The Beauty of Southwest Utah

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Matt Hunt

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My first visit to southwest Utah came in April of 2016. I was on a road trip that included stops in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. I came specifically to hike Angels Landing at Zion National Park. That remains to this day my favorite hike ever, and the view from the top was incredible!

I even returned later that year in July for a trip that was focused solely on southern Utah. But that was all before I was into mountain biking. I continued to hear so many great things about the trails in this area near Zion. So with another delay in the start date of my new job, I decided to make the trip!

Problems Along the Way!

Things didn’t go exactly as planned, however! I had just passed through Salt Lake City when my car started acting strange. It felt like it was lunging. Could it be the road? No, it definitely wasn’t the road. I turned off cruise control, and when I pushed on the gas pedal, the engine just revved, and the car did not speed up! My transmission was finished!

I got a second Honda Accord primarily for reliability, so I never expected to have the transmission fail at only 65,000 miles! Well luckily, this was a Certified used car, which extends the warranty from 60,000 up to 100,000 miles. So I did not have to pay for the new transmission! But after doing some research, I learned that the CVT transmission they use in the Accord now is not very reliable. In fact, one transmission shop’s website said they rarely see them last more than 100,000 miles! Needless to say, it won’t be long before I trade this car in and get something that doesn’t have the piece of junk CVT transmission in it!

So while that ordeal didn’t cost me thousands of dollars to fix, it did mean that I had to push my trip back a week. But that was okay, because I still had time. So once it was fixed, I picked my car back up, and went on to Hurricane, UT from there.

How I Made This Trip Really Cheap!

Traveling can get expensive, especially if you want to do it often. Transportation and lodging are the two most expensive things, so how can you cut down on these? Driving is typically less expensive than flying, especially if you’re going somewhere that isn’t too far away. It’s just a little over 7 hours for me to get to Hurricane. Flying would not make sense. Gas costs less than $100 for the entire round trip.

To save on lodging, I camped in my car for free on public lands! In the western US, there is a lot of public land, and on most of it you can camp for free. Of course, there are no services like showers or bathrooms, but if you’re willing to rough it a bit, it’s a great option for free lodging!

Sleeping in your car doesn’t sound comfortable, does it? To be honest, it wasn’t that bad! I got a backseat air mattress, which is far more comfortable than just sleeping in the backseat, or laying the front seat down all the way! Obviously I cannot lie flat on my back completely stretched out, however, I often sleep on my side with my legs curled up anyway, and there is plenty of room for that. To try to keep some heat in, as well as give myself some privacy, I covered my windows with Reflectix insulation. It doesn’t keep the car warm all night, but I do feel that it keeps the warmth quite a bit longer than if it were not there!

Gooseberry Mesa

I spent my first night on top of Gooseberry Mesa surrounded by an incredibly beautiful landscape! I woke up to this:

That day I rode the trails on Gooseberry Mesa, though I ended up cutting the ride fairly short due to the powerful winds! I was on the North Rim trail, and the winds just about blew me over on the exposed parts of the rim! The wind was out of the north, so it was at least not trying to blow me off the cliff, but I considered the risk of any fall there to not be worth it!

The trail was definitely unique, riding over rolling slickrock, similar to Moab, but with a different color. It’s like riding on the moon!

Overall, however, it’s pretty slow going and requires a lot of pedaling. It’s not the style of trail that I find to be the most fun, but it’s a unique experience, and worth a visit. I know a lot of people really love it! The views from the north rim were spectacular, too!

Guacamole Doesn’t Cost Extra

That night I drove up to the Whole Guacamole trailhead, where there are campsites in the immediate vicinity. I took a super cold shower outside in about mid-40’s temperatures with strong winds and cold water! Certainly not the hot shower I’m used to, but it was worth it to get cleaned up after the ride!

As the night wore on, the wind finally died down, and actually completely stopped. I remember waking up at one point when nature called, and noticing how completely silent it was outside! This is something I really love to experience, because our day-to-day lives in the city are filled with noise. We don’t always realize it, because we’re used to it. Which is what makes it even more amazing when you are in the middle of nowhere and experience true silence!

The ride on the Whole Guacamole was more fun than Gooseberry Mesa. Lots of technical challenges, more riding on the moon, as well as a little bit of flowy and faster downhill sections. This is also the closest trail to Zion National Park, so you’ve got great views on the entire ride! I would definitely recommend this one!

