Today you will ride along on a the best family hike of the summer: The Bloods Lake's hike near Park City Utah.
Contact Chance
Today you will ride along on a the best family hike of the summer: The Bloods Lake's hike near Park City Utah.
Contact Chance
Hello there friends, both old and new. Welcome to the strive seek bind podcast. I am your host, chance Whipple home of bite sized lifestyle advice from a fellow traveler on the road to a better life. Brought to you by a longtime educator, writer, parent and outdoor enthusiast, who may just may like a good drink, because our future is set not just through our choices, but our willingness to explore and find a better way. Today, I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to share with you something that I absolutely love hiking. Those of you who have listened for a while, will be aware that I find a lot of peace in these activities. There's something about being in the mountains, away from what you consider normal life that is powerful and regenerative for me. And I like sharing some of my favorite hikes. One thing about it. This was a hike I took in July, the blood lakes hike near Park City, Utah. It's part of a vacation my family took and some of which I will be sharing over the next month or so. Because it was incredible with a capital I and this hike is no exception. It's without a doubt the most fun I had on a hike all summer long. So settle in and join me as we get started along the blood lakes hike. Welcome to the strive seek find podcast. So today, still near Park City. Getting back to nature with 100,000 of my closest friends apparently, we chose the right hike. And yet because everybody's out at the same time. We'll see how good if the hike it ends up being. Today we're trying the blood lakes hike outside of Park City keeping it short today. Because we have a full itinerary apparently. So we are looking out over some beautiful beautiful vistas, pine quaking aspen everywhere. And along the way, you go down a little bit of single track almost track and a half paid for out without guardrails, which actually adds to the fun getting ready to drive up, excuse me drop off into the trail. We're parked, waiting for everybody to hit the trail who had restroom because this is a family hike. And that obviously changes how you do things. The level of eagerness is one of those things where ever usually when Amy and I go, it's gung ho to a certain extent. You add the five year old to it, and it's not sitting by the poolside. And the gung ho is a matter of which 15 minutes you're getting. Most of you parents will understand that. So I am impressed because as I sit here, I'm reading a sign that says transit to trails. Park City has a great public transportation system. That includes trails rides out to trail heads for free. So you're not obering to get out here. If you don't have a car, you can get picked up at certain places and then make an arrangement to be picked up at a certain time. I'm really impressed with the infrastructure they have around here. Which leads to the crowding, which is a double edged sword obviously so I'm impressed. But I wish I had this place all to myself. So off the start, this is dirt. weathered rock. Really well defined right through the quick and ASPs very much reminds me of home other than the rock style. I'm used to weathered lava rock. So beautiful. Great signage for those of you who aren't carrying your compass at all times. And there's enough people to help you around here. Let's be honest. Right now the trail starts out, going down and well and the branches are all clearly be marked. On the other hand, it definitely makes it outstanding on the other hand think it's going to be good elevation game coming out. So total elevation gain on this hike, by the way is supposed to be about 700 and almost 800 feet, which obviously isn't horrible but something to think about if you are struggling I'm gonna probably be careful when I record so I don't huff and puff too much. Because right now I am not in hiking shape, more to come. Just a pet peeve I love quaking Aspen's they're soft woods tree, pale white bark, they scar incredibly easy. And I swear every second tree or on the pathway has somebody carving their initials into it, folks, public lands are for everybody. Take nothing but pictures and memories. Don't do this to whatever buddy else gets to experience. Don't leave your trash. Don't scar up the trees. Leave it pristine for the next people who come through their quote of the hike so far, my daughter, my oldest telling my wife, Amy, that no offense, but teachers don't make enough for the lifestyle I want. So they're having a future conversation, which needs to happen. But it's kind of amusing in this setting. elevation gain is fairly gradual. If you remember my blue lakes hike a year your two years ago, it was pretty good grade. Nothing like this. This is switched back and back and forth and studs are right up the mountainside pretty good trail of people in and out at all times. You're always here by somebody. Not far, not sure how far along the trail we are. But every time you pop out and get a look at the mountains just gorgeous. Wildflowers all around you. It's been a wet enough spring that everything's not dried out and dying. This is an incredible experience. One of the things that I tag on to with family hikes. That's interesting is watching the older kids teach the youngest kids things about hiking that I remember teaching four and five years ago how to walk on a steep slope, how to climb up what to do with your body, their water, and continuous hydration. But sipping at it so that you're not spending all your time in the bushes so to speak. It's been it's kind of fun. Listen to this behind me because I've got the family behind me a little bit. Kind of keeping their own pace. And having their conversations while I kind of listen and enjoy a little more about infrastructure here. This is only this part of the talk is only 1.7 miles round trip. Like I said a short one. We're waiting to see if we're going into another lake and then back out which will make it a little more than three. But we're already hitting our second place with an overlook of a high mountain meadow and a stone bench on which to set impressive remember this blood Lakes Trail is hiking only. No mountain biking, which is a big deal around here. We looked at some hikes that were single track that are obviously very popular with mountain bikers that we passed on since kids don't tend to have great attention to detail. And we're getting ready to come to the major elevate Again, trying to get right up to the, the lake. So again, higher the as we get higher, obviously the Aspen's fade away and we're getting more into evergreens. And heading straight up side of the mountain now. So we've made it to the lake. And as always, with these new ones, they're going