Hiking Vacations

Today after being in the office all day I am really wishing I was on a cycling tour in the Southwest right about now. Specically on our Utah-Arches to Moab adventure, biking in Utah is such a neat experience. There is just something about the landscape and the bright red arches that blows your mind! It is a different world in itself, look at those characters in the photo below... thats what a great time looks like and Utah adventure vacations are the way to get that feeling where you just want to jump up and wave your hands in the air. It's hard to pick a favorite part of this trip, but for me it is biking in Canyonlands National Park and then hiking up to Mesa Arch (photo below) 

I just can't wait till I get back to Utah and get some biking done!!! Well that's it for me today, just wanted to share where I wish I was right now!

Where would you rather be? Leave a comment and let me know!

Your friendly biker,

Jonathan

The summer season is upon us, and what better way to pass the time then to embark on a trek though the wonderland provided by beautiful Mother Nature. While you could venture out to hike Patagonia in Chile, or retrace the ancient path of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, you don’t even have to venture out of the United States to experience breathtaking beauty. The United States is a hiker’s playground from the sheer massive beauty of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, to the ancient forests of Sequoias at Yosemite National Park in California, or even travel back in time to the great Wild West to the Black Hills of South Dakota. For your summer travels why not take an adventure vacation in your own back yard and experience the awe inspiring sights that United States has to offer. 

Journey to the Rocky Mountain Range in Montana

To explore the world of hiking, one must venture out to the Rocky Mountains of Montana. The beautiful state of Montana is a perfect representation of untamed, natural beauty, and is simply stunning in its vast mountain ranges. Experience wildlife from grizzlies and wolves to bison and bears. Explore nature from their point of view and experience the geological wonders that bring amazing life and color to its National Parks. Experience unique adventures from roping and saddling a horse, to watching good Old Faithful erupt on cue. Hike with the family, roast s’mores, and retell old campfire stories that you grew up on. Explore Yellowstone’s countless geothermal features including Fountain Paint Pots and the Morning Glory Pool, and take a dip in the Boling River.

Visit Zion National Park in Utah

If the Wild West is not quite your style, maybe you would like to explore Zion National Park in Utah. Ranked one of America’s best adventures by National Geographic, these views will take your breath away as you hike past waterfalls, natural springs and hanging gardens. Zion has one of the most diverse groupings of plants in Utah, with over 900 species for you to experience. You can soak up the colorful hues of red, orange and amber during the daylight hours, and at night be surprised by the amazing clarity in the night sky. Kick back and relax as you enjoy the bright star formations in the skies, as you have probably never observed them before.

Visiting The Grand Canyon in Arizona

Looking for a hiking location with a little piece of paradise awaiting you at the finish line? Havasupai is a hidden gem amongst the vast ranges of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Accessible only by foot this is a beautiful place to explore and bask in the natural rich pools at the base of a thundering 100-ft falls. After a fairly difficult hike to the falls you will feel like you are imagining this oasis as its beauty in the arid space of Arizona doesn’t seem fit for such crystal clear waters. This Grand Canyon Vacation is also equipped with a visit to an old galena mine, hunt for fossils, a visit to a natural mineral rich whirl pool, and a stunning trek en route to Beaver falls.

  
Trekking Wyoming’s Yellowstone and Teton National Parks

You cannot possibly discuss the amazing hiking in the United States without mentioning Yellowstone and Teton National Parks. Yellowstone was declared the world’s first national park in 1872, proving that even then, people realized this beautiful gem needed to be preserved.  Take in the neon blue, 300-foot wide Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest of hot springs in the entire U.S. and the third largest in the world.  You can also experience an adventure packed whitewater-rafting excursion down the scenic Snake Water Canyon.  From hiking, to biking, to kayaking, rafting, and rodeos, Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park Vacation and Teton National Park are fantastic locations to explore some of nature’s finest views of the great outdoors.  

5 Great Items to Pack

There is no better time than now to explore the wonders of the world located in our own National Parks. Take your family to see how beautiful and diverse this country is, and how many different adventures are just waiting to be experienced. The possibilities are endless from the Rocky Mountains of Montana and Wyoming to the red rocks of Utah, New Mexico and Arizona in the Southwest to the Coastal breezes of Alaska, California and Washington. Contact Austin Lehman Adventures as your trusted Adventure Travel Company to book a hiking tour for your next vacation.