Hurricane Rim

My final night was spent closer to the town of Hurricane, and right next to the Hurricane Rim trail. I rode straight from my campsite to the JEM trail, which then connected to Hurricane Rim.

This was easily my favorite ride of the trip! The climbs are tough & technical, the descents are fast & rowdy! I did not ride the entire trail since I had a 7+ hour drive back home immediately following, and I did not want to be driving late into the night. I only skipped about 2 miles on the west end of the trail, however, this is part of the trail that overlooks the town, and has the most elevation change. So I do want to get back down there sometime and ride that section!

The Highlights

Below is the video that I put together highlighting this trip! In the coming weeks I’ll be putting out the regular POV style videos of each ride, so stay tuned for those if you want to see more riding footage on these trails!

Breaking Stuff in Sedona!

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Matt Hunt

Back in the spring of 2016, I took a road trip through Arizona, from Tuscon all the way up to Page. That included a one day stop in Sedona. I didn’t even stay one night there, but in that single morning & afternoon, I packed quite a bit in! I hiked around Bell Rock, out to Devil’s Bridge, visited the Airport Vortex, and found the Secret Slickrock for a view of Cathedral Rock just before sunset. Oh yeah, and I saw a pretty good sunset out there!

I absolutely loved Sedona, and I knew I’d be back. That was before I was even into mountain biking. After gaining this new passion, I learned that Sedona was one of the premier destinations in the country for mountain biking! Fast forward to now, and I made my return to Sedona to ride one of the world famous trails.

It would only be for one day, once again, unfortunately. Time is money, and I don’t have a ton to spend! Thanks to my YouTube channel, I had a whole group of guys to ride Hiline with, as it’s not really a trail I think I’d want to take on by myself. Well, okay, I could have done it alone, but I probably would’ve walked even more sections than I did.

The trail begins with a tough, technical climb up. Having been off the bike for so long, my technical climbing skills have definitely regressed. Nonetheless, I gave it a good effort! Next up is the exposure. This section of the trail is on the edge of a cliff, although it’s not nearly the death-defying experience that is Portal Trail in Moab! The cliff isn’t as high up & isn’t so straight down, the trail is wider, and there’s a lot more brush that would likely (hopefully) catch you before you tumbled all the way down the hill. Still, I wouldn’t want to fall to the right and test any of that out!

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There are great views along the way, but most of your focus has to remain on the trail. Some parts get a bit techy, but it’s all doable. Get to the top and you’re rewarded with a great view in every direction before dropping into the descent.

The descent starts with some janky rocks that also give some exposure, then smooths out into a fast & flowy section through the junipers. You come out onto the slickrock, and are greeted by some steep rollers, some of which are optional lines, and a steep & rocky chute, that would end up ejecting me from my bike!

It’s my own fault. I should have first taken the time to look more carefully at the line at the bottom of this chute, as well as slowed down some. But most of all, I shouldn’t have had my weight so far back. Yes, you can have your weight too far back. As I went frame-by-frame through my video (3rd person shot by Chris, thanks man!), I realized I had too much weight on the back wheel, which caused it to buck me off the bike. In fact, at one point I may have even “sat down” on the rear wheel, which led to the buck off.

No worries for me, as I came up with nary a scratch, but my gimbal didn’t take it so well. Both of the arms were bent, causing the gimbal to lose its range of motion by contacting itself, throwing everything off. I found a different mounting position that eliminated this issue, however, the arm of the gimbal partially obstructed the view of the GoPro with this orientation. Rats! The rest of my video would feature the juncture of the two gimbal arms in the upper-right portion of the frame! Luckily I found a better solution for the following day… just flip it the other way around.

Anyway, the trail had some more steep technical sections after that. I really wanted to try these, but after that crash I decided not to push my luck. Video can never do these sections justice, as the camera tends to flatten things out and make them look smaller than they really are. This stuff was steep, and looked like an OTB waiting to happen! Next time I’ll try it, I swear!

I would end up with one more crash on a slickrock section, where I simply slid out. Wasn’t even that bad of a crash, but I slammed my left hand onto the rock, and it was bruised pretty good. I initially hoped I hadn’t broken it, as it hurt in the same spot as my right hand did when I broke my trapezium last April in Moab. However, the pain just felt different, and luckily by the following morning it was already feeling better.

