3 Reasons Budget Travelers Should NOT Visit Jamaica in High Season

High season in Jamaica is considered to be from December 15th – April 15th. This makes sense, considering the majority of tourists visiting are experiencing cold weather back home. Many people from USA, Canada, and Europe flock to the warmer climates of the Caribbean, but here is why you should avoid Jamaica during this window. If it wasn't for our ridiculously cheap plane ticket ($290.50 RT), I am not sure Jamaica would have been an option.

Cost distribution for Jamaica

Cruise Ship Industry

Cruise Ship docked in Ocho Rios

Every major cruise line from, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian makes stops in Jamaica. Jamaica destinations are also featured from Galveston, New Orleans, and Miami departures. To add to the influx, Jamaica has not one port, not two ports, but three possible ports to dock. These 3 ports lie within 100 km of each other on the North end of the island. The mixture of these impacts makes this island a high traffic area. In fact, of the 6 days we were on the island, there was a cruise ship docked 5 of the days. My point being that all the excursions and attractions are tailored to the cruise ships. Many of the attractions do not open until 10am and close around 4pm. If you have never been on a cruise, when the ship docks, the persons aboard are allowed to leave for X amount of hours. This time usually begins mid-morning and ends mid-afternoon. It is also customary for the cruise lines to offer packages to the customers filling up attractions extremely fast during high season. This makes it difficult for budget travelers to plan excursions.

Transportation

That should read, LACK of transportation. Although this point coincides with the cruise ship industry, it is so frustrating that it deserves its own point.

Most we've ever spent on transport

There are no rental cars available at the ports. Every person coming off the cruise ship relies on a taxi/shuttle to get them to the destination. As a taxi driver trying to make a living, it makes sense they should be fighting over the cruise line people because their time is limited.They cannot afford to skip on rides; they are backed in a corner. The traveler that came by air who can haggle and say no is overlooked and considered secondary. To add to the frustration, the stranded persons coming off the ship have caused the rates to soar. A taxi can cost anywhere from $0.50/km and up with the best deals driving further. The other reason for the high price is that the taxis/shuttles do not hang out at attractions like Appleton Estate, the Blue Hole, or Cockpit Country. They are still at the ports. So if you do happen to convince someone to give you a ride, you have to work it so that they will wait at the attraction in order for you to have a ride home. Look for route taxis (red license plates) to save some money.

Food

Everyone has to eat, it doesn't matter if you are traveling or not. However, cheap eating is hard to come by in Jamaica. Most city hubs such as Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and Negril have restaurants that rival the cost of the average American restaurant. So I end up paying the same price for a smaller portion?  If you enter a place with no prices on the menu, ASK! This country's #1 resource is tourism. It is sometimes refreshing to end a long day with a nice cold one, especially in a tropical setting like Jamaica. The server knows as well as I do a bottle of Red Stripe is not worth $4. Despite all this, we did find some cheap food, usually off the street which you can only try your luck for so long before it catches up to you. Most places only accept cash and although the Jamaican dollar is the national currency, the USA dollar is widely accepted. At the time of our visit, $1 = 115J, but if your meal came out to 2,000J and all you had was American...well they now say $1 = 100J and this little over pay adds up after a couple meals. 

So would I come back to Jamaica? Yes, but I would rent a car and think about mid-April to mid-December time frame.

Compare some of the other places we've been:
3 more days in Alaska was only $500 more!
A 3 day weekend in Chicago was $500 less!

Boston Fall 2014 (Video)

Here is an overview of our 3 day trip to Boston. The fall is a great time to go, especially if you plan to hit up Salem!




Here is the famed Freedom Trail Video
Boston Freedom Trail

Boston Freedom Trail

Boston’s Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile path that weaves throughout Boston passing 16 of our country’s significant landmarks. Most of these sites helped form this nation in the early rebellious years. The entire path is notable marked by red bricks. The unofficial starting point is the Boston Commons and the Visitor Center there will provide trail information, maps and other gifts. The walk is easy, free, and you control the pace. The visitor center does offer guided tours that are dependent on weather and it should be noted are only 90 mins with admission to ONE site that charges a fee. The guide will provide information not known otherwise, but we recommend going on your own.

Start off at the country’s oldest public park, Boston Common. The Boston Common was used by the public for just about everything: concerts, duels, public celebrations and even hangings. The Visitor Center neighbors the Common.