Check out some other great photos of Domestic hiking adventures on our Pinterest

Your Friendly Travel Experts,

Austin-Lehman Adventures

My long-anticipated Adventure Vacation finally happened.  My Ecuador/Galapagos adventure started with  meeting up with my son Jonathan in Miami and we traveled the rest of the trip together as a father-son adventure.

After spending the night at Hotel Mercure in Quito, the adventure started when our personal guide Andrian from Tierra del Volcan picked us up and took us to Hacienda Santa Rita.  There, we collected the necessary gear and hiked up hill until we got to one of the seven Zip Lines the hacienda has to offer.  I was excited to try the sport for the first time.  What an adrenaline rush, thats me in the photo! 

The next adventure at Santa Rita was a hike down a canyon to a waterfall; it was a beautiful "cascada" as they call it in Ecuador.  I took several photos of it as well as the wide variety of wildflowers in the area.

After hiking back up we headed south to Hacienda El Tambo, another Tierra del Volcan property where we would spend the next two nights.  The hacienda sits at about the twelve thousand foot elevation.  There are no power lines in the area so they run there own generator for a few hours after dark, after that it is candles, then nothing.  It was already dark out when we got there; being on the equator nighttime comes just after 6 PM.  After washing up, it was time for the first of many great meals we would eat there.  During dinner we learned that the next day was “Rodeo,” one of three days each year at the Hacienda where their cattle are rounded up and brought down from the higher grazing areas to the big corral near the main house.  There, they are checked, sorted, vaccinated and eventually sent to a different area to graze for another four months. It was a great option to be able to travel sustainably to a working Hacienda.

What we thought was to be a simple horseback ride adventure the next day morphed into our essentially being issued a horse, boots, chaps and a wool poncho.  We were invited to help with the cattle drive, an adventure beyond my wildest dreams, something that only happens in the movies.  How could we say no?  Over six hours on a horse going up through rough country to approximately fifteen thousand foot elevation, watching out for rogue single bulls that like to charge anything that moves, falling in behind the cattle and helping to bring them in produced a very sore butt and wobbly knees but it was worth every minute of it.  That evening the rodeo celebration started around 7 PM with an outdoor barbequed dinner with the real cowboys (chagras), a good quantity of alcohol, and for some of the people, singing and whooping it up in celebration of a successful "Rodeo".  Adventure is not a strong enough word for rodeo, it went far beyond that!

The following morning we did another hike north from the El Tambo main house.  We hiked up close to fourteen thousand foot elevation and got to expereience some pretty amazing views. After doing about forty percent of the distance, we turned around and headed back to the Hacienda.  We then headed for Tierra del Volcan’s third lodge, Hacienda El Porvenir.  Prior to another great dinner, we were assigned rooms and then given a tour of the many different types of rooms available to guests.  Every room is decorated in a different theme from the others.  My room was actually the “Honeymoon Suite,” a very large room with a large bed and a fireplace that made the room cozy warm.  As an additional perk, the maids put a hot-water bottle in the beds when turning them down in the evening.

In the morning, we did a normal horseback riding adventure.  I had sufficiently recovered from the rodeo ride to enjoy this relatively slow, two-hour ride.  We got good views of the agricultural valley and a few good sightings of 19,347-foot high Cotopaxi Volcano during breaks in the clouds.  The final Tierra del Volcan adventure was one final hike to a nearby waterfall.  El Porvenir plans to install a generator and tap ten percent of the water from the top to generate their own electricity.

Andrian took us into Quito where we said good-bye. Next we headed to the Galapagos, stay tuned for Part 2

Guest post submitted by Jeremy Burnham

Today I was dreaming of Canada... Why you ask? Because last summer I was lucky enough to go on one of Austin-Lehman's hiking vacations in Alberta on their Banff to Jasper trip. It was one of the most amazing trips I've ever been on. There are a lot of beautiful landscapes in the world, but for me mountains are where its at. So this trip to the Canadian Rockies was a dream come true for me. Massive peaks composed of sedimentry rock such as limestone and shale create these rocky peaks almost every where you look. I've always had a passion for hiking in the mountains, its just something about them that calls to me. But my favorite hike on this trip had to be hiking Sentinel Pass in Banff National Park. The hike starts at Moraine Lake, a beautiful glacially-fed lake with stunning blue colors. From there you head up the trail and into the Valley of the Ten Peaks (photo below), having these huge peaks all lined up alongside you is astonishing. There are also some hanging glaciers that are in view while on the trail. From there you keep going up until you get to Pinnacle Peak and Mount Temple (photos above), there you will find a high notch between the two peaks and a decently steep climb to the summit. But once you get to the summit the views will take your breathe away, soaring jagged peaks and crystal blue lakes as far as the eye can see. That's it for dreaming today, thanks for letting me share my Banff to Jasper trip and my dreams with you!