At some point along the way, I also bent my derailleur hanger, though this may have even happened on the day before on National Trail. I suspect that, as I was having problems prior to either crash with shifting. The chain was coming off the large cog and getting lodged between the cassette & spokes on several occasions. Prior to this trip, everything had been dialed on this bike, so I knew something was up! I already had a spare, so I’ve now replaced that, and it’s flawless again!

Check out the video below! #LiveTheAdventure

Perfect Start to the Perfect Week!

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Matt Hunt

It was just after sunset in Crested Butte. I had left a muggy Dallas morning 13 hours prior, and just arrived in the high altitude chill of the Colorado rockies. After getting the car unloaded, I got in a bit of social media time before hitting the sack. I had planned on taking it easy tomorrow, giving my body a chance to acclimate to the elevation before doing any big mountain bike rides.

However, my social media time would reveal that one of my favorite YouTubers, Alex aka The Singletrack Sampler, was going to be riding at Evolution Bike Park in Crested Butte tomorrow! Well, there is a chair lift. I wouldn’t have to climb. So while the elevation would still affect me from muscling the bike on the downhill, it wouldn’t be nearly as bad. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity! I’d been wanting to meet & ride with Alex since I discovered his channel, and the chances of him visiting north Texas to ride our flat XC trails are slim to none!

As far as how that day went, I’ll let the video do most of the talking! I had a blast, and felt as though I learned a few things from Alex, as well as local shredder Dakoda (Taggalong MTB), who has a few KOM’s at the bike park, so needless to say he’s a hell of a rider!

For the second day, I was still figuring I’d take it easy and continue adjusting to the elevation. It takes a good 2-3 days to acclimate, so I wasn’t trying to do any epic rides on day 2! I learned from my mistakes a month ago in Angel Fire!

Strand Hill was the perfect trail. 7.5 miles long, less than 1,000 feet of climbing, and it was only a short drive down a dirt road from where I was staying. I read that it had a fun, flowy descent. I’m in!

I started my morning early with a drive down Kebler Pass. I drove through here two years ago, and it was one of the most beautiful drives ever! I got some drone flying in, but as I got to the spot that had the most color a couple years ago, it appeared it was still too early. There was still a lot of green left. I was still able to find some good shots, though!

No doubt, the highlight of the early morning was getting to see a bull moose! It was on Kebler Pass that I saw one two years ago, but it was a long way down a steep bank on the edge of a creek, and before I could put my telephoto lens on, he had slipped back into the woods.

This time, he was right off the side of the road! I was frantically trying to adjust the settings on my camera to allow a fast shutter speed, while maintaining adequate exposure. The moose was in the woods, so it was only through small openings that I had opportunities for shots. But as luck would have it, there was a gravel road coming up! I repeated, “come out on the road, come out on the road!” The moose obliged!

At one point he was rummaging through the brush next to the creek very close to the road. I could hear twigs snapping, the moose grunting, and I could smell his B.O. It was not much different from that of your common cow. And not that it was a pleasant smell, but it added to the experience! Up close & personal with the King of the Forest!

My goodness, what an amazing creature! So huge, so powerful, and yet so beautiful.

Okay, so onto the bike ride! The climb up to Strand Hill wasn’t too bad, but I still had to dismount and walk several sections. The descent was as good as advertised! Flowy, fast, and fun! A lot of it went through thick aspen groves as well, and up here the leaves were at their peak! It was so beautiful! This, to me, is as good as mountain biking gets!

#LiveTheAdventure

Angel Fire Bike Park

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Matt Hunt

I was going to go last summer, but then I got laid off from my job. I was going to go earlier this summer in June, but then I broke my wrist in April, and was not fully recovered by June. So FINALLY it all worked out for me to visit Angel Fire, NM a couple weeks ago!

I had heard a lot of great things about Angel Fire Bike Park. It’s one of the best bike parks around, even compared to some parks in Colorado. There’s a good variety of trails, and the trails are really fun. It’s also the closest major bike park to Dallas.

