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Almost there ... the final climb to the hut.

Here's Steve skinning up the slope in the first couple miles.

Clear windows on one side make for fantastic views ...

The dining area inside the hut.

Todd Haylett and Paul Hilding hang out in the sunshine inside the hut.

Looking across to some north ski glades.

Peeling out to ski for the day.

Hiking up to the knob above the hut.

Mack Lyons and Paul Hilding on the trail.

We had the privilege of spending three days at the Tornak Hut north of Sun Valley on a sunny and warm March weekend. Most of our group of 7 brought Hawaiian shirts for the spring skiing occasion, and it was totally appropriate.

Tornak has been one of my favorite huts for a long time. It's owned and operated by Sun Valley Trekking, which has a total of six huts and yurts in the Smoky, Pioneer and Sawtooth Mountains. Since I make a point of doing yurt/hut trips every winter, I've had the privilege of staying at all of S.V. Trekking's huts and yurts over the years, and I can tell you that Tornak is...

Serious riders on Hill Road

The Boise River Greenbelt ... lovely place to ride.

City to Farm loop skirts Kuna in SW Boise. This is Cloverdale.

Beautiful Ten Mile Valley ... between Cloverdale and Pleasant Valley Road

S. Cole has pretty much ZERO traffic, south of Ten Mile ...

Classic ranchette in the sticks outside of Boise

With the weather warming up this weekend into the low 60s, it's going to be a great weekend for just about anything, including spring skiing.

A lot of folks will want to go biking, and I'm promoting some cool road rides to get your cycling legs in shape again. Mountain biking in the foothills is tempting ... I saw a lot of riders out last Monday walking my dog. But hey folks, there are a number of wet and muddy spots on the north slopes of trails that won't dry out for a while. Please give the foothills trails a break and go road biking instead.

Check the Ridge to Rivers web site for the latest details. Their motto right now is "Know Before You Go." A voluntary closure is in effect for...

Rocky Canyon Road at Aldape Summit early-season

Rocky Canyon Road map (click to enlarge)

Five Mile-Orchard (Trail #7) Loop (click to enlarge)

Five Mile Creek is a perennial stream

Orchard Gulch trailhead

Five Mile Trailhead

Goggles are a must riding in the snow

5-6 inches of fluff this morning!

I wasn't the only person who wanted to recreate in the snow ...

We're getting a nice blast of snow this week to freshen up the "pow" in the mountains, but next week, even by Sunday, the weather is turning warm in Boise ... it might even hit the low 60s by next Monday! That'll get the spring fever going, won't it?

The big swings in temperatures we'll be experiencing next week will freeze our foothills trails at night, and thaw big-time during the day; chances are, they'll be mushy by the afternoon when temperatures rise into the 40s or 50s. I doubt things will dry out yet, so you'll be limited to hiking/running/biking on frozen trails early in the morning.

During times like this, I've always championed going out on...

Chel at the Boulder Mountain Tour

REI contributed $10,000 to the Harrison Hollow open space campaign

REI was a partner in the Bogus Basin Nordic solar lighting project

REI backs Snowschool, outdoor education for elementary school kids

Seaman's Gulch Trail, an REI service project that was completed in 1 day

How's my hair look? No, this is a REI service project in the Owyhees

Building the Deer Point Trail

Boise REI contributed to the purchase of lower Hulls Gulch in 1993

The Friends of the Payette campaign was supported by REI Boise

I went to a wonderful retirement party for Tom "Chel" Chelstrom, longtime manager of the Boise REI store, last night at the Stonehouse next to the Ram. A big crowd, a veritable who's who from the greater Boise outdoor scene, attended.

We were all there because no matter if you're a dedicated REI shopper or not, if you've been involved in trying to enhance the recreation environment and infrastructure in Southwest Idaho, you've been involved in an REI service project or REI grant project...

Wind River Pack Bridge, Salmon River Country

Bruneau Dunes!

ParkCenter Greenbelt Loop (click to enlarge)

Bown Crossing Loop (click to enlarge)

A friend of mine, Kirk Hall, gave a presentation Wednesday night at REI about some nice winter hiking destinations close to home. Kirk's theme was "Explore Your Neighborhood, Explore Your Community, Explore the World."

I thought I'd share his winter hiking ideas as my outdoor tip of the week. Some people are not skiers or snowshoers, and those of you who fit into this category are probably getting a bit of cabin fever!

1. Explore some walks in your neighborhood. Have you found some nice loop walks that you can do just by walking out your front door?

Two hikes that Kirk recommended are in Southeast Boise because that's where he lives.

Marianne Nelson, our trip leader

Laura floats through the sugar-like powder snow

Payette Powder Guides yurts at Lick Creek Summit

Eric Young and Eric Schneider take us and our gear to Lick Creek with their sleds

Typical powder field scene ... quite nice!