Your friendly hiker,

Jonathan 

While on a flight from Miami to Ecuador I was pondering why I love to travel so much and what my goals of my trip to Ecuador were. For me traveling is about new experiences, finding things I can’t find close to home, seeing new places, trying new foods, meeting new people and making memories that will last a lifetime. You won’t always remember reading this blog or what you had for lunch today, but you will remember trying a strange new food in another country or seeing fearless wildlife in the Galapagos.  

For this trip to Ecuador which is “workcation” (half work and half vacation) my goals are to try new foods, which is a stretch for a picky eater like me! Help with a local conservation project in Cotopaxi National Park. Get my Dad (who is coming with me) to try a new sport, I’m hoping he will try ziplining. Practice my Spanish with the locals. Get some amazing photos and video for the Austin-Lehman website. Also we will be doing some new trip development at Tierra Del Volcan and expanding our hiking vacations. Tierra del Volcan is an adventure travel company that offers adventure activities and ecotourism options located in the heart of Ecuador’s Greatest National Parks.

I have one more goal and that is to share my trip to Ecuador with you! I am going to try my best to bust out some travel blogs, post photos and video while I’m on my trip. The goal being to inspire people to get and see this amazing world we live in.

So check back soon, much more to come!

Leave a comment and share your goals and why you travel! We love hearing from you!

Your friendly and excited traveler,

Jonathan

Yellowstone National Park may be the closest most people ever get to another planet!  Its a place where the ground is alive, where the water in the rivers, streams and lakes boils and bubbles like the whimsical brew that you would find in a wizard or witches pot!  Its the safari of North America!

 A Yellowstone National Park Vacation will undoubtedly leave one dumbfounded and scratching their head as they wonder.  How in the heck does this happen?   It might have something to do with the giant pool of magma beneath us I'd say... 

 As a guide in Yellowstone I have the pleasure and privilege of leading family adventure vacations to the far corners of the park to take in the beautiful vistas, hot springs and geysers.  It's nice to see all of the minds hard at work trying to digest what this magical place is trying to show all of us.  On a hiking vacation through Yellowstone Park one week is much more than most folks will spend in the park, but this is still not even close to the time it may take to truly digest and even begin to understand what has happened and is still happening here.

 I brought some of my family members here a few years ago, an uncle of mine had been adamant that Yosemite National Park was the greatest park of them all, even on our trip through Yellowstone he claimed that Yosemite was king!  You see, Yellowstone Park is so vast and different.  It slowly seeps into your soul and sticks with you after you've returned to regular life.  This past Easter I was with family and the National Park conversation came up again.  My uncles story had changed a little," while Yosemite may harbor the big mountain views, its Yellowstone Park that keeps me wondering" he said.   "There is something bigger going on there, and i need to see more of it!"

Your Friendly Adventure Guide,

Toby Grapner

Carol Austin and I are on our way to our Peru: Salkantay Lodge to Lodge Adventure. Since we started our journey in Cusco at 11,000 feet, I wanted to share some tips with you on adjusting to altitude on your next hiking vacations. 

1. Try to get into your high altitude destination a few days early. This will give your body a few days to rest without the intense activity to come. Just take it easy - rest in your room or take a short, slow walk around town. Don't overdo it in your first few days, this is afterall the start of your vacation!

2. Drink A LOT of water. Sip on water constantly throughout the day. Dehydration is not fun at high altitude and constant water drinking is the perfect solution to hydration. A slight headache, chapped lips, and irritability are all signs of dehydration - drink up!

3. Eat light meals for your first day or two. Overeating can cause you to not sleep well at night. Since your body is adjusting to the altitude,  it's having to work overtime to digest your meals. Give your body a break by eating a light lunch and a light dinner upon your first day of arrival. Chances are you won't be that hungry anyway.

4. Keep the alcohol consumption very light if not at all. You've probably heard that drinking alcohol affects you differently at higher elevations - well, you're right. You will feel the effects much quicker high up, and when your body is already working overtime to adjust, adding alcohol to the mix can make for a bad combination. Yes, a welcome drink at your hotel is okay, but leave it at that for your first few days!

