Fall Update!

Well, we've all had a pretty busy Fall!  In September, the four of us flew to Florida to spend some time (and Claire's third birthday) with Nana and Papa.  We all had a great time and wished we could have stayed for much longer.  Halloween was a blast - Claire and Nora were both Ariel, the Little Mermaid.  Nora was the mermaid and Claire was the princess (and Claire made sure everyone knew, if they asked what she was going to be for Halloween).  Claire trick-or-treated around the neighborhood and really enjoyed herself!  In November we had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with Bonnie, Gary, and Frona.

We've also been in the process of buying a new house and moving - we nearly bought one house in October but the deal ended up falling through.  We purchased another house on November 26 and are expecting to move in on December 22nd!  More on that in another blog post!

Nora has been a busy girl these days, what with eating lots of different foods, crawling and starting to pull up on furniture. She's even taken a few steps while holding onto the couch, so we might be getting closer to having a walking baby on our hands...look out!!

Also, on December 2nd Claire started preschool at Montessori Garden School - so far she seems to really like it! It's a small school with about 10 kids (all around 3-4 years old), and the teacher has 30+ years of experience in both Montessori teaching & also Montessori teacher instructing. Claire is definitely absorbing a lot and getting to know her fellow classmates - she's excited to go back to school after the Christmas break, so that's a good sign!

We're heading up to Vancouver for Christmas this year, and in addition to the usual suspects, my Aunts Cathy & Barb & my cousin Allison are all making the trek from Manitoba! It should be a great visit, and we'll post about it...soon...!

We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas - see you in 2015!

Fall 2014 Update Pictures!
Claire's Third Birthday Pictures!
Claire and Nora Visit Florida Pictures!
Nora Doesn't Want the Chair Video
The Vickerys at Bono's Video
Claire at the Beach Video
Claire at the Beach Part 2 Video
Claire and Zach at Rebounderz Video
Thank You Very Very Much Video
Southern League Champs Video
On the Swings at Palencia Park Video
Claire Decides to Jump Video
Nora in the Pool Video
Claire at Eagle Creek Pool Video
Birthday Presents for Claire Video
Claire and Nora Ride the Carousel Video
Claire on the Roller Slide Video
Queen of the Trampoline Video
Swinging at Peppermint Park Video
JumpTime Enthusiast Video
Nora Crawling Video
Nora Tries the Scooter Video
Leaf Monster Video
Nora Gets the Green Stick Video
Sisters in the Leaves Video
Vickery Family Walk Video
Nora Tapping Blocks Video
I'm a Famous Preschooler Video
Claire in the Box Video
Nora on the Scooter Video
Nora Dinnertime Video
Nora at Little Gym Video

Bull Mountain Snowshoe

Dan invited me on a snowshoe trip to Bull Mountain just over the Utah border.  This peak is noted for being a county highpoint and for having substantial topological prominence.  Dan had failed on this peak the weekend prior (due to bad weather and navigational errors) and was ready for revenge.  We met at 5am and were soon heading to south central Idaho to bag the peak.  After a stop in Burley crossed the Utah line and we were at the trailhead ready to go just before 9am.  The weather was pretty good for us - mild temperatures (in the 30s), high clouds, and minimal wind.

We were able to make good progress up the ATV trail and thence to a smaller trail up Lake Fork.  This trail started out good but was soon obscured by blowdowns in several places.  Dan did an amazing job bypassing the obstructions and managing to find the trail fragments, making what would have been an arduous struggle through snowy forest into a reasonable endeavor.  Eventually we worked our way high enough that we could see a clear path to the ridge leading to the summit.  It was a steep grunt up to the ridge top, but from there it was a straightforward ascent to the very flat summit of Bull Mountain.

The summit views were great and took in some ranges I had not seen in a long time.  Due to fog, we couldn't see the Great Salt Lake immediately to our south.  The summit register was filled with familiar names from the county highpointing community and made for great reading.  Other than the flatness of the summit, everything about this peak was great.  Our descent was much quicker than our ascent and we were easily back on the interstate heading home before dark.