I felt like a lucky guy last weekend. It was one of those rare times when the combination of impeccable weather, luscious powder, great people, smooth logistics and fine backcountry accommodations all blended together into an awesome three-day trip near McCall, Idaho.

Après ski, sitting in the afternoon sunshine on the wooden deck of a fine yurt provided by Payette Powder Guides, and sipping on a beer, I felt my cheeks radiating the feeling of good times all around.

Three days previous, I was doing logistical backflips getting my kids situated at my moms for the weekend, finding a baby sitter for our new puppy, and getting all of my business affairs squared away so I could leave town. Now I can say it was all well-worth the hassle.

We had a nice party of...

New pedestrian bridge provides access to the south side of the river

Red lines indicate trails in the vicinity (click to enlarge)

Here's our puppy "Huck" crossing the ped bridge

Typical scene on south side of the river

Ducks and geese like the ponds

wetlands

Typical habitat in the area

Nice pathways - thanks Eagle!

Huck surveys the scene

North Channel of the Boise River

We've got a new puppy, a German shorthair-English pointer mix. He's pretty little -- only 9 weeks now -- so I've been taking him on relatively short walks, and introducing him to nature and the big world out there.

I like to walk him on dirt or gravel paths, so the other day, I thought I'd take him out to the Eagle Greenbelt section that's best accessed from Merrill Park in Eagle River or behind the Bardennay Restaurant in Eagle.

It's a great place for a low-key walk with or without dogs. A new pedestrian bridge that spans the North Channel of the Boise River opens up access to a number of pathways on the south side of the channel. There'...

You'll see that several guys were up skiing at Pilot Peak on Tuesday of this week and encountered several slab avalanches on their way up. See video, photos and blog for the full explanation.

Be safe out there!

- SS

2 feet of new snow in 2 days at Brundage Mountain. Woo hoo! (Courtesy Brundage.com)

The whole NW region is getting hammered with precip. Bring it! (Courtesy NOAA)

Well, that bullet-proof ridge of high pressure that prevented any storms from hitting the Pacific Northwest for 6+ weeks is finally gone, and now we can go play in the snow. Yay!

My message this week is "enjoy the snow" with a few words of caution, and I've got a reminder below about the Jan. 31 deadline for river permits.

Because we've been getting hit with so much snow in such a short amount of time, please be aware that skiing in the backcountry is VERY HAZARDOUS right now. Here's a link to the Payette Avalanche Center with their latest forecast, which indicates that the avalanche danger is currently "high," and expected to get worse. More than 30 inches of snow has fallen in the high country in the last three days, with a ton more coming.

No matter what, be sure to pack an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe if you venture into the backcountry....

Norm Nelson skis a run at Anthony Lakes near Baker, OR

My friend Norm Nelson and I decided to take a little road trip to Anthony Lakes Ski Area in Eastern Oregon last weekend for a change of scenery. As in: Get out of the brown and into the white! We had heard that the skiing was quite good at Anthony, and they were reporting a 32-inch base (all natural snow), so that seemed promising.

We drove over on Saturday afternoon, stayed at the Super 8 in Baker ($67/night for two people) skied all day Sunday and got home by 7 p.m. on Sunday night. It takes about 2.5 hours from Boise to drive directly to the Anthony Lakes parking lot, but it's an easy drive -- 2 hours on I-84 and 30 minutes to the resort on a winding two-lane paved road from North Powder.

The skiing was fabulous, I thought. I ran into Scott Perryman and two of his friends from Boise who skied 3 days at Anthony last weekend, and this is what he had to say:

"It was a pleasant surprise," Perryman says. "It was my first time there, and I thought, damn,...

Head for the snow near Idaho City, McCall or Ketchum/Sun Valley

to enjoy free cross-country ski day this weekend

Well, I put up a Facebook post yesterday, asking people how they're coping with little to no snow, and what they're doing instead, and I got a bunch of funny responses ... One guy said he's going diving in Cozumel, an island off the Caribbean coast of Mexico (jealous!), other folks said they're hiking and mountain biking but getting "impatient" with the wacky weather, others are snow-biking, road biking, doing rehab, cleaning the house -- all kinds of stuff.

It's one of those winters so far where you can do practically anything except ski/ride at our local hill ... hang in there Bogus!

On Saturday, it's supposed to be pretty warm and sunny, so you might as well take advantage of free cross-country ski day at the Idaho City Park 'n Ski Areas, Ponderosa Park in McCall or Galena Lodge north of Ketchum/Sun Valley. On Sunday, all of the Blaine County Recreation District cross-country ski trails...

Beautiful smooth ice on Lake Cascade in Cascade. Photo taken on Christmas eve.

Halverson Lake

The trail to Halverson Lake is sandy.

Rock petroglyphs at Celebration Park.

Well, the warm rainy weather in Boise is just totally inspiring, isn't it? Here we've been waiting a month for new precipitation, and then it comes in the form of a pineapple express? How cruel!

