phenslee0204

Join Somewhere on the Trail with hiking friend Grand Daddy Do's on this scenic 40-mile hike from Highway 7 near Jesseville, Arkansas to Highway 27 near Story, Arkansas. We staged a car at Highway 27 and had Lori from the Bluebell Cafe shuttle us over to Highway 7 and we hit the trail a little after 1 pm. We hiked about 6 miles in and stopped at a campsite I had previously camped in 2019 on my thru-hike. On day two we clocked in about 15.5 miles and camped on a beautiful ridge about a mile before Trailhead 298. On day three the hike felt so much easier and the miles just seemed to fall away then before we knew it we had already made it to Iron Forks Creek only about a mile from the shelter we thought about staying in for the night. we hiked the .75 miles off the trail down to Uncle Bill Potter's shelter and regretted not just loading up with water at the creek and skipping the shelter. We took a pretty long break then decided to hike back up to the trail and bust out a couple more miles. As usual, we got caught in a ridge zone with no flat spots anywhere. We looked around for quite a while and then near the end of the day we stumbled across a flat spot where we could fit two tents, we set up immediately and it turned out to be a great site. On day four we were only 4.2 miles from the car but it was still a really beautiful walk over to the finish line. We arrived at the car a little before 9 am. Thanks for checking out this video and I'll see you, Somewhere on the Trail https://www.youtube.com/c/somewhereonthetrail?sub_confirmation=1 #arkansashiking #ouachita #ouachitahiking https://www.youtube.com/@granddaddydos

A quick overnight trip to the beautiful Buckeye Mountain/Caney Creek loop trail. I was lucky enough to have my friend Robby from Grand Daddy Do's join me on this hike and we had a really great time hanging out in the woods for a while. We started on the Buckeye trail and hiked down to Caney Creek, heading west to the Cossatot River. We decided to set up a camp on the way and then head down to the river but unfortunately, we ran out of daylight. We got up the following morning and headed back east towards the car. We made a quick side trip back to Katy Falls since we missed it on the first day. We had great weather both days and it was a beautiful hike. Please check out my friend Robby's channel here. https://www.youtube.com/@granddaddydos #buckeyemountain #caneycreek #arkansashiking

How good are you at identifying trails? Last week's answer: The Colorado Trail approaching the Platte river. #hiking #backpacking #hikingtrails

How good are you at identifying trails? Last week's answer: The Pacific Crest Trail around mile 315. #hiking #backpacking #hikingtrails

How good are you at identifying trails? Last week's answer: The Butterfield Hiking Trail - Devils Den State Park, Arkansas #hiking #backpacking #hikingtrails

How good are you at identifying trails? #namethattrail #whereami #whereisthis

How good are you at identifying trails? #namethattrail #whereami #whereisthis

My thoughts on what went wrong in my attempt to hike the Grand Enchantment Trail this year. This is the first trail that I've ever fully bailed out on during a hike. I missed a section in 2021 on the Colorado Trail but I started and finished the trail except for about 85 miles. The constant pain in my feet ultimately made me decide I just wasn't willing to walk another 700 miles and not be able to enjoy it. So as hard as the decision was to make my body told me it was time to go home. Thanks for watching the few videos I was able to put out on this trail and if all goes well I'll see you back on the GET in 2024.

The second leg of the journey begins on another beautiful sunny morning. I was able to get a ride from trail angel Al back to Picket Post Trailhead which saved me a 6-mile walk. What a great day for a hike in such a beautiful area. I start off on the AZT for several miles and then the GET leaves the Arizona Trail and follows the old AZT route through some really spectacular country. My first campsite was the best one so far, I felt like I was camping in an ancient cathedral surely native Americans must have considered this a sacred spot it's so beautiful. On the second day, I was only about a mile from rejoining the AZT and the walk through Walnut Canyon was incredible and was definitely the most fun hiking I've had so far. The next few days pass through the lower parts of the desert and the landscape is not quite as breathtaking as other sections but is still very beautiful. I finally made it down to Beehive Well where I decided to camp for the night and the next morning I would leave the Arizona Trail for good as I head down Putnam Wash toward the sleepy little town of Mammoth. At this point, my feet are shredded to the point where I'm not sure I can continue. I'm hoping that a few days off the trail will give me a chance to heal up and continue on to Klondyke and Safford. I managed to get to Mammoth a day early so maybe it will give me a better chance to recover. Thanks for hanging out with me and I'll see you, Somewhere on the Trail! #arizonahiking #TheGrandEnchantmentTrail #GET