On the way home, we stopped at Wendy's in Burley.  This choice was questionable due to the really slow service.  The highlight of the Wendy's visit was the person in front of us who had to wait 5-10 minutes to get his order taken.  After ordering a frosty, the cashier said "That's it?!  If I had known you were only ordering a frosty, I would have taken your order much sooner!".  Fortunately we didn't have to wait as long as he did for our orders but I left with a great memory of bad restaurant service.

In short, this was a very fun and rewarding snowshoe ascent under very pleasant conditions.

Bull Mountain Snowshoe Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report

Peak 5140' Hike

A few weeks ago, I embarked on a short hike in the Boise foothills above Robie Creek.  The destination was Peak 5140', a little known peak in a mostly ignored area.  After driving up Robie Creek and over Crooked Summit I parked at a suitable spot and began hiking up up the west slopes of the peak.  The going was easy at first but got brushier as a I got higher.  After slogging for a bit, I eventually reached the summit which was simply a mass of brush with no views.  Disappointing, but not unexpected!

After a short time visiting the high areas in the brush, I decided I'd see if I could find a good route over to nearby Daggett Point.  I quickly found a good trail and made nice progress, however soon I was surfing through heavy brush again slowly descending toward Daggett Creek.  Since I had limited time, I chose to turn around and save Daggett Point for another day.

On the way out I decided to explore a third peak, Zephyr Ridge Point.  A little bit of hiking from Crooked Summit revealed it has a house on top and is part of the Wilderness Ranch subdivision.  At that point I lost interest and returned to the vehicle.  Only one peak, but it was nice to see a nearby area that is seldom hiked.

Peak 5140' Pictures
Trip statistics: 3h, 4 miles, 1600' elevation gain

Granite Peak Hike

Dan put together a trip with Michael and Sean to visit Granite Peak in Nevada.  After minimal deliberation, I decided to join.  We left Boise just after 6am on Sunday and began the long drive down to northern Nevada.  It was just after 10am when we parked at the trailhead above Hinkey Summit and below Granite Peak.  From the start, it was a relatively quick hike up and down the peak at just over two hours for the round trip.  The route was very straightforward (follow a fence line, then hike up) and got us to the top in a very direct fashion.  The summit block has some easy and fun class 3 climbing to finish off the ascent.  The summit views from Granite were impressive and were new vistas for all of us!

Since we drove so far, we weren't content for settling for one short hike.  We also climbed nearby Peak 8560+ and Buckskin Mountain before departing.  Both of these were very simple and direct ascents from nearby roads.  Michael's FJ Cruiser was very helpful in getting us close to these peaks!

In short, this was a great hike with two new hiking partners in a new area under beautiful Fall skies and warm weather.  Simply put, it was a great day!

Granite Peak Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report

Gardiner Peak Hike

On Sunday I went on a short hike in the Boise foothills.  The destination was Gardiner Peak, a little known peak in the Boise foothills which seemed to have a trail.  I parked at Peace Rock (along the Boise Ridge Road south of Bogus Basin) and followed the very obvious bicycle trail through the forest in the general direction of the peak.  Before long, there was a junction and I headed right.  From there the trail climbs to an open ridge and leads almost all the way to the summit.  A quick jaunt off of the trail under the forest canopy led me to the summit, which is adorned by a cairn and register.  Summit views are limited but I was blown away with how pleasant the day was - warm weather with a mild breeze and lots of Fall colors!

The day was so enjoyable I extended the hike by exploring the trail in the direction of Clear Creek Summit.  I didn't go all the way but it probably extended the hike by an hour or so.  In my opinion, this little known hike is one of the most pleasant in the foothills!

Trip statistics: 7.25 miles, 1100' elevation gain, 2.25 hours

Gardiner Peak Hike Pictures!

