Best of 2019

Nick

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Joined
Aug 9, 2007
Messages
12,939
The year is done. What have you done? Just like previous years, post up your favorite memories of 2019!

2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012: best of and best trips threads

2019 was a wild ride for me in so many ways. I've been the least active here on BCP than ever before, but I've still been busy exploring. Here's a handful of my favorite things from 2019.

I rafted through Saguaro forests and camped further south than I've ever been.
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I almost flipped my boat in a former class 6 rapid, and then again in a class 4 right below it, and then stumbled into one of the best campsites I've ever slept at.
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I didn't backpack for the first time in at least a decade, but the 'boatpacking' filled the gap just fine.
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I parked my truck and slept at places I'd been dreaming of seeing for years.
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I packed everything into bags and took planes, boats, rafts, packrafts, ATV's, shuttles and bush planes deep into the Canadian and Alaskan Wilderness to the furthest north and west places I've ever camped. Sage tried to sneak in there, but it didn't work.
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I packrafted into glaciers with good friends.
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I turned 40 in the middle of nowhere, after rowing the hardest whitewater of my life. I watched a massive grizzly swim across a half mile wide raging river and crawl into the trees next to our camp soon after eating this wonderful dutch oven cake made by my friends. #DesertRat
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I sipped whisky off of thousand year old ice cubes. To get them, I hiked through a mile and a half of thick alders in dense grizzly country, then stripped down, swam into a lake full of icebergs, wrangled one the size of a small car, then straddled it in my boxer shorts and bludgeoned it with a rock to fill my backpack full of ice.
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I watched icebergs the size of shopping malls fall to pieces, sending out tidal waves for miles. We spent a day exploring them on packrafts.
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The next day we rafted to the ocean and loaded our gear into bush planes on a dirt air strip in the middle of nowhere.
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I spent some quality time with family on a really fancy boat in the desert.
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We got to see Mesa Verde National Park like few people ever do.
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We finally did some exploring the San Juans, pushing my camping boundaries just a little further east then ever before.
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I got to see Gates of Lodore in prime fall color.
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I revisited some old favorites and introduced some friends to them.
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We finished the year camping in new places, seeing new things and reuniting with good friends.
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There's a lot I would change about 2019, but overall, it was pretty damn good.
 

Stephanie B

Steph and Blake
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Joined
Dec 7, 2017
Messages
264
Wow, so many great adventures, Nick! I would love it if you went back and edited your post to include a couple words to make it clear where the photos were taken. Happy New Year!
 

IntrepidXJ

ADVENTR
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
3,464
I had a pretty good year in 2019. I backpacked and got on more rivers than I ever have, plus I crossed off a lot of places that have been on my list for way too long. I hope to keep it going into 2020!

I started the year out right by watching the first sunset of 2019 at Delicate Arch all alone, thanks to the government shutdown and a well-timed winter storm.


Last Light on Delicate Arch
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

I watched some amazing sunrises and sunsets...


Coyote Buttes Alpenglow
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Domes
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Crater Lake Morning Reflection
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Smoky Telluride Sunset
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


White Rim Morning
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Edge of the World
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Morning Cliffs
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

I found a Little Wave...


The Little Wave
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

I did a little arch hunting...


Cave Canyon Bridge
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Hurst Bridge
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Phipps Arch
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Owachomo Bridge
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Otho Natural Bridge
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

Found some really cool rock art...


White Ghosts Panel
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


The Polychrome Panel
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Colorful Fremont Pictograph
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Canyon Spirits
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Masked Man Panel
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Classic Vernal Style
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Ruins & Pictographs
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

Found some nice ruins, too!


Yellow Roof Ruin
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Keet Seel Glow
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

Floated some rivers...


Canyon Light
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Floating Ahead
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Little Grand Canyon Float
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


White River View
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

Climbed some mountains...


Centennial Peak Summit View
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Red Mountain #2 Ridge
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Morning Sun Rays
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

Saw another Brocken Spectre (Glory)...


Collegiate Peaks Brocken Spectre
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

Finally saw the Cirque of the Towers...


Cirque of the Towers
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

Tried staying in new places...


Jersey Jim Fire Lookout Tower
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Yurt After A Snowstorm
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

Walked in some beautiful canyons and slot canyons...


Death Hollow
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Death Hollow Hiking
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


The Music of Chimney Canyon
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Half-Tunnel Light
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


West Fork Glow
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Little Death Hollow Scene
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Little Death Hollow Lines
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

Saw some popular waterfalls...


Mooney Falls
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Secluded Waterfall
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr


Travertine Wall
by Randy Langstraat, on Flickr

Yep, it was a pretty great year!
 

