Carson National Forest: A Visit With Mother Nature

Mother Nature offers a full spectrum of challenges on nearly every outing.  Outdoor enthusiasts must prepare for possible obstacles or suffer the consequences.

A favorite is always water crossings. Don water shoes and splash around, or use trekking poles to help balance across rocks and logs?  Always judge water crossings carefully as these can spell disaster if not done with care.

Weather dominates preparation for most trips.  Always research the climate and patterns in the area visiting.  Mountains require sunscreen and sunglasses due to higher elevations and increased sun exposure.  However, a rain jacket was also packed to cover the common summer rain showers.  Mother Nature blessed me on this outing with some free marble size hail along with the rain.

The Forest Service and volunteers do tremendous work in trail maintenance.  However, one must always be ready for recent obstacles left by Mother Nature.  Exercise caution in choosing to simply step over or go around.

Mother Nature can provide changing conditions on nearly a daily basis.  Heavy rains from a previous day converted an easy trail into a rock hopping mud festival.  Surprisingly, I enjoyed both.

Even Mother Nature's spectacular scenery offers interesting challenges.  The mosquitoes in  this area were so numerous that I can't believe they aren't  visible in the photo.  I'm glad the bug repellent kept them at bay while I snapped the photo.

Mother Nature creates the wonders that make outings worth the trip.  With proper preparation and research, you can make sure your outing is enjoyable no matter what nature throws at you.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker