Ok

[silent_o]

So to start I've decided to do a lot more hiking. Still just building endurance at the nature trail right now but soon I'll be moving beyond that

Comments

[allaboutweather]

Good luck climbing that mountain! Hike in the fall whenever you can because that's the best time to do it! :)

I would take up on your offer but I'm currently more interested in traveling abroad AND I never really went camping. ;)

[silent_o]

You're in Illinois right?

Its a short drive to Mammoth Cave National Park. It has some pretty good trails. We'll be doing those sooner since they are closer to us.

[allaboutweather]

I may be south of Springfield but not THAT far south! XP

[silent_o]

But 4-5 hours is a short drive. ;)

[chocolate_frapp]

that is just awesome! I've been hiking a lot which is part of what helped me lose 144 pounds.

[sabotlours]

It's hard to believe it's already been 6 years since I had the great Yellowstone Furmeet. I had plans on doing a big 10-mile hike to some remote hot springs, but time just ran out. I'm getting to the point that I don't know if I could do such a long hike without some serious prep work. I did a halfway-down hike at the Grand Canyon a few years ago and it was a painful affair. It could have been because I did some mountain biking the day before and my knees were NOT happy. Maybe I'll try some backpacking again when I retire. I don't know. It's rewarding, but on the other paw it can also be a huge pain in the ass hauling all of that shit around. Do it while you're young.

[silent_o]

We can always take it easy on the greymuzzles. Carry extra weight and such. ;)

Srsly though. We should do this.

[nexrad]

Have fun and please share some hiking entries and pics! I *love* hiking.

That said, I can't travel for such trips anytime soon. Loop' and I are saving for a house now and need to come up with the $60K or so down payment to knock of some of the insurance fees. So, a very thrifty version of FWA 2017 will be it for me outside of work-related travel 'til 2018 or so. :-/

[silent_o]

Well, I did say two or three years until our next Yellowstone excursion. So you *might* be able to get in on that one. I'm thinking about a week long trip. Fly in to the South and drive through Grand Teton. Hit the highlights again and do some wildlife watching as well.

I LOVE just sitting on the side of the road in the Lamar Valley with binoculars. If that was all we did I'd be happy.

Of course I'd be dragging everyone out on their tails no later than 0600 most mornings so we can catch the most animal action. Either stay in Gardiner or Mammoth Hot Springs. Mammoth has really nice cabins starting at $160 a night. Room for 4 in each. Plus I'd get a small discount with my Association membership.

[silent_o]

Also: Jeez that's a large down payment. Are you buying a castle or is property just that expensive down there?

[skawinski]

I can imagine Yellowstone would be an amazing adventure. It's definitely on my list of places to see, same for my bf Xolani. Should we ever get the chance we'd love to go. Did you get to see any fossil sites too?