Lately every weekend has found the FNO crew biking on what is considered what is some of the best single track on the east coast. That said, it is still relatively tame to most videos we watch, and it pales in comparison to this video. This video was shot our direction just recently and it features mountain biking where it doesn't belong- In the Dolomites on a fixed lined climbing trail. This is known as "Via ferrata" in the Alps and it translates to "Iron Road" in Italian. The climb requires fixed lines to tie into given the danger of the sheer cliffs adjacent to the trail. If it requires fixed lines for climbers, it only makes sense to take a mountain bike on the same trail and give it a whirl. Well that's just what we found. Enjoy Via Ferrata. 

FNO Takes you to the state of: Montana

Where are you (park, forest, etc.)- Glacier National Park

Nearest town (s)-  Kalispell and Whitefish, still a decent 1.5-2 hour drive to the east side

How long is this hike- Shorter back and out

Miles- About 3.5 miles

On your toughness scale (1 easiest, 10 toughest): 3. Great for a family hike with views the entire drive to the trailhead.

Tell us about it 

It wasn't too long ago that I did this hike and this whole trip convinced me of one thing: Glacier is the closest I have ever been to Alaska in the lower 48. The drive to this trailhead is remarkable in itself. The Going-to-the-Sun Road bisects Glacier National Park and getting here from either side is impressive. Just be careful when you go because weather tends to play a big role in what you can see. 

I did this hike with my Pops in Mid-July. July in Montana seemed to have temperatures perfect for hiking. This day was no different. 

We drove from the east side of Glacier about 10 miles to St. Mary Falls trailhead. From here we started the slightly less than two mile walk in. While we had all the intentions of getting to Virginia Falls we encountered a few other falls on the way. After just over half a mile we found St. Mary Falls which was a stunning intro. It was a three tiered waterfall that gave way into the St. Mary River beneath.

After stopping to soak in the view, we continued on. For the next mile you stumble by a number of falls which are impressive enough to easily be mistaken for the Virginia Falls we heard about. However after finally reaching our last "faux" Virginia Falls we made it to a sign post marking Virginia Falls just ahead. After only another few hundred feet uphill we made it to the base of the remarkable waterfall. 

From what I saw of glacier this was the coolest of the waterfalls. In an area known for some of the last glaciers in the continental United States, there are many other notable landscape features to catch your attention.

See any wildlife?: On the actual trail no,but on the drive there we saw a number of mountain goats.

Would you recommend? (Yes or no) Yes I would love to go back and try this hike along with a few others. Give it a 8. 

Trail Tuesdays is a new weekly segment of Father Nature Outdoors. We realized that we have friends and colleagues all across the country so why not take advantage of their knowledge, and hear some fun stories in the process. If you would like to contribute to Trail Tuesdays yourself just go to the “Contact Us” page and let us know. In return we will reward you with a free FNO microfiber headband. We get to hear some awesome stories and in return we’re rewarding you just to go get some fresh air! That’s a win-win in our book.

FNO Takes you to the state of: Correction, FNO takes you to the country of New Zealand.

Where are you (park, forest, etc.)-  Brewster Track Haast Pass, in Mt Aspiring National Park

Nearest town (s)- Makarora, Haast, Wanaka

How long is this hike- We did it as an overnight, but it can be combined with other areas to make it longer or done in a day.

Miles- It was only 2.7km, but it was steep—like straight up and down steep.

On your toughness scale (1 easiest, 10 toughest)-I’d give it a 5. It was really short, but steep, so it wasn’t exhausting, but very slow moving.

Tell us about it.

This tramp was the last activity of a 5 day trip to the West Coast of New Zealand.  We hadn’t seen the sun yet, so we were thrilled when it was bright blue skies the morning of the tramp and got to the trailhead and began in our T-shirts.  The trail started with a knee-deep river crossing, so my feet were wet from the beginning, but I was still hot.  However, the trail goes up to a hut at 1400m and the previous night, they had gotten fresh snow!  While this was exciting, it also meant that all the snow from the tree tops were melting and it literally felt like it was pouring rain on us for the entire time until we reached treeline.  Oh well, at least is was warm.  Once we got to treeline, the views were unreal.  We were surrounded by snow-capped peaks in every direction, including Mt Brewster—the tallest peak in Haast Pass—and Mt Armstrong, which we hoped to climb the next morning.  The snow was knee deep, but we didn’t care since our feet were wet anyway and it was warm and sunny!  New Zealand has a really good backcountry hut system, so we finally got to our hut after only 2.5 hours and played around in the snow a bit, admiring the views, and relaxed in the hut.  After watching the sunset and eating our spaghetti, we got into our sleeping bags.  The sunset was incredible and I’d imagine the stars were too, but this hut didn’t have a wood stove like many do, so we weren’t willing to leave our bags to check stars.