I was glad to see that Brundage Mountain is opening on Friday, and Tamarack has opened the Summit chairlift, meaning that you can ski the top half of the mountain where the snow conditions are likely to be best. Either Brundage or Tamarack should be a good bet this weekend, especially after things cool off on Saturday. Probably going to rain at the base areas on Friday, according to the weather forecast. Cross-country skiing at Bear Basin is quite good ... we skied there last week and enjoyed it. See my video.

Downhill skiing at Sun Valley has been excellent on man-made snow in all of the main parts of the mountain, including Seattle Ridge, Warm Springs...

10-day outlook is not promising (courtesy NOAA)

90-day outlook calls for wetter than normal (courtesy NOAA)

30-day outlook calls for wetter than normal (courtesy NOAA)

Well, geez, our snow dance moves must be totally uninspiring or just plain lame. It's not working!!!

The December precipitation for the greater Boise area so far this month is a big fat ZERO. According to the National Weather Service, December is supposed to be our wettest month!

I checked with NWS officials today to see if they still are expecting a La Nina winter. The answer was, yes, but it is a weaker La Nina than last year.

The 30-day outlook from the NWS still calls for above-normal precipitation or "wetter than normal" conditions ... that should mean some big snow storms! But Colin Baxter, NWS meteorologist in Boise, says that the location of the polar vortex is to blame. "We're locked in this pattern where the polar vortex is hovering over Hudson Bay and the Bering Sea, and that's forcing low pressure to the south along the Pacific...

Galena Trails in late November (courtesy Galena Lodge)

Bear Basin trails (courtesy Steve Jones/McCall Nordic)

Bear Basin (courtesy Steve Jones/McCall Nordic)

Well it's time to fire up the outdoor tips again now that the big game hunting seasons are pretty much over, and the mountains are cloaked in snow ... well, not a lot of snow, but at least it's a start!

This week I'll focus on places where you can go to recreate in the snow in SW Idaho ... either snow-shoeing, cross-country skiing, backcountry skiing or alpine skiing.

Galena Lodge, located 23 miles north of Sun Valley, has 35 kilometers of cross-country trails open with an average 12-inch groomed base. "The skiing is pretty fricking good considering," says Erin Zell, co-owner of Galena Lodge. "The days are nice and the nights are cold, so that's good for snow retention."

On Saturday, Galena is hosting a free demo day featuring Backwoods Mountain Sports, the Elephants Perch and Idaho Mountain Touring from Boise will be there as well. This is a great...

Map of Greenbelt Bike Crawl location (click to enlarge)

Hi all,

Roberto Negron on top of Mars Ridge, Sun Valley area

Roberto and Mark Anderson check out the Sun Valley Adventure Map

CatEye EL-135

MiNewt.250 cordless

Well, we all do stupid things once in a while or have unforeseen mechanical breakdowns in totally remote places when we're out trying to enjoy the great outdoors. And then you find out just how prepared you are for adversity or emergency.

I had a little incident last Friday night that revealed a weakness in my emergency equipment cache in my Camelbak pack. Four of us had been slogging up Eves Gulch Trail on mountain bikes for WAY longer than expected. I found myself cresting a high ridge divide between Adams Gulch and the Warm Springs drainage, some 2,000 feet above the valley floor, and it was well past 8:30 p.m. Darkness was settling in. Great.

And I didn't have a light. Never thought about bringing one! We were out for a "before-dinner" ride with Roberto Negron, who owns a condo along Warm Springs in Sun Valley. We wanted to drop over to the Warm Springs...

The Emmett Valley, with Squaw Butte looming in the distance

Trip map from GPS tracks (click to enlarge)

This week's topic is a neat road biking loop from my map, the Boise Road Cycling Guide. My mountain bike was in the shop, so I thought I'd try a road biking ride that I've been wanting to notch for some time. It's called the Big Freezeout-Little Freezeout Loop, starting and finishing in Star, Idaho.

I would recommend this ride on WEEKENDS ONLY! Idaho Highway 16 is a very busy commuter road with folks from Emmett coming and going during the week, but on the Sunday when I did the ride, the road was relatively quiet and didn't affect my experience in a negative way.

The Big Freezeout-Little Freezeout Loop is a cool ride because it's a pretty fast route without that many hills (1,039 vertical feet of gain/loss), and it's very scenic, providing an agricultural tour of dry grazing lands, and irrigated farm lands in the Emmett Valley and next to the foothills north of Star and Middleton. Another benefit is...

Ah, a campfire completes the camping experience

Don't forget the s'mores!

Bear Valley Creek offers fishing and hiking

Try mountain biking to the top of Whitehawk Lookout

Bear Valley in the foreground, with the Sawtooths in the background

We've got beautiful weather coming up here for Labor Day weekend, and it's the last unofficial weekend to take the family camping. So I'm serving up some last-minute ideas on where to go where you might not run into mobs of people.

