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Review: 16 Miles Hiking Little Sandy Lake from Block and Tackle Hill

Hiking

Review: 16 Miles Hiking Little Sandy Lake from Block and Tackle Hill

Review: 16 Miles Hiking Little Sandy Lake from Block and Tackle Hill

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 14 minutesLittle Sandy is such a terrible lure. You know you won’t love it, but dangit, you need something easy, so there you find yourself, disappointed all over again. 

Review: 46 Miles Hiking St. Lawrence Trailhead to Twin, Raft, Mova, Polaris, Moraine, Darren, Sonnicant, and Many More Lakes

Review: 46 Miles Hiking St. Lawrence Trailhead to Twin, Raft, Mova, Polaris, Moraine, Darren, Sonnicant, and Many More Lakes

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 64 minutesThis hike took me to all the lakes around Sonnicant that I hadn’t been to yet, but the report is shameful. You’ll see.

A Quick Hike to Lake Barstow, WY with My Daughter

A Quick Hike to Lake Barstow, WY with My Daughter

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 11 minutesThis has some of my favorite memories ever. It was my first overnight hike with my little daughter!

Review: 9 Miles or More to Jim Creek Lake, Wind River Range

Review: 9 Miles or More to Jim Creek Lake, Wind River Range

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 20 minutesJim Creek Lake avoids all the attention that the rest of the Wind River Range receives. Should it? And can you even get to the trailhead given the terrible roads in the area?

Review: Beauty & Ennui Hiking Grizzly Lake

Review: Beauty & Ennui Hiking Grizzly Lake

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 13 minutesGrizzly Lake offers some nice fall colors, but isn’t worth the hike in any season. A trip to the first pond on the hike might be worth it.

Review: Stupendously Short Overnight Hike to Lost Lake, WY

Review: Stupendously Short Overnight Hike to Lost Lake, WY

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 11 minutesLost Lake is a very short hike to a picturesque, colorful lake. It’s good for people who aren’t in shape, or for families with little children.

Scientists Discover Hottest Place On Planet Is Inside Your Tent The Second After Sun Comes Up

Scientists Discover Hottest Place On Planet Is Inside Your Tent The Second After Sun Comes Up

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 2 minutesBoulder, CO—Scientists at the University of Colorado School of Geophysics have overturned a long-held world record for planetary heat here on Earth. While the record was previously held by Iran’s Lut Desert, it’s been definitively relegated into the realm of sweaty has-beens. 

Granite Creek by Granite Hot Springs
Reviews: Hoback Guard Station, Granite Hot Springs, and Clear Lake Day Hike

Reviews: Hoback Guard Station, Granite Hot Springs, and Clear Lake Day Hike

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 12 minutesClear Lake is a beautiful lake surrounded by cliffs. It can be done as a day hike but is best accomplished with enough time for one to fully take in the concept of eternal damnation. Everything else in this post is tops!

Review: Overnight Snowshoeing at Lake Agnes, Colorado

Review: Overnight Snowshoeing at Lake Agnes, Colorado

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 6 minutesThis short, Coloradan amble is best done in the late fall or winter when no one’s around, as it’s a high-use area bordering Rocky Mountain National Park. The views are quite beautiful.

Review: Exploring the Cirque of the Towers in the Snow

Review: Exploring the Cirque of the Towers in the Snow

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 11 minutesVisiting the Cirque of the Towers in the fall is a real pleasure, since all the bugs and instagrammers are gone! I had it all to myself.

Bomber Lake, Wyoming
Review: Hiking Downs Mountain, Bomber Basin, Mile-Long Lake, etc., Plus a Crashed B24

Review: Hiking Downs Mountain, Bomber Basin, Mile-Long Lake, etc., Plus a Crashed B24

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 34 minutesThis hike features stunning scenery and incredible history, but I have suggestions on how you can make it far more worthwhile. My favorite part is the crashed B24 bomber.

Big Balls of Cowtown Trail Cover
Review: Brewster, Lunch, & Shoal Lakes via Big Balls of Cowtown Trail

Review: Brewster, Lunch, & Shoal Lakes via Big Balls of Cowtown Trail

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 37 minutesFeaturing Lunch Lake, Brewster Lake, and Shoal Lake, this hike in the Gros Ventre received my highest rating. Use the included GPS recording so that you can enjoy the Big Balls of Cowtown Trail, which many people have a hard time finding.

