Kevin Adkins Adventures

come join kevin adkins adventures on facebook

2009-07-12T01:49:00.005-06:00

I have decided to abandon this blog for a fan page on facebook. Facebook offers me more opportunity for more frequent updates and to get to know those of you better who follow my adventures (and photography). So I encourage you to find my fan page on facebook and see what this dude has been up to lately when it comes to this great state of Colorado.

On second thought, I will just give you the link, hehe. I want to thank all of you who have followed my blog and I hope to see you on facebook :)

Kevin Adkins Adventures on Facebook

independence pass

2009-06-21T23:24:00.004-06:00

It is hard getting back into the swing of things after 5 months in the air force. I decided to give it an attempt though and go on a day hike just to see if I remembered how to take a photo.

I was a little disappointed in the fact that the area I planned on going had way too much snow. The summer here so far in Colorado has been very cold and the snow seems to be a little more than normal at this point in the game. With that said though, I decided to head to Independence Pass instead and take a couple of photos.

As always, I was not disappointed. The low clouds gave me some opportunity to take some unique shots. Although, I didn't get the spectacular. I was excited to get out again and blow the dust off the camera.

Here are a couple of photos of the trip. I have more photos posted on my website of this adventure. Enjoy :)

back in colorado!!

2009-06-11T20:40:00.007-06:00

It has been a long 5 months but an eventful 5 months. As you know I spent the past 5 months in San Antonio training with the Air Force. The past 3 months has been spent at tech school for security forces training. It has been a blast and an adventure to say the least. Maybe at some point, I will post more detail of my last 5 months. But for now I have to make this quick.

I am currently back in CO and very excited to be home. I love CO and became very homesick while I was gone. It has been a hectic week but I was able to get out one day this week and drive up to Independence Pass. It was still very snowy up there. I didn't get any great photos but just enjoyed getting out again.

I have another busy week planned and it will include a backpacking trip with a friend next week (hopefully).

I am going to start up this blog again so keep checking back to find out the latest in Kevin Adkins Adventures. Until my next post enjoy a couple of photos of my air force venture :)

last post for awhile

2008-12-27T18:47:00.004-07:00

Well, the time has finally come. On Tuesday, Dec. 30th. I report to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. From that moment until Feb 27th I will be in zero contact with the world. My cousin in law has graciously accepted my request to keep my friends and family updated during that time. If any of you are interested, you can just email her at davidandjilljacobs@hotmail.com and ask her to be added to list. Although 2 months isn't long, it will probably be an eternity to me. She will also have my address and graduation info in San Antonio as well.

After graduation, I get my cell phone back and will get some free time...but not much. Because of that I don't know when I will post an update on my blog. My guess is sometime in mid to late March. I am sure I will have lots to say by then but not much photography (maybe a graduation photo or two) but no mountains :(

Whether you visit my blog for my photography or my life adventures, I want to take this moment for thanking you for being a fan of my photography and the happenings of Kevin Adkins adventures. It is fun doing this blog and I love taking pictures for you guys!!!

For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, I enlisted in the Air Force Reserve back in the summer. I went on the DEP which is why it has taken so long for me to report. Security Forces is the career field I have chosen with the Air Force and upon graduation from tech school in June, I will have received an Associates degree in Criminal Justice. After that, who knows what lays ahead for me. I have decided that I am not going to worry about that until the time comes. Serving my country is something I have thought about for the past few years and I am both excited and nervous that I finally took the plunge!!!

Happy new years to all of you. I have a feeling my won't be so fun hehe. Thank you guys again for everything. God Bless!!!

Kevin Adkins Adventures Update

2008-12-23T22:52:00.006-07:00

I finally completed my 2004 archive. I lost a little momentum on my updates but got it done when I realized time was running out on me. These are some photos I haven't viewed in some time and it was interesting noticing how much better my gear and photography have gotten over the years. Although I did enjoy the 2004 archive, I was pretty disappointed with the overall quality of the photos. The composition was decent on a few of the photos though. Overall, if you take my photography for what it is, I think you will enjoy the 2004 archive.

With that said, I have had a few people ask how they can view my latest postings. There is only one way. Just go to the bottom of my home page on smugmug (not my splash page at kevinadkins.com). At the bottom of that page, you can subscribe to my feeds and get updates any time I upload any images. It is a pretty cool feature if you are not familiar with that and many websites have that service now (including this one). Also, if you don't like viewing my photos by adventure since that is so sporadic on what year I went on that trip, you can use the date search on the bottom of my page. You just enter the time frame and all photos I took during that period will show up. That is another great way to view my archive as it continues to grow.

With that said, my 2004 archive will be my last update for at least the next seven months. If you don't know, I enlisted in the Air Force Reserve this summer and the time for me to report has come. I will be in San Antonio away from all this beauty until mid June. I don't know when I will be able to start posting updates again on my website, but rest assured, no matter where I end up...my passion for photography will go with me. Hopefully that is still in CO but time will tell. Regardless, I still plan on posting my photography from 2001-2003 at some point. Those were the beginning years and I can't wait to view those photos again to see how far I have come.