5. Bring your sunscreen. You're closer to the sun up here! Even if it doesn't feel warm outside, slather up! If that sun is shining, chances are your skin is going to attract the rays. (Even if it's cloudy, still put that sunscreen on just in case). If you've ever experienced a sunburn on your first day of vacation, you won't thin twice about this point!

This is just a quick summary of tips of adjusting to high altitude - all of the above helped Carol and I adjust to the high elevation in the magnificent town of Cusco. Now get out there and explore!

See you on your next adventure,

Kasey Austin

This little fuzzy guy is a Pika!

Pikas are small mammals that have short limbs and rounded ears. They kind of look like a guinea pig but they are not related to them.  They are active all year around and dart around on the rocks or travel through the snow in tunnels that they have created to/from their burrow holes.

Some call the Pika a “whistling hare” because they make a very distinct whistle call.  Chances are that you will hear a Pika before you would ever see one.

They are herbivores and feed on a wide variety of plant matter,   mostly grasses, shrubs, twigs, moss, and lichen.

I was able to catch a brief glimpse of a Pika last time we were hiking near Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Prismatic is one of the most amazing hydrothermal features that Yellowstone has to offer.

Pika are not as well-known as a bison, elk or even an eagle but they definitely are one of the cutest animals around and fun to watch!!  Try to locate one of them on your next Yellowstone National Park vacation!

Your Friendly Pika Lover,

Christy

In less than two weeks, I will be embarking on the journey of a lifetime – hiking into Machu Picchu “the back way” via the Salkantay Trail with family and friends. This is a trip that has been in the workings for an entire year! I’ve been counting down the days until May 16^th just like a little kid counting down to her birthday. The date of departure for my Peru: Salkantay Lodge to Lodge trip is just on the horizon,  and this much longed for adventure is getting gloriously within reach…

I tried to figure out exactly which part of the trip I’m most excited about, but I just couldn’t do it. When it comes down to it and I read over my daily itinerary (again and again), I find each part of this trip equally as thrilling. Hiking to a high-altitude glacial lake, crossing a 15,000 foot pass, and visiting an organic coffee farm are just a few of the highlights that I’ll experience in a few week’s time. I guess if I had to pick one experience to look forward to the most, it would be seeing a distant southwesterly view of Machu Picchu from Llactapata Pass, a view that most people never see. I have no doubt that the whole trek will be absolutely magnificent!

Secondly, I’m excited to spend time with some special family and friends. Any of Austin-Lehman’s trips can be created as a custom or exclusive adventure for you and the people who mean the most. Seeing the world with close companions make hiking vacations all the better and something for you and yours to cherish long after the adventure has come and gone. As for me, I’ve rounded up a motley crew of my mother, college  roommate and her parents, and a fellow guide who works at ALA – talk about an interesting group! We may all be quite different in our daily lives, but we all share one thing in common – a passion for travel and adventure!

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m just a little bit excited for my upcoming trip to Peru. The point of this whole blog is to get you excited about adventure and to put the idea in the back of your head that rounding up a few of your buddies may seem like a lot of work, but it’s worth it in the long run.

See you on your next adventure,

Kasey Austin

I don't think excited is a strong enough word for how I feel about my upcoming trip to Ecuador. I will be taking my 66 year old Dad on his first adventure vacation! We've done some hiking vacations before, but they were a long time ago. This will be his first full-on multisport trip at 66! I mention this becuase it is awesome, I have to give the ole man some credit for taking me up on this adventure. 

We are first headed to the Provinces of Cotopaxi, Napo and Pichincha to see our friends at Tierra del Volcán. There we will be doing some horseback riding, hiking and biking around the National Parks, as well as helping with some conservation projects. We will be staying in some real haciendas in the Cotopaxi area. (photo of Hacienda El Tambo) We will spend 3 days treking around this extraordinary ecosystem of the Condor Bioreserve, which has a considerable amount of local endemism.

Next we will be heading to the Galápagos Islands for a sea and land based trip. I think the right word would be "stoked" for how I feel about going to the Galápagos. Day 1 we will head to the National Tortoise Reserve, where we will get to view giant Galápagos turtles in the wild and maybe see some short-eared owls. Day 2 we will be kayaking and snorkling around the islands, followed by a stop at the Darwin Research Center. I am pretty excited about visiting the Darwin Research Center, I'm kind of a fan of Darwins work! Day 3 we will explore North and South Plazas Islands, making a landing on South Plazas, where some of the richest flora and fauna per square foot in the entire Galapagos Archipelago. After that we will be sadly head back to Quito and then on a plane back to the States.

