Great Sand Dunes National Park Trail Description Added

I've added the trail description (so to speak, there aren't really any trails in the sand dunes - you can wander and explore wherever you like), map links, driving directions, GPS coordinates and photos of Great Sand Dunes National Park to the Colorado Hiking Trails main site.

Great Sand Dunes National Park is one of our favorite places to visit, as it offers something for everybody in the family: Striking scenery, lots of contrast and textures for the landscape photographer, wildlife for the nature photographer or animal watcher, history, geology, and plenty of sand and water for the kids to play in. 

We often take the "scenic route" on our frequent trips to New Mexico to visit the Dunes. Driving south on I-25 from Pueblo, exit at Walsenburg onto US 160 west toward Fort Garland, then north on state highway 150 to Great Sand Dunes National Park. If you are continuing on to Santa Fe, either return to Fort Garland and take Colorado state highway 159 to Taos, or continue on to Alamosa, then south on US Highway 285 to Espanola and on to Santa Fe.  

Extreme Hiking: Scariest Hiking Trail In The World

This video is reportedly taken at "El Caminito Del Rey" near Malaga, Spain. Fortunately this trail is not in Colorado, so I won't be reviewing it.

Keep watching, it gets better and better:

Scariest Hiking Trail In The World - Watch more Funny Videos

For those of you that want to check it out in person, I found the trail on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

And an article on it at Wikipedia.

Ladies Hiking Web Site Inspires Women to Embrace the Great Outdoors and Walk in the Woods

When times get tough, women take to the hills, or so says a new women’s Website, Ladies-Hiking.com, a City Girl’s Guide to Walking in the Woods. The outdoors site brings women together to talk about the best free vacation there is: hiking.

The young site provides expert advice on hiking, encouraging women to overcome their fear of the forest and get out on the trails. Ladies Hiking also brings women together to talk about their favorite hikes, fashions and gear, to share their photos and, more than anything, to make their own hiking rules.

“We’re in the early stages, I have to tell you,” says the site’s editor, Judith Harlan, a Website writer and journalist. She and a team of hiking enthusiasts out of Reno, Nevada, launched the site just this month. “We’re still new and open to all kinds of fresh ideas. Underlying all, though, is a core commitment to encouraging women to go hiking.” She wants women to break free of the idea that hiking is just for the hardy. Hiking is for everyone.

And why hiking? “For the healthy exercise, for the connection to nature, for the beauty,” says Harlan. It’s one of her first loves and Ladies-Hiking is her way of giving back, of sharing some of that enthusiasm for nature, introducing other women to one of the joys of her life. Her company, Harlan Editorial, Inc., Website Words that Work, is sponsoring the site.

Ladies-Hiking.com encourages women to share their experiences on the trail, as well as their favorite GORP and trail food recipes, and their latest fashion advice. The site’s attitude is one of acceptance. Hiking is for all ages and levels of fitness. In this economy, too, it doesn’t hurt that hiking is virtually free.

Source: www.prlog.org

Updated "Essential Hiking Supplies And Equipment

I've updated the article "Essential Hiking Supplies And Equipment" on the Colorado Hiking Trails site to include a more comprehensive clothing list and other additions. Please edit the article or leave a comment on this blog with any suggestions, additions or deletions you would make to this list. Your input is valued and appreciated!

"What Should You Do If You Encounter A Mountain Lion?" Article

I've added the article "What Should You Do If You Encounter A Mountain Lion?" to the articles and FAQs section of www.coloradohikingtrails.net. The article lists a number of suggestions based on studies of mountain lion behavior and analysis of attacks by mountain lions, tigers and leopards.

"The Beast In The Garden" Book Review

Those of us that value the out of doors and respect the role and sanctity of wildlife within our wilderness ecosystems may take exception with this book based upon the title. Shouldn't it be "The Garden we Built Around the Beast"? However in a well written page-turner that recalls Peter Benchley's thriller "Jaws", only in nonfiction, the author tells the story of how the Garden came to be, how the wilderness areas along the edges of urban development along the Colorado Front Range were set aside as nature preserves, in which the Beasts could live undisturbed. How the Beast's natural predators were driven away. And how the Beasts showed their predator instinct by preying on cats, dogs and sheep, and then changed their behavior, from hunting at night to brazenly attacking domestic animals and eventually humans in broad daylight.

 

It also tells the story of the history of the Colorado Front Range, and the politics of Boulder and their love affair with nature, that ultimately led to the deadly conflict between man and beast. Baron paints chilling pictures of Mountain Lions stalking their prey, both human and animal, that left me with goosebumps. But he is also critical of our management of the human-wildlife interface, and how our embracing of nature ultimately altered the ecological balance, leading to Mountain Lion attacks and killings.

 

Baron's writing style is engaging, weaving a plot that rivals the best fictional thrillers. At the same time, knowing the events actually happened gave me the creeps. Other than insisting that my pre-teen son always stay between two adults when hiking (motivated largely by Jaryd Atadero's disappearance from the Big South Trail in 1999), I've never given much thought to Mountain Lions. This book forced me to rethink this approach. But having given it time to process, I've reminded myself that the odds of even seeing a Mountain Lion are small (I've never seen one in the wild in 30+ years of hiking, snowshoeing and backpacking), and being attacked by one infinitesimal. 

Other than striving to be more aware of my surroundings (which is something I've been working on since joining the Poudre Wilderness Volunteers), I don't think the book will change the way I conduct myself when outdoors. But as outdoors-people, we should remember that they are out there, and at some level (albeit small) they do present a danger to those of us that share their home.

 

A highly recommended read!

For more information:

The Beast In The Garden web site;

The Beast In The Garden on Amazon.

Snowshoe Tours In Rocky Mountain National Park

Take a two-hour, beginner-level snowshoe tour with a ranger to explore the natural world of Rocky Mountain National Park. Tours are offered at 12:30PM Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from January 3 through March 28. Tours start at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center at the main entrance to the park.

The tours are free, but reservations are necessary, and can be made up to seven days in advance by calling (970) 586-1223 from 8AM to 4PM MST daily. There is a limit of 6 people per reservation for this 2 hour program. For safety reasons, children under 8 years old are not allowed on this activity. Sleds, skis, hikers, and children in backpacks are not permitted. You must provide your own snowshoes. They can be rented in Estes Park sporting goods stores.

Groups
Part of an organized group? Please call (970) 586-3777.

Go to www.nps.gov/romo for more information.