Follow the red brick road through the park to the current State House. John Hancock originally owned the land on Beacon Hill, but in 1798 the State House was completed. Head inside to view the decorative designs and the gold dome.

After the construction in 1809, the Park Street Church was the first thing travelers saw coming into Boston for many years. William Llyod Garrison gave his first public anti-slavery address here. Also in 1832, My Country ‘Tis of Thee was first recited here.

Granary Burying Ground is the 3^rd oldest cemetery in Boston and has many of the country’s founding fathers claiming this as their final resting place. Some of these famous Bostonians are John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Peter Faneuil, all five men who were killed in the Boston Massacre, and many others.

The King’s Chapel became America’s first Unitarian Church. Condemned prisoners heard their last sermon here before being marched to Boston Common to be hung. President George Washington made a visit in 1789 while in Boston.

In front of Old City Hall lays a reminiscence of the site of America’s first public school, Boston Latin School. Erected in 1635, the school taught some of America’s greats, including John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Ralph Waldo Emmerson, and Ben Franklin who has a commemorating statue in front of the Old City Hall.

At the end of the street is the Old Corner Bookstore. The original building was home to Anne Hutchinson, who was banished for unorthodox religious views. However, the Bookstore went on to publish works by Dickens, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Emmerson, Longfellow, and many more.

The Old South Meeting House was built in 1729 and is the second oldest church in Boston. As the largest building in colonial Boston, it was used for public meetings, the most famous being when over 5,000 angry Bostonians showed up to protest a tax on tea on December 16, 1773. This site does have an entry fee.

Where the Boston Massacre Took Place

The British used the Old State House as their governing office during colonial times. This was the center of political and commercial life for Boston. Pay the entrance fee to tour the museum and learn more about the Boston Massacre because just below the balcony is where this famous incident occurred. The Declaration of Independence was recited from this balcony.

Right around the corner is Faneuil Hall. Faneuil gave this building as a gift in 1742. This building served as a meeting place and open market. Even today it sticks to its roots and has vendors set up inside selling a variety of things.

Make your way through the North End to Paul Revere’s House. There is a $5 entrance fee to view this house built around 1680. It might be hard to imagine that up to 8 of Revere’s 16 children lived in this house with him.

The story “one if by land, two if by sea” began at the Old North Church. On Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride, it was Sexton Robert Newman that hung 2 lanterns to warn Charleston (across the river) of British troops invading.

Inside Daily Catch

Break here for some good eating. We highly recommend Daily Catch for some Sicilian style seafood. If you are looking for desserts, go to Mike's Pastry or Maria's Pastry if you want to pick something on the way to Charleston.

We ended our freedom trail here for day 1, but came back the next day to finish it up.

The Bunker Hill Monument commemorates the Battle of Bunker Hill, one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution on June 17, 1775. Climb the 295 steps to the top of the monument to get great 360 degree views of Boston.

The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. Built in 1797, her nickname Ironsides was earned during the War of 1812, as British cannon balls bounced off her hull. Hop aboard and listen to a U.S. Navy sailor give a tour of the warship.

View of Boston from the water

After touring the USS Constitution, walk over to the water shuttle to take back to the Long Wharf ($3.25 one way).

Chicago Cost Breakdown

We do our best to keep costs to a minimal while traveling because it allows us to do more and travel more. Due to busy weeks at work and preparing for school to start up again we did not get a chance to search any deals on Groupon. We also did not buy the Go Chicago card we referenced in our trip recap. So here is the cost break down for 4 (2 full days) in Chicago on a holiday weekend visit.

ACTIVITIES	$     107.40
AIRPLANE TIX (2)	$     615.00
BAR	$     236.29
FOOD	$     257.28
HOTEL (3 NIGHTS)	$     400.00
SOUVENIRS	$       80.32
TRANSPORTATION	$       87.16
TOTAL	$ 1,783.45

*Note the airplane tickets and hotel cost were paid in advance

Travel With Friends

If you can bare your friends for weekend trips, it might be worth doing. We took this trip with Becky's cousin, which helped greatly with hotel cost. Hotels are NOT cheap in Chi-Town... roughly $200/night after taxes. You can try staying further from the city but you miss out on the atmosphere, plus Taxis are not that cheap. Half our transportation cost were on Taxis and that was taking turns paying for them! There is nothing wrong with walking. On our first day, we already walked nearly 5 miles before noon. 

