tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149371142024-03-13T11:48:16.595-07:00You will not die, It's not poisonThe rantings and ravings of a recovering runneradamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-59620815480334079712014-07-30T15:46:00.000-07:002014-07-30T15:46:58.519-07:00Epic DNF<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZaYCrq-Wi1Q/U9lybi8HzZI/AAAAAAAAC20/MT-S6xzxePI/s1600/GOPR1355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZaYCrq-Wi1Q/U9lybi8HzZI/AAAAAAAAC20/MT-S6xzxePI/s320/GOPR1355.JPG" /></a></div>I am back (on Blogger)!!! At least temporarily and just in order to share a little bit of a horror story. Ok, so that is an exaggeration but oftentimes the worries during solo ultra-distance adventures can make the trip seem quite epic and at least a little horrific. In this case the adventure unfortunately, became an epic DNF (Did Not Finish).<br />
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About three weekends ago (July 12th) I signed up for the <a href="http://ultrapedestrian.blogspot.com/2014/06/2014-ultrapedestrian-wilderness.html">Ultrapedestrian Wilderness Challenge</a> and set out to complete the Grand Tour route of the Alpine Lakes Challenge (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/UPWildernessChallenge/">Facebook group - discussion here</a>). Since I am in the midst of training for a lifetime goal race and the weather was especially nice that weekend I thought, why not give it a try. Plus, I reasoned since I love the Alpine Lakes and the route is such a great 'Grand Traverse' of some of the best parts, I really will have to do it someday. Why not today?!?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4rSraGxPFUw/U9lyteUTLuI/AAAAAAAAC28/RsA2EO3jWY0/s1600/GOPR1361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4rSraGxPFUw/U9lyteUTLuI/AAAAAAAAC28/RsA2EO3jWY0/s200/GOPR1361.JPG" /></a></div>Please see the route description by Eric Sach on the Facebook page (And Thanks Eric for such an awesome route). In short, the route runs roughly east-west or vice-versa from the Snow Lake trailhead near Snoqualmie Pass to the Snow Lakes trailhead near Leavenworth. There are only two road crossings (drivable - open roads) and they are both dirt/gravel and usually not in the best shape (Thanks U.S. Forest Circus). The reported distance is around 75 miles. When I measured it using a Topo software program it came out around 78 miles, but of course this is not truly accurate. Besides when it comes to ultra-distance adventures we all know it is not always the miles which make the difference. It is sometimes the smiles, frowns, spiritual funks, ups and downs and climbing around which can make or break the traveler.<br />
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So with guaranteed help from my girlfriend and best running partner, Broeck Jones, I set out around 7:30AM on 7/12 from the Snow Lake trailhead (Snoqualmie Pass). Broeck was gracious enough to give me a ride to the start and then she planned to meet me later that evening at the Eightmile trailhead near Leavenworth. We were optimistically hoping that I would get there in the later evening hours and maybe she would be able to accompany me through the Enchantments for the last 18 to 20 miles or so.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aMlwqEKqymc/U9lzMpNiF7I/AAAAAAAAC3E/E5DVnMlKhVw/s1600/GOPR1374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aMlwqEKqymc/U9lzMpNiF7I/AAAAAAAAC3E/E5DVnMlKhVw/s200/GOPR1374.JPG" /></a></div>The hike/run up and over to Snow Lake was of course easy, but in retrospect it was hot! I had no idea how hot it was but I was dripping sweat and it was still early. I dropped down into the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Valley and became excited since I was on a lesser used trail which I had never been on. The trail wasn't gnarly technical, but for those taking notes, some parts were thin, rocky and not very runnable. Saw one hiker and dog going up and that would be the last person I would see for several hours. Ran by Goldmyer Hot Springs and felt like I was making good progress. Then I came to the bridge over the river to the closed road (to Dutch Miller gap TH). In planning I had debated crossing at this point since I wasn't sure there was another bridge further up the river. I had been to these parts before but had avoided the upstream trail since people had said it was overgrown and not used often. Feeling the spirit of the trail (and heading Eric's advice to try to stay on trail) I headed up the trail instead of crossing the bridge. A nice 20 minute stroll later I was crossing a great bridge which led up to the road, just a few hundred yards short of the Dutch Miller trailhead. I was very happy I had stuck to the trail.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dcrAN2ECMOU/U9lzb2OrusI/AAAAAAAAC3M/_yocqoQcayY/s1600/GOPR1380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dcrAN2ECMOU/U9lzb2OrusI/AAAAAAAAC3M/_yocqoQcayY/s200/GOPR1380.JPG" /></a></div>I have run/hiked the Dutch Miller gap trail before and always love going there. Not because the trail is particularly scenic, although the upper sections certainly are, but because it is wild and relatively free of people. Since the road closure several years ago I don't think I have ever seen anyone up there. It is too far for many, but just right for me. By the time I got to the meadows I was certainly starting to feel the heat and realizing I was a little behind my predicted schedule. Broeck later told me the temps had been in the 90's. And then I found snow and the first bit of route-finding through avalanche debris. Since I had been up there before I don't think I lost too much time finding/loosing the route but the risk of falling through several sketchy snow bridges was weighing a bit on my mind. I crossed over Dutch Miller gap and started down toward Lake Ivanhoe. I had been there before and remembered that there are some steep sections and 'water hazards'. The trail and running water like to share the route so I was a little concerned about the route-finding. Here, the water crossings were do-able but then I found some steep snow/ice fields to cross. I could have of course tried the eastern side of the lake, but once I started on the west, there was no going back. So I likely wasted quite a bit of energy and about a half-hour doing some 3rd class scrambling, bushwacking (bush-handholds) and ice-climbing with fingers instead of an ice axe (No traction devices / ice axe). Fortunately I did not slide into the frigid lake and eventually was running down toward the Waptus Lake valley.