Hopefully my near 1000 photos I have already posted will keep you guys busy for awhile. And if you are curious which photos of 2008 are my favorites, I have included them in this post. My favorites are often different than yours due to several reasons. I have had a couple of people tell me they miss this part of my old website. I may implement it again at some point but for now, just enjoy these select few that I really like.

weekend in dallas - Cowboys

2008-12-20T23:55:00.012-07:00

My last trip I had planned before I report was to go to Dallas to see my buddy Jerod. I had not seen him since he got his 754283165975 promotions and moved to Dallas. I was pretty excited to see him and spend the weekend with him talking about sports and times past. I was also going to get to see my other buddy Ken who graciously invited us to go to the Cowboys - Giants game. Well, I have to admit, I did try to see if I could get some tickets through him but he ended up giving us 2 of his tickets...THANKS KEN!!!

It was a great weekend and nice to be able to see Jerod. He has a beautiful home and a beautiful family . It was cool getting to meet his kids and wife for the first time. They were great hosts and put up with me for 3 days.

The highlight of the trip though was the going to Texas Stadium for the Cowboys - Giants football game. I am not a huge fan of either but have several friends and family members that are huge cowboys fans. I was also excited about getting to see the old stadium before the cowboys move to the new one. Another item I can remove from my bucket list :) And it was an added bonus that Ted Nugent performed the National Anthem :)

It was a great time and a great game. It was a defensive struggle throughout the game before the Cowboys finally pulled away late in the 4th quarter. The fans were louder than I expected and it was fun to cheer on the Cowboys to a much needed victory.

As you will see in the photos below, Ken has great seats. We were 11 rows up from the sideline on the 35 yard line. It was a different perspective than what I am used to with my seats at Mile High. For those of you who don't know, I am at the bottom of the upper level at the 45 yard line. Although I like my seats better, there is something to be said sitting so close to the sidelines and hearing the hits, seeing the face expressions of the players, etc...

I also made a new friend, Rob. He is an avid Cowboys fan even though he lives in New York. It was fun watching the game with him and giving him high fives throughout the game. He is some sort of Vp with the March of Dimes which is a wonderful cause. I am probably going to extend my fund raiser efforts once again to help with the March of Dimes as well as continuing helping the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation...more to come next year.

Last but not least, I have some photos I took at the game. I am not posting these on my facebook page so you will see all of the photos here. You will notice there are no pictures of me and that is kind of on purpose...I was wearing a cowboys hat and t-shirt. It was kind of weird not wearing my broncos stuff and I didn't want to confuse people haha.

Thank you Jerod, Ken and Rob for a weekend I will always remember!!!

football weekend with the cuz...

2008-12-18T00:48:00.005-07:00

Ever since I joined facebook back in July, I have reunited with several friends. One of my most impactful reconnections was finding my long lost cousin I haven't seen in about 17 years. We had the typical small talk once we reunited on facebook but after I watched the CU - CSU football game at Mile High, my cuz wrote on my wall telling me I needed to come watch some "real" college football. Well... the rest is history.

My cuz is an Auburn alum and I told him I was ready to come watch some SEC football. I don't think he was serious but before he knew it, I had booked a flight to head over there and watch the Auburn - Georga game. And oh...what a coincidence, the Broncos happen to be playing the Falcons that same weekend in Atlanta ;)

A great time was had. My cuz was the ultimate host and had everything planned out perfectly. Although Auburn lost the game, they fought hard and the game went down to the final play...an incomplete pass in the end zone that would have resulted in a victory. Broncos Sunday however resulted in a solid victory. I clutch comeback by Cutler in the 4th quarter led us to a much needed victory and has positioned us to win the division.

The trip ended up being so much more though. I am a football freak and always will be but probably the coolest thing was being able to meet my cousin's wife, kids and friends. What a great bunch of people. Although I hate to admit this, the highlight of the trip was hanging out and getting to know all of them better. Did I just say that!!!

So to the crew in Georgia and Alabama, thank you so much for a great weekend. This was one of the highlights of my year and something I hope I can do again in the future.

If you are interested in viewing some of the photos I took, you can view a gallery I posted on facebook.

the methodology behind kev's broncos caps

2008-11-26T18:19:00.006-07:00

I was in the process of reorganizing my bedroom and was trying to create a little bit more closet space. Well, shortly after beginning, I quickly got distracted when I emptied my top shelf that had all of my broncos caps. The result is, an unfinished closet and a random post explaining the history and methodology of my broncos caps.

There are several reasons that make me a very "unique" (another way of saying "single") dude, hehe. This is just one of many. In the photo below, you will see my complete collection of caps that I have collected over the years. I actually thought that I had more than this and was disappointed to only count 40 total caps.

If you look closely, you will see variations in the amount of wear and tear with each hat. You will also see some still in mint condition. There is a reason for this. I have different hats for different purposes. Let me explain the methodology behind my broncos caps.

First, let me just say that I update my collection yearly. I usually buy somewhere around 3-5 caps a year depending on how cool the selection is. Then, the new caps just get stuck up in my closet until they are called upon. Some caps in my closet however will never be called upon again as they have been officially retired. A cap will be called upon for one of three reasons.