Think before grabbing a Taxi!

Splurging

Ok. I will admit it, we splurged this trip. Take a look at our cost from 9 days in Alaska and compare it to 4 days in Chicago... we would be broke! We spent more on hotels in Chicago than Alaska! 

Doesn't this look delicious? Because it was!

But always remember to take a look at the purpose of your trip. Alaska was adventures and outdoors, Chicago was attractions and food. We made sure to stop and smell the roses (or pizzas?) and savor it. How could you not? Chicago is home to many great varieties of food. The bar scene was fun and inviting. Northwestern's campus was a block from our hotel. Sometimes it is OK to spend a little bit of money!

Chicago

Chicago is a great city with a rich history. If you'red not going for an event (like lollapalooza), a weekend is enough to get a lot done. Being as far north as Chicago is, weather is important to research. Locals told us May through October are the best times to visit. We traveled Labor Day weekend, getting in late Friday night and leaving Monday morning, giving us TWO full days of fun.

Day 1

Flight arrived at Midway at 9:45, due to late night arrival, the three of us took a cab ($35) to our hotel. We all worked that day and after checking in, we decided to just grab a bite and call it a night. The only problem was that not a lot of restaurants' kitchens were open past 11, although we were not too ambitious to explore the area.

Day 2
We woke up and took advantage of our hotel’s complimentary breakfast, but we soon found out that Chicago has extensive brunch options. I would highly recommend looking into this (will discuss later). We started off the day walking to Navy Pier. Chicago is a pretty walkable city and the pier was roughly a mile away. Luckily we had perfect temperatures of mid 70's with cloud coverage, which in our opinion is perfect walking weather. First thing we walked up on was a boat tour group. Hindsight is always 20/20, but that’s why we write about our travels and tips… making the mistakes to make sure you don’t! The Go Chicago card is something to look into.  This pass has 25 attractions for Chicago, one being the Architecture River Tour. This was a top attraction for us.

Trump Tower straight ahead!

It is a 75 minute info overload tour with amazing one of a kind views. The guides are great, witty, and very knowledgeable (our guide's name was Sarah). You will pass some of the major sky scrapers of Chicago, like the new Trump Building, the famous Sears Tower, and numerous historic buildings. If you don’t feel like going, but your group does, you are in luck... because there is a full service bar aboard! So no excuses! Visit here for more information. If you do happen to use the Go Chicago card (almost half the cost of the card on one attraction), you CANNOT use the Go Card again that day for another cruise.

Giant SEARS TOWER

Heading back to the pier

Our tour ended right around lunch time, so we continued our walk along the Navy Pier, grabbed an old fashion Chicago Hot Dog and enjoyed the view. If you have the stomach for it, there is a huge Ferris wheel (also on the Go Card) on the Pier. Surprisingly, Navy Pier boasts the most populous attraction in Chicago. After eating we walked off our lunch on our way to Millennium Park. Little to our knowledge, Chicago Jazz fest was going on at the park! The park was extra packed, but this also meant extra stands for beer! Chicago has a lot of local brews to try! We took our picture with the giant bean and just enjoyed the atmosphere.
The weather was forecasted for afternoon rains so we made our way to Shedd Aquarium (also on the Go Card), which is highly remarked as the best Aquarium in the United States. If you are keeping track at home, the river tour ($35), ferris wheel ($16), and Aquarium ($31) totals $82, where as the Go Card cost $80. Here is the kicker… we waited in the Aquarium line for an HOUR. The Go Card also allows you to skip the line! The Shedd Aquarium proved why it is a top rated attraction, housing over 1,000 marine species and multiple habitats from the pacific northwest to the African tropics. For some extra dough, you can watch beluga whales, sea lions, and dolphins at their aquatic shows. We stayed til closing time (lots of animal feedings!) and caught a cab to take us back to the Magnificent Mile area.

Deep dish pizza is Chicago’s thing. Everyone will say theirs is the best, so I am sure you’ve heard of, like Pizzeria Uno, Lou Malnati’s or Gino’s. We tried Lou Malnati's and after only a 45 minute wait, it was worth it. We got the works and washed it down with some local brews. There is more than meats the eye (see what I did there?) as we had to take some home. The atmosphere was what did it for us. W
e were seated outside on the patio enjoying the nice cool night and people watching. Chicago is such an active city! We tried some local bars and hit it off well on the first attempt with Streeters. It is a cool “basement” bar with a young crowd. It is more like a dive bar with a pool table and giant Jenga blocks. This bar is located a block off the magnificent mile and a block from the giant McDonalds!

