Most of us described this as the toughest day of our lives. The word to describe the photos was “real.” It took us 9.5 hours to hike the 15.5 miles from Ennerdale Bridge to Stonethwaite, and Mother Nature made sure that we would remember this day for a long, long time. Everyone faced tremendous physicalContinue reading “Coast to Coast Day 2: Ennerdale Bridge to Stonethwaite”
Tag Archives: hiking
Coast to Coast Day 1: St. Bees to Ennerdale Bridge
It took us just over 7 hours to walk these 14.5 miles. The weather was kind, providing some beautiful views while also giving us a taste of how English rain can be cold and wet. The highlight for everyone was the walk along the cliff tops of St. Bees Head, looking out over the IrishContinue reading “Coast to Coast Day 1: St. Bees to Ennerdale Bridge”
Coast to Coast Day 0: Ready to Start after a fine visit to Ulverston.
We have made it to St. Bees! If you want to know why we are here, scroll down to where I explain this “Coast to Coast” adventure we are doing to walk across England, which starts here in St. Bees. We left Houston on Friday evening, leaving our houses, pets, and plants under the watchfulContinue reading “Coast to Coast Day 0: Ready to Start after a fine visit to Ulverston.”
Barker Dam: Checking out my drone for our Coast to Coast trip
After our Grand Canyon trip of 5 days, it took me another 5 days to sort through the footage on my computer and post on Instagram, Relive, and this blog. That’s an issue for England where I want to post daily about each of our 10-15-mile days. In addition, I hope to get some greatContinue reading “Barker Dam: Checking out my drone for our Coast to Coast trip”
Counting Down the Days to Start the Coast to Coast
Our adventure is getting so close that I can smell the sea air and feel the wind in my face at the top of the Lake District fells. We fly overnight to Heathrow on Friday 24th June before getting a long shuttle from Heathrow to Ulverston to avoid the planned rail strike. After a dayContinue reading “Counting Down the Days to Start the Coast to Coast”
Grand Canyon Day 5 – The Epic Buckskin Gulch
It is wrong to group such a standalone classic with the Grand Canyon, but that was the name of our trip, so I’ll have to live with it. Buckskin Gulch is truly the classic slot canyon. I’ve had my eye on it for over a decade. It was extremely exciting to finally do it, andContinue reading “Grand Canyon Day 5 – The Epic Buckskin Gulch”
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Grand Canyon Day 4 – Rest Day at Lake Powell and Horseshoe Bend
After 3 days in the Grand Canyon, we knew a day off would be a good idea. Once we’d arrived in the area, we realized there was lots of easy stuff to do! Peek-a-boo canyon looked exciting, but one review indicated how easy it was to get stuck in the sand, even with an AWD.Continue reading “Grand Canyon Day 4 – Rest Day at Lake Powell and Horseshoe Bend”
Grand Canyon Day 3 – From the Esplanade to the North Rim
The overnight wind had amplified the chilliness of the ~50 degF overnight temps. We’d chosen down blankets over sleeping bags to save weight, and I’d got a bit chilled a couple of times, but Samuel had been fine. The “5.4 degF per 1000 ft” rule seemed to be applying well. The day was bringing aContinue reading “Grand Canyon Day 3 – From the Esplanade to the North Rim”
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Grand Canyon Day 2 – Deer Creek and Night Hiking
The night had been filled with thousands of stars. The temperature had dropped from 80 degF when we felt asleep to a refreshing 60 degF when we woke, but the ground was still warm! We had both slept well and felt surprisingly refreshed. Our plan was just a 4.5-mile hike along the Colorado to DeerContinue reading “Grand Canyon Day 2 – Deer Creek and Night Hiking”
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Grand Canyon Day 1 – Bill Hall to the Colorado
Hiking from the North Rim to the river in a remote corner of the Grand Canyon National Park was a daunting prospect. We were packed with the lightest and least equipment that we could, and a new approach to food that I hoped would work. I found the best overview of the route at AllTrails.com,Continue reading “Grand Canyon Day 1 – Bill Hall to the Colorado”