The first is for my hiking/backpacking adventures. Once a year, I call upon a broncos cap of my choice and wear the same cap for every single hiking adventures I take during the course of the year. I never wash this hat and the wear and tear is dependent on the amount of times I get out during the course of the year. Sometimes the cap is looking pretty nasty by the end of the season. Sometimes, the rain cleans it a little but I just basically wear this cap on every backpacking adventure. At the end of the season, the cap is officially retired never to be worn again.

The second cap is my everyday use cap. This is the cap I always put on when I just go out for whatever reason. I don't have a specific time line for the longevity of this cap but I average choosing a different one once or twice a year. Once I switch caps, the old one is officially retired never to be worn again.

The third cap that I wear is for special occasions. For example, I went to GA to see my cuz. I took that cap. Next year when I am at my buddy's wedding, I will wear that cap. This cap only gets worn for special occasions and is considered a very high honor to be chosen. I don't have a time frame for the duration of this cap but it is usually once every other year. Once a new one is selected, the old one is officially retired.

The last cap is the luckiest cap on earth. This is the one I wear for all the broncos games (home and away). This cap has been with me since the first year I got season tickets in the year 2000 and will be worn at every game until the day I die. This cap will never retire...and yes, I am very superstitious.

So in summary, I basically have a crap load of broncos caps, hehe. But there are 4 lucky ones that sit on the mantle and christen my head at any given time. Below is a photo of my mantle with my current caps that are active. The rest will just have to wait in the closet or enjoy their retirement in the closet mantle shelf.

I know all of you were dying to understand the methodology behind this so hopefully this clears everything up...and I wonder why I am so "unique" hehe ;)

you know you are a bachelor when...

2008-11-21T21:21:00.006-07:00

Today I decided to clean out and organize my fridge and freezer. After all, there was bread in there turning green and items that said "best if used by Jan 20, 2005". Then end result was too funny, hehe.

Now before I show you this photo, I just want to say this. I have company coming over this weekend and I am quite the host so I could not go without supplying liquid entertainment for my guests (and myself). What I didn't realize at the time though was what my fridge truly looked like.

A couple of hours later, I opened it up to grab my sub sandwich for lunch and couldn't help but laugh. I immediatley realized this was a canon moment and got my camera out and shot the current state of my fridge.

In order to qualify being a true bachelor, the fridge must contain the following: water, milk, soda of some sort (optional) and condiments of all kinds (including taco bell sauce in the butter compartment). Most importantly though, it must contain beer. Well, here is the model contents of a true bachelor fridge, hehe.

Too funny!!!

Fall 2008 - Steamboat Springs area

2008-11-12T18:58:00.005-07:00

I decided to venture to new territory this year and head north for my fall foliage. It is easy to fall (no pun intended) into the trap of going back to places you know is good in the fall but I really decided I wanted to risk it this year and go someplace new. I was not disappointed.

I knew the Steamboat area had tons of aspen but I also knew it didn't have the dramatic peaks that central and southwestern Colorado have so I wasn't for sure if I would enjoy it as much. I was sooooo wrong. I spent a great 4 days there exploring the area and I will be going there in future years now that I have a better idea of the area.

The trip included 3 day hikes and then a travel day driving the back roads. What will result is 4 different updates on my website. I will have these updates up before I report Dec. 30th and that will officially conclude my 2008 photography archive.

Below are a couple of photos I took showing off the hills and the vibrant colors of the aspen. I also have around 11 photos posted on my facebook account if you want a sneak peek. Enjoy :)

Wind River Range - Wyoming

2008-10-28T23:02:00.004-06:00

In late July, I headed to the Wind River Range in Wyoming to meet my buddy Jesse and spend a few nights in the area. I have never been to Wyoming so I really didn't know what to expect. Jesse had previously been there and was excited to return. The area is well known for its dramatic peaks and I was not disappointed.

We spent 4 days and 3 nights exploring the area less populated. As much as I enjoyed the trip and the time with my buddy, I couldn't help but think how much more I enjoy the mountains of Colorado. Maybe it is I'm just biased. Regardless, it was a great time.

I am in the process of getting the photos uploaded to my website and should be complete by the end of the week. In the meantime, you can view a few of the photos I took on my facebook account.

Here are also a couple of photos of the area and the 56 lb. pack I had to tote for the trip!!!

Jesse Speer Photography

2008-10-17T00:29:00.004-06:00

Every photographer has a fellow favorite that he respects and models after. When I first moved to Colorado, it was the easy choice, John Fielder, Colorado's most famous photographer. I studied his photos and compositions and tried to model after him. But in 2002, I found a new photographer that I thought was way better.

When I first moved to CO, I always went to Rocky Mountain National Park . Well, one night I found an amazing website that somebody hosted as the un"official" website of RMNP. This dude's photography of the area was AMAZING!!! It blew Fielder's work out the water, imo. I emailed him letting him know how much I enjoyed his photography and told him we should hook up for a hike in the park some time. The rest is history.