View from the 96th floor of the Hancock Observatory

Day 3

We woke up a bit later due to the late night. We wanted to visit the Lincoln Park area and started with a cab ride to the Lincoln Park Zoo. This zoo is not nearly as large as the Brookfield Zoo, but it gets the job done. You can learn more here. We spent about 2 hours here and had a great time. On a Sunday morning the zoo had quite a few people, mostly families with small children. The Big Cats exhibit along with the primates was their main attractions. Both were entertaining! We wanted to check out the Brunch scene and ironically enough went to a place called Brunch. Located not too far from Michigan Ave. Guys, are you worried about being out of your element? Fear not, Brunch has a Beermosa that uses a Belgian wheat beer mixed with fresh squeezed orange juice. Thrillist put together a guide to the best brunches in Chicago and of course the boozy brunches too.

We then did the short walk back to Michigan Ave. (more famously called the Magnificent Mile) and did some shopping! Thankfully for my wallet, it was just window shopping. Apparently the people of Chicago envied Paris in the early days and wanted to design Michigan Ave like the Champs Elysees in Paris. Premiere shopping. We got cleaned up and headed to the Signature Lounge. In less than 60 seconds you will be at a bar located on the 96^th floor of the Hancock Observatory (just off Michigan Ave). The Go Chicago Card offers a “360 Chicago View” that has a twist… or should I say tilt? This new feature allows you to lean over the ledge at the 94^th floor behind a safety glass.

Chicago skyscrappers

 For those of you who need reassurance, check it out. Without the pass, it will cost you $18.00. On the other hand you can get two drinks for that up in the Signature Lounge. I recommend going up right before sunset so you can see the the sunset then the city light up in the night sky. Ask to be seated in the area up front, the back is chaos… but add to the chaos by snapping a picture back there (sun sets out that window).
If you love wine, we went to a fantastic wine bar off Michigan Ave. Eno has a calming atmosphere and is connected to the Michael Jordan Steak House. We tried wine flights, cheese flights, and chocolate flights. Everything was fantastic and chooser beware, it wasn’t the cheapest place.

Day 4

We woke up and took the “L”, which is Chicago’s transportation system, to the airport. It is quick and very cheap ($3). It isn’t complicated even though we jumped the gun on our transfer and got on the wrong line! Learn more here.

Til next time!

Fav:

People watching

Architecture River Tour

Wish List:

Chicago History Museum

Museum of Science and Industry

12 New Orleans Treats to Try

Since I was sad to see my old favorite place of Frankie and Johnny’s is under new management during my last trip to New Orleans, I decided to see share what else is out there. I haven’t tried them all and plan on it! Most places are in Uptown or French Quarter ranging in all prices.

1. Alligator Omlete – Daisy Dukes. Gator is the other white meat and it may be better! Get your day started with it

2. Crawfish Etouffe Fries - – Dat Dog. $5.50 (fries) has many other dogs (alligator, crawfish fused, southern specialties) 3 locations (Magazine St and Frechman (good drunchies food))

3. Shaved Ice – Hansen's Sno-Bliz. Only open Spring – Fall but that is all you need to for the delicious heat escaping treat. Shaved ice is completely different than a snow cone.

4. Sweet potato Beignets w/ Foie Gras – SoBou. This is a fancy ($$$) upgrade to the classic Café du Monde, but served as a dinner item. Try it with the Foie Gras Burger!

5. Breakfast in a To Go Cup – EnVie Café. Most genius idea ever cause we are busy people. Eggs, bacon, hash browns, sausage all put into a to-go cup.

6. Gumbo – Mr. B's. Everyone looks for the best gumbo in the city known for its staple. It’s all up for opinion but either way you will not go wrong.

7. King Cake Cheeseburger – Food Drunk, which is a food truck makes King Cake (usually reserved for Madri Gras only) available year round… as the buns for a burger!

8. Foie Gras Macarons – Ye Old College Inn. Do I even need to explain? Foie gras makes everything better. They have other items topped with it too.

9. Quack Quack – Irene’s is a pricey place downtown that has a St. Phillip Duck ($22) that is worth every penny.

10. Fried Frog Legs – Bayou Hot Wings. Adam Richman (Man Vs Food) said they have the best wings… frog legs count as wings… right?

11. Crepes – Crepes a la Cart. Located near Tulane, this French classic has a New Orleans twist (along with the signature sweet crepes)

12. Muffaletta (or other Po-Boys) – Johnny's Po Boy. Italians brought this idea over to New Orleans and it was perfected. Decent prices and any kind of po boy you can imagine.

5 things to try on your next trip

Part of the beauty of travel is to explore new things – to step out of the comfort zone you are so used to at home. Most people revolve their lives so much around a routine that something as simple as making a slight detour on your way home from work can throw you off. This also makes it challenging to not bring some of the routine with you when you travel. No need to try all 5 at once, but maybe start with one and work your way up!

1. Do NOT make a hotel reservation

This one can be daunting for so many people. It may give assurance that once you arrive you at least have a bed, but what if it isn't the bed you thought you reserved. Check out these funny “misleading” photos of different hotels that give illusions of paradise like pools, huge rooms, proximity of attractions, etc. (marketing tricks). Try having 5 places in mind and when you arrive you can check them out personally and make a decision… or pick one that wasn't even on your radar!

2. Try a local favorite or "hole in the wall" restaurant

I will guarantee that Joe’s Crab Shack in Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco will taste just like the Joe’s Crab Shack in your home town. On the other hand, walking a block further to Cioppino’s would be a different experience. (try it!). I ate here the night before I swam from Alcatraz and just because it does not have a brand name behind means they serve sub-par dishes or poison. I like to think it helped me survive! Don’t be afraid to try a local specialty!

3. Make a trip without renting a car

It is terrifying being at the mercy of public transit to get you from point A to point B, but outside the States, it is a common form of transportation. Europe is an easy place to start as the public transportation system is excellent. I have never rented a car in all my trips there. If you would rather keep your travels domestic, it can still be done! Check out walk score to get an idea of some of the cities that are best. Even some cities outside of the top 25 are perfectly capable of accommodating you, like Denver, San Diego, and New Orleans to name a few that I can personally vouch for.

4. Talk to some locals

Even if you are typically the shy type, branch out and open up. Odds are you will never see this person again, but if you strike a bond, even better! Locals love talking about their city; they can update you on some current events surrounding the city like bonds up for election. They also know what there is to see, do, and eat. They can certainly help out with Tip Number 2, as I don’t think their favorite place to eat over and over again is McDonalds. Hell they could even help you with Tip Number 1 and give you a place to stay!

5. Do not penny pinch

Saving money is a great feeling, and more than likely the reason you saved money is to go on this trip… so why save $5, $10, $50 to miss an opportunity? I am not insisting on spending $2,000 on an excursion that may be awesome, but set you back financially. But if you come across bungee jumping off a bridge, I am willing to bet you will remember working up the nerve to make the jump rather than how your spent the $50. Take chances and don’t be afraid!

We'd love to hear your ideas! Leave a comment or email us at 10centtravels@gmail.com! Also, connect with us on Twitter and Instagram @10centtravels

How We Managed 9 Days in Alaska for Under $150 per Day

We just took a trip of a lifetime to Alaska. We flew from Houston to Anchorage on a direct flight. We spent 3 nights in Anchorage, 3 nights in Seward, and 2 nights in Denali National Park. Below is the cost break down that we incurred and then split to show a per person cost on a daily basis:

Category	Total	Per Person	PP per Day
Flight	$708	$354.00	$39.33
Transportation	$880	$440.00	$48.89
Activities	$114	$57.00	$6.33
Food	$409	$204.50	$22.72
Sleep	$386	$193.00	$21.44
Gifts	$110	$55.00	$6.11
Total	$2,607	$1,304	$145

Sharing is Caring

We shared this journey with another couple helping lower the cost (shared food, hotels, and activities). For example, we covered the rental car for the duration of the trip ($700) while the other couple purchased the 2-day kayaking tour in Seward. They used Groupon to find this great deal. This discount site allows easy searches by category, location, or keywords. They found a 2 for 1 deal on a 2 person kayaking trip for 2 days/1 night, saving us greatly. 