Malheur County Highpoint Hike

Dan and I decided to embark on a Saturday hike but the weather wasn't looking too good. Southeast Oregon seemed to offer the best weather and the chance to visit an obscure, remote area. We met at 6am and began the long drive to McDermitt, Nevada, and thence to the trailhead. We managed to drive a little further up than we expected, saving us approximately 45 minutes of hiking. We were moving around 9:30am and started uphill through the very open terrain. The weather was initially in the upper 30s with no wind which was actually quite comfortable. As we got higher the wind picked up which, while brisk, was tolerable.

The terrain was very gentle, consisting entirely of open sagebrush slopes and snowy jeep tracks. The area is quite remote and while out of the wind we observed the rare sound of total silence. It is also a popular rockhounding area and we found some large chunks of obsidian which I've never seen anywhere else. The expansive views and undeveloped nature of the area were definitely the highlight of the trip.

We initially had thoughts of visiting some other peaks but the shortness of the day and worsening weather caused us to abandon those plans and head directly home. Once home I was able to watch the tail end of the "SEC East Championship Game"... sadly, the Gators lost to the Gamecocks.

Trip statistics: 9.36 miles, 2599' elevation gain, 6:07h

Malheur County Highpoint Hike Pictures!
GPS track
Dan's Trip Report

Shephard Peak/Silver Mountain Hike

Matt and I were interested in a hike Saturday but we only had a half-day to work with - Matt because of school and myself because of work (I was at work until 1:30am Friday night). We settled upon a plan to climb Shephard Peak (apologies to all members of the Shepherd family reading this) and Silver Mountain in the Boise Mountains. These peaks require a serious 4WD vehicle to access - fortunately Matt volunteered to drive his Ford Ranger. We met at 12:30pm and were off!

After enduring the rough road through Trapper Flat and toward the North Fork of the Boise River, we were hiking at 3:30pm. We had both never visited this area and were quite impressed with the rugged terrain! It only took us about an hour to reach the summit of Shephard Peak, which has a great views of the area and a perspective on the surrounding area we had not experienced. From there we headed toward Silver Mountain, a much lower peak but which had better views of the North Fork area. Since darkness was a concern, we couldn't spend too long on either summit - on the way back we actually dropped down to the closed road so we would have easier terrain to hike in the twilight.

It was nearly dark when we got back to the vehicle and Matt had the unenviable task of driving the rough road at night. Other than having to be extra careful, this wasn't an issue and we returned home, happy to have had a productive half-day of hiking!

Trip statistics: 5.12 miles, 2345' elevation gain, 3:43h

Shephard Peak/Silver Mountain Pictures!
GPS Track

Trinity Mountains Hike

I hadn't been in the mountains since Labor Day weekend so I decided to embark on a Sunday solo trip in the Trinity Mountains near Boise. Despite being close to town, getting there requires quite a bit of driving on dirt roads. I took a different route each way and concluded the fastest (but most fatiguing) way was via Blacks Creek Road and the town of Prairie.

I left the house around 8:30am and was headed up the first peak just after 11am. My first ascent was up Peak 9037' - a very nice peak with good views of the area - including quite a few lakes! From there I headed over to Fiddler's Perch - a slightly higher peak whose most distinctive feature is the pair of cairns on the summit.

My final ascent was to be Peak 8889', however upon reaching the summit block it became apparent that the final 30' or so is a rock climbing challenge. After trying to find a suitable weakness, I gave up and took a short break before heading back to the vehicle. Some gray clouds hung around all day but the weather fortunately held. Lots of hunters were in this area too!

Trip statistics: 5.77 miles, 2369' elevation gain, 3:57 hours

Trinity Mountains Hike Pictures!
GPS Track

Goose Creek Mountains Snowshoe Trip

It was Black Friday and I had no desire to do any shopping. The weather looked OK for hiking and after waking up at 6:30am I decided to head for the Goose Creek Mountains south of Twin Falls. Unsure about the snow conditions in the area (Magic Mountain Ski Area reported 6" of snow) I was hoping I could get close enough to my destination. The road into the mountains was snow covered but fortunately with decent tread from other vehicles having packed down the snow somewhat. The Escape made it up until the road started to get steep roughly 2.5 miles from Monument Peak - close enough!