Not only did this dude remain my favorite photographer but he actually became one of my best friends!!!

Over the years, Jesse and myself have been on several adventures together and it has been nothing but good times. Probably our best trip we took together was when we went backpacking to Ice Lakes. He was sick and sapped of energy but toughed it out. Thank goodness he did. What resulted was my favorite trip of all time and the the trip I used to help raise money for the Shaw family during their time of need.

Well, Jesse has since moved to Montana but we still keep in touch. In fact, we hooked up for a backpacking trip this past summer in Wyoming. It was a great time.

My photography took a turn for the better after 2002 and the reason for that was Jesse. Over the years he has selflessly helped me learn how to become a decent photographer helping with everything from composition to the technical side of things. I think I have asked him well over 1000 questions over the years and he has answered every single one. He has helped me create my own style of photography even though we have often shot side by side.

I was viewing his site a couple of days ago and it reminded me how great of a photographer he is. His style is like none other. I am writing this because if you are a fan of my photography then you should most definitely check out his website. After all, he is my favorite photographer and my inspiration (not trying to sound too cheesy here).

Here are a couple of photos that are just a taste of what my friend has taken over the years. Once you visit his site, you will understand exactly why is my favorite photographer.

Thanks Jesse for everything!!! Can't wait to go on a trip next summer.

Kevin Adkins Adventures Update

2008-10-13T23:08:00.004-06:00

I have tried to pick up the pace on my website these past couple of weeks to try to get as many updates as possible posted before I report. Doing so, I have realized 2 things. The first is that I will not get all my photos up in time and the second is, my older photos suck anyways so it doesn't really matter.

Even though I am really enjoying going through my older photos, I realize how much better my more recent photography is. Part of it is because I have a better equipment but most of it is I just pay more attention to compositions now and not take photos like a tourist (no offense intended to anyone).

Regardless, I still plan on going back all the way to 2001 (the first year I started to figure things out as a photographer). The reality is though that I may only get back to my 2003 photos before I have to report. If that is the case, I will resume the updates when I can (sometime in the summer of 2009). I will be sure to get all my 2008 photos posted before I leave. I only have two more trips from this year to post but there are a couple of good photos I took so I want to make sure and get them posted for my fundraiser.

After tonight I do officially have 40 adventures posted and over 670 photos so far. Before it is all said and done, I will have around 100 adventures posted and easily over 1000 photos. Quite an archive I would say.

So if you haven't checked out my website lately, I encourage to take some time and check out some of my recent updates. Don't forget, if you really like one of my photos to click on the green thumbs up button. The most popular photos section of my website is a little weak and won't improve if my photos don't get the clutch thumbs up. Please don't make me go in and give my own photos a thumbs up, haha.

The Adventure of the Summer

2008-10-07T22:44:00.010-06:00

A couple of months ago when I was thinking about about changing my official title from Kevin Adkins Photography to Kevin Adkins Adventures...this was the trip I had in mind. I love taking pictures but I love taking the adventures more. Usually something pretty funny happens. And this particular trip was no exception.

It started out with me leaving for the San Juans to return to a place I really enjoy and explore some new territory as well. Well, the trip got off to a great start when I drove 90 miles in the wrong direction before realizing it. I was supposed to take the Copper Mountain exit but for some reason stayed on I-70. I didn't realize my foo-pa until I hit Glenwood Springs. What is worse is that I didn't bring the Colorado Bible (atlas) because I knew where I was going...haha. Lucky for me Jesse was home and led me in the right direction. Overall, it probably added a couple of extra hours to the drive but I got to see some areas of Colorado I have never seen before.

Well, I finally get there it the skies were opened up with a steady rain. I decided to try to go ahead and wait things out because I wanted to get some sunset shots of American Lake. Finally around 6:30pm, the rain turned into a drizzle. That is the point that I decided to head out and not use my better judgement.

I had my backpacking gear but I knew I would have to hurry if I wanted to make it to the lake by sunset so I decided to take my day pack and head back in the dark. I had a backpackers editors choice head lamp with me so how hard to it be. Besides that I was above treeline in the tundra so I would just use the mountains as reference to get me back. There was a full moon a couple of nights before so there would be plenty of light...

Well, I headed out and made it to the lake a bit too late but I was able to capture a couple of photos that turned out alright.

Well, I figured on the way back I would just follow the ridge and it would lead me back to my fj. Things were fine for most of the trip. I could still see a little as the light hadn't totally disappeared and with my headlamp on I could see in front of me just fine. I was probably less than a mile from my fj when things decided to turn against me.

I hit a big snow drift that covered the trail so I had to climb up above so avoid walking on the snow. I never found the trail again but I wasn't too concerned because I knew where I was. I guess I didn't know after all. I was climbing a ridge and I was convinced the road was just over this ridge... but when I reached it, there was a drop off. "uh oh...that's bad. I looked up to the mountains around me to see exactly where I was but there was one tiny problem. It was so dark, I couldn't see them any longer. It was pitch black. Where the heck was that full moon!!! Oh, did I mention I didn't have a compass with me, hehe.

I decided to backtrack a bit and try to find the trail. I never was able to. So I just stared heading back the direction I came because I was convinced the road was in that direction somewhere. Well after about 1.5 hours of walking in all directions trying to find the road I began to lose confidence on where the heck I was. I started thinking to myself that I may have to spend the night in the wild and wait until morning to find out where the heck I was. What a cold night that would be!!!

There were storms out in the distance so I decided to keep trying to find the road. Finally, close to midnight and several different routes, I came across a ravine. I knew I parked by some water runoff coming from a ravine. I told myself I am just going to follow this and see where it goes. I finally used good judgment and found the road and my fj parked just a bit further down. It turns out I went way too high and was basically walking parallel to the road for most of the night haha. Thank goodness I didn't have to spend the night outside!!

Well, after that trip Kevin Adkins Photography became Kevin Adkins Adventures. I will have more photos of this trip posted on my website by the end of the week (more than likely tomorrow). Oh, and if you want to know what I was seeing, here is an image that pretty much sums it up...hehe.

Blog Update

2008-10-04T18:21:00.002-06:00

I have been slacking on the 'ol blog lately. I plan on catching up in a week or so with several postings from this summer and fall adventures. In the meantime, I just got back from a nice week camping in the Steamboat Springs area. I was able to go on 3 separate hikes and I nice loop drive around the area. My photos didn't turn out all that great but the beauty more than made up for it. I plan on heading to Crested Butte on Monday if the snow doesn't knock all the leaves down. They are under a winter storm warning with 8-18 inches of snow. Who knows, Kebler Pass may be closed :) Hope not.

I posted 11 photos from my trip this week on my facebook account. Feel free to check them out here.

Hope to start catching up next week on the postings!!!

Birthday weekend

2008-09-10T23:19:00.007-06:00

I really didn't have anything planned for my birthday and didn't even realize it was my birthday until somebody wished me happy birthday in facebook. I thought to myself, "wow, can't believe I forgot my birthday, I guess I had better go celebrate." Well a buddy of mine was having a BBQ so I decided to invite myself and attend, haha. What I didn't realize at the time though is what a truly fun birthday this would be. I would get to hang out with some friends on Saturday and then watch the CU - CSU game on TV on Sunday...or so I thought.

I have lived in Colorado since 1999 but have never been to a CU - CSU football game. Every year I watch it on TV and wonder why I haven't been to the game. The past 6 years have gone to the final play and before that, each team blew the other team out. The rivalry is pretty heated between these two schools and the winner has bragging rights for the year. I was planning on watching the game once again on television when I received a phone call as I was heading to Denver for the BBQ. It was my good buddy Trav. He called to invite me to go to the game with him. UNBELIEVABLE!!! What a birthday present. Of course I happily accepted. What a fun birthday this was going to turn out to be.

Well, first things first. I went to the BBQ and hung out with some good friends. It was a great time. He recently bought his home and finished some clutch remodeling that included a kick @$ home theatre room in the basement. Equipped with all the lazy boy chairs you would need, a 7.1 surround sound system and a 100" 1080p television, it led to a great night of staying up until 4am watching movies haha. I had a great time.

Well Sunday came around and it was game day. I headed over to Trav's to check out his new house. They bought an awesome place and are in the process of doing some remodeling. We went ahead and had a pre tailgate at his house before heading to the game which was being played at Mile High. We got to the stadium a little early to have a couple of cold beverages and enjoy the tailgate atmosphere. It was wild. I tailgate every Broncos game but I have not been to a true college tailgate until this day. The college kids were being pretty rowdy. It was fun to watch. It was also nice to spend some time with Trav talking about life...what old people do haha.

We decided to go into the stadium a bit early to make sure we didn't miss kickoff. It was weird being inside Mile High and not sitting in my normal seats. The atmosphere was electric. The Broncos have always been known for their loud noise but there is something to be said for having a stadium split 50-50 and the emotion of college football. I LOVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL!! The bands came out before the game and then before CU took the field, the cheerleaders and Ralphie led them onto the field.

The game was incredible. It ended up being a dominating victory for the Buffs winning 38-17. I have to admit, I thought I wanted another barn burner but ended up being really cool watching CU dominate. The game also featured back-to-back kickoff returns for touchdowns. WOW!!! I have never seen that before.

I had a great birthday weekend with my friends. I went from not even realizing it was my birthday to a very fun weekend. It just reminds me how lucky I am to have the friends that I have!!!

Preview of Wind River Range

2008-08-25T23:41:00.002-06:00

I haven't been very motivated to update my blog lately so I decided to go ahead and share some of my favorite photos I took from my backpacking trip to Wind River Range in Wyoming. I will post more about this adventure later as I am currently working of finishing my 2005 archive (only one adventure left).

Hope you enjoy the photos. Click here to view from my facebook account.

Uncompahgre Wilderness - Matterhorn Basin

2008-08-08T20:18:00.003-06:00

I took a small day hike up the wetterhorn trail. Although the photos didn't turn out that great, it was actually a very beautiful hike. I had to cut it short however with storms in the area.