Glamping is Just as Good as Hotels

Showers, laundry and restrooms!

(Glamour Camping = Glamping) We also minimized cost on hotels by simply minimizing our hotel stay. The Groupon kayak trip included one night and we stayed at the campground owned by the dock (Miller's Landing) the night before for a discounted price. In Denali National Park, we popped up a tent at one of their many campgrounds. Many of these campgrounds provide all the same amenities as your standard hotel. Alaska has great summer temperatures that make it feel like you are in an air conditioned room. 

Cheapest Way to Stay Full

Restaurants and fast food can add up and wastes a lot of money (not to mention the healthy factor). We are an active couple and the couple we shared this trip with is like us. We knew we would be doing some hiking and kayaking and needed food to snack on. A local grocery store is a great way to cut food costs. We spent $100 between 4 people to supplement snacks and even meals (long car ride from Seward to Denali). Our Groupon kayak trip also had meals included to help save!

Enjoying our 4th of July hotdogs and s'mores

Mileage Programs

I am currently enrolled with a credit card company that gives me points for spending. I convert these points to airline miles since we love to travel. Everything outside of my mortgage and loans is paid with my credit card giving me optimal points. This can help cut down on flight prices.

Still making excuses? Well, you can reason that you will not be at home, so you will not be running your AC or taking long hot showers. Either way, you have to eat, whether you are away on vacation or at home... Maybe add in a night out at the bar$. So take the plunge and go travel! If you have any questions, leave a comment or e-mail us 10centtravels@gmail.com

Not worried about the spending while traveling, but more concerned how to save in order to travel? We can try to help with that too. Check out our tips to help save for a trip!

Big Bend National Park - Outer Mountain Loop (Pic heavy!)

Finally made it!

Big Bend – Outer Mountain Loop

Texas is home to 2 National Parks. Big Bend is one of them, and “Big” is an understatement. Unfortunately this beautiful slice of heaven is very isolated. Lying 4.5 hours from El Paso and 6 hours from San Antonio, it makes Big Bend challenging to come by… but worth every second. Remember how Big Bend is huge, it is larger than the entire state of Rhode Island and once you enter the park, it is still another 30 or so miles until the Visitor Center. If you would like to learn more about Big Bend, visit the National Park’s web page (http://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm).  Below will be a recap of my adventure to Big Bend with 3 other buddies. Our endurance/health levels varied, but generally our camping was minimal.

Here is what I packed for the trip 

OML without the South Rim Detour

Trip Recap:

May 22, 2014

Leave San Antonio around 10 pm in hopes of making it to the park by sunrise. Aside from almost running out of gas, we just kept each other awake on the drive. We made a stop in Fort Stockton to grab a bite to eat figuring there would be nothing else open along the way. I got a foot long subway to eat once we got closer to the park.

Heading down to cache ou

May 23, 2014

We got to the Park around 7 am as the sun was rising. During our drive in we started to feel how massive and majestic this area was. During the night ride we were oblivious to the giant rock formations jetting out of the ground. The sun’s reflection was giving off a vibrant red glow that was photographic view, even from a distance. We already knew that hiking the Outer Mountain Loop was impossible without caching water. We headed to the Homer Wilson Blue Creek cache point. All four of us placed 1 gallon each. CACHE 2 GALLONS. I cannot stress this enough. It is no difference hauling 2 gallons from your car on the side of the road, down 400m to the cache box. We saw other jugs in the box dated in April, some with “Emergency water”. We heard doing the OML was suicidal in the summer months, but we were experiencing a rather cool May. We returned back to Chisos Basin Park Center (can leave car here) to buy our park pass ($20/vehicle) and get our backpacking permit ($10). The park ranger issues these and was strongly trying to discourage our plans. In the end, our research and knowledge from it convinced him to give us a shot. He did mention that OML has a 10% success rate… scare tactic or truth?

Getting ready to take off!

