Tag: onthelooselive

Chasing Waterfalls: Hidden Haven, a Hidden Gem, Brian Head, UT

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A short, shady stroll with some trail washout and a little scrambling at the end delivers a wonderful waterfall reward.

Great to top off another hike, take a roadtrip leg stretch, or have a lovely picnic spot.

Stay tuned for the videos.

Getting there:

The trailhead parking lot is located on the north side of SR-143, otherwise known as the Brian Head-Panguitch Lake Scenic Byway. Enjoy the entire scenic route if you can.

Happy Trails!

Worshiping Mother Nature: Golden Cathedral, Escalante, UT

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Distance: ~9-10 miles RT Out & Back

Difficulty: Not easy- most rate it difficult and strenuous due to the distance, elevation gain, deep sand hiking, and exposure. Not for the faint of heart or sand-shy. Four-wheel drive to get to the trailhead is a must!

Elevation Gain: 1,581 ft

A well-hidden gem and one of the most dramatic and magical spots I’ve experienced in Utah. Well worth the considerable effort of driving nearly 30 miles of gnarly fire road and trudging through miles of deep sand. Almost the entire elevation loss/gain is in the first/last 2 miles. Imagine a deep sand slog, followed by a deep sand vertical climb, followed by a steep slickrock vertical climb, and you’ve imagined the final miles of the hike. About 80% of the hike is across exposed, arid desert, so take proper precautions! Dehydration, heat stroke, or worse, are real dangers, especially when the temperatures are high. Neon Canyon is susceptible to flash floods, so check your forecast before you go.

Navigation is a challenge as there is no trail per se. Cairns loosely mark the routes. Route finding, GPS, and backcountry skills are highly recommended.

Check out the magical, mesmerizing reflections at the Golden Cathedral!

Fortunately, the tortuous 4-wheel drive to the trailhead and the deep sand slogging are great crowd deterrents.

On my second visit to this glorious spot, the late afternoon light was dazzling and dramatic.

Getting there, if you dare: From Escalante, drive east on Hwy 12, and turn south/R onto the infamously gnaryly Hole-In-the-Rock Road. Take this unpaved rough road 16.7 tortuous miles and turn left at the sign “Egypt -10 miles”.  Believe it or not, the road gets rougher from there. You’ll find the trailhead and its circular dirt parking lot on the left at the 10-mile mark.

Happy Trails!

Zion on Ice, That’s Nice (and Freezing Cold!)

Zion on Ice, That’s Nice (and Freezing Cold!)

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Turned into a human popsicle to get you this glimpse of Zion’s winter wonderland.

If you do venture out in the winter, be sure to over prepare. There have been many rescues and unfortunately too many deaths in Zion – mostly from hypothermia and exposure (even in the warmer months). The elements are no joke out here. Crampons are a must in icy conditions. Adequate layers, gloves, hats, etc…Hydratation is just as critical though harder to swallow in the winter (I know).

Happy (and safe) trails to you in 2023!

Seems as if rescues like these happen weekly. Be smart. Don’t become a statistic! https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/watch-intense-rescue-of-hikers-stuck-for-over-24-hours-in-zion-national-park?fbclid=IwAR1xGiB7Mai42xjwRNGCItYWpVKNmOBr4D4OSYmWEh2M53CLsyYyg3aZIuw

A Tale of 2 Lolos From Catalina Island

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Meet Lolo and his falconer, Dave Long, the founder of the Catalina Falconry Experience.
I met Dave and Lolo, the Harris hawk, on the beach while enjoying happy hour at a local establishment. Dave was nice enough to come by and tell my friend and me what he and Lolo were up to. He said Lolo is a working bird. His job is to keep the seagulls from camping out around the beach, restaurants, and shops of Avalon. The restaurants on the shore draw both tourists and seagulls in large numbers. When left to their own devices, seagulls will camp out and wait for crumbs and handouts. An excessive amount of seagulls in the area means an excessive amount of seagull poop in the water, which leads to excessive bacteria counts and that stinks for all. I always wondered why the bacteria levels were so high in what looks like crystal clear turquoise waters of Catalina. Now I know.
Lolo the hawk was named after Lolo Saldana, the legendary local barber of Avalon. Lolo’s father came to Catalina in 1919, the same year that William Wrigley, Jr. purchased the island. Born and raised in Catalina, Lolo is 94 years old and still tending shop and cutting hair in his barber shop as he has for last half-century. Watch the documentary about Lolo the barber on YouTube.
If you’d like to see what it feels like to have this majestic Southwestern hawk or other raptors land on your hand and learn about them, check out the Catalina Falconry Experience next time you’re on the island. And if you need a haircut, stop into the barbershop and get your hair cut by a legend.
https://www.visitcatalinaisland.com/things-to-do/land-tours/falconry-experience/
https://www.facebook.com/catalinafalconryexperience/

(800) 626-1496

Kalalau Trail & Hanakapi’ai Falls, the Iconic and Incomparable Na Pali Coast, Kauai

Kalalau Trail & Hanakapi’ai Falls, the Iconic and Incomparable Na Pali Coast, Kauai

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Distance: Choose your own adventure. You can turn around at Ke Beach (2 miles each way), which the majority do. You can continue to Hanakapi’ai Falls (add 2 miles each way for a round trip of 8 miles) or to Hanakoa Falls (add 4 miles each way for a round trip of 12 miles) or complete the hike to Kalalau (add 9 miles each way for  22 round trip). The latter would entail overnight camping.

Difficulty: Terrain is at times steep, slippery, scrambly, and almost always muddy. Expect a slower-than-normal pace. Alltrails rates the hike to Hanakapi’ai Falls as challenging. As always, the difficulty is relative to your fitness level and tolerance for slippery terrain.

Elevation Gain: 1,841 to Hanakapi’ai Falls

The views of the green cliffs plunging into the turquoise Pacific along the Kalalau Trail are stunning—classic Na Pali Coast. Beautiful Ke Beach is an idyllic place to spend the afternoon if you don’t wish to venture farther.

For more adventurous spirits, the trek through rain and bamboo forests to Hanakapi’ai Falls is an absolute must! As are the refreshing swimming holes along the way!  I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Bamboo forest enroute to Hanakapi’ai Falls

Hanakapi’ai Falls, apparently what we see here is only the bottom ~400 feet or so of the waterfall. Magnificent!

Hanakapi’ai Falls

Hanakoa Falls is another waterfall further along the Kalalau Trail that is taller than Hanakapi’ai Falls ( ~1,000 ft tall vs ~400 ft). Hanakapi’ai Falls is by far the most spectacular waterfall and setting that I’ve ever hiked to. I can’t wait to go back and check out Hanakoa Falls. Have you been?

Notes: If hiking to waterfall, beware of inclement weather as it’s a dangerous flash flood area. Strongly recommend hiking shoes to get the most traction. Some hikers use poles too. I didn’t. I prefer to have my hands free. These pictures illustrate why. The rocky section on the right is at the beginning of the hike and not representative per see.

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED all vehicles and hikers visiting HĀʻENA STATE PARK and may be made up to 30 days in advance, no later than the day before. (Hawaii residents are exempt.) There’s limited parking (100 spots) at the trailhead, but there’s a daily shuttle service from daily from Waipā Park and Ride to Hā‘ena State Park (~$40 ea person, includes park entry). Shuttle info here.

Happy Trails!