If you DO want to run into tons of people, you'll find them at Redfish Lake near Stanley, Stanley Lake, the North Fork of the Boise area, the Middle Fork of the Boise area, Ponderosa State Park in McCall or the giant beaches along the Salmon River upstream of Riggins.

Before I list my recommendations, I'd like to remind folks to bring some extra clothes and warm sleeping bags this weekend. The wonderful cool weather that passed through SW during the middle of this week is still somewhat at play, especially in the early morning hours. Bring a winter...

Stack Rock, a signature landmark near Bogus Basin

Google Earth GPS map of the ride

Topo GPS tracks of the ride

The ride has 2,600 feet of gain ... lots of up and down

With these hot, dog days of August weather, it's best to cool off in the lakes and rivers, or go hiking and biking on high elevation trails.

This week's tip is about the new loop trail around Stack Rock called Freddy's Stack Rock Trail. Stack Rock is a signature granite pyramid-shaped rock on a timbered ridge to the west of Bogus Basin Mountain Resort. Approximately 1,300 acres of the Stack Rock area recently came into public ownership courtesy of a $1 million donation by Boise resident Fred Alleman and additional funds from the Boise Foothills Levy Committee. The land was purchased from the Terteling family in December 2009 for $1.32 million to make it available for public use.

The City of Boise has placed a rock at the trailhead with a message about the land-preservation effort to let the public know how the purchase was made possible. THANK...

The spell-binding view from the top of Observation Peak in the Sawtooths (courtesy summitpost.com)

Washington Lake in the White Clouds (courtesy ICL)

Red Mountain Lakes in the Boise National Forest near Lowman

High mountain lakes are where you want to be right now ...

this is Steve at a mystery lake in the Payette National Forest

Wendy on the summit of the Payette Crest

Sad, but true, the summer is slipping away -- at least for the parents of kids who start school next week.

It's going to be hot as blazes this weekend -- temperatures are forecast in the mid-90's and higher on Sunday -- so I'm recommending that you dash to the mountains for a high-elevation hike in the cool air near Stanley or McCall.

Start early in the day and get to the trailhead when it's still cool in the morning, so you can enjoy a full day in the high country before you need to head back home. Be sure to bring a day pack with water, snacks, a lunch and a rain coat. Bring bug juice as well as sun screen. Wear a hat for sun protection....

So happy to be here!

Wendy and Elena on the Warm Springs pack bridge

A few huge tamaracks grew among the giant western red cedars

Big trees and ferns

Warm Springs Creek

Life is good!

A quick drive to Missoula, Mont., last weekend reminded me how much I miss the Lochsa River Country in north-central Idaho. To be totally honest, I feel a huge tug in my heart when I go there -- a feeling that comes from many wonderful trips in which I felt absolutely awe-struck by the beauty, power and majesty of the Lochsa region.

As a University of Montana student many moons ago, I frequently went backpacking in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, often via Elk Summit or other trailheads along the Lochsa River. I used to visit Jerry Johnson Hot Springs in all seasons -- at all hours of the day or night -- and even went winter camping and backcountry skiing in the vast mountains around Lolo Pass.

Later, I went whitewater rafting on the Lochsa and the Selway rivers, traced the Lewis & Clark Trail by mountain bike, went canoeing...

SUP's are popular for ocean surfing

Surfing with Fido

SUP nuts tying the knot

A scenic and relaxing sunset cruise

In the lesson, we started out on our knees ...

Some SUPs are set up for paddle-boarding and sea kayaking

Jo Cassin and Jefe Bates give us the skinny on how to get started ...

I've been seeing quite a bit of information about a new recreational toy called a Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) in the last year, so I thought I would give one a test drive.

I took a class on Tuesday night, and the class was full -- that seems to indicate how popular this new sport is becoming. Idaho River Sports is offering lessons upon demand during the day Monday through Saturday, and evening sessions on Tuesdays and Fridays. Alpenglow Mountainsport also is offering lessons upon request with a SUP board rental.

Interest has just "exploded" in the sport of SUP in the last year, local paddling experts say.

"Number one, it's easy ... most people can do it," says Jefe Bates of Glide Paddleboards. "Eventually, the paddleboard is...

Ride Sun Valley! (Courtesy Sun Valley Chamber)

The trails are amazingly smooth and contoured (Courtesy Sun Valley Chamber)

Post card views around every bend (Courtesy Sun Valley Chamber)

I love to ride through aspens ... this was in Lamb's Gulch in Croy Canyon

Part of our crew on the Little Basin-Big Basin ride near Stanley. Those young boys can ride!

Crossing Big Basin Creek is a bit chilly

Hi all,

Cycling enthusiasts are faced with a vexing choice this weekend -- do you stay in town to watch the Boise Twilight Criterium or head up to Sun Valley to participate in the Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival and watch the USA Cycling National Mountain Biking Cross-Country Championships?