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7oThKfNgLu0/U9lznCj888I/AAAAAAAAC3U/q7lS4QnmjSQ/s1600/GOPR1384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7oThKfNgLu0/U9lznCj888I/AAAAAAAAC3U/q7lS4QnmjSQ/s320/GOPR1384.JPG" /></a></div>Due to the timing of my run there was plenty of water for drinking, and I took full advantage, but in retrospect I was certainly a bit dehydrated by this point. Suffice it to say that my progress up to Deep Lake was a little slow and if I remember correctly, I got there around 5 or 6 pm. Couldn't stop for long to enjoy the awesome view due to swarms of mosquitos, but it was spectacular. Passed a couple people headed down valley toward Waptus Lake I presume. Eventually I made the pass near Cathedral Rock where I attempted in vain to get a cell signal. By then I knew I would be really late getting to meet up with Broeck. No luck as expected. So I dropped down to the Cle Elum river valley wishing that I had just asked Broeck to meet there for dinner, camping and re-consideration of the plan. By now my feet were puckered from all the stream crossings and a few big blisters had formed. So the run down was fun!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X1dm6oWyNII/U9lz_12TDcI/AAAAAAAAC3c/YZZfzOGQWKk/s1600/GOPR1386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X1dm6oWyNII/U9lz_12TDcI/AAAAAAAAC3c/YZZfzOGQWKk/s200/GOPR1386.JPG" /></a></div>Made it to the Tucquela Meadow Trailhead at 8PM. Walked over to the Hyas Lake trailhead and met a few hikers who had just finished their hike and were drinking some warm brews. Fortunately, they were willing to provide a ride back to Cle Elum. With the transportation out of the mountains sorted it really wasn't that hard of a decision to leave and try again some other day. I know from previous journeys over Paddy-Go-Easy Pass and into the French and Meadow Creek valleys that the next section would be a challenge which I wasn't willing to accept on that day at that time. There likely would have been significant snow cover going up to Windy Pass, I had never done that section of trail and the combination of factors may have required waiting for light to make the pass. Plus I would have likely met up with Broeck at least 8 hours late which would put her in a leave or wait predicament. So I bailed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sEmL97B2jhU/U9l0Khr_nCI/AAAAAAAAC3k/94233gDEai0/s1600/GOPR1388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sEmL97B2jhU/U9l0Khr_nCI/AAAAAAAAC3k/94233gDEai0/s200/GOPR1388.JPG" /></a></div>After receiving a ride into Cle Elum I spent a couple of hours walking through town and eventually found the last open motel bed. The room only had cold water for the shower, but I was grateful nonetheless. Very early the next morning I was finally able to contact Broeck who had been without cell coverage. She very graciously drove from Leavenworth and picked me up.<br />
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I hope to complete the route someday, although for now it is on the back-burner. I want to complete it running through the Enchantments at night and finishing in the morning so I can get breakfast in Leavenworth! Maybe next time it will be completed with friends.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wFiDCTp_p0M/U9l0XpE0r4I/AAAAAAAAC3s/hK07JmnI9xM/s1600/GOPR1390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wFiDCTp_p0M/U9l0XpE0r4I/AAAAAAAAC3s/hK07JmnI9xM/s320/GOPR1390.JPG" /></a></div><br />
adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-12534584306603520242011-11-16T14:40:00.000-08:002011-11-16T14:45:36.131-08:00To Blog or not to Blog?I am so surprised to see that I still have a blog even though I haven't blogged for years! I don't really have anything to say today. But I thought I would post anyway, just in case the Blogmonster is contemplating eating my old blog thereby removing all traces of the old me.<br /><br />Hopefully I will have time to resurrect this blog someday.adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-84357538662790859442009-02-11T13:29:00.000-08:002009-02-11T20:32:03.331-08:00A New Project<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I know I haven't even gotten around to finishing my Nepal trip posts! But I figure since I have some good pictures of the trouble I have gotten myself into, I should put them up here for comedy, if nothing else. Recently I decided I should plunge back into remodeling my house (condo) again. The last time I did this in 2007 I ended up with a project which nearly cost me my sanity (See <a href="http://hammer-rocknroll-money.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=22">The Eighth Wonder of the World</a>). So this time I am taking it easy. Just like running a marathon taking 'baby steps' is the easiest way to the finish.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SZOlWwlZ7TI/AAAAAAAAAkg/943XdMBtmFo/s1600-h/DSC03032.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SZOlWwlZ7TI/AAAAAAAAAkg/943XdMBtmFo/s320/DSC03032.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301762996762701106" /></a><br />For the last couple of weekends I spent my time on hands and knees putting in a new tile floor in my bathroom. Here are the before, during and after shots. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SZOlWzZqZCI/AAAAAAAAAkY/eGOzYQUL_aA/s1600-h/DSC03036.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SZOlWzZqZCI/AAAAAAAAAkY/eGOzYQUL_aA/s320/DSC03036.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301762997518754850" /></a><br />You can see I put a layer of Redguard on top of the gypcrete flooring in order to mitigate the risk of future cracking. I actually started to like the red look. Kinda reminds me of the stay off the lava game we used to play when we were kids.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SZOlWjCKKtI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/MNrIYeMwNNo/s1600-h/DSC03038.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SZOlWjCKKtI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/MNrIYeMwNNo/s320/DSC03038.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301762993125206738" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SZOlWjSgrwI/AAAAAAAAAkI/ITQl9AB6wns/s1600-h/DSC03039.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SZOlWjSgrwI/AAAAAAAAAkI/ITQl9AB6wns/s320/DSC03039.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301762993193791234" /></a>adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-15462013423552930192008-11-19T14:00:00.000-08:002009-02-11T13:29:03.465-08:00The In Between<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SStIEFWZ6dI/AAAAAAAAAj4/MIz-k9Qqekk/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+428.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SStIEFWZ6dI/AAAAAAAAAj4/MIz-k9Qqekk/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+428.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272387023760124370" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The next segment of my trek around Annapurna dropped down into the Kali Gandaki river canyon which is reportedly the deepest canyon in the world. This is due to the fact that Annapurna lies on one side of the canyon and Dhaulagiri on the other; both are 8,000 meter peaks. I had heard or read about the awesome depth of this canyon prior to doing the hike so I hiked down into the canyon expecting some sort of record-breaking grandiosity. Instead I found something in between the cool stuff I saw both before and after; an airport, a road, and a vacation from trekkers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SSs_wm7srcI/AAAAAAAAAi4/7xnsN9n7dyw/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+381.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SSs_wm7srcI/AAAAAAAAAi4/7xnsN9n7dyw/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+381.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272377893084507586" /></a><br />Now when looking back I realize that this segment of the trek from Muktinath to Tatopani has changed from what it once was and probably could never have lived up to my expectations. Now it is somewhere between a trek and a jeep excursion. The wealth is somewhere between third world and developing. And the mountains on the sides of the canyon are just a bit too far apart for me to feel like it truly is the deepest canyon in the world.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SSs_w7qOZLI/AAAAAAAAAjA/A6Qv-RKrdOs/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+395.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SSs_w7qOZLI/AAAAAAAAAjA/A6Qv-RKrdOs/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+395.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272377898648364210" /></a><br />The canyon was still spectacular notably for the width of it's free-flowing river and floodplain, the shear size of it's landslides, and it's history. I don't believe I have ever seen such a large un-dammed river. The floodplain for the river was at least 1/2 mile wide and it was easy to see since no one in Nepal is dumb enough to build in the gravelly floodplain. At home of course, people always seem to build in floodplains, but the land has been so modified that identifying the floodplain can be difficult. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SStFa-av5MI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/qPmn-R7wpdE/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+405.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SStFa-av5MI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/qPmn-R7wpdE/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+405.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272384118501401794" /></a><br />One related side-effect of such a free-flowing river is landslides. I saw several very large landslides as I walked down the canyon, some which may have been initiated by river channeling and some which appeared to be primarily a function of the relative youth of the Himalaya. It is these very landslides which seem to be the only thing which is holding up the advance of roads. From Muktinath to Tatopani there was a two-wheel jeep track / road but it was far from being a thru-road since I saw a few impassable sections where huge landslides had taken out the road. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SSs_xOf3F4I/AAAAAAAAAjI/bj7T94vCZ60/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+401.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SSs_xOf3F4I/AAAAAAAAAjI/bj7T94vCZ60/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+401.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272377903705167746" /></a><br />Even though the road does not go thru I was surprised at how many tourist/trekkers I saw who took up positions inside the ubiquitous Land Rovers. Below Jomsom, where there is a small airport, I saw almost no hiking trekkers. It seems many of my previous trail compatriots from before the Thorung La either escaped the wilderness via the airport or gave up on hoofing it down canyon.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SStFbAIbSfI/AAAAAAAAAjY/XEFN-7QVTAw/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+413.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SStFbAIbSfI/AAAAAAAAAjY/XEFN-7QVTAw/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+413.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272384118961424882" /></a><br />Although the jeep road/trail left a very noticeable scar along the side of the canyon it was still easy to see how cool the Kali Gandaki canyon was before the road. People have been travelling through this canyon for centuries. I understand that for many centuries this canyon was the locus of the salt trade between Tibet and Nepal. Food, including grains grown in the lower portions of the Kali Gandaki, were traded with the Tibetans who harvested salt on the high plains.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SStFbdZ4rMI/AAAAAAAAAjg/dmebvPloa0Q/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+435.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SStFbdZ4rMI/AAAAAAAAAjg/dmebvPloa0Q/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+435.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272384126819282114" /></a><br />The Thakalis who live in this area have built up some good, clean and well-run guesthouses. I was particularly impressed by The High Plains Inn in Tukche. Another treat was the always available apple pastries. There is a significant apple industry near the town of Chame and every eating establishment seems to offer great apple pie or apple crisp. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SStIDVwVgsI/AAAAAAAAAjo/B_hibqiVCK8/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+438.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SStIDVwVgsI/AAAAAAAAAjo/B_hibqiVCK8/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+438.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272387010983985858" /></a><br />I ended this segment of the trip staying overnight in Tatopani, ate a great Mexican meal, and took a dip in the famous Tatopani hot springs. Then I started hiking back uphill . . . <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SStIDqHWr1I/AAAAAAAAAjw/HrodKVnl6XE/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+476.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SStIDqHWr1I/AAAAAAAAAjw/HrodKVnl6XE/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+476.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272387016449240914" /></a>adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-40528580796588914812008-11-04T15:37:00.000-08:002008-11-05T16:05:58.919-08:00Honk, Everything Will Be Ok!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIzh7TTh8I/AAAAAAAAAZw/2L-wA67XIPM/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+322.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIzh7TTh8I/AAAAAAAAAZw/2L-wA67XIPM/s400/Nepal_Thai_Korea+322.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265327572296894402" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">If the title makes no sense, then I guess you haven't experienced the Nepali karmic solution to dangerous driving conditions.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIu6MqKfRI/AAAAAAAAAXw/eqKpLR7YM2g/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+076.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIu6MqKfRI/AAAAAAAAAXw/eqKpLR7YM2g/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+076.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265322491714895122" /></a><br />I just returned from my vacation to Nepal, Korea and Thailand last week and this is just one of the life lessons I learned while traveling in Nepal. I am still not sure if I have really figured out Nepal yet, but I had an absolutely amazing once-in-lifetime (but hopefully to be repeated) experience trekking near Annapurna. For this post I will just tell you a little bit about Nepal, since I could probably write a book each about the time I spent in Thailand and Korea. I am not even going to try a full travelogue since the three weeks spent in Nepal truly felt more like a 6-month odyssey. At least to me!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIu63QxZYI/AAAAAAAAAX4/yxccJN9JmAA/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+114.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIu63QxZYI/AAAAAAAAAX4/yxccJN9JmAA/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+114.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265322503151117698" /></a><br />First of all, let me explain the title. On several occasions I had the pleasure of traveling on the narrow potholed and winding mountain roads which are the main vehicle highways in Nepal. One thing is certain, these road-trips were the most dangerous aspect of my entire solo hiking trip! Standard procedure whether in a 80's era taxi sedan, vintage Indian bus, or lumbering Tata freight truck, is to honk your horn repeatedly when passing another vehicle on the wrong side of the road (in the opposing traffic lane). Honking is of course used for all sorts of other reasons, but it is done with such singular and life-affirming purpose when passing a lumbering vehicle on an absolutely blind mountain corner that I became convinced that the horn is the #1 traffic safety device in Nepal. It appears, that whether or not the horn can be heard by the oncoming traffic makes no difference. Honking the horn relieves the driver of his responsibility to make sure that no one is coming. And since it seems there is rarely a pocket of road where safe passage around a slow vehicle can be visually verified the logic is to honk the horn and have trust in your karmic fate. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIvlgVkf7I/AAAAAAAAAYA/774jrUFxz7M/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+132.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIvlgVkf7I/AAAAAAAAAYA/774jrUFxz7M/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+132.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265323235731603378" /></a><br />My taxi driver who drove me 5 hours to the beginning of the trek was kind enough to point out three blind-corner fatal car wrecks within the first 30 kms or so of our drive. He assured me that he felt getting to the destination alive was more important than speed, but I wonder a bit about how truthful he was being. He laughed when he showed me how his horn was only working intermittently! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIvmM6RLEI/AAAAAAAAAYI/JNt0XyZQAlM/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+150.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIvmM6RLEI/AAAAAAAAAYI/JNt0XyZQAlM/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+150.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265323247696686146" /></a><br />Since I arrived in Kathmandu just before the beginning of <a href="http://www.nepalhomepage.com/society/festivals/dashain.html">Dashain</a> (a big holiday) I had the choice of waiting several days to start my trek or hiring a taxi on the last day before travel was restricted. I hired a taxi to drive me to my starting point on the Annapurna trek. And then since half the Indian Ocean was dumping on the Himalayas when I arrived I jumped into a jeep to get to the end of "road". I began hiking from Bhule Bhule at about 5PM on October 6. I made it Ngadi and fell for the hard sell at the first guesthouse. Now I am starting to wish I kept a diary since there is no chance I can remember the guesthouse name. It seems most of the guesthouses have extremely predictable and completely un-original names like Ngadi Guesthouse or Ngadi Riverview Inn. On a sidenote a couple of easily remembered places and favorite stays were at the High Plains Inn in Tukche and Bob Marley Guesthouse in Muktinath.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIvm4-gNFI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/XMvLKWC2BJQ/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+167.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIvm4-gNFI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/XMvLKWC2BJQ/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+167.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265323259525608530" /></a><br />Anyway, I really began to experience the trek when I started hiking on Oct. 7. I knew that the hike was supposed to take me from very modest elevations up to high elevations but I didn't realize until that day that I would actually be hiking through such lush relatively low elevation areas. I was just blown away by the beauty of walking through terraced farming areas. It seemed like I was passing through a small village every 20 or 30 minutes and marveling that these were no tourist villages. Most of the people in many of the small villages appeared to be living there much like their great-great grandparents probably did, living off the land. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIwN_HA1HI/AAAAAAAAAYY/2AGIlOvx4o4/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+214.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIwN_HA1HI/AAAAAAAAAYY/2AGIlOvx4o4/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+214.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265323931186812018" /></a><br />The power lines arced overhead along many parts of the trail, but thanks to the lack of a road, the villages were quiet and relatively peaceful places. I was a bit dismayed to see how much garbage, plastic bottles and bags etc., littered the sides of the trail but it was easy to see that the further I got from the roads the less of the garbage I saw. Most of the time there were far more livestock droppings on the trail then garbage (rubbish).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIwOiIlTrI/AAAAAAAAAYg/G7xHIu4Xp6A/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+232.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIwOiIlTrI/AAAAAAAAAYg/G7xHIu4Xp6A/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+232.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265323940588637874" /></a><br />The trail slowly wound up the ever-deepening canyons changing from lush tropical vegetation to more temperate pine forests. It was here in the pine forests between Tal and Chame where I started to feel at home. These forests were similar to many others which I have hiked. They were places were I could imagine deer and bears similar to those at home. The buildings also started to change to being sturdy wooden structures. In the lowlands the buildings seemed to just be mish-mash of whatever building materials were available, including plastic sheeting for walls and corrugated metal roofs. In Chame I stayed in a nice new wood lodge. It may not be nearly so enjoyable in a year or two, but at the time of my stay the all-wood floor, walls and ceiling was so fresh you could still smell the scent of the fresh-cut wood.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIwPf_dJmI/AAAAAAAAAYo/OIqlVNblkeM/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+266.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIwPf_dJmI/AAAAAAAAAYo/OIqlVNblkeM/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+266.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265323957193352802" /></a><br />Although the forests were a lot like home in this particular area (Chame) the canyons were much deeper and slopes much steeper. Since the monsoon clouds were still stalking me I still could not see the tops of the hillsides, but it was obvious I was still at the bottom of huge mountains. The river at the base of the canyon was just a huge rushing torrent of whitewater. I crossed the river on countless swaying suspension bridges and wondered what life was like before the suspension bridges. Many of the villages would have been entirely cutoff from even the closest village, let alone the outside world, without a bridge. There was no other way to cross these rivers. In many places they are unfordable.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIwsiIESnI/AAAAAAAAAYw/vbfzymKNdx0/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+283.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIwsiIESnI/AAAAAAAAAYw/vbfzymKNdx0/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+283.