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Fat Man Little Trail
Second Chances
The first impression is important. A first attempt to put the best foot forward and either sink or swim. You never actually get a second chance to make a first impression. Cliche’s are only cliche’s because there is some truth to them. When you are on a mountain though, second chances may be the best option.
Product Review: Oboz Sawtooth X Mid
Those who spend a lot of time on the trail know that a hiking boot can make or break a hike. A boot that doesn’t fit well can lead to a miserable time while a comfortable boot can feel like you are walking on a cloud. There are a lot of options out there for hikers so I wanted to share my thoughts and to give some more information towards your decisions. This week I review the Oboz Sawtooth X Mid cut hiker.
Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lakes in Winter
One of the most popular hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park is the hike that takes you to Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lakes in Winter. The snow adds a tremendous amount of beauty to the hike. It also adds a degree of difficulty. Depending on the recent weather, spikes or snowshoes are also necessary. For those ready for windy and cold conditions, plenty of snow and amazing landscapes the hike can be one of the best in the park.
Lost in the Woods
I was at an event the other night to listen to some outdoor speakers talking about healing in nature. It was a really inspiring event. Towards the end they opened it up to questions and someone asked a really good one. To paraphrase, they asked if it was being in nature that helped people or was it the outdoor community and finding like minded people. I thought for a split second and knew the answer for me was nature but most in the room seemed to side with the community. This was a bit of a shock to me. I needed to get lost in the woods before I felt comfortable with the community or did I do it all wrong.
Dolores River Trail
While on a trip to Cortez, Colorado I was looking for a place to get out and hike. Making this more of a challenge was the fact that about a foot of snow had dumped on the area earlier in the week and a lot of parks were closed. I decided to check out the Dolores River Trail and was excited to see it still open.
Destination Grill – Cortez
Most of the time when I am looking for the best food in a new town in takes me a while to drive around and find the perfect spot. Sometimes, I only have to walk across a parking lot! That’s what happened with the Destination Grill in Cortez. I drove by and saw some guys working some outdoor grills and got really excited to give it a shot and the walk across the parking lot from my hotel was the perfect distance after a long day.
Arches In Winter
Over the last few years the typical Arches National Park visit has been met with timed entry tickets, a long wait to make it to the front gate, and long lines and crowded trails once you arrive into the park. The popular spring to fall visits are also usually spent under oppressive heat that comes from the sun above and radiates off of the red rocks. While Arches is so sensational that it is easy to overlook these inconveniences, I may have found a hack. Arches in Winter.
Comfort Zone
Comfort Zones make us feel good by design. They are warm slippers on a Colorado winter morning. Or a cold beer after mowing the lawn on an August day in Iowa. They make us feel warm. They make us feel cool. A comfort zone can act as a shield, protecting us from the world. Or can act as a sword, helping us to build confidence through the comfort to stand up to the day. Comfort Zones are important, but so is leaving them.
Always Choose Adventures
For those of you who have followed along on my journey, you know that I love to be outdoors and do my best to try new adventures along the way. Adventures are great alone. However, some just work better with friends. That is why Always Choose Adventures is a great organization for me. It lets me be adventurous, try new things, and meet people to explore with.
Great Sand Dunes Nature Trail
While the main selling point of the Great Sand Dunes National Park is hiking on the dunes, there are other options around the park if you are looking for a different perspective or just don’t want to get your shoes sandy! The Great Sand Dunes Nature Trail is a great option for those looking for a short easier hike that has some great views of the entire dune complex from a little further away. The trail is short with very little elevation but it is narrow and dirt so a bit of a different feel than the dunes. I really enjoyed the doing this hike after spending some time down on the dunes!
Another Year
I sat down to write a blog about what I accomplished in 2022 and what I was looking forward to in 2023. It seemed like the blogger thing to do. The interwebs and social stratospheres are full of recaps, rewinds, and affirmations. I sat down and looked at the page waiting for the words to jump like they usually do. Instead I began to drift. The words didn’t come. Was it too many thoughts? That is something I haven’t been accused of before. Was it not enough? Will 2023 be a blank slate or a word jumble. Or will it just be another year?
Stations of the Cross Shrine
The Stations of the Cross Shrine, located in the town of San Luis in southern Colorado, is a path that follows bronze statues depicting the fifteen Stations of the Cross. The statues lead visitors up to the mesa top where the shrine sits over looking the San Luis Valley.
Trujillo Meadows Reservoir
Trujillo Meadows Reservoir is a medium sized lake located in southern Colorado. There is a small hiking trail that hugs the south shore that is used to find the best fishing spots. The Trujillo Meadows Reservoir State Wildlife Area is popular with campers, anglers, boaters, and paddleboarders.
Dutch Mill Cafe – Antonito
For those long time readers of the blog, you know that I am a sucker for a good sign when looking for a great locally owned restaurant. Well, in the lovely downtown of Antonito I was drawn like a moth to a flame by the sign for the Dutch Mill Cafe.
Dale Ball Trails Picacho Peak
Very close to downtown Santa Fe lives a great system of recreation trails that leave the city and head into the foothills. I took the Dale Ball Trails to Picacho Peak hike to explore and was rewarded with an overlook that showed me the entire town of Santa Fe, a great outdoor feel for being so close to the city, and a wonderful hike and workout. The system has options for every skill level but the hike I did was on the moderate difficulty level.
The Shed – Santa Fe
On a quick stopover in Santa Fe I wanted to find some food that was more authentic to the city. Every search I did kept coming up with the same answer, The Shed. The Shed has been open for nearly 70 years and is located just about a block away from Santa Fe Plaza, the most historic and walkable area of the city.
Product Review: Costa Untangled Pescador
Sunglasses are so unbelievably important when hiking in the mountains. One second you may be in the shade of the forest and the next step, fully exposed to bright sun coming through thin air. I don’t do any hikes without a great pair of glasses anymore so I was really excited when Costa Del Mar sent me a couple of pair to test out. Costa is more of a boating and fishing line of sunglasses but with so many high altitude lakes and snow covered landscape reflecting the sun at me I thought they would be great for mountain hiking as well. First up on the review is the Costa Untangled Pescador sunglasses.
Product Review: Saucony Xodus Ultra
The shift from hiking boots to trail runners is a trend that appears to be picking up some steam over the last few years. As this website is named FatManLittleTrail you can bet that I don’t do a lot of running on the trail or not, but I wanted to test out hiking in some good trail runners. I was sent a pair of Saucony Xodus Ultra trail runners to test out and I was pleasantly surprised and decided to write this review. Also, I was excited to see that the Xodus is available in both Men’s and Women’s which isn’t always the case on products I test. I also wrote an article about the differences between different footwear on the trails if you are interested.
White Sands National Park Overview
White Sands National Park is a one of the most unique parks in the country. Located in southern New Mexico, the park is surrounded by mountain ranges and then out of what feels like nowhere a large swath of white sand made of gypsum and several dunes emerge. White Sands National Park has several different recreation and educational options for people of all age levels.
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I am an outdoor enthusiast and outdoor blogger who has written over 500 posts reviewing trails, products, locally owned restaurants, and documenting my experiences on the trail as a hefty hiker. I have also been featured by prominent outdoor brands.
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