Maybe I’m getting older and more sentimental, but nothing else on Earth makes me feel like a Heber Valley sunset. I’ve seen beautiful sunsets over the ocean, been caught in an incredible lightning storm on a cruise ship, and seen sea turtles swimming around coral reefs. All amazing experiences.

But the fact that I get to take my dogs out and watch the sky light up almost every single night like this… man. It’s made me a mountain-dweller for life!

A few phone pics from just the last few weeks:

I first did this hike on the 4th of July, and there wasn’t a single other person on the trail. So I decided to try it on Labor Day to confirm whether this trail is indeed a hidden gem. Not a soul. Confirmed: Center Canyon Trail along Highway 40 is a hidden gem. Don’t make me regret telling you about it!

Trip Stats

Finn, the dogs, and I set off on a beautiful Labor Day with the temperature at a perfect 72°. We wanted to hike up and find a nice grove of trees where we could set up a hammock and have a picnic. It was a fairly easy hike on a great day, and a perfect adventure for this week with Finn and the dogs!

About ½ mile up the trail, we turned the corner on a big cow. For half a second, I thought it was a moose, so that gave me a nice adrenaline rush!

If you do see a moose in the wild, you definitely want to keep your distance. If you’re in moose territory, hike with your kids close and be prepared to pick your kids up and run if needed! This article from the Appalachian Mountain Club has some good info on what to do if you encounter a moose.

We saw over 30 cows at various points on the trail, and they left us alone aside from a few young cows mooing at the dogs as we passed. We kept our distance, though. Cows aren’t really aggressive in my experience, but the mama cows with their babies didn’t seem in any hurry to back down!

And yes, my dogs did great with the cows. There were no issues for the dogs or the cows other than the calves being slightly unnerved by them from afar. I’ll make a note on hiking with dogs below.

We hiked 1 mile up and found a perfect spot to string up a hammock. Instead of packing lunch, we packed a couple of donuts and juice, and took a 45-minute snack break on the hammock.

While we were hanging out, Finn randomly asked: “Did Jesus make this forest for me?” You got that right, kiddo.

Nothing beats 45 minutes of conversation with your kid in the middle of beautiful nature!

Freshly fueled with sugar, we made it back down to the car in about half the time it took us to get up. Finn is still working on his footing and balance while hiking downhill, so he had a couple of good falls and a couple of good “dammits” to go along with them. We’re working on that!

Overall, it was a great trip to build Finn’s confidence. I put 2 water bottles in his backpack to make him carry a little extra weight. I think this trail will be a fun one to snowshoe this winter!

Gear:

A note on hiking with dogs: where allowed, I hike with my dogs off-leash. But my dogs are well-trained hikers. They come when called, heel when excited, and walk great on-leash. Even when distracted by something like a cow or other wildlife. I never let my dogs run up to people, dogs, or wildlife. Don’t be that guy who has an a-hole dog on the trail. And for the love of all that is holy, clean up your dog poop. People who leave their dog poop are worse than people who don’t return their shopping carts.

10/10 hike, a staple in the rotation with Finn for years to come.

Going forward, I'm keeping the food section short. I’ll share the meal, the verdict, and what I learned. And I’ll focus on sharing meals associated with the adventures we take! The full recipes are going into a cookbook I'm putting together. If you want any recipe I mention, just hit reply and I'll send it over.

Steak and potatoes is a classic meal, and I think I may have discovered the perfect way to cook the potatoes. The secret? Duck fat.

I read that duck fat can make things extra crispy because of its super-high smoke point, which allows more heat to get into the potatoes without them burning. I’m not sure about the science of it exactly, but dang, these potatoes were crispy!! And they were tasty too. I didn’t put any condiments out for this meal, and no one asked for them. That’s how good the potatoes were.

I did a nice reverse sear on two ribeyes, and made up a beautiful peppercorn sauce in the pan after. The intense pepper balances the sweet cream and Marsala wine, and it perfectly complements a steak!

A few tips for this meal:

10/10, would make this 3-4 times per week if my wallet and diet could support it! Especially as a post-hike meal.

I called the trail we went on this week a hidden gem, but people clearly know about it, judging by the number of beer cans, shotgun shells, and trash on the ground, especially in the first half mile. Getting up higher to the groves of aspen trees, you see dozens of trees with people’s names and initials carved in them. No one on Earth cares that “Jason + Ashley” were on that trail in 2014.

I don’t understand how a person can go to such a beautiful forest and decide to leave their beer cans on the ground on their way out. Hike up, drink your beer, shoot your shotguns, eat your snacks, and have fun. That’s awesome. But have enough decency to clean up your mess!

I think a lot about stewardship when I am outdoors. Everyone has a right to get out there, and everyone should. But with that right comes the responsibility to take care of the wilderness that we have. It seems like, for the most part, the easy and accessible trails have the most garbage. People on harder trails aren’t better people, they just don’t get to harder trails without being taught. Everyone starts on the easy trails, and it’s our job to teach our kids to take care of them.

My goal is to get more people out and help others see how amazing hiking, fishing, and camping can be. Wherever you live, get outside, but do it right! Learn for yourself and teach your kids to be responsible stewards of this land around us.

Next week, Finn and I are headed up to fish some high-alpine lakes. This time it will be a day hike, and hopefully a catch-and-cook rainbow trout lunch.

Let me know what you think of this adventure! Ask questions, send me your favorite gear, or leave me feedback. I read and reply to every email.

If you know someone with kids who wants to get into hiking and camping, forward this to them!