Take an Important Fast from the World

Take an Important Fast from the World

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: < 1 minuteReturning home is the most difficult part of long-distance hiking. You have grown outside the puzzle and your piece no longer fits. —Cindy Ross If you don’t hike, I encourage you to. Perhaps at first five miles seems daunting, but by the end of a season, 40 will be something that your heart longs to have the time to do. When I go hiking, I always take podcasts with me,…

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Review: Shirley & Valaite Lake, Twin Lakes, & Lake Gadsby (Ugly + Boring)

Review: Shirley & Valaite Lake, Twin Lakes, & Lake Gadsby (Ugly + Boring)

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 20 minutes15 miles, 6 lakes, and some nice views. Is the hike to Lake Gadsby worth it? This is one where I was left very conflicted.

goldbug hot springs idaho with pretty chilean girl in bikini under waterfall
2 Stars: Goldbug Hot Springs after Gabriel Iglesias

2 Stars: Goldbug Hot Springs after Gabriel Iglesias

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 10 minutesGoldbug Hot Springs in Idaho is worth 2 stars. 3 stars have been deducted for excess urine and an infestation of trashy sex hippies.

(Podcast) The Land of Steadfast Habits: Confronting the Facts

(Podcast) The Land of Steadfast Habits: Confronting the Facts

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: < 1 minuteLucas gives a talk on how he used nature to dwell on God and himself, and improved his mental and spiritual health…and how that convinced him to change his “stinkin’ thinkin.” How is cognitive behavioral therapy tied to repentance? Note: the audio is damaged starting a couple of minutes in due to the failure of the lavalier mic.

Cloverleaf Lake
Global Warming Alarmists & Climate Change Deniers: How to Have Impossible Conversations with Terrible People

Global Warming Alarmists & Climate Change Deniers: How to Have Impossible Conversations with Terrible People

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 6 minutes“There is a delight in the hardy life of the open. There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy and its charm. The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value. Conservation means development as much as it does protection.”…

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The Most Pain I’ve Felt While Hiking! (Also: Darby Canyon, String Lakes, and Green River Lakes.)

The Most Pain I’ve Felt While Hiking! (Also: Darby Canyon, String Lakes, and Green River Lakes.)

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 14 minutesA review of Darby Wind Caves in the snow, kayaking String Lake, and also yakking and camping at Upper Green River Lakes!

A Lesson from the Trail

A Lesson from the Trail

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 3 minutesBe careful of who you choose to be your “in-group,” and try to keep folks around who will give you those little nudges in the right ethical direction.

Pictures of Darby Wind Cave, Wyoming near Idaho, with waterfall
Darby Wind Cave, Grand Teton National Park

Darby Wind Cave, Grand Teton National Park

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 7 minutesHiking to look at fossils and an awesome cave in the Tetons!

Green River Lakes, WY
Your Miserable Butt (AKA “How to Prevent Chafing While Hiking”)

Your Miserable Butt (AKA “How to Prevent Chafing While Hiking”)

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Dreaded “C” Word I have a problem that will be a visual delight for your mind to envision, and that problem is chafing! Yes, I said the C-word. If there is one thing that makes me miserable in this life, it’s my wretched sister, but if there is another thing that makes me miserable in this life, it’s chafing while hiking. And I don’t really care where. Are those…

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Bomber Mountain
15 Miles: Bomber Mountain and Off-Trail Traipsing for Trout

15 Miles: Bomber Mountain and Off-Trail Traipsing for Trout

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 13 minutesThis short hike features incredible history and excellent fishing for a rare species of trout. It’s best if you have two or more nights available.

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Hiking and Adventure Map (Work in Progress)

  • NOTE! Zoom in for full list. Some icons at default view contain 5+ hikes when zoomed in. I'm transcribing these hikes in my own order, but if you'd like to see one moved to the top of the review list, just let me know.


Map Symbology:

  • •Blue—Hiking plus kayaking trips
  • •Green—Day hikes; can be done as overnights.
  • •Yellow—Overnight hikes, typically 2 nights.
  • •Red—Long-duration hikes, typically 5+days.
  • •Purple—Camping, international trips; excursions.

The Site and Careers

  • About the Author—Hey, That’s Me!
  • Beginner’s Backpacking Guide
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Maps
  • My Backpacking Rating System
  • Pressing on the Upward Way
  • Privacy Policy
  • Recent Posts
  • Welcome Home

Top Posts & Pages

  • Rockhounding Locations in WY, MT; UT. (Rough Draft, 05/02/2021 Revision)
  • Kühl Review: Comparing Deceptr, Renegade, Radikl, and Transcendr Pants
  • 15 Miles: Bomber Mountain and Off-Trail Traipsing for Trout
  • Review: Dickinson Park to Smith, Cloverleaf, Cook, Mendarrin, Middle, & Cathedral Lakes
  • Review: Heavenly 45 Mile Loop from Stough Creek Basin to Wind River Peak

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