I will be taking a lot of photo and video gear, so make sure you check back and see some of my photos/videos. I will also try and get some travel blogs up while I'm there.

Leave a comment and tell me what you would like to see photos and video of most! I'm looking forward to getting photos of some local boobies... Blue Footed Boobies that is!

Till next time...

Jonathan

As I was putting on my hand lotion today the smell of lavender took me back to my San Juan Islands adventure vacation in August.  After our group enjoyed an amazing picnic lunch created by our guides Blair and Toby at South Beach. Which by the way, South Beach is located in American Camp that was developed during the Pig War back in 1859 between the United States and Great Britain over a pig crossing the country boundary line and meeting its demise.  The war created the English Camp to the North and the American Camp to the South.  The two camps now make up the San Juan Island National Historical Park.

But I digress, after lunch the group jumped on their bikes and headed to the Pelindaba Lavender Farm.  You can smell the lavender before you see it as you have to crest a small hill.  Once you reach the top you see this stunning farm with rows and rows of different kinds of lavender.  I thought lavender came in one variety but I was quickly proved wrong.

At the farm you are allowed to spend as much time as you wish walking up and down the rows of lavender, cut your own bouquet or visit the gift shop where you can purchase items that are made from the lavender.

The San Juan Islands are an archipelago (a chain or cluster of islands) located in the northwest corner of the United States and are part of the state of Washington.  In the archipelago, six islands are accessible by passenger ferry operated by the Washington State Ferries system.

On our San Juan Adventure, we visit the 2 largest islands, San Juan and Orcas, over a 5 night 6 day trip which is a hiking vacation, cycling tours, kayaking trip, photograph adventure and a cruise to hopefully see Orca whales, sea lions, eagles and other wildlife, all in one!

Your Friendly Adventure Coordinator,

Christy 

The Canadian Rockies... Just look at that view! You'll find the Canadian Rockies in the province of Alberta and I must say Alberta blew my mind on my last trip there. Alberta in my opinion is one of the best, if not the best place for adventure vacation packages. It is just loaded with adventure activities: hiking vacations, cycling tours, white water rafting, rock climbing and all in the most beautiful places I've ever seen. The Canadian Rockies is also home to my all-time favorite hike, going up Sentinel Pass. Hiking Sentinel Pass you'll see Lake Louise, an unreal blue-green lake, Valley of the Ten Peaks, hanging glaciers, wildflowers, wildlife, dark green forest... I get excited just thinking about it! 

Another bonus of our Alberta adventure vacations is our amazing guides, this year we were able to get both our Canadian guides to return. Marcy is our veteran and lead Canadian guide, she's an Albertan local and absolute expert on the area. She will be guiding with Anne, an outdoor enthusiast with an incredible passion for sharing her love and knowledge of the outdoors. I was lucky enough to have both of them as my guides last summer and it made my trip having such professional and awesome guides. The photo below is of Anne (left) and Marcy (right) on the Sentinel Pass hike, with Valley of the Ten Peaks in the background.

Your friendly Alberta lover,

Jonathan

P.S. If you're reading this Marcy and Anne, thanks for showing me your beautiful country!

If you’ve never experienced the breathtaking beauty of the Havasu Canyon, you need to put this awe-inspiring place on your “to-go” list asap! The colors will astound you: the reds, oranges, and yellows of the surrounding canyon (Havasu is an offshoot of the famous Grand Canyon), the unreal blue-green waters of Havasu Creek, and the popping green of the cottonwoods in the base camp combine to form a spectacular vacation destination for you and your family! I wanted to share a few of my favorite memories of this trip to inspire you to take an adventure vacation with ALA!

One of my favorite memories of my Havasupai Vacation that I took with my mom on a college Spring break was stepping, sliding, and climbing down the travertine cliffs near Mooney Falls using chain railings and stanchions sunk in the jagged rock. Talk about excitement: seeing this 196 foot waterfall from above, midway, and below, all while carefully making our way down steps carved into the rock through caves and around rock faces, is an awesome experience I will never forget!

