http://denver.yourhub.comThe latest blog posts in The Denver Newspaper Agency YourHub.comen-usnews@yourhub.com(c) 2009, YourHub.com5Black Mountain is a 9,500-foot peak in the northern Big Horn Mountains. The approximate 3-mile hike to the top gains about 1,500 feet in elevation and summits at one of two remaining fire lookouts in the Big Horns. The trail starts out as a four-wheel-drive road before narrowing to a path ...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Your-Voice/Blog~688545.aspx11/17/2009 6:00:11 PMJoel HuntAt 13,167 feet, Cloud Peak is the highest summit in the Big Horn Mountains in north-central Wyoming. Although people do ascend it as a day hike, I wouldn't want to. A group of four of us (and a golden retriever) did a three-day weekend, backpacking to a camp near the summit trailhead the firs...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Recreation/Blog~656700.aspx9/16/2009 9:04:14 AMJoel HuntAs far as Yellowstone goes, Old Faithful is the superstar. Never mind that there are other geysers that turn in better performances. Old Faithful is the hot starlet who takes teeny-bopper roles that are inoffensive and easy to watch. If you're sampling the whole park in a few days (or less), ...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Archive/Recreation/Blog~653435.aspx9/5/2009 7:41:38 PMJoel HuntThe route to the summit of 10,243-foot Mount Washburn is an old wagon/Model T road that has since been closed to traffic, but this extremely busy "trail" is still as wide as a country dirt road and just as highly traveled. There are two trailheads that access the summit of Washburn, one at Du...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Recreation/Blog~649809.aspx8/25/2009 7:06:39 PMJoel HuntCascade Lake is one of a series of lakes that run parallel to the Norris-Canyon road and are linked by trails. Cascade Lake has two trailheads, Cascade Lake Picnic Area on the Tower-Canyon road and Cascade Creek Trailhead, ¼ mile west of Canyon Village on the Norris-Canyon Road. Our group sta...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Archive/Recreation/Blog~647247.aspx8/17/2009 1:32:32 PMJoel HuntMystic Falls is a 70-foot waterfall on the Little Firehole River near the Biscuit Basin thermal area in the Old Faithful part of the park. The trail includes two options: a direct, out-and-back hike to Mystic Falls or a three-mile loop that climbs a plateau to a lookout above Biscuit Basi...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Recreation/Blog~645249.aspx8/11/2009 9:44:03 AMJoel HuntSeven Mile Hole is the only trail that descends from the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone all the way to the river at the bottom. (Uncle Tom's Trail, a series of 300-plus steps and inclines, descends about ¾ of the way down, but it washed out in a mudslide earlier this summer and th...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Archive/Recreation/Blog~642837.aspx8/3/2009 11:00:40 AMJoel HuntBeaver Ponds is a five-mile loop hike near Mammoth Village in Yellowstone, just south of the north entrance to the park. The trailhead is just north of Liberty Cap , a large, extinct thermal feature that's part of Mammoth Hot Springs. The trail is level for the first quarter-mile or so...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Recreation/Blog~640651.aspx7/27/2009 4:08:33 PMJoel HuntThe trail leading to backcountry campsites on the banks of Hellroaring Creek (and on into the Gallatin National Forest in Montana, outside of Yellowstone's boundaries) is a nice hike that includes varied terrain and a suspension bridge high above the Yellowstone River. The highlight of the day,...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Archive/Recreation/Blog~637463.aspx7/17/2009 6:38:42 PMJoel HuntFor my first Yellowstone hike of the season, I went with Brenda, the hospital's foundation director, to Elephant Back Mountain, near Fishing Bridge Village. The weather was damp and cloudy, which is nice for hiking but not so great for photos. Elephant Back Mountain is a trail I hiked...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Recreation/Blog~636016.aspx7/13/2009 8:11:36 PMJoel HuntMcCullough Peaks is an area of red-rock badlands just east of Cody made up of several low summits, the tallest being McCullough Peak at 6,547 feet with a prominence of 1,277 feet. The whole area is BLM land, and it's a wild horse herd management area , but we didn't see any of the horses...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Archive/Recreation/Blog~633122.aspx7/4/2009 11:04:27 AMJoel HuntEarlier this year, some of my colleagues and I decided to try and do a hike a week all summer. Although steady rain and thunderstorms during May and early June tried to disrupt our schedule, we only have missed one weekend so far. Yellowstone opens in May, but because of the elevation and bear ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Recreation/Blog~630949.aspx6/28/2009 5:54:57 PMJoel HuntSleeping Giant Ski Area , the once-defunct hill just outside of Yellowstone's east entrance, has raised enough money to open for the winter of 2009-10. Yellowstone Recreations Foundation, the nonprofit entity that governs the hill, received a $500,000 grant from the Wyoming Business Council ...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Archive/Recreation/Blog~615988.aspx5/15/2009 2:20:52 PMJoel HuntWith Sleeping Giant staying closed this winter, I bought a season pass to Red Lodge Mountain Resort in Montana. After a solid season (about 30 days), I can say Red Lodge is a nice local hill; like any resort, it has its advantages and disadvantages. If I lived in the town of Red Lodge, ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Recreation/Blog~612967.aspx5/8/2009 10:05:55 AMJoel HuntAfter planning to reopen around Thanksgiving this year, Sleeping Giant Ski Area , which is just outside the east entrance to Yellowstone, now is pushing back its reopening for a season. The ski area logistically could be ready to open but financially is behind. Because it is a community ...