer
#preservethegood

As you’ve seen above, #preservethegood could mean anything – it could mean helping someone in a time of need; it could be picking up trash on a trail, or a wilderness area; it could be educating people on leave no trace principles; it could be making a difference in any way you want; and it could be just about anything you want as long as you are focused in keeping the magic and the unique positive things in this world and this life. In terms of tangible things, I encourage you, my readers and followers to use the hashtag when you post a photo of something amazing; or when you’re talking about something exceptional you – or someone else has done to improve the world. I look forward to seeing how all of you end up preserving the good in 2015, and you can rest assured that as always, I will keep preserving the good where I find it as well, because as Plato says, “Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.” 

#preservethegood
Hiking, State Parks
Last Adventurer
Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls

As I mentioned previously, Waimea Canyon is a site that is most definitely one of the “must-view” locations on Kauai, and in the world; and as I also mentioned, the best way to experience it is to hike it. While there are many great hikes through the canyon, the best hike in my book is the Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls. It is the best hike to me because at four miles roundtrip, it is accessible, it has stunning views of the canyon from inside the canyon, and it ends at the top Waipoo Falls. It also allows the hiker the chance to swim in a waterfall, which is a once in a lifetime experience.

Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls

Winter Ascent Humphreys Peak

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Current Conditions Humphreys Peak, March 2014

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Current Conditions Humphreys Peak, March 2014

Last Friday (3/7/14), I went back into Arizona to meet up with two of my In Ice Axe We Trust co-hosts, @jestheccc and @moosefish to climb Humphreys Peak in winter. As Jes has done an excellent job discussing the backstory to the climb on her blog, I’m going to stick to just the facts relating to the climb, and the conditions. In short, the most difficult part of this climb was finding the snow and ice, as there was none to climb upon for several weeks prior. As I’ve discussed before on my blog, California is experiencing an extreme drought this year; and these conditions have extended into Arizona. Fortunately for us, the week before the climb, both Arizona and California received a number of small storms that did drop some snow in the higher elevations. While the storm totals weren’t as high as everyone would have hoped, they were enough to cover Humphreys with snow down past the standard Humphreys Peak Trailhead at the Arizona Snowbowl (elevation 9,200).