March 23rd, 2023 A wonderful sunny day outside of Phoenix Arizona and it's a perfect day to start a hike on the Grand Enchantment Trail, a 770-mile trail that runs from Phoenix to Albuquerque. It's just a few days into Spring and the days are starting to get longer so I'm expecting to have an amazing hike. This part of the trip will cover the beginning of the trail to Superior Arizona which will be my first town stop about 50 miles in with a 6 or 7-mile walk into town. Thanks for hanging out with me on this part of the trip and I'll see you, Somewhere on the trail! #arizonahiking #TheGrandEnchantmentTrail #GET

Hey, it's your favorite hiking channel with an exciting announcement for my upcoming Spring 2023 long-distance hiking plans. Thanks as always for checking out the channel and hanging out with me. I'll see you Somewhere on the Trail soon!!! For more info on the trail: https://simblissity.net/get/ #TheGrandEnchantmentTrail #arizonahiking #newmexicohiking

I woke up in the greatest campsite I've probably ever had and wow, what an awesome night I had here. The sunset from inside the tent was incredible and I could see stars all night when I would look out into the massive valley above the Platte River. I slept in as long as I could since I don't have far to go to get to the end. I watched the sunrise as it hit the tops of the peaks and I kept laying there watching as the whole valley slowly was flooded with morning light, just incredible! I finally got up and slowly packed everything up and took one long last look around and headed down the trail toward the finish line. I can't believe I'm really going to make it and I will finally have hiked the entire trail in one shot. I hiked slowly towards Bear creek and hoped that I could find a little water there since it was the last chance to get any before I get to the end. The creek was bone dry so I found a couple pools of water and took a little just in case. I met some really cool people on my trek out of the woods towards Waterton canyon and they were all so cool, congratulating me for finishing a thru-hike. It wasn't even noon when I popped out onto the road in Waterton canyon for the final 6 miles of road walk through the canyon and down to the terminus. It was a great walk down and I saw a herd of Bighorn Sheep on the way I walked right by them on the road. I saw a picnic table and decided to take one more break before I reached the end. I didn't realize I was only half a mile from the end. I took my last break and ate my last cookie and headed off toward the finish line. I reached the end of the trail a little after one in the afternoon and I touched the sign and suddenly the hike was over. I was a little overwhelmed and at a loss for words so I walked over to the picnic tables and just sat there for a while reliving the hike in my head. I finally called an Uber and got out there all the way across the city near the airport and just like that the hike is over. A truly bittersweet ending since I feel so strong and could hike another 500 miles if I had the time and the trail. Sadly, I must go back to Dallas and back to work and prepare for the next long hike. Thanks to everybody who watched and commented on this hike, your kind words and positive messages gave me the mental fuel to push through and complete this insanely tough hike. I'll see you out on the next trail in the Spring!! GET? See you Somewhere on the Trail! Colorado Trail 2022 Northbound August 14th to September 18th - 36 Days 491.4 Miles Elevation Average 10,300 ft.