Since I am currently working on my 2005 archive for my website so I thought I would post a couple of photos of the hike. It will be awhile before I get this adventure uploaded on my website.

Enjoy :)

Kevin Adkins Photography is now Kevin Adkins Adventures

2008-08-01T23:22:00.002-06:00

I doubt many of you noticed but I decided to make a name change to my website as well as my blog. The reason for this is something I have been thinking about all summer. When it comes down to it, I really don't enjoy being a photographer...I just like taking pictures on my adventures.

There is actually a big difference in my mind. Being a photographer takes a lot of work and actually has pressures associated with it...taking the perfect photo that appeals to the masses. A person who likes to take pictures just shoots things that are cool to him and doesn't always worry about setting up the tripod or the lighting, etc. That is what I like to do. I like to take adventures with the camera in hand.

I talked to my buddy Jesse about this and after I explained things he seemed to agree that the title change was actually a good idea. Especially because every time I go on an adventure to the back country, something always seems to happen. Heck, my last trip alone included driving 1.5 hours the wrong way before I realized it and getting lost in the dark above treeline, hehe...which I will give full details of in my next post :)

I also felt the name change was more fitting for my blog as well because it is not just about the photos but the adventures and happenings in my life as well. Obviously I am going through a major transition in life that is very exciting and I want to share that with anybody who wants to know.

Nothing has changed except the name. I still plan on trying to get out a few more times this summer and fall and takes lots of pictures. I also still plan on adding my older photos through my website until the end of the year. I hope you continue to enjoy my adventures in the back country and in life :)

Lizard Head Wilderness - Bilk Basin - DENIED!!!

2008-07-21T23:41:00.003-06:00

I was really looking forward to backpacking in lizard head wilderness. I have never been there before and saw some pretty amazing photos taken there by others and I was hoping to add to my personal collection. Instead what I got was a long drive and LOTS of bad luck.

I got to the trail head a little late because I was super lazy and slept in. Then when I finally started getting close, the skies opened up with heavy rain all the way to the trail head. I got the the trail head around 4:30 pm but that would still be enough time for me to get to bilk basin and setup camp. I was the only vehicle there which was cool but what I didn't realize at the time was the trail was closed :(

There was a sign at the trail head that stated the bridge crossing at bilk creek was washed out and impassable. Damn, I need to learn to pay more attention before I head out. Anyways, the rain continued to pour down and looked as if it would be socked in for the remainder of the evening. I decided to push forward anyways not knowing about the dead end.

Sure enough, at around mile 2, I came to the crossing and could not find the bridge. Even though the bilk creek was not that deep (maybe waist high at its highest level), it was flowing at a pretty steep grade which made it a little dangerous. I looked forever for a crossing wondering how others did it. I took off my hiking boots and put on my sandals and spent about an hour trying to find a crossing. I finally found a point that I felt like I could make it across. I got about halfway across and had about two dangerous steps to take and then I was home free.

I took the first step and could feel the strong current pushing really hard. I still had really good balance however. I knew the next step though would be the worse. I then started thinking about a conversation I had with a friend about all the stupid things we have done when in the back country. My list was pretty long, hehe. I then came to my senses that maybe my nine lives have already been used up and this next step was probably not a good idea. So, for once in my life while in the back country, I did the smart thing and accepted defeat against mother nature.

I was a little disappointed by my choice but when I got to the trail head and started heading down, the skies really opened up with thunder and lightning all around. I don't know how fun that would have been anyways sitting in a one man tent with lightning all around and nothing to do (I forgot to bring a book or any sort of entertainment).

When I did get back to the trail head, I saw the sign posted that I missed on the way up. I need to pay more attention!!! Even though I was denied and was able to take I single picture, it was still nice getting out. I still have 3 more summer trips planned. Hopefully my luck will turn :)

Specialist 4th Class, Brent Adkins - US Army

2008-07-16T00:39:00.004-06:00

Many of you know that I enlisted in the Air Force Reserve. What you don't know however is that I have a brother that enlisted in the Army to become a medic. He previously was a firefighter in Austin and a custom home builder in north Texas. My bro was the one that helped me make my final decision to go ahead and enlist after a conversation we had one day.

Well, my bro recently graduated from basic training and I had a chance to talk to him for the first time in over 3 months. He happened to call me back after a fun day I had with friends going white water rafting and then hanging out in some hot springs afterwards. When he asked what I was doing, I told him exactly what I did that day. He humbled me very quickly.

He has not been able to do any activities like that in over two months. He mentioned how much he missed simple things like playing softball and hanging out the his kids and wife, basically just the freedoms we have on a daily basis. Things we take for granted. At least things I take for granted.

I don't know what the Army calls it but my bro is currently in advanced training to be a medic (don't know the official term) and soon will be a commissioned officer in the United States Army. I can't describe how proud I am of him and his wife and kids for supporting his decision. Unfortunately that means I will probably have to salute him for the rest of my life, hehe.

Here is a photo of Brent at graduation with my nephews. He looks kind of nerdy with those glasses on. His wife told me they call those BCG's (birth control glasses). I can't laugh too hard however because I will be wearing the exact same glasses, haha (so I can laugh).