Another memory I will always remember is when our guide, Stephan swam with me and a few other brave souls behind Havasu Falls. Swimming under that pounding 100 foot waterfall had my adrenaline running on high, but we soon made it under the roaring falls (it doesn’t sound that loud until you’re actually in the falls!) From there, we looked up to find a ladder that climbs to a low lying niche behind the falls. From this niche, we were able to jump through the falls, emerging mid-air for a brief second before disappearing into the deep blue-green waters below. What a rush!

Of course, there are many ways to enjoy this beautiful canyon, and if you’re looking for hiking vacations (with some camping and swimming involved), this is the place for you! I don’t want to give anymore away (I could truly continue to relive the memories) because you need to experience this wonder for yourself. Hope to make more memories soon on a Havasupai Adventure!

See you on the trails!

Kasey Austin

Now, I may be biased, because and I was born and raised in Montana, but I truly believe it is the last best place.  Every time I travel I am so happy to know that I get to come home to Montana!

If you are not lucky enough call Montana home, then you should consider it for one of your next Family Adventure Vacations!  Not only do you get to explore the areas in Montana, but also Yellowstone Park!  We hike, bike, horseback ride, and raft our way through the World’s first National Park and the surround areas!  Watch as Old Faithful Geyser shoots thermal waters sky high, examine the bacteria mats that make Grand Prismatic so beautiful, and wake up early to see wildlife exploring for food.  Nothing says Montana like bears and bison in the morning mist.

Yellowstone tours are not the only draw to this area.  On the Montana program you will also get to explore Big Sky, a glacial carved valley, and Paradise Valley, a river carved valley, pair those with the volcano caldera that is Yellowstone National Park and you will find yourself examining each geological area and experiencing firsthand how Mother Nature can create such varied terrains.  

I sincerely hope that Montana Vacations make your list of ‘must see’ destinations!  Contact your trusted Adventure Travel Companies to find out the offerings in the area, they truly are endless!

Your Friendly Travel Expert,

Being National Park Week I wanted to share what Austin-Lehman is doing to protect our nation's most valuable treasures. Every year since 2010, Austin-Lehman Adventures has supported US National Park preservation by selecting a recipient National Park program and donating a portion of its profits, this year we have chosen to help Canyonlands National Park. Last year with the help of our amazing guest we raised $5,400 for the Yosemite Conservancy.

In times of reduced Federal funding (National Park programs suffered a $101 million funding cut in the 2011 Federal budget alone), ALA has pledged a $100 per person donation to a designated non-profit organization for each guest reserving a spot on its 2012 small group Arches to Moab Multisport Adventure.

“New guests and our loyal alumni love knowing that a portion of their trip fee helps preserve our national treasures” said Dan Austin.

Our Arches to Moab proram lets you explore Canyonlands National Park. See the amazing Colorado River by raft and pedal between burnt-orange sheer-walled canyons and enormous white-rimmed sandstone towers on a road snaking through Colorado National Monument. Marvel at how itty-bitty you feel as you traverse looming, crimson rock formations at Fisher Towers. Hike by ancient petroglyphs remains etched in stone, a glimpse into the rituals and beliefs of the Fremont, Anasazi, Navajo and Anglo communities of thousands of years past.

It is our privilege to be the stewards of these natural wonders and to protect something that has given us so much. Helping to make sure that these natural treasures are around for future generations. Austin-Lehman offers family adventure vacations and adult advenutre vacation packages to see Canyonlands National Park.

Your friendly nature lover,

Jonathan

There is just something about the desert for me.  It is harsh, unyielding and somehow so rejuvenating.  One of my personal favorite hiking vacations is in the desert of Arches National Park.  I always feel energized, relaxed and satisfied after spending a few days amongst the red rocks and under a radiant blue sky. 

The dry desert landscape of southern Utah is rugged and sometimes seems inhabitable, yet there is an abundance of hearty plants and critters who call this park home.  I am most reminded of these when wandering the park in the spring when out of nowhere flowers appear.  It seems nearly impossible but somehow they flourish.  It is so incredible!

While there is endless exploring to be done in Arches National Park, one of my favorite hikes is along the Devil’s Garden Trail.  If you don’t have a lot of time you can do an easy two mile round trip in and out to see Landscape Arch.  This is one sandstone formation you do not want to miss on your visit.  It is the longest and one of the most impressive arches in the entire park.  It is 290 feet across and it truly seems to defy all laws of gravity.  One thing to keep in mind about Arches National Park is the impermanence of the rock formations.  They are in constant transition.  So only time will tell how long Landscape Arch will be around; I’d definitely see it sooner than later!  You can continue the entire length of the trail which is a loop just over 7 miles long.  It winds its way through some incredibly scenic terrain and takes you past 7 more impressive and less known arches.

