#hiking

See tagged statuses in the local bookrastinating.com community

This wild burro was hanging out at the top of the cliff, keeping a close eye on me as I hiked. It was snorting very loudly, presumably to warn all the other burros that there was a human in the wash. I loved how the snorts echoed off the walls of the canyon, very effective warning system.

The history of the wild burros in the western US is pretty interesting. They were pack animals for the early miners; when the mine played out the miner would sometimes just turn them loose in the desert. Burros evolved in northern Africa, to them it felt like home. There are now thousands of them scattered over 5 western states. They're an invasive species, but so cute that the public outcry is huge any time population control is proposed.

A wild burro (donkey), ears erect, standing at the top of a cliff watching me as I hike up the canyon. The sky is a perfect blue, there are a few hardy bushes and brown grasses, and the cliff is large blocks of reddish-brown rock.

Revisiting scenes from backpacking 2025. I forget which lake this is in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Does it matter what it's called? Just look at it! 😍

A steep bank of big granite boulders and spire straight fir trees falls into a crystalline blue lake.

Cold air began trickling in to the complex terrain behind Beartooth Front from the N today for our Silver Run road/trail hike. Up side gulch off W-fork Canyon, start 1850m. Turned back 2300m where it gets real steep. Just few flurries/fog 0C lower portion. Got back into town before ❄️ from next system arrived. Which it has now, and -9C dropping our place. Glad winter finally starting here. Lots Christmas tree cutting down low so O and S got to meet new people 👍🏽.

W fork of Rock Crk. here 1850m just starting to ice up. but already -9C now and will be cold next few days, so much more soon.
looking down (E) the gulch of Silver Run Crk. from 2150m, cold air/stratus filtering in from the east. In town stronger N winds, here just lite E breeze 👍🏽
little side stream 2200m (left) completely frozen over. turn-back spot (R) 2300m where trail gets really steep. goes all the way up to Silver Run Plateau 3000m + in only 2K from here. only 5-6cm left over from Monday's snowburst.
-2C here 2250m right behind is where trail gets very steep.

& video accounts to follow:

➡️ @hikingdude - Keen hiker and cyclist, especially in the mountains of rural Germany
➡️ @spanish_highs - Hiking and climbing videos, mainly in Spain
➡️ @hollerpixie - Hiking and outdoors videos from the Appalachian region in North America
➡️ @onelin - Hiking, outdoors and nature videos mainly in New Hampshire, USA
➡️ @jaywink - Long-form cycling videos, mainly from urban and rural routes in Finland

Hiker was in distress near the summit of Mailbox Peak in the Cascade Mountains east of . SAR team used e-bikes to ascend ~3,000 feet and stabilize the hiker before ground teams arrived to help the hiker down. No paywall.
https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/e-bike-rescuers-reaches-stranded-hiker-mailbox-peak-cold-closes/FJXDOLVAQRGDPB7RZBV2VRJXCM/

I hiked a large sand dune for the first time yesterday. What a unique experience! Quite a slog, hiking straight up the side to reach the ridge. A surprise with the challenge of walking the ridge— didn’t expect it to be so sharp. The drop-off on each side looked steeper/scarier than it actually was. A fun time! Bruneau Sand Dunes (Idaho)— 470 feet (143m) base-to-peak elevation change.

Photo of hiker standing at peak of ridge as viewed from the ridge. View is from the ridge looking toward the sun which is also in the pic. Footprints are seen in foreground on ridge.
Photo of section of sand dunes as viewed from the base from far side of lake. The lake is seen in foreground as well as some vegetation. Blue sky overhead with white clouds.
Photo of sand dunes as viewed from the ridge. Most of the sand dunes can be seen from this view which is taken from one end of the ridge. The ridge is seen curving left and right and up and down with the sand dropping steeply from each side of ridge. A small lake is seen at the base on the left. Blue sky overhead. I took this pic looking away from the sun.
Similar type of pic as in upper right pic, but view from opposite end of sand dunes looking back into the sun. From this view the lake at the base is at the right side. The multiple peaks of the ridgeline can be seen from this view.