Now the 6am alarm came early and it was cold, but perfectly clear skies.  We were hoping to attempt to summit Mt Armstrong at 2175m.  Our bags were comforting, but we both agreed we’d be kicking ourselves if we didn’t give it a go.  Unsure what the conditions would be like, we set off into the snow, hoping to summit before the sun softened the snow too much.  The moving was slow through the snow, but we were moving nonetheless, and then decided to scramble up the rocks to the top.  It was a little sketchy as the rocks were icy, but we made it—to a false summit.  So, after a little more walking and a little more climbing, we were nearly there!  Just one last incline to the summit and the sun was just starting to peer over the mountains!  Unfortunately, though, this last incline was a sheet of ice and without crampons or an ice-axe, we weren’t able to make it to the top, so we agreed, reluctantly, to stop about 500 feet short of the peak.  The views here were still unbelievable and all we had now was a walk back down, which admittedly included sections of sliding as well!  After lunch in the hut, it was back down to the car and home!

See any wildlife? Again, there isn’t much wildlife in New Zealand, but we did see Kea—the world’s only mountain parrot and it has a beautiful green body and red wings.

Would you recommend? (Yes or no) 10, It was amazing, but be aware, that it is steep and your joints hurt after coming down.

Tell us a little about yourself: I’m the self-appointed Chief of International Marketing for Father Nature Outdoors!  Besides that, I’m a college student studying abroad in New Zealand and have had the fortunate opportunity to do many tramps around this beautiful country.  I’ve also snowmachined through parts of Alaska, hiked and snorkeled in Hawaii, backpacked along the Continental Divide Trail, rafted part of the Colorado River, and biked the C&O canal trail.  I love being outdoors!

FNO Takes you to the state of: South Carolina
 
Where are you (park, forest, etc.)- Jocassee Gorges Natural Area

Nearest town (s)-  Greenville, SC and Asheville, NC

How long is this hike- You have a number of options. Most commonly just a half-day hike.

Miles-  5 miles roundtrip, but on the much larger Foothills Trail

On your personal toughness scale: 4. A little bit of elevation gives it a 4, but I believe I was encountered by a bingo club on the way down. And by that I mean I think it was a retirement community outing. And by that I mean that almost any athletic ability can pull this off as long as they take their time.

Tell Us About It-

Sassafras Mountain is the largest peak in South Carolina, topping out at a height 3553 feet. From my tenure on the east coast this is substantial, but the workout is put into perspective once you get to the summit. At the forested summit you can view the tallest mountains on the east coast (6000'+) a little further north in North Carolina. However this is a good test climb before you try for a larger peak.

To get here it is a pretty simple 45 minute ride north from Greenville. You have the option of stopping anywhere along the 77 mile foothills trail and making your trek to the mountain. However the most common route is stopping about 3 miles short near an area known as Chimneytop Gap. As you drive the windy road up towards Sassafras you will encounter a trailhead on both sides of the road. One is going west towards the lakes region, and the other side is going east towards Table Rock State Park.
 
You go east towards Table Rock and there is a gradual 2.5 mile climb to the top. The summit is 1900' above you at this point, but the incline is pretty forgiving. Your climb is mostly under the cover of trees until you reach a spine in an adjacent mountain. This area was clear cut back in the 70's and as unnatural as it feels, a lot of sunlight soaks this area. It seems as the first successional species are starting to mature, but it adds a strange bright twist to the hike.

After this area its a relatively easy mile hike to the summit. Sassafras Mountain is on the eastern continental divide. So one side of the mountain drains to the Gulf of Mexico and the other side drains to the Atlantic. Also Sassafras serves as a border between North and South Carolina. I learned this all at the summit given an opportune plaque next to a memorial bench.

Unfortunately that was about as exciting as the summit got. However I decided to explore the other path coming up and I stumbled upon a lookout. Little did I know that this whole route was drive-able. So really if you're not up for the challenge you can still enjoy the rewards via automobile. And you can park 20 feet from this lookout. As you probably hear often "the view made it all worth it". This was actually the first time I saw the lakes that separate South Carolina from Georgia from a mountain. For a fall day this was a nice choice for a day hike.