to be some pictures. I'm walking around to get some shots back across that we're the family set up, gonna get in the water a little bit, let everyone relax, decide whether or not to tackle another lake. It's up in the air because five year olds dragon just a little bit and there's still more elevation to gain to do so. But bloods Lake, not sure how it got its name, I'll have to do some research. But is like a lot of high mountain lakes small, really cold. And because it's all snowmelt, and it escapes out the bottom and runs down the side of the mountain. But it's rocky bottomed and clear and beautiful. These are some of my favorite VISTAs is getting out to a high mountain lake and just sitting we may have made a tactical error on this one. We brought plenty of snacks, but I'm suddenly wishing I had an entire picnic lunch so that we could just hang out here for a couple hours. Even if we don't go on to the next lake because this is gorgeous. Not quite as pretty as blue lake. But absolutely gorgeous. Little advice on this hike. It's not a hard hike, elevation gain, if your lungs haven't been working on it, it makes it harder. And if you're from a low lying state, or live in a valley that makes it seem like you're from a low lying state, like we are. Remember, elevation gets you and it takes it you got to be in pretty good condition to deal with it. I would bring a picnic lunch even though it's short and just hang by this thing because there's plenty of rocky beach to lay out a a towel and just hang for a while. The sound of the wind through the trees and the wood. The water up against the bank is just so relaxing. There's people all around and my kids are yelling at each other. About splashing because the water is cold but it is extremely peaceful. You'd never know that. how close you are to civilization so we're sitting in blood slake kids are splashing around two of them. Two, well, not two of the kids but two of my family were their bathing suits. My my wife and my oldest daughter, and my oldest daughter is floating around out in the lake. My middle daughter just jumped in in shorts. It is brisk, the water, cold cold cold as high mountain lakes that are filled by meltwater tend to be but this is such a pleasant environment. Put a little cabin up here and isolated a little bit. I would spend six months out of the year, not the Senate. Well rephrase the non snowing parts of the year around an environment like this. Sitting here with my eldest who's been on the podcast before Erica. So far, Erica, what do you think of the bloods Lake hike? It's a very enjoyable hike very busy and full of mosquitoes uphill. And you should probably bring a swim suit because although the lake was cold, you're gonna want it to cool off. I didn't jump in. I'll admit it. I know how cold these things can be. But I just took a little touch at the edge and decided I'll sit on the side this time. I am nice and cool. Now I am no longer super sweaty. All right, thanks for sharing Erica. All right next up we have Katrina what's your reaction to the Blood Light Blue Bloods Lake hike so far? It's a it was a steep walk here but um The lake is freezing. Very cold do not come here on a windy day. It's very, very freezing. And I've enjoyed it. We need to do this we have Amelia we I really liked it the lake in those very rarely freezing cold. And mommy in mom's cell it was freezing cold into the hoods night. And I think it was perfect when it was floated. And so that in your face moment brought to you by Amelia so decision made, we are headed back down the mountain set up to the next like got a couple younger ones who are dragging already. Not sure the measurement to the lake, I'm going to have to double check what I told you. I thought it was 1.7 in and out, but it looks like it might be 1.7 in. So we're going to take a return loop. So we can see some new company country, some new company we will see as well. So catch on the flip side. So we are on the downhill side. Now. We still have elevation to regain getting back to the parking area. But we're heading down, down down, down. And this is a much wider track, it's actually looks like it's been used to recently by ATVs, which I can confirm because they have fencing going in up above us. And still pretty. But I think we've hit the best part of the hike so far. So apparently we've made a good decision. Because even going downhill, the little one haze or the ragging it'll be interesting to see. It's taken us a long time to get out. And I have to keep turning around and waiting for them to get around the corners or whatever, to make sure that they're on track with us. Katrina is keeping up with me. Well, Amy keeps Amelia and Erica are hurting Amelia along I should say. But we're getting close to the ends now. And with that, as we get ready to start climbing back to the parking lot, I'm going to say we're going to call it I'm going to probably put these guys in the pool for a little while. Let them relax, because overall they've done pretty well. Family hikes make a lot of things worthwhile giving kids exposure to the mountains giving kids exposure to these high mountain lakes. Things that you know I didn't grow up around high mountain lakes I grew up on a farm where there was a canyon in a crack at the bottom, something I could just drop off the edge and go explore for hours. I mean, I live in town, you don't have those opportunities. So making sure you shoot you're sure you provide them for kids is critically important. As I reflect back on one of my favorite days of the summer, and thinking about it from the lens of the life my kids are mainly living now, which is during the week out the door at about
6:15am getting home between six and 7pm. Long day for kids, the importance of the experiences becomes that much more obvious. My kids love these hikes, and never wasn't more so poignant. What they get out of it is when my five year old this weekend, begged me to get her back to the mountains because she was missing it. And those experiences are foundational to the person she's going to become. And personally they're foundational to my sanity. So I better get them out there. Really, really quick for another hike. Well friends, that's it for this week's episode of strife seek find. Thanks so much for sharing this hike with us. If you have suggestions or feedback, or just want to chat, join in in the conversation on the strife seek find group on Facebook. We'd love to see you there. Or reach out to me at Twitter at chance with more fun. If you'd like to support the podcast, just by listening to this you're doing the best support of all but if you'd like to leave a review, it would be appreciated. Or if you'd like to support defraying the cost of the pod. I have a buy me a coffee. Links can be found in the show notes. Until next time, my friends. Keep seeking your own brilliant future Have a great day.