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Archive/Sports/National-World-Sports/Blog~534945.aspx10/14/2008 2:02:00 PMJoel HuntOld Faithful is perhaps the most recognizable symbol of Yellowstone, and although it wasn't one of the parts of the park I cared to immediately see, Canon had a week of photography workshops in the Old Faithful area , so I went Sunday to attend one of the workshops while Ingrid got some p...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Outdoors/Blog~512919.aspx8/25/2008 3:45:19 PMJoel HuntAfter being closed for four seasons, Sleeping Giant Ski Area, the closest ski area to Cody and just outside of the east entrance to Yellowstone, is scheduled to reopen this winter. From what I've heard, the previous owners didn't want to put any money into improvements, so the National Forest...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Archive/Outdoors/Blog~510785.aspx8/20/2008 3:15:25 PMJoel HuntAvalanche Peak is a mountain on the eastern edge of Yellowstone in the Absaroka Range. There are many ranger-guided hikes around the park in the summer, and this is one. It cost $15, and in my opinion, it was well worth it. Not to mention the money goes directly back to the park to support ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Outdoors/Blog~506501.aspx8/11/2008 9:58:52 AMJoel HuntAn Oregon man camping near the northeast entrance to Yellowstone was attacked by a grizzly bear a couple of weeks ago and brought to West Park Hospital . The media frenzy started at about 9 a.m. with a call from the Cody Enterprise, the local newspaper, asking for information. Because of f...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Archive/Blog~506054.aspx8/8/2008 11:02:45 AMJoel HuntWith the Gunbarrel Fire releasing smoke down into Cody, I decided to go up to the park to get some fresh air. Small hot spots from the Gunbarrel Fire were burning next to the road on the way up to the east entrance, but despite a fire that was burning in the LeHardy Rapids area of the par...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Outdoors/Blog~504635.aspx8/5/2008 2:07:30 PMJoel HuntIngrid and I are married now. Well, actually as of July 12, but... We had a simple private ceremony in Galesburg, Ill., her hometown. It was just our two families and her brother's girlfriend and my sister's boyfriend, and we were married in a gazebo in a park there. It was really short but a...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Archive/Marriages/Blog~502075.aspx7/30/2008 4:31:27 PMJoel HuntEditor's note: The information in this post is from July 29 and now outdated. For the latest information on the fires, see the links below. As in Colorado, once you get up to the alpine elevations west of Cody, there are a lot of beetle-killed trees feeding fires burning around northwestern Wy...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Blog~501404.aspx7/29/2008 1:34:20 PMJoel HuntThe Fourth of July in Cody is like Spring Break in Vail -- the big tourist time. There's a parade, fireworks, street market and music in the park and town is packed. The parade runs two days, July 3 and 4, and includes a lot of horses, of course, but it also had a lot of other stuff -- it...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Archive/Blog~498088.aspx7/21/2008 11:03:54 AMJoel HuntAlthough there's a rodeo in Cody every night from June through August, the biggest ones are during the Buffalo Bill Cody Stampede , which takes place July 1-5. I went last night (July 1), and it was pretty fun. More entertaining than I expected, considering I have about nil interest in rod...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Recreational/Blog~491542.aspx7/2/2008 3:22:12 PMJoel HuntIngrid and I went up to Yellowstone on June 28 and did the Elephant Back Trail. I wanted to do the Natural Bridge Trail, but it was still closed. Elephant Back was good, though. The trail starts and ends in the forest. It's really cool because there are thousands of tall lodgepole pines but n...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Archive/Outdoors/Blog~490833.aspx7/1/2008 3:20:42 PMJoel HuntI was able to get up to Yellowstone for the first time last weekend, and even though many of the side roads and hiking trails were closed because of lingering snow, I was able to get to some of the more touristy features and orient myself to the park for future reference. I bought a yearl...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Travel/Blog~478862.aspx6/3/2008 11:20:33 AMJoel HuntI started my job at the hospital about two weeks ago and am finally getting my feet under me. The woman who I took over for moved before I got here and was pretty much out of touch for the last month or so before she left because she had just had a baby who was very sick, so she spent a lot of t...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Archive/Blog~478797.aspx6/3/2008 10:24:36 AMJoel HuntHere's an e-mail sent to Chris Freud, our sports editor, from a high school athlete's parent who thought his daughter ought to be getting more coverage: "Chris: Knowing your passion for 49er football, I pose the following question... If you were a sports writer in San Fran during thei...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Recreational/Blog~464836.aspx5/1/2008 10:13:36 PMJoel HuntIf April showers bring May flowers, what does a May snowstorm bring? Not powder days, thanks to Vail Resorts. It started snowing Thursday night and has kept up for 24 hours straight. I estimate at least 6 inches so far, and that's in the valley. It snowed a bit last year June 6, but that ...http://denver.yourhub.com/LouisvilleandSuperior/Blogs/Archive/Outdoors/Blog~464832.aspx5/1/2008 9:54:55 PMJoel HuntWhen Ingrid applied for an accelerated nursing program at the University of Wyoming, I told her I'd make an effort to get a job somewhere in the state (except for some sporadic weekends when she has to be in Laramie, she can live pretty much anywhere). So I started looking a few months ago --...http://denver.yourhub.com/Erie/Blogs/Archive/Outdoors/Blog~463213.aspx4/28/2008 6:36:11 PMJoel Hunt