That's a tough decision, but in my mind, the participatory-nature of the Sun Valley bike festival makes it a pretty easy choice that tips in favor of heading up to Sun Valley. Former Olympic road and mountain bike racer Greg Randolph, a.k.a. "Chopper," who is now heading up the Sun Valley Chamber of Commerce, has put together a super cool week...

Everyone knows about renting the Idaho City Park n' Ski Area yurts in the winter, but not so much in the summer. To give folks an incentive, the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation has dropped the price of yurt rentals by $30 for weekends and week days, meaning that rents are $60/night for weekends and $45 for week nights. The yurts sleep six.

In my view, the IDPR yurts provide a great venue for a family friendly weekend in the woods. You have six to choose from. All of them are close to hiking and biking trails, and in the summer, you can actually drive to within 100-300 yards from the yurts, making it easy to pack in your camping gear and super easy for parents to take young children.

No muss, no fuss: The yurts are set up with a double-burner stove, cooking utensils, pots, plates and silverware, so you don't have to bring that stuff from home. Just bring sleeping bags, food, water and beverages. Everything you pack in should be packed out. If the bugs are bad outside, you can hang out in the yurt. If...

North Valley Rail-Trail in McCall

Red Ridge, near McCall

Jug Mountain Ranch trails, near Lake Fork

Loon Lake Trail, north of McCall

Loon Lake ... watch for moose!

If previous years are any indication, there will be a max exodus of outdoor recreationists heading for the hills to go camping on this 4th of July weekend. For once, the weather looks absolutely fantastic.

Since many of you will be heading north toward Cascade and McCall, I'm recommending a number of snow-free trails, where you can go hiking, biking or trail-running in the Boise and Payette national forests. The snow level is at approximately 6,500-7,000-foot elevation; on north slopes, it will be lower.

However, some of my favorite trails in the area are snow-free. I'm glad that you'll be able to experience them. I'll start with a couple of easy ones and build to more challenging rides/hikes. Incidentally, all of these trails are featured in my book Mountain Biking in McCall:

Looking north toward the Snake Plain from a rock pinnacle

Bighorn sheep skull and horns

Jeep Trail makes for easy walking

Old cabin at the confluence of E. and W. Forks of Shoofly Creek

W. Fork Shoofly Creek

On the way into Shoofly Creek

"Between the Creeks" canyons come into view

The first canyon

Indian paintbrush was bursting with color everywhere

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I'm working on an Owyhee Canyonlands guidebook, and so this week, I'd like to highlight a cool 5.5-mile loop hike near Grand View, about 1.25 hours from Boise.

I'm going to call this hike the "Shoofly Creek Quick Loop" because it's a short drive to the trailhead on an easy and tame 4WD road off of Mud Flat Road (easily navigated with a Subaru), south of Grand View, and the hiking trip itself took me only about 3 hours. It's a family friendly trip ... kids 8 and over would do fine on the hike. Just so you know, the hike features 840 feet of vertical gain and descent over the course of 5.5 miles.

Why go: The hike penetrates a portion...

The Middle Fork Payette River, oil painting by Venture Coy www.venturecoyfineart.com

Trip map for Tie Creek float on the Middle Fork.

Map for One Spoon Trail #043 (click to enlarge).

Steve along the One Spoon Trail. We hiked it during deer season ... hence, the blaze orange vest.

The rivers are cranking with high water in most corners of Idaho, a lot of campgrounds are snowed in, and many mountain hiking destinations are covered with snow as well. But in the Middle Fork of the Payette River area, near Crouch and Garden Valley, about an hour north of Boise, you can find an easy-going paddling trip, and go hiking and camping in areas that are clear of snow. It'd be a good bet for this weekend.

Paddling the Middle Fork of the Payette River is a fun trip for those folks who are looking for a lower-key experience in canoes, inflatable kayaks or smaller rafts. It's an 8-mile reach that starts at Tie Creek Campground, about nine miles north of Crouch, and flows by a number of funky cabins on the river bank, with...

If you haven't ever experienced the Weiser River Trail, there's a great opportunity on Saturday to do so. The Friends of the Weiser River Trail are hosting the 5th annual Weiser River Trail Bike Ride. You can choose from riding 28 miles from the northern-most trailhead near New Meadows to Council, or ride shorter sections of either 18 miles or 8 miles. You can sign up here.

Even the 28-mile ride should be doable for just about any ability levels because you'll get a shuttle to the start, ride 18 miles on a gradual downhill grade to the flats near Fruitvale, and ride the last 10 miles to Council along the old railroad grade. Check out the trail map for reference.

I personally have ridden the full length of the trail (I broke the 84-mile trail into two different day trips for 40+ miles each). That should be your long-term goal if you haven't done that already. The northern section of the...

Morel mushrooms - Yum!

Find a hot springs pool to keep you warm ...

