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Belly Flop at Mid Cliffs
We work in one more trip to the Black Cliffs before we head for Reno. It’s a good day for me with a spectacular belly flop on lead, complete with legs flailing in the blue sky. Next route I pump out and hang before completing a high-grovel factor mantel for the chains. Good stuff. We’ll…
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Cranberry Creek Open Space Hike
I’m in the mood to find a new trail, and end up at this small trail system outside a Boise suburb. The big houses and yards here represent a lifestyle I no longer desire or respect, yet resemble some of my childhood residences so closely that I can’t help feeling almost at home. What has…
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Lake Lowell Bike Loop
Those who love to see a smug recumbent rider suffer will enjoy this. I set out to do some errands on my swish recumbent bike, get haughty and decide to ride the 30-mile loop around Lake Lowell first, and can barely stand when I reach the store. Something about the shape of the seat on…
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Celebration Park to Swan Falls
Ann did this hike solo and recommends it, so I give it a try on my own today in cool temperatures and blue skies. High water is still the topic on my mind when I look at the river. Last week I noted that the Boise river was full to the brim, and on Thursday…
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Reynolds Creek Hike
It’s spring in the open prairie, and the bird songs can get bewildering. Instead of letting my mind push the confusing sounds away into the background, I’m determined to identify at least one. I pick one I’ve been hearing all my life: The Western Meadowlark. They perch on high rocks and sage bushes to sing,…
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High Water at Black Cliffs
We break out a new rope and enjoy it on a few easy climbs at the Black Cliffs outside Boise. The weather is about perfect, but the interesting thing in the canyon today is the state of the river. We climb just above a diversion dam that marks the beginning of the big New York…
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Calling Vultures at Jump Creek
One of the things we learned at the birds of prey center yesterday is that turkey vultures are one of the only raptors to make significant use of their sense of smell to find food, which would be dead and rotting carrion in their case. Today while enjoying some sunny weather in the volcanic Jump…
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Guffey Mesa
The Snake River landscape seems totally different from a week ago. Yesterday we had a long, soaking rain that brought legions of worms to the surface. Temperatures have been a little warmer, and swarms of bugs have appeared. The week before last we saw mostly seagulls on the river, but now there are ducks everywhere,…
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Bogus Basin Perimeter
I’m feeling the need for some snow travel, but I’m not ready yet to head out solo into unfamiliar backcountry terrain. As a compromise I drive to the Bogus Basin ski area. We’ve hiked up this area before, but never verified whether it is officially allowed or not. The website says nothing. My mind drifts…
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Guffey Butte Hike
I’ve been wanting to get more of a sense of how the landscapes I explore are changing. Usually it’s not obvious at all (to me), so I’ll have to do some research. Recently we’ve been hiking near the Snake River, and it reminds us of our old stomping grounds along the Rio Grande with lots…