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265324455982549618" /></a><br />I think on day 4 the clouds cleared and the canyons started to open up into the large Manang valley. I took my friends' (Ana and Keith) advice and walked to Upper Pisang in order to stay in a guesthouse with good views. The accommodations here were a bit more rustic than in Lower Pisang (satellite dishes!) but the view of Annapurna III was incredible. Since I got here early I also took a stroll up the trail toward Pisang Peak base camp in order to acclimatize. The view from my high point was unbelievable! I sat and stared at the Annapurna massif from below flapping prayer flags until my fingers were numb. I also saw some sort of high alpine deer and a whole bunch of yaks grazing on the open slopes below Pisang. The soaring Lammergeiers seemed to be always floating overhead in these high beautiful places. The Lammergeier vultures appear to live such a charmed life, almost never flapping a wing, floating in some of the most beautiful places in the world. I aspire to be reincarnated as a Lammergeier.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIwsy-lnOI/AAAAAAAAAY4/21wdiXnqRts/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+303.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIwsy-lnOI/AAAAAAAAAY4/21wdiXnqRts/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+303.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265324460506193122" /></a><br />After Upper Pisang I followed the upper trail out of Upper Pisang and was treated to fabulous view after fabulous view. This is one area where I regret not taking extra days. Here Tibetan influenced buddhist villages seem to sit on every prominent viewpoint. The buildings at these places are constructed almost entirely of stone. At the time I passed through many of the people were out harvesting grain. I watched them cutting the grain with the ever ubiquitous scythes, laying it out to dry and then tossing it to separate the chaff. If ever there was a shangri-la for me the area around Upper Pisang might just be it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIwtt6E03I/AAAAAAAAAZA/nKlTdDMx7t4/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+313.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIwtt6E03I/AAAAAAAAAZA/nKlTdDMx7t4/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+313.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265324476324959090" /></a><br />I stayed at Manang which is basically the last major settlement which is not solely devoted to tourists, prior to the Thorung La, highest pass of the trip. Although Manang is an ancient town and non-tourist oriented life abounds around it, most of the business in town is absolutely geared for the tourists. In fact they were showing movies the predictable movies Vertical Limit and Into Thin Air at a couple of places. There are several large lodges, some good bakeries and a fairly reliable power supply. If I remember correctly, Manang was at about 11,000 feet so many trekkers stay here for a couple of days to acclimatize. I tried to check out a monastery near Manang but it was closed when I visited. So I enjoyed a quiet sit with a couple of yaks on the monastery doorstep.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIxLa6MV9I/AAAAAAAAAZI/NDeEFBpe8kY/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+315.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIxLa6MV9I/AAAAAAAAAZI/NDeEFBpe8kY/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+315.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265324986621253586" /></a><br />Personally I got tired of Manang quickly, probably due to the annoying presence of so many tourists. So after one night here I took off with the intention to get as far up toward the Thorung La as reasonable and to snag a good room at one of the few lodges before the pass. It wasn't my intention, but I ended up at the penultimate lodging before the pass at Thorung Phedi (4600m). There is only one higher place called High Camp. Fortunately, I got there just in time to snag one of the last spots in the dormitory.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIxL4zhf8I/AAAAAAAAAZQ/uzWBdKNy83I/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+324.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIxL4zhf8I/AAAAAAAAAZQ/uzWBdKNy83I/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+324.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265324994646343618" /></a><br />Thorung Phedi is not a particularly enjoyable place and because I came down with traveller's diarrhea, for me it quickly become a somewhat dreadful place. I survived a terrible night of sickness with little sign of altitude problems, and so the next day I set off to cross the Thorung La, the highest point on the trek (5400m).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIxMetWF2I/AAAAAAAAAZY/IXjhpKb8tP8/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+326.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIxMetWF2I/AAAAAAAAAZY/IXjhpKb8tP8/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+326.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265325004820977506" /></a><br />My trek to the pass was a bit of an anticlimactic struggle. I was so prepared to be utterly beaten, broken, sick and tired that I was not particularly impressed when I finally made it to the high point 2.5 hours after starting! By no means was it easy. I was sufficiently amazed at how difficult it is to breathe at nearly 18,000 feet, but the actual place didn't excite nearly as much as I had hoped. The place is primarily an iconic photo point for the thousands of trekkers who have paid and grunted their way to this high point. Most of the views of rock, ice and snow are little different than those I have seen elsewhere. There was ice/snow and a small teahouse at the top, but I did little more than take a photo before dropping off the other side of the pass. I was in a bit of a hurry to get away from the growing crowd and to get to warmer and more hospitable terrain.