Hike Your Own Hike.

Recently, I opened Instagram to see the picture above. To see it looming , warning me about my upcoming 10 year High School Reunion. What. The. Heck, where did the time go?

 

Easy adventure right in your backyard

 

Since I have been home from the Appalachian Trail  I’ve talked to a lot of people. Well, actually I’m always talking so …well …anyways. I’m talking to people I’ve heard a lot of people tell me that they would love to get outdoors but they don’t know how. That’s a fair point if you have never done any backpacking or kayaking it can be intimidating. I mean really. All you ever see in movies is teenagers being brutally murdered or James Franco cutting off his own arm.

Well, I’m here to tell you that you can have a great time in the outdoors without having a specialty built Jeep Wrangler or going on a month long “impossible against all odds” trips.

That stuff is great for TV because it’s interesting to watch. But for real life, you can have a great time in the outdoors with very little special equipment and for not that much money.

For example, let’s say what keeping you from hitting the trail and enjoying the outdoors is that you don’t have any equipment. Well, fear no more.

Did you know that some state parks have cabins you can rent? It is true. Some even have electricity.

Like these at Palo Duro State Park.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park Cabins

I mean really. How cool is that?

Closer to home in Texas, other state parks such as Mckinney Falls in Austin and Inks lake in Burnet also offer Cabin rentals. For my non-Texas hill country readers please check your local state and national parks for their lodging accommodations.

Maybe one of your bugaboo issues is that you have never really spent any time outdoors and are worried you won’t be able to hike. (See my blog post about that)

Well for that I suggest going on a shorter day hike. (See my blog post about that)  Most Parks have shorter routes with easy or beginner options. Some of the time the shorter trails are to some of the cooler stuff.

Jacobs Well. Wimberly Texas

Maybe you just want a quick sample of the outdoors and don’t want to get too “granola” Well there are lots of fun half day trips out there. Jacobs Well in Wimberly Texas is an artesian spring, you know just like what makes Fiji water so fancy.  But you could do a hot summer afternoon there and then hit up the scenic hill country town of Wimberly for some home style cooking.

Or maybe if swimming isn’t your thing but giant rocks are you could head to Enchanted Rock State Park. There are a great 4-mile loop and interesting climb to the top of the Rock Batholith which is about an 1835 ft climb. Then spend the rest of the weekend in scenic Fredricksberg.

Enchanted Rock 2012

That’s just a quick sampling of some of the things available in my backyard. Now go out and find what is close to you and get out and explore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your first day-hike. It’ll be fun.

A few weeks ago I promised you, my dear readers, to help you plan your very first day-hike.  Since then, I know you’ve been reading all about everyone else’s adventures, seeing all your friends go on hikes and doing paddleboard yoga or taking selfies outside, and you want in on that sweet outdoorsy action.

Why outside isn’t so scary.

Over the years, a lot of people have told me that they would like to do more outdoorsy stuff but they don’t have any experience.  They said when they walked into a REI they overwhelmed with all the choices… that is if they had the “guts” to walk-in, to begin with.  Many people who did not grow up hiking or camping can be scared to venture into the great unknown, or to do much more than a 1-2 hour hike outside.  What if you don’t bring enough food?  What if it’s cold? Or muddy?  WHAT IF THERE’S A BEAR?

The best outdoorsy car I could have bought

I recently bought a new car.  Well, it’s a used car but it’s new to me. I traded in my F150 and got a small Honda fit. That’s right it’s a Honda Fit. Many people might find this out of character for me, but it’s perfect for my outdoors-y lifestyle,  and I’ll tell you why.

Bringin’ meal time back.

For years, we have heard that America has a growing obesity epidemic.  People blame all kinds of things: Processed foods. Genetics. Sugar. Exercise (or lack there of)… the list goes on and on.

The reality is that there are many of factors involved, and all contribute to the obesity epidemic in a variety of ways.  However, there is topic that I haven’t really heard people talk about, which I think, deserves to be at least a small part of the conversation:  the loss of the family meal time.

Build your bucket: the importance of a proper foundation

I’m a story teller. Plain and simple. I think it comes from 2 places.  First, as a child my grandparents always told me “tall tales.”  Second, my father (who was an Air Force navigator instructor) always explained things in really long winded convoluted metaphors.  In the spirit of me becoming a dad myself, here is a long winded metaphor to describe a seemly easy topic.

The Secret Diet Struggle of a CrossFit Coach

You got me. I finally caved. 2 years of blogging. Over 50 posts, and precisely ZERO have been about diet.  Diet is SO important, but it’s also very tough to tackle, especially for me.  Why? I suffer from what I like to call “Kitchen Laziness Disorder.”  Let me explain.

New Year. New Me.

I wanted to get in some hiking over Christmas break from school but I didn’t really feel like driving 10 hours in a weekend to go to and from Big Bend State Park. So I opted for a quick trip to Lost Maples ( Fun Fact: I took my wife here on her first backpacking trip).  On New Year’s day I went on a quick overnight hike to Lost Maples State Natural Area. It was my first overnight hiking trip since I went on that 151-day long one this summer.   I only hiked about 7 miles, but it was a strange feeling. But this post isn’t a trip review its about something that people rarely make New Years Resolutions about.

4 Things I Learned the Hard Way (so you don’t have to)

 

So last spring/summer I went on the trip of a lifetime (most of you probably already know this, but I am hoping that I am getting some new readers at some point). I spent 5 months backpacking the Appalachian Trail.  I lost some weight, climbed some mountains, made some friends and learned a lot about myself. Since I’ve been back, people have asked me what exactly I learned on the trail, and how it’s changed my life.  While I still feel like the same person, there are a few things that have really stuck with me, and (I think) can be applied to many people’s goals in health and fitness.