Lee Martinez Park, 600 N. Sherwood St, Fort Collins, Colorado

Hey all of you Fort Collins denizens and visitors to this beautiful place! This is the first of a series of posts over the Spring and Summer in which I will detail the parks and open spaces of town. We have a lot to offer, but the official town website only has the bare minimum information so I will try and detail these parks to give the reader a little bit more insight about these spaces.  We start with our first, :Lee Martinez Park which is located next to the Fort Collins Museum of discovery at the very North end of Mason st. Not hard to find at all. 

The park has a farm for the kids, basketball courts, a playground, separate jungle-gym for exercising, connecting bike/walking trails, baseball fields, bathrooms as well as a outlet to the Poudre Trail. I have never been to this park and not seen people so don't expect to "get away" from anyone here. However, if you head around on the opposite sides of the center field fences (Not on the fields, the other side) there is a somewhat secluded place to get some meditation or stretching on. I love Fort Collins, but we're not perfect so I will tell you if you are in the park early in the morning or late at night, be careful watching out for transients and other homeless people as downtown is close and the train riding season is in full swing. This goes double when the season turns beautiful. Don't let that dissuade you though. This is definitely a great place to spend some quality time with friends and family.

Pros: Near downtown, clean, bathrooms, variety of things to do in park, large playground. 

Cons: Proximity to homeless population, sometimes overcrowded

Doe herd at Horsetooth Moutain Open Space. 3/9/2015

 My friend and I took a hike in the snow melt up at Horsetooth. We went from the trail head to Horsetooth Falls then hooked a right onto the Spring Creek Trail. About five to ten minutes into that particular path, we spotted 8 total Mule deer, 2 doe and 6 fawn. At first we were somewhat alarmed as we noticed the direction we had been walking was basically coming between the fawn and the doe so we backed up a little bit to take pictures and let them know we were passing through. These little moments hiking in the foothills of N. Colorado are amazing! Go out there today and see some for yourself! :)

Also, check out this video from my new YouTube channel!

The Journey of 7 bridges... Hiking Hanging Lake in the Winter

This is where my wife and I were married and we revisit it every year. I've done two other posts on this exact hike so if there is something here missing you might find it in this post or perhaps this one. It's a moderate to difficult hike in the winter time but it's definitely worth it. You'll definitely need some yak tracks and hiking poles but the poles are optional. We saw some wearing snow shoes but it didn't look necessary and appeared to be way too much work. Of course bring a drink and a snack for when you get to the top. There are seven bridges that you must cross before you get to the final stretch which is also the most difficult part of the hike. If you're overweight or scared of heights then this might be too much for you. This part can be treacherous. Make sure to hold on to the railing and have proper footing (see photos below). Once you get to the top you can walk around the lake and under the falls and depending on the temperature you'll see if the water is actually flowing or frozen. After you have explored the lake, you can hike up a little further and see spouting rock. Like I said, if it's been a cold winter you might not see any water flowing and it'll be frozen shut. Nonetheless you should see breathtaking icicles and you should get more than one good photo. Here are each of the seven bridges and what you can expect of them around the winter time. It took us about 2 hours and 20 minutes for the trailhead then up to the top and down with ample time to explore and mess around. In that time we went 3.7 miles. If you're planning on being up there awhile bundle up. With that said, practically anyone can do this hike with a little inspiration. Good luck! Be safe & enjoy the photos! 

 

Ecola State Park- Cannon Beach, Orgeon

This is my last posting from my trip to Oregon back in June of 2014 and my first experience with the Pacific Ocean. The views are amazing and you can eventually make your way down to the beach with some small climbing down the embankment, but do so at your own risk. With that said, if you DON'T make it down to the beach for whatever reason, you are really doing yourself an injustice especially if you have traveled to see the ocean. 

The water was cold and rough which was to be expected but I did not expect there to be actual danger in visiting the shore.  However, hide tide, "sneaker waves," and the undertow in the water are all things that need to be seriously considered as they can be perilous. Seriously, if you get pulled out into the water far enough, even being a great swimmer you will be fighting not to drown. It looks calm but when the water is touching your feet and you look out into the vast expanse, it is roaring and unforgiving. 

There is also plenty of wildlife in the park in general and down on the shore. Lots of birds, star fish, barnacles and other shelled creatures on the rocks to view but please don't molest them. They are peaceful creatures and this is their home.There are also people there in the park viewing everything, feel free to molest them instead. In addition to the animals, there is a network of caves under the rocks just begging to be explored! I highly recommend this park!

Saddle Mountain State Park- Saddle, Oregon

Location: Saddle Mountain State Park

Date: /3/2012

How far we went: 4.42mi

How long it took us: 3:06:58 (Up & Back plus trail head)

Elevation reached: Started at 1713ft and got up to 3,258ft

Weather: Cool, wet, nice. Once above treeline sunny, pretty damn windy at peak.

Finally getting around to posting more of one of the best trips I have ever been on to AMAZING Oregon to visit fellow TrailMixxxer, Joe and his lady. After a few days in the Portland-metro area we decided to escape to Saddle Mountain for a camping/hiking excursion.

The best way I could describe Oregon is GREEN. I thought the Pine forests of North Carolina were lush but honestly this is another level to an East Coaster such as myself. The rich vegetation dominated the landscape but when you did come across colours within the ecosystem they stand out and are truly beautiful. After living in the foothills of the Rockies, it was nice to come down in altitude for a change. If you are anywhere in Oregon I'm sure there are amazing spots all over, but if you are around Saddle Mountain definitely check it out.

After the hike down we set up camp. Aside from a small family all the way across the way from us we were the only ones there. There was a bit of a sprinkle overnight so just a pro tip to keep in mind, cover your firewood so it doesn't get damp. This goes double when you go to sleep. If you wake up in the chilly rain in the AM and are craving a warm fire it can really be a challenge if the wood is soaked. Otherwise, we ate good and slept fine. There are showers and toilets but it's a state park, so don't expect anything pristine, but that's usual for anywhere you go. Enjoy the photos!