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIxjp_Nl-I/AAAAAAAAAZg/mGEPUzAJRcQ/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+336.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIxjp_Nl-I/AAAAAAAAAZg/mGEPUzAJRcQ/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+336.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265325402985699298" /></a><br />That is enough for now! Tune in again for more unbelievable adventures from Adam's memory.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIxjwm6F3I/AAAAAAAAAZo/ZaEc2DK6AEc/s1600-h/Nepal_Thai_Korea+356.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SRIxjwm6F3I/AAAAAAAAAZo/ZaEc2DK6AEc/s320/Nepal_Thai_Korea+356.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265325404762806130" /></a>adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-374635207602934282008-08-27T10:19:00.000-07:002008-08-29T10:23:30.744-07:00Ultra Liv'n<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SLgu1pB9KBI/AAAAAAAAAXA/Tvucxr_Maws/s1600-h/DSC01821.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SLgu1pB9KBI/AAAAAAAAAXA/Tvucxr_Maws/s320/DSC01821.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239989665527572498" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It has been a looong time since I ran a long race or even attended an ultra event. So this last weekend I became a little overwhelmed and re-energized hanging out with the great people at the Cascade Crest 100. In fact, I have once again caught the ultra-bug and am already starting to pine for an injury free and race filled next summer!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SLgu2vod65I/AAAAAAAAAXQ/2mzET1jN4h0/s1600-h/DSC01843.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SLgu2vod65I/AAAAAAAAAXQ/2mzET1jN4h0/s320/DSC01843.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239989684479585170" /></a><br />The plan was to do some hiking on Saturday near the CC100 course and then join Alison, James and Laura to man the No Name Ridge Aid Station during the middle of the night Sat-Sun. Amazingly the whole adventure went really smoothly, except for the fact that I technically still have two nagging injuries and am not in shape to be hiking/running 37 miles!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SLgu2C8unaI/AAAAAAAAAXI/71rNY2QkxGQ/s1600-h/DSC01832.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SLgu2C8unaI/AAAAAAAAAXI/71rNY2QkxGQ/s320/DSC01832.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239989672484969890" /></a><br />On Saturday morning I set off on a truly spectacular loop hike near the CC100 course. I hiked from the Cooper Lake trailhead up past the popular Pete Lake to the PCT. Then I hiked southbound on the PCT with a 2 hour stop at Spectacle lake to do some fishing. BTW, caught a beautiful fish which I think may have been a dolly varden (bull trout)??. The only thing I know is it didn't look like a cut and it didn't look like a rainbow so I am just guessing that it was a bull trout. After going over a pass I took a left on the Mineral Creek trail and followed this trail to the trailhead (Mineral Creek Aid Station). From this trailhead I ran and hiked the gravel roads back to the Cooper Lake trailhead. Some quick thoughts on a long hike:<br /><br />-why spend half of your weekend vacation packing and re-packing a 1/2 ton beast of burden just so that you can spend some time at a horsefly ridden, horse trampled, and horse-shit strewn campsite? I just don't understand. And I am not sure if I ever will. To me at least, riding horses into the backcountry is so totally anachronistic. <br /><br />-why does the military think it is ok to buzz people with supersonic aircraft and eliminate the peace and quiet of the last great quiet place: wilderness? At several times during my trip supersonic aircraft buzzed by overhead, completely covering over and drowning out the sound and the quiet of wilderness. And at one point I swear, a jet fighter, flew directly over me, about 500 to 1000 feet off the ground!<br /><br />-How many hours does it take for a Cascade trail to become completely overgrown and to disappear? In many places the brush on the upper Mineral Creek trail towered over my head and complete blocked the trail. In fact, many times I could only tell there was a trail due to the broken brush from the previous hiker. Obviously, this is a fine trail to use to get away from the hordes, because you would have to be crazy to hike it just to see the nearly impenetrable wall of slide alder!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SLgvInGiw5I/AAAAAAAAAXY/ERibSi22xNU/s1600-h/DSC01855.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SLgvInGiw5I/AAAAAAAAAXY/ERibSi22xNU/s320/DSC01855.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239989991427457938" /></a><br />After leaving the Mineral Creek trail (thank god), I had to run most of the gravel roads back to my car so that I could make it to Village Pizza before it closed. I am absolutely convinced there may be nothing better than good pizza and beer immediately following a hike!<br /><br />Finally around 10:30 PM I drove up to the No Name Ridge aid station where I met up with James. Unfortunately, James was injured in a race earlier in the day so I was saddled with the task of marking the race course for the 4.5 miles between No Name and Thorp Mountain. I was not thrilled to be doing an extra 9 miles of hiking from 11:30 PM to 3:00 AM. But by the time I was on my return to the station I was truly happy I had hiked this section of course. It was absolutely beautiful hiking along some of the open ridge areas under a clear, star-studded, and moonlit night sky. Night hiking can be a very rewarding experience.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SLgvI9n7SnI/AAAAAAAAAXg/dXgf9I42LJM/s1600-h/DSC01861.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SLgvI9n7SnI/AAAAAAAAAXg/dXgf9I42LJM/s320/DSC01861.