My trip consisted of snowshoeing from the vehicle up to Monument Peak (both summits), then over to Trapper Peak, thence to Flatiron Mountain. Conditions were decent - temperatures in the 40s, overcast, with a light wind. Other than worrying about a lack of daylight, it was a pleasant day for snowshoeing on roads, ATV trails, and a little bit of cross-country terrain. Of course, most of the ridge tops were free of snow so I had to take the snowshoes off on several occasions. The area, normally known for being overrun with ATVs and snowmobiles, was actually pretty quiet. The only people I saw were woodcutters looking for Christmas trees!

Summiting all three peaks enabled me to reach my goal of climbing 25 peaks in 2009. Now I can be lazy for all of December :-)

Goose Creek Snowshoeing Pictures!

Trip statistics: 14 miles, 2600' elevation gain, 5.5 hours

Squaw Butte Hike

I passed up the opportunity to climb The Box in the Pioneers due to weather concerns and lack of interest in a big climb. Since the weather looked good in the Owyhees, I chose Squaw Butte (not to be confused with another Squaw Butte), a reasonably short hike just an hour from home.

After one wrong turn, I made it to the trailhead at about 10:15am. Soon I was on my way up the peak... however I didn't check the map closely enough and started climbing the wrong ridge. Fortunately in this area it is very open and mistakes are easily corrected! The weather down low was very nice...sunny and with just enough breeze to keep me from feeling warm in my winter gear. Up on the summit it was quite windy and colder... I should've brought the balaclava! Needless to say, I didn't spend much time up there despite the great views of the surrounding area. I took a more direct route on the descent, making for a nice loop hike featuring both ridge walks and canyon terrain.

In summary, this was a perfect short Fall hike... I was home by 3:30pm and in time to watch prime time college football!

Squaw Butte Pictures!

Trip statistics: 9 miles, 2700' elevation gain, 3.75 hours

Sinker Butte Hike

For some needed exercise, I opted for a quick Sunday hike to Sinker Butte just south of Boise. It is a pleasant desert hike that starts at the Swan Falls Dam, and climbs out of the Snake River Canyon onto a small prominence on the expansive Snake River Plain. The hike is located within the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (what a mouthful!) and as expected, raptors are plentiful in the area. This is a very short but enjoyable hike for the late Fall!

Sinker Butte Hike Pictures!

Trip statistics: 5 miles, 1250' elevation gain, 2 hours

Cervidae Peak Hike

Since I hadn't climbed a peak since August, it was high time to get back into the mountains. Being out of shape, I opted for Cervidae Peak, a short hike just outside of Boise which is popular with locals when the bigger peaks are snowbound. I had climbed the peak two previous times, in 2001 and 2008, each time by a different route. This time I chose yet another route since this peak offers countless variations with its open terrain. Also, this was the first time I climbed the peak when it was not under snow.

The hike was uneventful but the route I chose was quite steep, perhaps a little too steep given that I chose to wear trail running shoes. After some morning clouds, the day turned gorgeous with reasonably warm temperatures for November.

Cervidae Peak Pictures!

Trip statistics: 2.5 miles, 1.75 hours, 1800' elevation gain

South Mountain Hike

Last weekend, Dan and I decided to take a hike up to South Mountain in the Owyhee Mountains south of Boise. Despite it being December, little snow had fallen in the mountains and this remote area was still accessible. Dan and I had an easy hike in surprisingly warm weather with very little snow. After visiting the lookout atop South Mountain, we made a quick ascent of nearby Peak 7757.

After our trip, we returned home and had a late lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant while watching the SEC Championship Game. Go Gators!