My bro still doesn't have access to the Internet so I don't know when he will see this post, but I just wanted everybody to know how proud I am of him and I can't wait to salute him (just once, hehe). He was already a great paramedic when he was a fireman and he will be even a better medic for our troops that get injured defending our freedoms domestically and around the world.

Brent, I love you and am very proud to call you my bro!!! I don't play favorites however, I have another brother in Texas that I love just as much. Both are my older brothers and mentors for me :)

Air Force Fitness Requirements - July

2008-07-08T23:22:00.010-06:00

I can't believe I am doing this but after my timed run of 1.5 miles today, I am totally embarrassed and decided if I posted my current fitness levels vs. requirements to graduate with honors from BMT (basic military training) to the world wide web then maybe it would motivate me to stay the course.

Oh, and for those of you who are puzzled by this post, I am in the DEP (delayed entry program) of the Air Force Reserve with my career field in Security Forces.

Luckily I don't report until Dec. 30th so I have some time to get better. I will post my times monthly until December. This should keep me motivated (hopefully) because I don't want to embarrass myself even more than I already am!!! I hope to get the physical fitness aspect down so I only have to worry about the mental strain during basic.

As far as my running goes, I guess the one advantage I do have is that I am at over 9k feet in elevation and there are several ups and downs during my 1.5 mile run. I can't find a track open to the public in Summit County to time my run so I made my own track. As far as push ups and sit ups, I have no excuses, I can't blame the elevation, hehe.

So here are the requirements for honor graduate standards (doesn't mean I will be an honor graduate if I succeed). I have never graduated with honors in anything in my life so maybe I can do it with the Air Force. I shall see...

Honor Graduate fitness requirements:

1.5 mile run: 9:30 min.
push ups (2 minutes, no rest): 55
sit ups (2 minutes, no rest): 60
pull ups: 5

July Results:

1.5 mile run: 15:20 min. (embarrassing)
push ups: 38
situps: 46
pull ups: no idea

As you can see, I have a ways to go!!! Hopefully in August these numbers will improve.

my bacpack"s" setup for 2008

2008-07-08T00:50:00.007-06:00

With the 2008 backpacking season set to begin next week for me, I debated on which pack to use. I currently have 3 backpacks for multiple day trips. One is super old and will probably never use again, one I have used loyaly for about 5 years and the other I purchased last year that has the cubic space to be able to pack all of my photo equipment along with the essentials required for backpacking trips.

Well, after much debate, I have decided to go with the custom made "kev setup"...which includes both a backpack and a daypack that I used last year.

I will never forget the first time I had to use this setup because of lack of space with my backpack once I bought all of my photography equipment. It was a trip to Harrison Flats with Jesse. I arrived a couple of hours after him and eventually caught up. He laughed hysterically once he saw me and I guess I did look a little dorky with two packs on. It actually wasn't all that uncomfortable however...even though it does weigh 51 lbs. It was very handy having a full day pack to put on to go on my hikes after setting up camp.

So...as dorky as this may look, I am going with the dual North Face backpack setup again this year. This setup will allow me to take the greatest photos I have ever taken to date, hehe.

Next week, my backpacking adventures will begin. I plan on spending the majority of time visiting the San Juans. I also have a 4 nighter trip planned with Jesse up in Wyoming somewhere. I can't wait!!!

Mount Zirkel Wilderness - Rainbow Lake

2008-07-05T00:19:00.007-06:00

Decided to head north again to an area I have never been before. There is still a lot of snow in the higher elevations so I figured one more week at lower elevation mountains was in order.

The majority of the hike was in forested areas affected by the pine beetle kill. It is a new reality in northern and central Colorado. I was pleasantly surprised though to see the amount of new trees already growing over 10 ft. in length. I guess this is just natures way of cleansing the forest.

It was actually a pretty boring hike if there is such a thing. Not much to see for the entire trip until I reached the lake. I screwed around with some closeup shots on the way up and took a couple of interesting shots.

Once reaching the lake, I was pleasantly surprised to see some amazing cascading falls. I pretty much spent the rest of my day taking photos of the falls. There were some kids having a good time in the area so that forced me to to adjust my framing of the cascades not getting the exact composition I was hoping for. Oh well, it is just as much there forest as it is mine and it was good to see them having a blast sliding down the snow fields. Even though I didn't get the composition I was hoping for, I still was able to capture some decent shots. Besides wildflower photography, cascading falls is by far my favorite photos to take.

I was forced to take 2 to 5 second exposure however because the ND filter I purchased last year was the wrong one. I will have to get one that isn't so dark so I can speed up the shots if necessary. I would have actually liked to take .5 to 1 second exposures to better show off the amount of water flow. Oh well.

Although this wasn't one of the prettier adventures I have been on. It was still well worth the trip. I have a few more photos of this trip posted on my website if you want to check them out. It is getting closer to backpacking season in the upper elevations but it is not quite there yet. I am getting very impatient!!!

