KETCHUM, ID
Nothing like hiking to get you unplugged from technology! Until, of course, you go for a hike when your AllTrails maps won't download AND you forget your Apple watch.
I mean, is it even legal to hike anymore if you aren't tracking your miles and heart rate and elevation gains? And without my AllTrails GPS map, am I supposed to read the map at the trailhead like a caveman?!
This hike definitely made me realize how much I still use my technology, even when I think I'm unplugged. And even without it, I somehow managed to navigate by sun and stars (and a very well-defined path the entire way) to make a loop around what turned out to be an incredibly gorgeous trail.
On top of all that, the trail started out with an ominous snowbank. Snowbanks like these are usually foreshadowing for an aborted hike a little higher up in elevation, but fortunately, that was the first and last snow I saw on the trail. Whew!
The trail started out on the shady side. And literally, that's what the first trail was called: Shady Side Trail. Nothing too spectacular except the sound of a stream running alongside the trail.
Then the trail looped back around in a wide open area on what you'd think would be called the Sunnyside Trail. Nope. You loop back on "Adams Rib Trail" with the final path to the car called the "Pork Chop Section" ... LOL!
I have no idea who picked those trail names or why, but WOW! The scenery was gorgeous. Blue skies. Fluffy white clouds. Wildflowers blooming everywhere. See how the grass has a yellowish hue? That's from all the yellow flowers. Gorgeous.
And a few areas with some lavender-colored flowers thrown into the mix. Stunning.
Toward the end of the trail, I came across this little picnic table at the crest of a hill, surrounded by wildflowers and illuminated clouds, with a view you can't get at any old restaurant. Sign me up, please.
The photo looks dark because I was shooting into the sun, which was behind a cloud. Just mentioned that to assure you I was not at risk of sleeping ON that picnic table due to my lack of technology-guided navigation.
I totally lucked out on the timing of my visit to Idaho - I hit the peak of spring just perfectly. Wildflowers. Pollen misting through the air. Trees in bloom. The air swirling with fluffy white snowflakes of "cotton" from the cottonwood trees. I couldn't have timed this better if I tried.