Another beautiful day in Colorado. I had a wonderful night at my campsite and today is my last full day on the trail so I'm starting to get sad that the hike s coming to an end. I hit the trail early as usual in hopes of a big day. I at least hope to make it to the Platte River or at least get really close. It was one of the busiest days on the trail and I saw around 50 to 100 people on bikes, it was starting to get annoying because you couldn't walk more than 10 to 20 feet, and here comes another one and you have to break your momentum by stepping off the path. I finally got to the trailhead where all the bikes were coming from and once I passed it I only saw about 3 or 4 more. This section is so cool because it almost has a desert-like feel to it. It's an incredible section to hike through. I reached the North Fork Fire Department to load up with water since the stretch has about 10 miles with no water. I met the coolest girls at the fire department and they offered me some ice-cold Dr.Pepper, it was so refreshing and wonderful on a hot and dry day. I stood and talked with them for 10 to 15 minutes about all the trails we had hiked and they both hiked the PCT, so jealous. I pressed on after leaving the fire department and made it all the way to the river where I stayed for about 10 minutes drinking and filling up with water. I decided to take a chance and press on past the river even though I wasn't sure of any campsites beyond here. I climbed up the other side of the canyon and when I was fairly close to the summit I found the greatest cliffside campsite I've ever seen. I decided to take a chance and set up here and pray that it would be a calm night. The gamble paid off and I had the most glorious sunset from right inside the tent. I left the doors open all night and could see the most amazing view all night. I think this is the best campsite I've ever had on any trail it certainly will be the most memorable and I'm so happy that I was able to camp in such an amazing spot on my last night. Campsite - Cliffside Paradise Mile - 477.6 Elevation - 7,264 ft.

Campsite - Camp Buffalo Mile - 453.9 Elevation - 7,867 ft.

Campsite - Crushing Rock Creek Mile - 429.6 Elevation - 10,233 ft.

Campsite - Farewell Frisco Mile - 405.8 Elevation - 11,581 ft.

Campsite - Summit Inn Mile - 387.7 Elevation - 9,203 ft.

Campsite - Almost Gold Mile - 383.3 Elevation - 10,030 ft.

Campsite - Camp Frostbite Mile - 369 Elevation - 10,515 ft.

Campsite - After Tennessee Mile - 354.2 Elevation - 9,600 ft.

I had a great night at the cabins in Twin Lakes and I am happy to be back on the trail. I do my longest day yet at 20.9 miles and a one-mile road walk out of town. It was so cool going by Mt. Elbert and the Mt. massive area and I found a great campsite tucked in behind some huge boulders. Campsite - Way Beyond Massive Mile - 334.8 Elevation 10,112 ft.

After a beautiful night at my lakeside campsite, I woke up late and hiked around the front of the lakes and I got into the tiny town of Twin Lakes about 20 minutes before noon. Believe it or not, the store was already open. I went in and bought a bunch of snacks and drinks. The cabin I rented let me in about 2 hours early. It was a great night off the trail and the cabin was fantastic. I did a complete resupply at the Twin Lakes General Store and it was great. They give hikers a 10% discount. I bought a ton of drinks and snacks and had to buy yet another pair of sunglasses since I scratched the hell out of one of the lenses on the pair I bought in Silverton. Campsite - Windspirit Cabins #3 Mile - 313.9 Elevation - 9,227ft.

Today is the day that I have to climb the formidable Hope Pass. luckily I was able to get pretty close to the start of the climb. I was successful at tackling this challenge and I made it to the top of the pass just a little after noon. I descended all the way down to Twin Lakes and was able to get several miles around the back of the lake where I found an amazing lakeside campsite. Campsite - Lakeside View Mile - 308.4 Elevation - 9,206ft.

Today is the day I have to climb up and over Lake Ann Pass. I got a great start from my killer campsite after hiking so hard yesterday to get past cottonwood pass. This is a great hike to start with and then it takes a turn and it's straight up for a couple hours. I made it over the pass with plenty of time to get way past the lake. This puts me closer to Hope Pass which is a monster climb. Another great day on the trail with incredible weather. Campsite - Shadow of Hope Mile - 292.4 Elevation - 10,610

Day 3 out of Monarch Pass and I have about 5 to 6 saddles to cross today. it's a brutal day of climbing and descending but wow the views are stunning. I made it about 2.5 miles beyond cottonwood pass to a killer hilltop campsite. I almost made it to Texas creek. Campsite - Almost Texas Mile - 275.2 Elevation - 11,486ft.