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Hiking Through a Forest Fire on The LSHT Grand Loop
How did we get here? I’d wanted to hike the Eagle Rock Loop in early January with buddies Vance and Max, but it didn’t happen. Vance and I managed to arrange the Grand Loop starting February 10th, a 3-day, 2-night, 30-mile loop following 18 miles of the Little Lake Creek Loop (LLCL) from LSHT TrailheadContinue reading “Hiking Through a Forest Fire on The LSHT Grand Loop”
Reflections on the Collegiate Loop
My 16-year-old son Samuel and I completed this loop over 11 nights/12 days in the summer of 2021. The daily adventures are captured in other blog posts on this site. This post aims to provide background in the hope that it might guide or even inspire others. It is a fantastic hike but is bestContinue reading “Reflections on the Collegiate Loop”
The Chisos Mountains in June 2021
Samuel very much wanted to share his backpacking adventures with a couple of his buddies. Trying to squeeze a trip in after school and COVID and with summer coming was challenging but we decided early June would work. We were thinking that if we stayed in the mountains, it would be cool enough. Also, ifContinue reading “The Chisos Mountains in June 2021”
Reflections on an LSHT Thru-Hike
(Originally published on the Lone Star Hiking Trail Facebook page.) (Daily blogs from this hike at https://cajunlimeys.com/lone-star-hiking-trail/) WHAT I DID. I hiked the LSHT westbound in six days, from Tuesday 11th May to Monday 17th May. I hiked solo. I did not get resupplied mid-route, and I did not pre-stash any water. Forums like thisContinue reading “Reflections on an LSHT Thru-Hike”
Motorhome Rental
On our journey to motorhome ownership, we have rented units three times: once in the UK and twice in the US. The UK rental was in 2008 when the kids were small. The US rentals were in 2017 for driving the west coast between Mexico and Canada, and in 2020 to visit North Carolina waterfallsContinue reading “Motorhome Rental”
The Outer Mountain Loop and Guadalupe Peak in 2019
The fifth installment of my West Texas adventures takes Samuel and I back to Big Bend’s Outer Mountain Loop (OML) and to “The Top of Texas,” Guadalupe Peak. The primary goal of the trip was to be the highest person in Texas at the beginning of 2020. The rest was just for fun! You canContinue reading “The Outer Mountain Loop and Guadalupe Peak in 2019”
A Six-Day Tour of Lake District Peaks
This is a “catch-up” post, written in July 2022, of a fantastic loop trek that a 14-year-old Samuel and I completed in June 2019. When we had lived in Ulverston in 2010 and 2011, Samuel had been too young and I too inexperienced for extended wildcamping trips. Our 2018 trek in Colorado had given usContinue reading “A Six-Day Tour of Lake District Peaks”
Ten Days in Colorado
This is the last of my “catch-up” posts for now, and this adventure with Samuel from 2018 is perhaps the most memorable trip we have done. While we have done longer trips since, this adventure had a combination of challenge and remoteness that were a stretch for each of us. We avoided crowds and enjoyedContinue reading “Ten Days in Colorado”
The Outer Mountain Loop in 2017
This is the fourth chapter of our experiences in West Texas. While our 2016 trip to Big Bend had been an epic collection of adventures, completing the Outer Mountain Loop added a tremendous sense of achievement. I had pictured doing the hike ever since a work colleague, Tim Long, had described hiking it with hisContinue reading “The Outer Mountain Loop in 2017”
Big Bend in 2016 With a Pre-Teen
Now for my third visit to West Texas. After an awe-inspiring summitting of Guadalupe Peak, Samuel and I were ready for our next challenge. Spring Break 2016 gave us the opportunity to head back to the desert while the girls did a trip to New York. Each of us were very happy with our trips!Continue reading “Big Bend in 2016 With a Pre-Teen”
The Adventures of the Cajunlimeys 