After an amazing day in Arches, with the best adventure travel company,  I love to settle in with a glass of wine and watch the sun disappear behind the red rocks while reflecting on my incredible day.  The evenings are cool and calm and sleep comes so easily as I am eager to wake up in the desert paradise for another day of exploring.

Your Friendly Travel Consultant,

Melissa Ladvala

I have had the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon many times. Its tough to choose my favorite Grand Canyon Vacation memory, but here are a few.

Arechologists say that the Grand Canyon was first inhabitated by Native Americans nearly 10,000 years ago. The first non-native inhabitants were Spanish soldiers who explored the South Rim of the canyon with Hopi guides in 1540. This mission of this expedition: searching for the "Seven Cities of Gold". In 1869 John Wesley Powell, a one armed Civil War veteran led the first voyage to explore the Grand Canyon.

I have rafted the Grand Canyon on a j-rig in the big waters of the spring of 2011. Sleeping under the starlight skies as our journey took us the 187 miles from Marble Canyon to Lava Falls. in a contstant state of the change the Grand Canyon takes you on a magical journey back in geologic time. Massive canyon walls that display the eons of natural history, at one place dark and narrow, and at another lush with waterfalls tumbling hundreds of feet in amazing veils of water. Our daily stops included hikes to sparkling streams, pristine pools, green fern glens, and ancient Anasazi ruins. The mind thrilling twists and turns of the Grand Canyon entice you with the thrill of over 60 rapids.

One of my personal favorite hiking vacations was in the Grand Canyon to Havasupai. Havasupai translates to the "People of the Blue Green Waters". This lush tropical slot canyon off of the Grand Canyon is an amazing utopia in the middle of a very dry land. Lush tropical gardens, thundering waterfalls, travertine pools filled (refershing after a day of hiking) canyons filled with grape vines and the clearest skies imaginable at night.

See you out on the trails,

Carol Austin

Something we really pride ourselves on here at Austin-Lehman is working as a team. Whether it's in the office or in the field, working as a team is essential to our success. In the spirit of this we decided to make an adventure team for some upcoming adventure races here in Montana. Our team consisted of Kasey Austin, Ryan Morrissey and myself. First we took on the Grizzy Peak adventure race, a 2 mile ski, 6 mile bike and a 2.5 mile run. We were all in the top 10 in our divisions and it was a great race. As you can see below we got a little dirty on the biking section.

Race #2 and to help celebrate Earth Day this past weekend we competed in the Peaks to Prairie triathlon. The race consisted of a 9 mile run which Kasey did, a 50 mile bike ride by Ryan and a 23 mile Kayak by myself. 

There's always that point during a race when you are pushing as hard as you can, you don't think there is an end, you're tired, dehydrated and sometimes you think "what am I doing?" But then when you cross the finish line and you see your teammates there with big smiles on your face you can't help to think how worth it was! Also it's not too bad when you see the results and your team gets 3rd place in your division. 

Like most great things in life, you need to work for it. A saying I've heard that I really like is "conquerors of the useless", it really doesn't matter how many hiking vacations or cycling tours you do, its what you take from them that matters. 

That's why I love working with this amazing team here at Austin-Lehman, in the office, in the field or in a race. I know we all working together to to help share these amazing opportunities to be "conquerors of the useless" and help make memories that will last a life time.

What will you conqueror? Leave a comment at let us know what you get from adventure vacations!

Jonathan

I will always remember my first Yellowstone National Park Vacation. All I wanted to see was a bison, a big waterfall and a geyser.  Well I can honestly say that mission was more than accomplished! Now I have taken several Yellowstone vacations and each time I visit it feels like the first time.

Yellowstone National Park was established on March 1, 1872 and is the world's first national park.  Yellowstone has over 2 Million acres, approximately 290 waterfalls, is an active super volcano and is home to the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states.  

Yellowstone tours provide an awe inspiring place filled with wildlife, waterfalls, mountains, trails, rivers, geysers, geothermal features, flowers, etc. You can hike, bike, photograph, bird watch, study the flora, fauna or just enjoy the peaceful quiet. You have to experience it yourself to truly understand the magical draw of this park!

Your friendly adventure coordinator,

Christy