Getting there proved to be an adventure in itself! Due to the recent wildfire in Ute Park, Hwy 64 is prone to flooding, and it’s that time of year where afternoon storms are a daily occurrence. I had made it all the way to Cimarron, NM, just about 50 minutes away, when I came up on a road block. Due to the flooding, they shut down the road on a daily basis. I talked to some folks who had already been there waiting for over 2 hours! I waited for about 45 minutes before I decided to take the only logical alternate route I could find, which would add an hour and a half to the drive!

It wasn’t until I was at the point of no return, so to speak, that I found out this route included 9 miles of unpaved road through the mountains! In fact, I didn’t find that out until I was at the point where it turns from paved to unpaved! Mind you, I drive a Honda Accord Sport, which has low-profile tires. It isn’t made for roads like this!

The first half of this road was very rough, with a lot of rocks, but luckily nothing so big that a passenger car can’t handle it. However, because it was so rough, it meant that I had to creep along at 10 mph! Thankfully about halfway into this 9 mile stretch the road became smoother, and I could speed up some. I’ve never been so happy to be back on paved road as I was at the end of this! I didn’t take any pictures or video there, because I just didn’t want to stop!

When I made it through, and just started to enter Angel Fire, I was surprised by two bull elk just off the road to my right! What a treat as I arrived in town!

So when I finally made it to the campground, I had a change of heart. The tent camping area was less than desirable. Nobody else was camping in a tent there; only RV’s. It was cold, windy, and more rain was on the way. I decided I really didn’t want to camp! I got on my phone and found that Angel Fire Resort had a couple rooms left, and Expedia had them at a 15% discount (though it was still significantly more expensive than camping)!

Sometimes you can’t put a price on comfort. In the end, it was worth it.

Alright, so lets get to the bike park! Since I was at the resort, the park was right there. I got there early to get my pass and sign the waiver. As a result, I was 3rd in line to get on the lift when it opened at 9!

First run I figured I should take Easy Street (green) to warm up, get a good feel for the mountain, the speed, and how my Jeffsy handles it. After that it was time for some more rowdy trails! Ziggy (blue) is right there when you get off the lift, and it’s an absolute blast! Constant left & right flow with some technical chunk thrown in for good measure! I ended up riding it again later on (at a higher speed). Further down, I hit Boulder Dash (blue), which is a jump trail filled with table tops and big berms. I actually wish I would’ve taken this trail again just to work on jumps! The very first jump I thought I overshot, but looking back at the video, I think it was actually perfect! However, because I thought I overshot it, I was checking my speed on a lot of the other jumps, causing me to case them. Coming from the flat lands, it takes some getting used to! Slowly but surely I’ll continue to improve my jumping skills!

On my third run I took Angel’s Plunge (blue), and boy was that a riot! Steep with loose gravel at the top, this trail was FAST, flowing, and fun! I’d say it’s a must ride with any trip to the park!

Other trails I hit included Diesel (blue), Duke (blue), Sierra (green), and Chutes & Ladders (blue). Chutes & Ladders had a lot of wood features. These bridges climbed way up above the surface, and had some super steep drops! I actually skipped a couple of them, since I was riding alone, and they went straight into a sharp turn, and I wasn’t comfortable carrying so much speed into those turns. In hindsight, I probably could’ve done it and been fine. Maybe next time.

After five runs, the lift was closed due to storms in the area, but I was pretty well finished, anyway. Downhill mountain biking exhausts you in a different way than XC riding will. Your legs are fine, because you aren’t pedaling. But the rest of your body seems to take a beating! It actually takes a lot of energy, and a lot of muscle to maneuver the bike around at high speeds, through incredibly bumpy and steep terrain. So if you’ve never done it, don’t expect to be able to just ride all day! You will get tired!

Luckily this time I didn’t develop any blisters, thanks to my wonderful ESI Extra Chunky grips! Seriously love these grips! That “Extra Chunky” part is crucial!

Check out the video! #LiveTheAdventure

My First Bike Park!

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Matt Hunt

Yep, I finally rode park! I must say, taking a gondola up the mountain sure as heck beats pedal power!

But before we get to that, let’s talk about the craziness leading up to that day! Two days before I would leave, while driving home from a ride, a girl turned left in front of me as I traveled through an intersection. I had a green light, she was supposed to yield! It was a pretty bad wreck, by far the worst I’ve been in, though I’ve only ever been in one other wreck, and it was a low-speed deal back in Indy on a day when it was snowing (same thing, though, guy turned left in front of me).