It's pretty depressing looking at the weather forecast for Memorial Day weekend in Idaho ... it's supposed to be either raining or snowing pretty much everywhere. Dang!

So, here are a few ideas to make your weekend more enjoyable:

Drew Stuebner, 12, on top of the rim above Succor Creek State Park

Drew and Dad head back to the park

Steve and Drew

Wendy checks out the slot canyon

Slot canyon from below

Succor Creek was bank-full

There are lots of caves to explore in the rocks

Drew found a mysterious bone ...

Rhyolite spires punctuate the view

Downriver view of Succor Creek

The view approaching the park ...

I'm doing research for a new guidebook on the Owyhee Canyonlands this spring, summer and fall, so you will see occasional blog posts about my trips. Last Sunday, I took my son Drew and Wendy out to Succor Creek State Park, a natural area about 30 minutes from Homedale, Idaho.

The park is very scenic. It has hiking opportunities, caves to explore, campsites, a rest room and picnic areas. The area appears to be popular with off-highway vehicles as well. Camping is free, but it's a self-support situation. Bring your own water, food and supplies.

Succor Creek State Park lies in the bottom of an incised canyon, surrounded by cool rock features...

I took my 7th grader, Quinn, on a bike ride yesterday in Military Reserve. He's kind of a super jock, so he's been spending a lot of time playing hockey, skiing and playing baseball in recent weeks. Yesterday was a rare day when he didn't have baseball practice or a game, so I seized the day to take him on a ride on a gloriously sunny afternoon.

We rode the Jumpin' Jeepers Figure 8 Loop, a 6.5-mile hike or bike ride that culminates in climbing to Shane's Summit (see description below). Quinn had a funny low-speed crash on a tight corner. Check out the video.

He was complaining a bit about climbing Shane's until he saw a couple of young boys and girls at Shane's Summit from the Boise BYRDS, a youth-development cycling team. Some of the kids were less than 10 years old, and they made it up there! Plus, one of Quinn's classmates at North Junior...

Denise Lauerman (all photos provided by Denise)

Peggy Jordan

The Snake River in Hells Canyon

Kirkwood Museum

A few creek crossings are required ...

A snail. Denise said she saw lots of them.

Elk!

The trail on the Idaho side

Overview map (click to enlarge)

L-R, Teri Stiburek, Peggy Jordan, Denise Lauerman at Lower Pittsburg Landing

It's been a long winter. A lot of people have cabin fever. We're all eager to get outside and enjoy some spring activities. The only problem is, the weather doesn't want to dry out. We're lucky to get even two days of nice weather in a row in SW Idaho and then it rains again.

People in Seattle would probably say "get over it!" Put on your rain gear and go.

Well, another possibility is to go hiking, backpacking and camping in Hells Canyon. A friend of mine, Denise Lauerman, and two of her friends backpacked 6 miles from Lower Pittsburg Landing to the Kirkwood Historic Ranch recently, and came home with lots of great photos. Many thanks to Denise and her friends, Teri Stiburek and Peggy...

Google Earth GPS route of Cross-Foothills Route; click to enlarge

I checked on the Ridge to Rivers web site earlier this week to check on Boise Foothills trail conditions, and the headline was, "Trails are mostly dry." After all the rain in the last month, that's great news! We've got the official green light to go hiking, running or biking on foothills trails.

So I dashed out for a mountain bike ride on Tuesday afternoon, and indeed, the trails were bone dry. I went on a cross-foothills ride today (more on that in a moment), and the trails were mostly dry. Of course, as the Ridge to Rivers trail report points out, conditions can change when rain is in the forecast. There's a 50 percent chance of rain on Saturday, for instance. Be sure to give the trails a chance to dry out after a storm.

In the meantime, seize the day and head out on the trails. You'll hear the sound of meadowlarks, and the creeks roaring with snowmelt. Red-tailed hawks are soaring in the fresh winds, searching for prey. Foothills grasses...

Hi all,

Last night at the annual Musher's Banquet in Nome, Trent received the "Most Improved Musher Award" for the musher who moves up the most places relative to the finish the previous year.  Trent moved up to 25th place this year from a 49th place finish a year ago.   Picture of Trent receiving his award below.   If he moves up another 24 places next year, he'll win Most Improved and come in 1st!

 

Remember that Trent also led the race at the halfway point by being first in the checkpoint at the ghost town of Iditarod.  Trent also received that award last night.  I watched the video from the Iditarod Insider of the award presentation and Trent's receiving the award. 

 

Trent said "This is really cool, I never thought this would happen.  I was kinda in the right place at the right time to make it first to Iditarod.  I need to thank all my students, my wife who has put up with all this the past six years, and all my sponsors back in the Wood River Valley....

My GPS tracks from riding the loops yesterday. (Click on map to enlarge)

Boise Mayor David Bieter and Garden City Mayor John Evans cut the ribbon

I've been watching the construction of the new Greenbelt bridge near Veterans Memorial Park all winter long, so it was cool to attend the bridge dedication yesterday and finally get a chance to use the bridge!