chandlerwest

Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2015
Messages
530
I always like this opportunity to look back on my year. Makes me feel a bit better about life.
Started the year with a decent Lunar Eclipse.
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I continued my adventures in eastern Zion National Park. In March we went up Separation towards Parunuweep. Had some epic views looking across the east canyons into the Virgin River Canyon Continuing Adventures Eastern Zion
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Looking south towards towards Paranuweep Canyon.
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Yet another angle of East Temple
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In April I reached the west side of West Temple via the Chinle Trail
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June found us again in Glacier. This time with the friend who spent the summer of 1985 hiking with me in Glacier. glacier-national-park-june-
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We had a positive bear encounter
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A fairly epic shot of Kurt in Virginia Falls
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July found me going up onto the West Rim in Zion National Park West Rim Zion NP
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Then back to Glacier National Park in August. Had a sunrise at Two Medicine Lake Glacier August 2019
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Then off to arguably the best high country day hike - Dawson-Pitamakin
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I'm sure they are just rodents but, damn Marmots have personality
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Up and over Gunsight Pass
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Lake Ellen Wilson
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I recently worked up an album of ALL the wildflowers I have seen in Glacier. I was at 185 different varieties.
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Just a random catch along the trail
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Looking across to Helen Lake. A view I had never had before!
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In August I made my 8th trip up the Virgin River Narrows. Best day in the National Park Service. I made it all the way to Big Spring....for hopefully the last time.
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A shot of the landslide that occurred off of Cable Mountain
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September found me making another trek in the Parunuweep section of Zion NP. I only have one more ridgeline to follow out to overlooks of the East Fork of the Virgin River.
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In late September I made it to Great Basin National Park and Wheeler Peak Great Basin Nat'l Park
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The last weekend of September I did something that I had never taken the time to do. Sunset at Cedar Breaks National Monument. Had a bit of fall foliage up there.
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In mid October I had my long weekend with Scott in Canyonlands. Tried to get to Monument Basin but settled on getting some beta, a drive on the White Rim and beautiful sunrise and sunset. monument-basin-canyonlands-
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Was able to acquire a different perspective of Delicate Arch
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I made my 5th trip into Buckskin Gulch late in October. Buckskin Gulch
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In mid November I did something that I have been putting off for years. Something that I figured would just be filler on a shorter day. I manage filling most of a day doing Lower Pine Creek in Zion Nat'l Park. Going up from the 2nd hairpin up to the exit of the canyoneering route.
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Then I made the sort hike in from the 1st hairpin to the waterfall
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I am including this picture because I rediscovered it in 2019. I saw this and said "this is the best shot I have ever taken." @Jeffrey Chandler, Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park in 2004
DSCN4495.JPG


Best wishes for 2020
 
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kwc

Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2016
Messages
806
These photographs and memories are simply awesome!! BCP sure has some pretty neat adventurers and hellava good photographers!! Thank you all for sharing!! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes:
 

OldBill

Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2015
Messages
313
I had many memorable trips this year, but the photography quality is poor compared the above posts. I've gone to using a subcompact for weight and have even taken a few with the phone. But, thought I'd share a few anyway.

March on Cannon Mountain, NH
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Mid-May in Zion, Bryce, Grand Staircase Escalante and the Wave (won as application #19, May 19, 2019)
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September in Wyoming for a few weeks in the Wind Rivers with an overnight at Signal Mountain in GTNP
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Miya

Because I am able.
Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Messages
1,404
Awww so fun to reminisce! I will try to keep it to minimum favorite event per month.

January - Refreshing Storm Trip Point Reyes NS, CA

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February - Las Vegas, NV in the Snow and Valley of Fire
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March - Houston, TX hiking

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April - BCP Fest San Rafael, Utah getting to meet so many great people!

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May - Got stuck in the snow and Oregon for Bobbie's Birthday

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July - Found a campground with a bar and made good friends! Dardanelle, CA

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Miya

Because I am able.
Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Messages
1,404
K that is all the fake comments I am going to do.
@Nick I am very intrigued by your dutch oven birthday cake...
If I could figure out a way to make cake while backpacking, it would feel guilt free because I hiked all day! I love cake. Hah
 

Nick

-
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Joined
Aug 9, 2007
Messages
12,939
K that is all the fake comments I am going to do.
@Nick I am very intrigued by your dutch oven birthday cake...
If I could figure out a way to make cake while backpacking, it would feel guilt free because I hiked all day! I love cake. Hah

One of the luxuries of whitewater rafting!
 

Ugly

Life really is better Here
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Joined
Apr 20, 2013
Messages
1,149
Always one of my favorite albums of the year. Greases the spokes for next year.
So, so many great shots and I just smile at all the places on offer, even if sometimes it is green with envy, most of the time it's just Wow.

@chandlerwest when I was younger we finished many summer hiking days in the pools of Pine creek.
 

Ugly

Life really is better Here
.
Joined
Apr 20, 2013
Messages
1,149
Oh, speaking of envy, love the purple hair. If i had enough hair, that would be the shade. Maybe my beard could go from white to that color. Or I should ask to borrow it if it were a wig.
 

Nick

-
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Joined
Aug 9, 2007
Messages
12,939
Let's try to keep the posts to around 20 or less photos each so that this thread doesn't take 5 minutes to load. Feel free to do multiple posts though. And plenty of comments will keep it all spread out better. Like this one. :)
 

chandlerwest

Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2015
Messages
530
Let's try to keep the posts to around 20 or less photos each so that this thread doesn't take 5 minutes to load. Feel free to do multiple posts though. And plenty of comments will keep it all spread out better. Like this one. :)
I just figured the slow loading was due to my 8 year old computer. It will get thinner now that my dump is in. ;) It has always been hard for me to edit. Just ask my poor family.
 

Miya

Because I am able.
Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Messages
1,404
Oh, speaking of envy, love the purple hair. If i had enough hair, that would be the shade. Maybe my beard could go from white to that color. Or I should ask to borrow it if it were a wig.

Haha it was a wig that I have since disposed of. It was only $14 and it got sweaty and tangled when we were hiking. I am going to be dyeing my hair in the next couple hairs (part of my 5 year plan), I will either go purple or dark green.
 

Miya

Because I am able.
Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Messages
1,404
Here, I broke mine up into two different posts...maybe that helps.

August - Made an attempt at Kayaking

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September - Leavitt Lake and back to Dardanelle

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October - Half Dome, the squirrel, and back to Dardanelle for a costume party of exactly 4 people! Haha

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December - Rainy day in Fort Bragg, CA

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