Thankfully, I only sustained minor injuries. I had some bruises, a few small scrapes, I bit my tongue, and my neck was quite sore the next few days. I felt very lucky to not have been seriously hurt, especially right before my trip! That impact is no joke. I keep thinking about that the most. It’s just so forceful. I’m grateful for seat belts & air bags!

I didn’t waste any time, taking the following day off and going to buy a new (used) car! I didn’t want to mess with a rental, and didn’t want the hassle of trying to buy a car after getting back from vacation.

From Dallas, I flew up to Spokane, WA for one night, where I paid a visit to Palouse Falls. Unfortunately, part of the trail had been closed. That part went to the best overlook of the waterfall, with the whole canyon in the distance. So I had to settle for what I could get.

The next day it was off to Sandpoint, ID for one of my best friends’ wedding! The ceremony was on top of Schweitzer Mountain, and the reception at the resort. It was probably the most beautiful & fun wedding I’ve ever attended! Plus, I had not seen my friend in several years, so it was great to reflect on old memories and make new ones!

Since I was relatively close, I had to make a stop at Glacier National Park! Anyone who knows me knows that I am a National Park fiend! I love them! I was barely able to scratch the surface of this park in just half a day, but my goodness what a beautiful place! The rocky mountains are tall & steep, and the valleys are bright green, with crystal clear blue lakes. The air was pretty smoky from wildfires, but that didn’t really detract from the beauty much! I even got up close & personal with some mountain goats!

Then it was time to hit up Silver Mountain Bike Park in Kellogg, ID! I wanted to ride fairly hard, but the main goal was to make it safely down the mountain! I rented a downhill bike, the Giant Glory, from the bike shop there in the gondola village. This would be my first time riding a downhill bike as well! There in the village, a guy comes up to me and says he rode there yesterday, and he could show me around if I wish. We ended up riding and hanging out for the whole day. He owns a business in Miami, but said summer is their slow time, so he comes out west to travel around in his converted school bus! He had a really nice setup, complete with A/C & a shower!

After a 20 minute gondola ride, it was time to hit the trails! Getting used to the downhill bike took a little while. The head angle is really slack, which makes cornering a bit tougher. You really have to muscle the bike through those corners. I sure was glad to have 200 mm of travel, however! The trails were very dry and bumpy! Numerous riders braking in the same spot creates braking bumps, but these were beyond that. These were full blown potholes! I can only imagine how amazing these trails would be without those potholes!

Once I got a good feel for the bike, I began picking up speed, and even launched off a couple jumps! I’m sure it wasn’t really THAT much air, but to me it felt like a lot! There was definitely one that I flew higher and further than I ever have before. The bike was as smooth as butter on the landing! Big difference from a trail bike!

The ride was so much fun, but you’d never guess how tiring going downhill can be! Not only are you muscling the bike around, but you’re also in a constant attack position, which is basically halfway down in a squat! Your legs really start to burn after a while! The biggest issue I had, however, was wearing a blister on my left palm. Two things likely contributed to this; hard braking through those potholes, and the thin grips. I have pretty big hands, and the thin grips that come on most bikes feel too small for me. As a result, it feels like there are a lot of skin folds on my palms, creating ample opportunities for blisters to form.

During our ride, we met a guy from Creston, AB, just north of the border in Canada. He said he had been riding downhill for 15 years, and he came to this park often. We stopped at a section that featured 3 consecutive table tops, where he gave us some pointers on jumping. I felt pretty good on these jumps, and cleared all of them with no problems! Getting good at jumping just takes a lot of practice, and slowly working your way up to bigger and bigger jumps. I’m not in any rush!

After two full runs down the mountain, exhausted from the heat, and a nasty blister on my left hand, we were done for the day! It felt amazing to rinse off in the cool waters of the Coeur d’Alene River! I had mentioned it was a great time for some ice cream as well, and figured there had to be a place in the village! Well, technically it was frozen yogurt, but that would suffice!

I left with a huge smile on my face. That was a truly spectacular day! Best of all, I did not crash once all day! Check out the video below!

Magnificent Moab!