South Mountain Pictures!
Dan's Trip Report

West Mountains Hike

I've been trying to burn up some time off at work. Since the weather was looking good I took Wednesday off and went hiking in the West Mountains above Cascade. The objectives of the day were four peaks: Granite Mountain, Snowbank Mountain, Collier Peak, and the Gem County highpoint. The first two peaks only required getting out of the car, however the latter two required some hiking. Fortunately this area is relatively flat and open, allowing for some fast-paced hiking. This is a good thing because I got a much later start than I was intending. After quickly touching the first two summits, I hit the trail around 11:30am headed toward Collier Peak.

Soon I was atop Collier Peak, which has a great view of the Round Valley and Cascade. After taking in the vistas, I began the long but quick hike over to the Gem County highpoint. There were numerous photo opportunities along the way, of which I had to take advantage. Despite my dawdling, I made it to the Gem County highpoint at about 2:15pm. From there, I took in the scenery and began the trek back to the car, which took about 2 hours.

This was my first hike in this part of Idaho and I left very impressed! The terrain is very gentle and the views are spectacular. Unfortunately on this day some controlled burns limited the visibility to the west; about the only negative thing I can say!

Trip statistics: 5 hours, 11.5 miles, 2900' elevation
West Mountains Hike Pictures!

Star Hope Canyon Hike

Once again Dan and I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous Fall weather and use his company's condo as a base camp for a trip to the Pioneer Mountains. This week we met up with brothers John and Tom Platt who joined us for the adventure. In the evening on Saturday, we ate a quick take-out dinner from the Snow Bunny in Hailey and watched Penn State beat Ohio State.

On Sunday, we got moving about 6am and made the long drive from Hailey to Star Hope Canyon in Copper Basin. It was about 8:15am before we hit the trail. We hiked above the remains of the Star Hope Mine and up to the ridge where we would proceed to visit four summits. The weather was gorgeous for the entire day and aside from one section of class 3 climbing, the entire ridge was easy hiking.

After a tiring but enjoyable hike, we happily reached the truck and broke out the beers. After some celebration, we began the long drive back to Hailey where we refueled at the Sun Valley Brewing Company before finishing the trip back to Boise.

Trip stats: approximately 7.25 hours, 7.5 miles, and about 4100' of elevation gain.

Star Hope Canyon Pictures!
Dan's Trip Report
John's Trip Report

Pioneer Mountains Hike

The Fall weather once again turned pleasant, so it was time for another trip to the mountains. Dan was able to rent his company's condo in Hailey so we setup a hike where we'd drive up Saturday night and hike early Sunday morning. We drove over there on Saturday evening and met fellow hikers Art and John. The four of us stayed in the condo and watched some football and SNL before retiring.

We got moving about 7am and after some breakfast, hit the trail a little bit after 8am. It was a gorgeous morning hiking up Paymaster Gulch toward our objective, Paymaster Peak. Along the way we met John's daughter Mariel who was staying at her boyfriend Eric's rustic cabin high in the mountains. The six of us (plus Eric's dog Sweetie) hiked from there to the summit to take in the beautiful views under ideal conditions. On the way down, the weather started to move in but we were down well ahead of any precipitation.

Another great Fall hike! Trip stats: Just over 6 hours, 7.4 miles, and about 3300' of elevation gain.

Pioneer Mountains Hike Pictures!
Dan's Trip Report
John's Trip Report

Smoky Mountains Hike

Last weekend I went on a solo hike in the Smoky Mountains of Idaho, just above the ski resort of Sun Valley. It was a gorgeous, warm fall day with lots of peace and quiet. The only downside was the lack of wildlife. Total trip time was about 6 hours covering 7 miles and 3500' of gain.

Smoky Mountains Hike Pictures!

Blue Mountains Hike

Last weekend I set out on a solo hike to the Blue Mountains of Oregon. It was a long hike, approximately 8.5 hours, 4500', and 14 miles. However the scenery was tremendous and I saw nine mountain goats on the trip!

Blue Mountains Pictures!

Strawberry Mountain Hike

A couple of weeks ago, Dan (ex co-worker and friend) and I went hiking in the mountains of eastern Oregon. It was a good day hike and a good chance to catch up on things. Below are the pictures:

Strawberry Mountain Pictures!
Dan's Trip Report