Tag: hike

  • Quartz Lake Loop and Looning 2024

    Quartz Lake Loop and Looning 2024

    We wanted to go for a hike in Glacier National Park and the citizen science office needed Common Loon surveys done along the chain of lakes in the Quartz Creek drainage. So we set off to find some loons in Quartz Lake, Middle Quartz Lake, and Lower Quartz Lake. We found a lone loon in…

  • New Going-to-the-Sun Road Driving & Biking Guide now for sale!

    New Going-to-the-Sun Road Driving & Biking Guide now for sale!

    I received a fateful email in July of 2022 from a Hike 734 follower named Yolanda in reply to a newsletter I’d sent out. She explained to me that she used my Going-to-the-Sun Road Driving Guide when she biked the road in the springtime. Her suggestion of adding spring biking information to it was such…

  • Trailhead Warm-up

    Trailhead Warm-up

    Primed for Adventure A scenic drive coupled with your thermos of coffee or matcha might be all you need to awaken your senses and build excitement and energy for your planned hiking adventure. However, you mustn’t overlook the benefits and value of a quick trailhead warm-up. Perhaps you’ve never considered a dedicated warm-up prior to…

  • How to Prepare for Mountain Hiking (Especially if you live in flatland!)

    How to Prepare for Mountain Hiking (Especially if you live in flatland!)

    Preparing for Mountain Hiking Living in a flatland area doesn’t necessarily put you at a disadvantage when it comes to preparing for mountainous hiking. However, it may require a bit more creativity with your workouts to ensure that your body is ready for the demands of steeper trails and elevation changes. The workout focus and…

  • Big Meadows, Granite Falls, and Haynach Lakes

    Big Meadows, Granite Falls, and Haynach Lakes

    The short hike to Big Meadows offers great birding, wonderful wildflowers, and a chance to see moose. Further on, the waters of Tonahutu Creek spill over the granite as the lovely Granite Falls. Further still, greater effort leads to the solitude of Haynach Lakes where a pristine lake full of trout sits below rugged mountains…

  • Endurance vs Strength

    Endurance vs Strength

    Endurance vs Strength: What’s Most Important for the Trail? You want to get in shape for hiking, but you’re wondering, “What’s most important for the trail… exercises to build endurance or strength?” When training for a specific sport or activity it’s common to think… “What exercise is most important?”“Where should my primary focus be?”“How should…

  • How to build & maintain muscle at any age

    How to build & maintain muscle at any age

    Why is muscle important? Maintaining muscle as we age has less to do with the “beach-bodies” we desired in our 20s and more about the implications it has on our health, function, abilities, and independence as we get older. Muscles power ALL your activities from daily tasks of living to hiking your favorite trails. Less…

  • Avalanche Lake Hike on New Year’s Day 2024

    Avalanche Lake Hike on New Year’s Day 2024

    With a low snowpack to the start of our winter, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hike up to Avalanche Lake on the first day of 2024. We ended up with the gorgeous lake all to ourselves. With nobody else around, most all of the animals not making a peep, and snow to absorb…

  • I think I can, I know I can…

    I think I can, I know I can…

    Stay motivated & consistent with exercise Having the right mental space for working out is equally important as the right physical space. You can have all the specialized tools, equipment, and professional guidance, but if you don’t cultivate the right head-space for working out it’s likely you won’t follow through, or worse yet, you won’t…