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Matt Hunt

Okay, let’s get caught up here! Sorry, I have a tough time keeping up with writing blogs! Much more exciting to put together videos!

After the quick stop in Fruita to ride Horsethief Bench, I continued on to Moab! I came for Outerbike. Originally I was going to try out bikes that I was interested in buying, but since I got my YT Jeffsy back in December (25% off, couldn’t pass it up), I was just trying out bikes for fun!

Before all of that, I went on a hike to see an arch that I didn’t get to see on my first trip to Moab; Corona Arch. This is outside of the National Park, but in my opinion is just as good, if not better, than anything in the park!

The goal was to get a good sunset, but when I started the hike, the sky was filled with clouds. A lot of people were returning from the arch, and by the time I was actually standing underneath it, I was the only one there! Not only that, but the clouds broke just enough to let the sun shine through and provide some brilliant light for some incredible photos!

I hiked back in the dark a very happy man!

Day 1 of Outerbike took me to the Navajo Rocks loop on the Yeti SB5+. I only rode half of the loop to try to save some energy for the rest of the weekend. It was a fun trail, with nothing too difficult. A good warmup in Moab! After returning to the Bar M trails where the event was located, I picked up an Ibis Mojo HD4 and hit a trail I had on my list: Sidewinder. Unlike any other trail in Moab, this one is almost completely smooth, and full of flow & speed! It was so much fun!

Day 2 was Mag 7 on the Giant Trance Advanced 2! All of it! Prior to this trip I had reached out to another YouTuber from Grand Junction, R.C. of Outdoor Gold. I was actually looking to meet up with him to ride Horsethief Bench, but as it turned out he had planned a group ride at Mag 7 on the same day Outerbike took me there. Admittedly, I didn’t communicate well on meeting up, but as luck would have it, I saw him and his group just heading out as the shuttle arrived at the trailhead. I was able to catch up with them for the start of the most epic day ever on the bike! My left calf cramped twice, I hit drops and other technical features unlike anything I had ever done before, I ran out of water, I walked… a lot… but it was SO MUCH FUN! Luckily these guys offered to take me back to Outerbike, otherwise I would have had to cut the ride short and miss out on Gold Bar Rim & Portal… which was THE trail I really wanted to ride on the Mag 7! With extreme exposure on the edge of a cliff, Portal is not for the faint of heart! Riders have fallen to their death on this trail, and there are signs along the way warning everyone of just that. There were several spots where we all got off the bikes and walked, and there is no shame in that!

Day 3 of Outerbike took us to Captain Ahab, and I was riding an Evil The Calling. This was another trail that I was super excited about, and after tackling a couple double black diamonds the day before, I was feeling very confident. Um… maybe a bit TOO confident! I ended up crashing twice, and one of those crashes left me with a broken wrist! It was one of the carpal bones, the trapezium. A small 5mm fracture, and initially I didn’t even know it. I finished the ride, and in fact bossed the most rowdy section of the whole trail with my wrist already broken! It honestly didn’t hurt that much for the remainder of that ride, but afterward I was feeling it!

I had originally planned on riding Slickrock the following day, but with my hand in so much pain, I skipped it and just toured the La Sal Mountain Loop Road, and flew the drone.

It wasn’t actually until 2 weeks later that I found out my trapezium had a fracture! Since then, I’ve been in a cast for 4 weeks, a brace for another 2, and the fracture didn’t even heal! It is a nonunion, and apparently there is no solution from here. I just get to have a little bone fragment chillin in my wrist for the rest of my life! I still have some pain, mainly around the thumb, which is from it being stuck in that cast for a month. The area of the fracture isn’t tender to the touch, and the pain that I was feeling with lifting objects with my palm facing up has gone away. Nonetheless, I’m having to ease back into mountain biking, as all of the muscles surrounding the thumb, and the PIP joint of the thumb, will hurt moderately bad during and immediately after riding.

Anyway, check out the whole series of videos from this trip here:

Big Bend

Posted on March 10, 2018 by Matt Hunt

A couple weeks ago I took a crazy trip to Big Bend! Why was it crazy, you ask? Because Big Bend is a 9 hour drive, and I did it on a normal weekend.

I left work at 5 pm on Friday evening, and after fighting the DFW traffic & rain (which makes traffic about 8 gazillion times worse) I arrived in Terlingua at around 2:15 am. I “slept” in my car at a free campsite, waking before the sunrise.

