Album The members of backcountrypost.com

[scatman]

Not doing much galloping, but I’m almost able to canter. Not sure about packing in heavy spoons, though.

Stay away from the heavy spoon Skipper. It could throw off your recovery anywhere from three to four months. I've still got a hitch in my gait from carrying that thing up Bog Creek and over to Joseph's Coat Springs two summers ago.

 

[scatman]

Happy Saint Paddy's Day! And remember, the slow horse/mule reaches the mill.







And @Rockskipper, I'm putting some green bell peppers in my chili tonight so that I can call it Irish Chili.

 

[Bob]

Happy Saint Paddy's Day! And remember, the slow horse/mule reaches the mill.

That's why I send you guys ahead....slow gets there

 

[Rockskipper]

Don't you mean the slow mule reaches the hill? And I always like your "Superman ready to fly off the ledge" pose when you're drinking something with a kick.

 

[Yvonne]

Call me crazy, but honestly , I really enjoyed this long trek!!
I hiked 19.3 miles across the lava to one of the last destinations in the park, which I have not hiked until today.
I always had the Kamakaiʻa Hills on my radar, but no matter where you start this hike, it is an 18-20 mile hike across the lava.
It was hot and windy, with 25-30mph, but I had much fun.
I love hiking across lava fields, and even the more than half a mile across a massive Aʻa flow was no big deal.

I stopped at Pepeiao Cabin, a backcountry backpacking site. The nice thing in the park is that all the backcountry backpacking sites have a water catchment system, so I could filter water on my way out.

hiking across the massive Aʻa flow

my destination, the Kamakaiʻa Hills, a collection of cinder cones deep in the backcountry

lava hikes are tiring

walking across Pahoehoe Lava is pretty easy but lots of ups and downs

some nice section of volcanic sand in the Kaʻu desert

I really need to write a full trip report soon. We have so many amazing backcountry hikes here in the park

 

[scatman]

Finally able to hop on the tandem this morning and get just over 28 miles in on a cold and windy morning. We got to check out a portion of the new West Davis Pathway on this one.

At the trailhead

Linked up to the West Davis Pathway now and heading northwest

New West Davis Highway to our left

Horse Country

Heading under an overpass

The Wasatch Front near Farmington

Bovines too. Moooo!

Antelope Island off in the distance beyond the transmission lines.

Time to eat - a couple of fig newtons after about 17 miles in

Common storksbill along the path

Storm clouds moving in? We got a little sprinkle just after we finished up.

Action shot.

The U.S. Army was doing some kind of physical training along the Legacy Pathway as we headed north, and then encountered them
again as we made our way south.

Finished.

 

[Rockskipper]

Love these more pastoral excursions.

 

[scatman]

Love these more pastoral excursions.

I enjoy riding through them. I should have included this shot with the others. Shame on me for omitting it.

I saw the mule, but it's tricky getting the camera out of my pocket, turning it on, and pointing it in the right direction, all while staying upright on the tandem, before passing your subject matter. I could have gotten a better shot, but I was too slow on the above steps to get it.

Notice the second equidae

 

[Rockskipper]

That looks like my cousin Molly McGee, also related to Biscuit McGee.

 

[TractorDoc]

Weather was nice this weekend so MrsTractorDoc and I returned to Mohican State Park for another training hike.

I hope those reading do not get tired of seeing similar pictures on a consistent basis. . . I'll try to keep the redundancy to a minimum.

I've been using a fixed 16mm focal length lately. I hope to bring it with me to Hidden Creek in August. Backcountry math: One less day of food = an opportunity to carry an extra lens.

Big Lyons Falls



Hemlock Falls.



Obligatory "Member of BCP" picture. Mrs.TD does not like to be in close ups, so she is standing on the bridge.



In case you had not heard, there was a solar eclipse yesterday. The TractorDoc Homestead happened to be right in the path of totality, so I tried taking some pictures. I have a lot to sort thru yet, but here are a couple. I know my exposures are not perfect, but they are decent when you consider who was operating the camera.

 

[Rockskipper]

AWESOME SHOTS! I got to watch it go to about 60% here in W. Colorado. There's a round hole in my barn ceiling and I watched its shadow on the floor as it progressed.

 

[TheMountainRabbit]

We had a great time in the Ouachita NF in Arkansas for the eclipse this weekend. Fabulous viewing conditions and beautiful weather! My actual eclipse pictures pale in comparison to @TractorDoc's however - so just enjoy those.

I haven't been to the Ouachita in well over a decade and my earlier backpacking days, but it was fabulous to return. And I got to enjoy the eclipse w/ my wife and both my boys this time! My youngest was born on the day of the last "Great American Eclipse" - an event I sadly missed. (No - not the eclipse. Meet me on the trail for that particular story.)

 

[Rockskipper]

Wow on TheMountainRabbit's last photo! Amazing.

Here's my amazing and stunning eclipse photo taken inside my barn with the light coming through a sun tunnel, casting two shadows. The sun tunnel is actually pretty big but the shadows were small because the sun is so far away where I live. The eclipse is shown on the stained cement floor of the barn. Somebody decided to add their feet to the photo for scale. I thought I heard the moon say Mwahahaha when the eclipse started, but it was probably my stomach growling.

 

[Titans]

@TractorDoc - had to do a double take on your photos, they looked exactly like Rick’s
We had a wonderful time, lucked out with only high thin clouds in Plattsburgh, NY - along Lake Champlain.

Quick composite, Plattsburgh, NY


Rick at totality, Venus is visible too. Street lights went on at the US Oval.


Solar flares No, As @Janice later pointed out - the red areas are "Solar Prominences"

 

[Janice]

Wonderful eclipse photos - keep 'em coming! I didn't get good pics (didn't try) and am thoroughly enjoying the ones that others took. Experiencing it was really thrilling! As we watched, we all noticed the bright red dot along the bottom and were trying to figure out what it was. Someone more expert than I explained that it (and the others that weren't as noticeable to us) is a "prominence" - somewhat similar to a solar flare but not the exact same. This (and everything else related to the eclipse and totality) was fascinating!

 

[Yvonne]

Today, I finished my last trail in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes NP that I havenʻt done before.
I finally hiked all few hundred miles of trails.
I should start over again, lol.

But I think I will do some off-trail explorations in the next few weeks.

I went to Kamakaiʻa Hills again, this time from the north. That way, I could also check out the new ground cracks again from the massive magma intrusion and earthquake swarm in February.

on my crack-hunting mission

crossing the Kaʻu desert

my destination: Kamakaiʻa Hills

yeah, even after ten miles cross-country across lava, I can still jump

massive lava ball with me for scale

 

[scatman]

@TractorDoc, @TheMountainRabbit, @Rockskipper and @Titans, thanks for sharing your images of the eclipse. They are all wonderful.

 

[Kerrie at Thru We Go]

@TractorDoc - had to do a double take on your photos, they looked exactly like Rick’s
We had a wonderful time, lucked out with only high thin clouds in Plattsburgh, NY - along Lake Champlain.

Quick composite, Plattsburgh, NY
View attachment 130327

Rick at totality, Venus is visible too. Street lights went on at the US Oval.
View attachment 130323

Solar flares
View attachment 130324

View attachment 130325

View attachment 130326

These are amazing! Thanks for sharing

 

[Bob]

Bluebird ski day at Deer Valley.....

 

[SteveR]

Great eclipse photos, everybody! I failed in getting any that I was pleased with, while in SE Utah for the annular eclipse, and it was pretty much a non event here in Calgary with only about 25% of the sun covered. We did watch it while lunching on our deck, using the cheapo gas station eclipse glasses from last fall.