Today I took my family for a little hike to the Cress Creek Nature Trail just east of Idaho Falls, Idaho (Directions to Cress Creek Nature Trail). The temperature was perfect and the views of the valley were great. The Cress Creek Nature Trail is handicap accessible about a third of the way up the trail. It is paved and has small switch backs for wheelchairs. At the end of the pavement the trail turns to gravel for a large loop up the side of the hill with several stations to stop and read information.

The trail is a self-guided lesson about the history of the area, as well as the types of plants that grow in the region. At the beginning of the trail there is a sign that warns hikers of the possibility of meeting a rattlesnake along the trail. I have never seen one from the trail, but do know they are in the area.

Cress Creek gets its name from the watercress that grows in the creek. The creek is fed by some warm springs so the water stays warm enough year round for the watercress to grow and attracts deer, moose, and other animals to the area.

From the top of Cress Creek Nature Trail one can look out over the Snake River valley and see Idaho Falls, Ririe, the Snake River, the Arco Buttes and mountain ranges in the distance if visibility is good.

I took a trip with my Father and two sons this weekend to Cave Falls in Yellowstone.  The weather wasn't the best, but the waterfall was awesome.  There was a TON of water flowing over the falls.  Cave Falls gets it's name from the cave that used to be next to the falls.  The cave is thought to have caved in sometime around February 2008.  The area where the cave used to be is now just a huge pile of rocks and there is a small outcropping in the cliff.  However, the trail is closed off so you can no longer get over to the area. 

A couple of nights ago I got a NASTY mosquito bite on my right forearm.  It feels like a bruise when I touch it and is about the size of a silver dollar.  Worst part is that it itches like crazy, but yet it hurts to scratch because of the bruise type feeling. 

This made me think about the few hiking / camping trips I've been on when mosquito's were just horrible and I decided I would set out to find some ways to stop the mosquito bite itch sensation.  Here are a few natural ways that I found that worked for me.  Try some for yourself and let me know how it goes:

1. Heat or hot water.  This is one that can be used in the backcountry if you get one of these nasty mosquito bites.  Apply heat to the bite, as hot as you can stand.
2. Ice or cold water.  Interesting how my first suggestion is heat and second is ice.  For some reason, luke warm just doesn't cut it when it comes to mosquito bite relief.
3. Rub the bite with a dry bar of soap. Yeah I know weird...
4. Tea Tree Oil (aka Melaleuca oil.  If you need access to this stuff, let us know and we can hook you up)
5. Banana Peel that is open.  Rub the opened banana peel over the bit.
6. A pocket knife.  Bite on a stick and just cut the bite out.  (No, don't really do this.)

Some of these might not work for you and may not work for different mosquito species bites.  Different species cause different reactions.

I just finalized the update to Backcountry Secrets and wanted to summarize some of the highlights for you.

1.  A new design.  I'm hoping that the new design will bring more attention to the fact that users can update descriptions, submit reviews, upload images, and upload KML files for all of the different outdoor sports.

2.  Outdoor Gear Deal of the Day page.  This page helps users to find great deals on products that are killer deals from major companies such as backcountry.com and more.

3.  KML file support and Google Earth view.  On each of the point detail pages, users who have submitted atleast one point will be able to view KML files in a Google Earth type environment.  This feature is great to show the elevation gain of a hike, or directions to a point. This image is of Table Rock Hike and Campground in Wyoming.

4.  The site in general just loads faster.  We optimized a lot of the code to help the search pages and detail pages load faster.  The biggest difference will be seen on the search pages.

5.  Flickr images integrated.  We are no longer hosting the images submitted to the site on our own server.  This will allow us to have larger image sizes and share great photos with more people. 

Be forewarned that I'm not telling you to shut off your computer right now. At least finish reading this post :)

Over the past few years I have noticed an increase in the number of cellphones and portable computers in the outdoors. I understand we all have to make a living and having a job that allows for you to go outdoors with your work is pretty awesome, but when is it too much? For me it becomes too much when I realize I'm not enjoying the outdoors for what they are, a GETAWAY. The outdoors are supposed to be a getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life.

If you find yourself in the outdoors constantly checking to see if you have a wireless phone signal, sending emails, or reading blogs you may have an Internet addiction. It's a real problem and you need help! The first step is to admit to yourself that you are addicted. What's that? You say you don't have an addiction. Ok, then leave the cellphone home. The world will go on without you. Your clients WILL understand that you need a break. If they don't, find new clients.

Just remember, no one died saying, "I wish I had spent more time at the office." Enjoy that family time and actually make it FAMILY time. Teach your son how to make a fire with flint and steel, not check a cell tower to make sure that email sent to Bill.

Day three of the Yellowstone trip started out at Canyon museum (not really in the backcountry, but you can learn a lot there.) From there we headed north to Trout Lake.

Trout Lake is a nice little hike that doesn't take too long and isn't too strenuous. Once you get to the lake there is a leisurely hike around the lake that is very scenic. There is also a fun little bridge for children to play on and look for fish.

As we hiked around the lake we came upon an otter. At first all the noise scared him/her back in to the lake. Later as we came back toward the bridge the otter was back out eating a fish. Almost everytime we visit Trout Lake we see an otter.

After Trout Lake we headed towards Mammoth. We stopped at the Forces of the Northern Range Self Guiding Trail. This "hike" is mostly just a level board walk that is good for getting the energy out of children and enjoying some scenery.

We headed back for camp and much to our pleasure saw a mother and her two black bear cubs. This is a rare sight anywhere in the world and it was awesome! The secret Yellowstone trip was well worth it.

Day two of our annual Yellowstone Trip took us to the lower loop of Yellowstone. We made sure to stop and get the Firehole River Swimming Area point to add to Backcountry Secrets. It was too cold for us to swim at this time of year, but this is an enjoyable summer dip.

After Firehole River Swimming Area we headed south to the Classic Old Faithful. There are plenty of trails at Old Faithful to walk around on and enjoy hot pots and geysers. Life flight landed and took off while we were at Old Faithful (Just a reminder that the backcountry and wild animals can be dangerous).

After Old Faithful we drove around to Lake. We checked out Fishing Bridge Campground (talk about bumper to bumper trailers), then continued on to Mary's Bay. Just past Mary's Bay there is a beautiful lookout point on top of a mountain that you can drive to. In the distance you can see the Tetons and overlook Yellowstone Lake.

We finished day two off with a nice large campfire (with freshly cut wood) after discovering our neighbors on night two had gathered up the firewood we cut that morning. They must have thought they hit the jackpot.

If any of you happen to go on one of these Mars Hikes, will you please leave a review for it at http://www.hikemars.com