I shot some video of the mayor's speech and helmet cam video of a new 3-mile Figure 8 loop that one can do thanks to the new bridge (see above).

The new $750,000 bridge -- built with federal stimulus money -- spans the Boise River between Pleasanton Avenue on the Boise side of the river and 36th Street on the Garden City side. It will be a key aspect of the Ray Neef Whitewater Park when that becomes reality in the near future.

I live near Veterans Park (one of Boise's largest parks), so I often go jogging on the Greenbelt between Veterans Memorial Parkway Bridge and the Main Street Bridge near the Double Tree-Riverside Hotel. The loop is 3 miles long from...

Trent pulled in to Nome this morning.   he finished the great race in 25th place.  He made the 77 mile trip from White Mountain in 9 hr 54 min at 7.77 mph.  His overall time for the race was slighly over 10 1/2 days.   His best previous finish was 48th place and and 12 1/2 days.  It was a great race and a great year for Trent. 

 

The goal for the 2011 campaign had been: “Moving day, as in moving up the standings… stronger kennel… mid 10 day finish in top 30"

 

Trent nailed it.  He even led the race on two occasions and was first musher to the halfway point.

 

Snapshot from the Iditarod Insider video of Trent crossing the burled arch at the finish in Nome this morning.   We'll post a gallery of pictures from the race later.

 

Trent pulled in to White Mountain sometime around 6:00 this morning in 27th place.   The standings are not updated on the Iditarod website to know the time for sure, but on the GPS tracker he is in White Mountain.   This checkpoint is a mandatory 8 hour rest point for the teams and then it is 77 miles on to Nome and the finish.

I suspect Trent will leave late afternoon today well rested and get in to Nome sometime Thursday morning.   The team had 7 dogs checking out of Elim heading to White Mountain.   Trent has slowed his pace and increased his rest times since the Yukon, it appears.   He discusses this with the Iditarod Insider team in the article below.

It still looks good for a top 30 finish for Trent which was his goal heading in to the race, and he's had a great campaign.  He led the race after the Skwenta checkpoint, and was first to the halfway checkpoint at the ghost...

Trent just finished the run accross open water on the Norton sound from Shaktoolik to Koyuk.   He left shortly after midnight and arrived at Koyuk at 6:38 this morning covering the 42 miles in 6hr 33m at a pace of 7.33 mph.   Trent checked in to Koyuk in 24th place.   Trent sits about 150 miles from the finish at Nome at this point.  He'll probably reach White Mountain and the mandatory 8 hour rest there at some point today and then the final 77 miles in to Nome should have him at the finish at some point on Wednesday.   Also a picture of a team crossing the open water of the Norton Sound.

 

This is the stretch of open ocean travel made famous by Leonhard Seppala in the serum run in 1925 to save the children of Nome from a diptheria epidemic.   The dog sled relay of the serum from Fairbanks to Nome is the inspiration for today's Iditarod.   Seppala took the over sea route coming from Nome to meet the serum and on his return to save time over...

Sorry, the blooger took his 24 hour rest stop yesterday.   When we left Trent last, he as checking out of Iditarod after being the first in the race to the halfway point and then completing his mandatory 24 hour rest.   He left Iditarod at 7:30 AM on the 11th after his rest.   The leaders who had taken their 24 hour rest at Takotna had long passed through and Trent hit the trail in 24th place. 

 

In the past 48 hours Trent has made 1) the 65 mile run from Iditarod to Shageluk in 6 hr 28m at 10.05 mph where he rested for 6 hours; 2) the 43 mile run from Shageluk to Graying (checking through Anvik at the start of the Yukon) in 5 hr 41 min averaging 7.6 mph where he rested for 5-1/2 hours; 3) the 60 mile run from Grayling to Eagle Island in 7 hr 5 min at 8.47 mph.   

 

Trent was back on the Yukon at 10:30 last night to head up the final leg of the Yukon to Kaltag.  Looking on the GPS tracker just now, he is 14 miles from Kaltag and running 23rd in the...

After his 24 hour rest in Iditarod, Trent is back on the trail.   Probably don't have to remind you that he pulled in to Iditarod Thursday morning at ~5:45 in 1st place, won $3,000 in gold nuggets and upset the "old guard" in claiming the prize.  He left Iditarod the morning in 27th place and has moved up to 24th place on the trail.  The weather is colder heading in to the Yukon and the trail is supposed to be getting softer.   If Trent and the team run as strong in the next 5 days as they did in the past 5 days, all of us are in for a treat.  Below is a picture of Trent accepting the gold nuggets from his award for leading the race at the halfway point.  Grabbed a screen shot from the video on the Iditarod Insider website.

Also below is a gallery of photos from the Willow start on Sunday, that Bob Vogel from Anchorage email'd to us today.  Enjoy them, thanks Bob!

