Five-day Float on the Green River: Gates of Lodore to Split Mountain {Written by Summit Hut Gearhead Emma Harries} Gates of Lodore greet the weary boater with promises of adventure, fast rapids, and fun behind every river curve. ©Emma Harries As spring turned to summer, I had the opportunity to spend five of the longest…
Category: Trips
Packing for an Alaskan Cruise Adventure
Packing for an Alaskan Cruise Adventure {Written by Summit Hut Gearhead Emma Harries} At the beginning of May, my partner Chad and I went on our very first cruise! We visited three southeastern coastal Alaskan towns, sailed through a fjord, made one international stop in Victoria, British Columbia, and spent most of our time off…
Your Quintessential Hiking Checklist to Prepare for the Next Adventure
Hiking is one of the most amazing ways to unwind and detox from mundane city life. It is a lot about the journey and the beautiful trails rather than the final destination. Imagine the breath of fresh air, the pleasant sunlight on the skin, and the tranquility in the lap of nature. Be it a…
Planning and Prepping for the Sky Islands Traverse
Planning and Prepping for the Sky Islands Traverse Those of us who dwell in southern Arizona are familiar with Sky Islands – the forested archipelago at the tops of the mountains, isolated from one another by a surrounding sea of desert. The Rincons, Catalinas, and Santa Ritas are known to Tucsonans, but there are actually…
Havasupai On My Mind
Summit Hut Gearhead & Contributing Blogger- Summit Hut Oro Valley Store Manager, Jeremy Asher. February 1st is coming up fast, and you know what that means… This is your opportunity to secure some much sought after Havasupai Permits! I had the chance to go and visit Havasupai for the first time several years ago and…
The Spiritual Elements of Nepal’s Prayer Flags
Seen everywhere in the mountains, valleys and sacred sites of Nepal, prayer flags are a symbol of peace, goodwill and compassion. Originating in Tibet, early versions of prayer flags were used in battle. But as time passed, the flags came to take on more spiritual meaning. Each of the five colors are always arranged from…
Kathy Simko’s Arizona Trail Trek – Entry 7 – The Last Leg
The last leg of my AZT adventure – Flagstaff to Utah- was both eventful and spectacular. On the morning of May 13th (Day 53), my two travelling companions and I, met up at the corner of Ponderosa Pkwy and Route 66 in Flagstaff and headed northward, stocked to the gills as our provisions needed to…
Kathy Simko’s Arizona Trail Trek – Entry 6 – Cold & Wet In The North
As we began the second half of the Mazatzal’s, the weather turned wet and cold. Cutting wind, rain and hail became part of the normal routine and we all started to feel and look ragged and trail-weary. Furthermore, we hadn’t had a shower or clean clothes for fifteen days…”EW!” Swimming in a lake sure does…
Kathy Simko’s Arizona Trail Trek – Entry 5 – The Irony of the Black Hills & Even More Good People
The Hobo Trio continued northward from American Flag Trailhead. We learned from Marney that we were EFI’ers (Every freakin’ inch). We were extremely aware and diligent to walk every inch of the AZT, making sure not to cut corners and to go back and start exactly where we left off. Late in the day on…
Kathy Simko’s Arizona Trail Trek – Entry 4 – More Good People
On the morning of April 2nd, Dave Baker drove us back to the exact spot we exited the trail two days earlier. Dave Boyd joined us as we cruised through the Rincon Mountains, camping at the beautiful Grass Shack site, which was equipped with a babbling brook. The next day, we split off from Dave…