See any wildlife? Lizards and snakes. Only fitting for the south.

Would you recommend? Yes I would recommend. I am waiting for one of these posts to say "No, that rather sucked". But really this was a cool hike. It wasn't my favorite hike because you are in the tree line 99% of the time, but as I mentioned the lookout was well worth the workout.

Trail Tuesdays is a new weekly segment of Father Nature Outdoors. We realized that we have friends and colleagues all across the country so why not take advantage of their knowledge, and hear some fun stories in the process. If you would like to contribute to Trail Tuesdays yourself just go to the “Contact Us” page and let us know. In return we will reward you with a free FNO microfiber headband. We get to hear some awesome stories and in return we’re rewarding you just to go get some fresh air! That’s a win-win in our book.

FNO Takes you to the state of: Alaska
 
Where are you (park, forest, etc.)- Chugach State Park

Nearest town (s)-  About a twenty minute drive to the trailhead from downtown Anchorage, AK

How long is this hike- Mid- full day hike with the possibility of camping in a few very unique and special spots, but overnight would not be needed

Miles-  From Rabbit Lake round trip is probably about 14-15 miles  
             From Falls Creek 9 miles roundtrip

On your personal toughness scale: From both trail heads I would give this about an 8 with the route from Falls Creek being a tad bit easier.

Ok so for South Suicide peak,  I can not stress this enough you need to have a good idea what you are doing on this peak, because things can go south very quick.

Sitting at 5,005ft the peak is nestled back at Rabbit and Mchugh lake. From some spots in the city you can spot it and it may look a lot bigger than it sounds but most people tend to forget that Anchorage sits 100ft above sea level so there is still a lot of elevation gain on this peak.  Depending on which route you take it has its ups and downs.  If you decide to drive down the Seward highway to Falls Creek trail head things go up quick.  You will gain a lot of elevation within the first couple miles but it will even out back into the valley before the approach to the peak. I have done this route and it is nice getting a lot of the elevation out of the way first. 

 Now on this last climb I started at the Rabbit Lake trailhead.  From the gate to the lake is 5 miles and from there you will see the massive twin peaks ahead of you.  From here is where it will get interesting and you will test your ability.  There is not a trail from here up like on the falls creek approach, so you have to find what is easiest and where you have the least chance of falling to your death.  From the lake I hiked about another mile down to upper Mchugh lake and found and area where I could shoot up to the ridge.  Now this is no easy task because you're looking at about close to a thousand feet of elevation in probably about a half mile so it gets very steep.  One loose foot hold and it will be a long fall down.  From here you will follow the ridge all the way up to the peak, but with that said- watch your foot steps.  On the ridge there are big drops on either side.  The climb up to the peak is not to bad, quite a bit of scrambling but nothing technical.  Once you are standing on top it makes everything worth it and you can really soak it in.  

Now for the route down-
This part is interesting, if you took the Falls Creek route you are set, just follow the trail you came up.  Probably the best route back to Rabbit Lake is to hike down the north side of the peak into windy gap and try to find an area of scree that makes it easy, but moving along the rocks down to this area can be interesting.  Once you make the trek down its an easy 5-6 miles back to the parking lot to live and see another day.

Wildlife-  At one point on the ridge I was able to look down on a group of dall sheep, so that reassures you that you are pretty high up.

How cool was it? On a scale of how awesome it is I would say anywhere from 8-10. It definitely is a trek back but once again please know what youre doing, dont be that guy that needs to get lifted off the mountain.

So who is the author? Zach Miley. Mr. Miley is a good friend to FNO. Father Nature Outdoors has a number of athletic and ambitious supporters, but its fair to say Zach is one to set the bar in these qualities. So if Zach tells you something is sketchy I think its fair to heed his advice. With that said we look forward to more hikes from Zach. Living in Anchorage he has access to some of the coolest hikes in the country.

Trail Tuesdays is a new weekly segment of Father Nature Outdoors. We realized that we have friends and colleagues all across the country so why not take advantage of their knowledge, and hear some fun stories in the process. If you would like to contribute to Trail Tuesdays yourself just go to the “Contact Us” page and let us know. In return we will reward you with a free FNO microfiber headband. We get to hear some awesome stories and in return we’re rewarding you just to go get some fresh air! That’s a win-win in our book...