Petroglyphs at Wees Bar are believed to be 800 years old. (Courtesy everytrail.com)

Canyon view looking down at Swan Falls Dam

Many pairs of golden eagles nest in the Snake River canyon

Map to Wees Bar from the Boise Trail Guide

I wish we had a picture of Trent right now in the ghost town of Iditarod.  He's probably sleeping in the sun, camping with the dogs, and enjoying what he's done.  He should be, he's the talk of the race.

 

Here area a couple of links to articles today, two from Iditarod.com and one from the Boise TV Station KTVB-7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trent has had an amazing past 24 hours in the race.  He pulled out of McGrath yesterday morning and cruised the 18 miles to the Takotna checkpoint in 1 hr 49 m averaging 9.91 mph.   Most of the mushers and the race elite had stopped at Takotna for their 24 hour rest.   Trent checked right through Takotna and headed out the trail in 4th place.  He made the quick 25 mile run to Ophir in 2 hr 26 m at 10.27 mph and just missed catching the leader, checking in to Ophir in 2nd place in the race right at noon yesterday. 

Trent had talked about taking his 24 rest in Ophir, even before he left Ketchum.  There is a video of Trent and the dogs at the Ophir checkpoint up on the Iditarod site from yesterday afternoon.   The weather looked perfect, blue skies and 20 degrees.  Trent was in great...

Another good day for Trent yesterday.   Yesterday at 5:48 AM he headed out of the Rohn checkpoint in 37th place.  Ran the 130 miles between Rohn and McGrath with one stop on the trail and going through the checkpoint in Nikolai arriving in McGrath at 1:15AM this morning.   The final 54 mile run from Nikolai to McGrath was done in 5 hours, 11 minutes at an average speed of 10.42 miles.  Trent was in 24th place as he checked in to McGrath and sits in 37th place at the moment as many mushers who came in to McGrath last night after Trent choose to continue on. 

Couple of interesting items

* Trent's 10.42 mph trip from from Nikolai to McGrath was as fast as anyone in the field, including front runners Martin Buser and Lance Mackay.   Trent's team can go fast on the run cycles. 

* The weather has been "balmy" and sunny.  Bright blue skies and 20's in the day and 0's and below at night have been ideal conditions for travel.   This is supposed to be the case...

Good day for Trent yesterday.   He took a long rest after leaving Skwentna checkpoint Sunday evening and claiming 1st place in the race for several hours.  Went through the Rainey Pass checkpoint without stopping and arrived at Rohn before midnight Monday night in 33rd place.   Stayed for about 6 hours last night and left Rohn at 5:48 AM in 37th place, currently running 34th on the trail.     Yesterday's run was 98 miles.   Trent arrived in Rohn about 6 hours behind Lance Mackay, the first musher in to Rohn so he is making great time.It will be interesting to see what Trent has in mind for his 24 hour rest stop.  Many mushers will stop in McGrath which is about 130 miles down the trail.  

The elite mushers have moved to the front of the pack and starting to separate a bit.   I suspect Trent will travel for the next 5-6 days staying in the 30th -35th position and then see if he can move up towards the end if the team is running...

Trent drew Bib #4 at the Musher Banquet Thursday night and thus was the 3rd musher out of Willow at 2:04 Sunday afternoon.  With the lucky draw and a proven speed dog team from the kennel partnership with Jake Berkowitz, Trent employed a "rabbit" strategy to start the race.   He stayed close to the front all the up the Yentna River, running one of the five fastest times to Checkpoint #1 at Yentna Station.  Trent pulled in to Checkpoint #2 at about 8:15 PM and went through to about mile 70 where he set up camp for the evening.   At that point he was the first musher out of Skwentna and claimed the race lead as most all mushers stayed at the Skwentna checkpoint to rest.  Very few mushers get to claim that they led the Iditarod, it's like winning a stage of the Tour de France and claiming a yellow jersey for the day.  

For a few hours, Trent was the leader of the Iditarod!   Screen shots from the official Iditarod website and a picture of Trent at the start in...

Hey Everyone,

I drew Bib #4, the 3rd starting postition at the Musher Banquest this past Thursday night.   It meant I had to get up early on Saturday for Ceremonial start and I'll get to be in the front of the field at the Willow re-start heading up the Yentna River on Sunday.

(see quote at bottom of Alaska Daily News Article)  http://www.adn.com/2011/03/04/1735723/jonrowe-redington-jr-draw-first.html 

Dogs are looking super...I have never driven a team this fast....feels like the sled is going to tear into pieces with all the power. My race plan is to rest early and often in the first part of the race...then start racing on the Yukon if the dogs look good......goal of a top 30 if all pans out....in any event I am off on another adventure.  Amazes me every year how different each race is.  Trail reports sound good until the coast where there is high winds and snow....worry about that a week from now.  Ed Stielstra's team is made up of all the yearlings I trained the last...