I went out from there to take some photos and video, and then went mountain biking on the Dome Loop in Big Bend Ranch State Park.

I met some great people in the parking lot of the visitor’s center, Danny & Darlene, and went biking with Danny, then hung out with them afterward in their Sprinter camper van. They have been traveling the country while living in the van for the past 11 months! I’m jealous!

That night I stayed at a legit campsite, which was amazing, and the moonlight lit up everything!

After a much better (but chilly) night of sleep, I rose super early to make a 45 minute drive to Big Bend National Park to shoot the Milky Way.

Sunday morning was the Lajitas Airport trails, and then the 9 hour drive back home!

Don’t let a lack of money or lack of time keep you from traveling. This trip cost roughly $100 (gas + $10 for the campsite) and didn’t require any PTO time. Yes, I spent 18 hours of my weekend driving, and far less than that sleeping, but you only get one life, so CARPE DIEM! The memories are worth far more than the time and the money spent.

My Best of 2017

Posted on February 5, 2018 by Matt Hunt

Aqua colored Lake Minnewanka. Golden larches. Snow-capped jagged peaks. Lush green pine forest. I’m not sure it could get much better!

This hike did not end with a summit, but it did end with quite a view! The hike was tough, especially the last mile or so, that seemed to be at a 45° grade. I wasn’t quite used to the elevation yet, so I was huffing and puffing as I made my way up. In spite of cool temperatures, I was still sweating.

The dense pine forest was so peaceful. The climb was so rewarding. The view was out of this world. This was a spectacular moment, and the photo may be my best of 2017.

(C-Level Cirque Trail)

The Top of Texas

Posted on March 21, 2017 by Matt Hunt

I have an idea. Instead of just visiting all 50 states, why not summit the tallest peak in each of the 50 states? Sure, in some cases this is not that exciting, like in my birth state of Indiana, for example. The highest point of Indiana is just a spot you drive to and walk a short distance. Woo. But in the western states, there are actual mountains to climb, and how cool would it be to say I’ve reached the highest point in all 50 states?!

Whether I accomplish that or not, I could at least start with my current home state’s highest peak. That would be Guadalupe Peak located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. This is actually one of the least visited National Parks in the country, ranking 48/59 in 2016 with 181,839 visitors (for comparison, the #1 park was Great Smoky Mountains with over 11 million!). Given its location, that does make some sense. In the middle of the Permian Basin, oil wells dominate the region, and there are no cities or even large towns nearby. There are no hotels within about an hour of the park, and the campgrounds are small. It’s just not an easy park to visit, especially if you plan on staying for more than a day or two.

For me it was about an 8 hour drive. In order to accomplish this over a weekend, I had to leave immediately following work on Friday evening, drive to Midland (about 5 hours) and stay the night, then get up early (I mean REALLY early; 4 am!) to complete the drive and begin the hike by sunrise. So that is what I did!

Preparation is the key to success. If I were to complete this hike, I’d definitely need plenty of fuel! Take a look at my selection of goodies!

I started my hike just before 8 am. It’s 4.2 miles from the trailhead to the summit, with a gain in elevation of just over 3,000 feet to reach the summit at 8,749 feet above sea level. This park is known for its wind, so I had watched the weather for a while, and found a weekend with almost no wind. It was also pretty warm, so the long-sleeve shirt and jacket I had with me were not even needed.

Wildlife in this park includes black bears, mountain lions, and mule deer, among others. I didn’t see any bears or mountain lions, but I did run into a few mule deer. Two grown females, and three young ones, probably yearlings.

They weren’t too sure about me, but they didn’t run away, either. I always love running into wildlife. Such a treat! Love these animals!

The first mile or mile and a half of this trail is the steepest. Good news and bad news, I guess. You certainly don’t ease into the hike, but on the plus side, you get the hardest part out of the way first. It also means the views get pretty spectacular pretty quickly.

You get a little bit of everything on this trail. There is some loose rock, some slick rock, open desert area, and pine forests. In the morning the trail starts in the sun, but then goes into the shade on the western slope, as the trail levels out somewhat. It’s a welcome break after that initial steep ascent in the sun.