Flat Tops Wilderness - Mcginnis Lake

2008-06-19T19:44:00.011-06:00

I finally got out and decided to head to an area i have never been before, Flat Tops Wilderness. I didn't really know what to expect and I was surprised to see what I saw. An area that was a casualty of a forest fire. This kind of messed up my plans as all the areas I was planning on hiking were burned down. It turned out that it didn't matter anyways as in typical June hiking, there were several mishaps.

The first was I forgot to bring extra CF cards for my camera. I recently got a new camera bag and forgot to put all my extra CF cards in the bag. Unbelievable!!! Hiking without taking photos is like hiking naked. As it turned out, it didn't matter anyways. I managed to develop a blister on my right heel so I would not have been able to go another round anyways. I have never developed a blister before so that was a little concerning. I don't know how that happened.

I did manage to take a decent hike however, to Mcginnis Lake. The trail proved to be very difficult with downed trees everywhere. The water levels were also very high resulting in some fun water crossings.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the beauty of this lake once I reached it. The fire was not present and it was nestled beneath the formidable Chinese Wall that towered above. It was a nice little sup rise for me.

Above is a photo of Mcginnis Lake. If you would like to see more photos of Mcginnis Lake, you can visit my website or just click here.

Well, I am off to New Mexico for the next week so I won't be going on another adventure until the first week of July. I have no idea where I am going so I guess you will just have to be surprised :)

1st week of unemployment = lazy week

2008-06-08T23:41:00.005-06:00

When I quit my job, I told myself I wasn't going to do anything for the week except stay up late and sleep in. Well, I accomplished that goal but it is now time to start enjoying the summer.

I was going to post a photo showing all of you what lazy week was all about but quickly realized a self portrait shot of me being lazy was WAAAAYYY to much work hehe. So no photo this post.

I do plan on getting out next week and heading to Crested Butte. I have no idea what to expect but I am hoping enough snow is melted to be able to hike some of the trails I have targeted. I hope to take some good pictures to get the summer started out right.

In the meantime, feel free to visit the semi new Kevin Adkins Photography site. I have 16 adventures posted with new ones being added often.

Also, I encourage you to check out my buddy Jesse's site. He FINALLY decided to give an update on things since he moved to Montana and took an incredible shot. You can view his site here and click on the what's new link. Or.....you can be lazy like me and just click here to see the photo I was referring to :)

Until next week..."do the responsible thing, live life without regrets"

One last thing, would somebody please leave a comment to let me know at least one person visits this blog, hehe :) I just noticed all my bronco blogs weren't all that popular and all this time, I thought everyone loved the Broncos!!!

broncos field pass, part 6

2008-01-24T22:58:00.000-07:00

"Boooooooooooo!!!!!!!" hehe

broncos field pass, part 5

2008-01-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some various photos I took while the players were warming up. Some of them got pretty darn close.

broncos field pass, part 4

2007-12-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

The Broncos equipment manager was standing right beside me and I asked him if I could check out one of the game balls. He was gracious enough to allow me to check out one of the footballs that Cutler himself throws. The bummer of it all though was at the end, he gave out two footballs to the fans. One football went directly to the kid next to me which I was happy for but the second went directly to the left of my buddy who was no kid.

I suppose I should have just dove for it and intercepted it, hehe.

broncos field pass, part 3

2007-12-18T23:07:00.000-07:00

I did not know what to expect when I was told I was going to be able to be on the field during the pregame. What I was hoping for though was to get to see Cutler up close and personal. Sure enough, one of the first people that ventured out on the field was Jay.

Elway will always be my hero but I really do like Jay because he has alot of Elway's traits when it comes to the strong arm and scrambling ability. There will never be another Elway but there will be a Cutler :)....and this dude will be AOK IMO :)

broncos field pass, part 2

2007-12-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

When we first entered the stadium, we spent the first 10 minutes or so at the goal line. Eventually, we ventured our way up the Broncos sideline. We were only allowed to go up to the 20 yard line. Lucky for me, the NFL Instant Replay booth was at the 19 yard line. I really wanted to get a sneak peek at what the officials look at during instant replay but did not want to get kicked out. I finally man'ed up and went inside the curtains and took a quick photo from inside the booth. I wish I would have been brave enough to spend more time inside the curtains but I didn't want to get kicked out. After all, none of the Broncos players have even taken the field at this point.

One last note. If you view this photo, you will see it is a Panasonic HDTV. I see commercials all the time that Samsung is the official HDTV of the NFL. What is up with that???

The other photo is a view of the outside of the Instant Replay booth with my good buddy Bennett striking a pose.

Go Broncos!

broncos field pass, part 1

2007-12-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

When the new Mile High was being built, I was able to walk onto the field when it was still a big pile of dirt and see how amazing the new stadium would soon be. Well, six years later, I was able to return to the field again thanks to my good buddy Bennett and was able to view the field in a totally different perspective. One that included grass as well as the Broncos taking the field and warming up five yards away from me.

The next few days, I plan on sharing my experience I had on the field. I only took a point and shoot camera this time around which I will not do again if I get another opportunity. But I still think I took some pretty cool photos to be able to share the experience I had on the field with the Denver Broncos before the Chiefettes game.