The water alone I was carrying weighed almost 20 pounds. After adding in everything else, I was somewhere between 25 & 30. My preparation for this trip? Walking around Freer, TX with 35 pounds in my bag for 2 hours one day and 4 hours another. We all chugged about half a gallon of water and began our adventure at 10 am. We began with the Pinnacles Trail. This was an immediate uphill hike. We got into the grove by allowing each person to lead the group for 15 mins, and then drop to the end and continue until one cycle. We would then stop and rest for 15 mins then continue. This gave each person the chance to go at

Maps help!

their own pace and include plenty of rest. We continued this method for 3.5 miles where we came across Emory Peak Trail. I hear great things about this view, but we heard better things about South Rim, so we trekked on for about 1.3 miles (passing the Colina Trail). We took a breather here. There is a nice dried out creek. We headed to the right towards South Rim, but only for a short, maybe half mile, we were forced to continue right on the West route due to falcon mating season. After a mile we came up on the most breath taking views. We were again restricted by the falcon mating season and forced to turn right. We took lots of photos. One of the guys in our group was deathly afraid of heights, to the point where us being close to the edge made him queasy. We spent a solid 30 mins admiring the great views and taking photos. Our vantage point allowed us to see for miles and

Enjoying South Rim

Group Shot!

consequently, where we would be walking the next day. We headed back to our turn off point (~3 mile side trip in all) and got onto Juniper Canyon Trail. We all thought the steep ascend was bad… the steep descend was possibly worse! We were still covered by trees and the heat wasn’t too back despite temperatures reaching into the upper 80’s. After descending from 7,000’ to 3,000’ we made it to Upper Juniper Springs. Soon after this point is where back packing camping begins. This must occur 50’ off the trail (there are clearly marked spots). We estimated that we were 1.5-2 miles from the Dodson Trail turn off. We set up the tent and got ready for bed as the sun was setting. Due to our lack of sleep we were able to sleep pretty easy despite the thunder clouds rolling in.

Take BREAKS!

Our sleep spot

Total distance covered: 14 miles

Lunch: 1 apple, couple beef jerky pieces, and cliff bar

Snack: 1 orange

Dinner: Tuna package, jerky pieces, twizzlers and washed down with half coconut water

May 24, 2014

Rattlesnakes blend in well... Be careful!

We woke around 6 and began to get ready. We were on our way by 6:45 with the sun barely peaking over the mountains. Within 30 minutes of leaving we became INCHES from a rattlesnake. Just sitting in the middle of the trail was a 4’ rattlesnake. We took no chance and walked way around. Another 30 minutes we were at the cache station for Dodson Trail. We took a look and found some emergency water. We took some and filled our jugs. We did not take full advantage ago, and we wish we would have! Never pass on water!

Day 2!

There was a single rain cloud on the mountain where South Rim view was. It was a great shot, so we took a couple photos before taking off. We had roughly 11 miles til the Homer Wilson Blue Creek Ranch point. This part was very brutal and intense. It involved very rigorous up downs causing us to take multiple breaks. There was no shade from the sun. The immediate contact wore on us greatly. The only positive is your shoulders become use to the weight and the load is lessening with time, but be sure you save water! After the intersection of Smokey Creek Trail, the terrain becomes more tame. The heat however is climbing rapidly. We started a 20 mins on, 5 mins off campaign and that 5 mins had to be spent in whatever form of shade we could find. We knew the cache station was coming up after we ascended and

Cairns will save you!

took a turn and saw we had a big descend. Take this descent lightly, then follow the creek bed and finally the cache station is in view! The heat was making it quite miserable but the scenery is amazing. We sat at the cache station for an hour chugging water and eating what we could. Half our crew decided that was enough and hitched a ride back to the park center. We continued up the creek bed for another 2.5 hours passing the red rocks (looks like something out of Utah!). We made camp and passed out!

The red rocks

Total distance covered: 13 miles

Breakfast: Cliff bar and rest of coconut water

Lunch: 1 apple, couple beef jerky pieces, peanut butter and honey sandwich

Snack: 1 orange

Dinner: Tuna package, jerky pieces, twizzlers

May 25, 2014

We woke up early to beat the heat. We had to use our head lights for the first 30 mins or so but it was worth it. The steep mountains that surrounded us made it feel like we were closer than we really were. We had one last ascend where at the top the sign indicated we were 3.5 miles away from the park center. Hope! This involved a lot of switch backs that were hard on the joints and blisters on top of blisters. We could see a glimpse of the park but it was misleading as the switch backs were killer. We did start seeing people walking towards us wearing fresh clothes and smiles while I am sure we looked like something from the Walking Dead. We finally reached the park center and immediately went to the park store to buy any kind of foods. Burger and ice cream? Sounds great! Finished up with about 36 miles in all 

FINISHED!