Perhaps my recent increased activity level helped, or perhaps it was due in large part to frequent stops to take photos, but this hike ended up being less strenuous than I had anticipated. It took 3 hours and 15 minutes for me to reach the summit from the trailhead. Without all of the breaks, I think if I really pushed it I could do it in around 2 and a half hours.

There’s a big silver pyramid marking the summit, with a lock box containing a register. I signed the register, and took a break to eat a few Kashi bars, drink some water, and take some photos at the summit.

I’m well aware of the fact I’m not making any fashion statements with that outfit! But that was the only moisture-wicking shirt I had, and the shorts are actually convertible pants, which are very convenient when you’re not sure what the temperatures are going to be like.

Going up is your cardio workout, and coming back down is without a doubt your leg workout! My quads were burning by the last mile, and of course that would be the steepest part! It’s almost easier to jog down. I did not take any breaks on the way down, and it only took an hour and a half!

At that point I took the opportunity to get my entrance sign selfie, and then decided to head up to Carlsbad Caverns (about 45 minutes north).

I had originally planned on camping at the park and going to Carlsbad Caverns in the morning, but the campground was full. As it turned out, that was a very bad time to visit Carlsbad Caverns. It was absolutely packed, and I just didn’t have time to go through it all, so I was in and out, and did not see the most interesting sections. Oh well. I had to get to the next spot that I wanted to photograph, which was the salt flats! But first, I had to stop and get the iconic shot of El Capitan!

Then it was off to the salt flats. I assumed it was okay to drive on them. There were no signs to tell me otherwise! There were also plenty of tire tracks, so out onto the flats I went. Pretty cool place!

That would be a really great spot to shoot the sunrise. Maybe some other time. After that I made the drive to Prada Marfa. It is located in the middle of nowhere on US-90 in southwest Texas. No, it’s not an actual Prada store. It’s a sculpture by artists Elmgreen and Dragset. It’s not even in Marfa, it’s in Valentine. Marfa is another 26 miles to the southeast.

It originally contained actual Prada shoes and purses, but was vandalized 6 days after it was completed, and those items were stolen. They were then replaced with knock-offs.

Since my camping plans were spoiled, I then decided to drive all the way to Odessa to stay in a hotel room for the night. I was completely exhausted by the time I got there, but it left me with just a little over a 5 hour drive on Sunday to get back home. So it was really a one-day adventure, lasting about 20 hours! Carpe diem!

Here is a vlog I put together on my hike to Guadalupe Peak. In the future I plan on either getting a dedicated camera for this, or at least a gimbal to stabilize the phone shots.

Bells and Aspens

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Matt Hunt

Every trip I take, there is really one big shot I’m after, and in my trip to Colorado in September it was a shot of the Maroon Bells at peak fall colors, and hopefully some snow on the mountains. After a brief stop at the Great Sand Dunes National Park, I made my way through Kebler Pass, McClure Pass, Marble & Crystal Mill, and up to Snowmass Village, which is basically right next door to Aspen.

I was spending three nights there, just in case the weather didn’t cooperate, but I ended up with pretty good conditions the very first morning. Not only that, but it had snowed over the weekend, so the mountains were frosted! The only issue was, I got there a little too late! I had to park way back and walk up to Maroon Lake. As I was walking up, the first light was already hitting the top of the peaks. When I got to the lake, holy moly, it was PACKED! Literally hundreds of people, so initially I wasn’t able to get an ideal spot, but I made do.

After the sun got up a bit higher, the crowd started to thin out considerably. I was able to move back to a better position in order to get the shot I truly wanted. I really think the best light here is mid-to-late morning. This was the shot I was really after.

Conditions were nearly identical the second morning, but I had arrived much earlier, so I was able to get the very first light. I actually prefer the shot prior to the sun hitting the peaks, however.

Since I already had the main shot I wanted, I did a little bit of hiking, in search of some moose. I didn’t find any, but did add another shot I was hoping to get looking through the aspen grove.

Also on this second morning I decided to take a quick shot of the crowd! It wasn’t even as crowded on that morning as it had been the previous day, but as you can see, this is a pretty popular spot!

If you don’t get there early, you won’t get a good spot. I’m sure it’s not so bad at any other time of year, but with the bright yellow aspen trees, the fall really is the best time to photograph this incredible place!