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239989997473057394" /></a><br />The remainder of the night was spent at the Aid station providing relatively poor service to the runners. I was able to help out somewhat, but I think I could have done a much better job if I hadn't been quite so worn out!<br /><br />It was truly amazing and inspiring to watch the runners running into the aid station and then soldiering on into the darkness on the other side. I can't wait until I get the chance to run CC100 next year!adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-50465290136882393132008-08-12T11:24:00.000-07:002008-08-13T13:02:08.886-07:00Foolish Hiking Plans<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM4QdFzPHI/AAAAAAAAAVA/Bm3iID0va-8/s1600-h/DSC01585.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM4QdFzPHI/AAAAAAAAAVA/Bm3iID0va-8/s320/DSC01585.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234089047272668274" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The best laid plans can bring happiness, peace and maybe even enlightenment. The worst laid plans can bring at the very least an uncomfortable, adventurous, and epic experience.<br /><br />I usually put quite a bit of time into planning my weekend adventures. Especially around this time of year, when the mountains are nearly snow-free and the weather can be awesome. Usually a bit of careful planning pays off with beautiful views or solitude on the trails. But, unfortunately last weekend's plans were hastily made and poorly thought out. On saturday morning I woke up planning to do a difficult backpacking loop on the PCT (55 miles - 2 days) and immediately re-considered my plans due to poor weather conditions. Overnight a cloud had descended and enveloped my house and most of Washington state in a state of perpetual mist. Typical November weather in August!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM4Q9SD48I/AAAAAAAAAVI/RdTETol3ps8/s1600-h/DSC01598.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM4Q9SD48I/AAAAAAAAAVI/RdTETol3ps8/s320/DSC01598.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234089055914025922" /></a><br />I recall thinking, why not just head for the closest rain-shadow area and hope for clearing weather! So I read a few trail descriptions, pulled out my road atlas and found several trails which I thought I could combine to make one grand loop. I love to hike loops because you always get to see something new! Unfortunately, loops are not easy to plan, especially when you are in the mood to hike around 15-20 miles a day! Since I didn't have any decent trail maps for where I was going I checked out my road atlas. The road atlas is great because it shows a lot of trails and old gravel roads and it helps me visualize where I will be in relation to all the different access points. What I didn't realize is that many of the trails shown on the map may be old, abandoned or no longer exist! It also would have helped to really study the map scale so that I knew how far I had to hike.<br /><br />My plan was fairly simple. Drive to the Lake Ingalls trailhead. Hike over Ingalls Pass to Lake Ingalls and then over Stuart Pass into the Jack Creek drainage. Hike down Jack Creek to the Meadow Creek trail. Take Meadow Creek trail until the junction with Snowall Creek / Cradle Lake trail. Follow this trail to Cradle Lake and camp at Cradle Lake. Sunday follow another trail west of Cradle lake which I thought was Snowall / Cradle back to Meadow Creek. Soon after going west on Meadow Creek I should have found a trail, possibly signed Solomon Creek which would take me to the Van Ness Pass area. From there I could get onto the Lake Ann / Esmeralda Basin trail which would take me back to the trailhead.<br /><br />I left the always busy Lake Ingalls trailhead by 10 AM under a partially cloudy sky. Before long I was hiking past a mountain goat and climbing around the shoreline of Lake Ingalls, looking forward to the solitude I was certain to find on the other side of Stuart Pass. When I got to Stuart Pass I was surprised to see a forest fire on the eastern side of the Jack Creek valley. The fire didn't look too big from where I was and the wind appeared to be pushing it up the eastern side of the valley. I studied my map and figured out that the Jack Creek trail was on the opposite side of the river from the fire. Since the fire appeared to be moving away from my intended location and since I would be down in the wetter valley bottom by the time I was close to the fire I thought I could skirt past the fire. I have to admit I have also always wanted to see a forest fire from a relatively close, but safe position.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM4RJiv0JI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/uy8gxK0myTQ/s1600-h/DSC01593.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM4RJiv0JI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/uy8gxK0myTQ/s320/DSC01593.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234089059205238930" /></a><br />So I took off down the Jack Creek valley and in less than 1/2 an hour was hiking down valley under the constant thump thump thump of firefighting helicopters. As far as I could tell the helicopters were just observing and evaluating the fire. After reading a <a href="http://www.wta.org/~wta/cgi-bin.dev/wtaweb.pl?7+reports+displayM+2008080904">WTA report</a> I later realized that they were probably setting up for a parachute hot-shot team. Fortunately, when I got closer to the fire it was obvious I would have no trouble skirting the fire since I couldn't even smell smoke. The wind was so powerful it was pushing all the smoke up the other side of the valley even though I came within an estimated 1/8 mile of the fire. It was cool watching several trees torching but I didn't stick around long since I had a sneaking suspicion that the flying cavalry wouldn't look to kindly on hikers in their war zone.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM4scHz2KI/AAAAAAAAAVY/mWuYEk2rAX8/s1600-h/DSC01603.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM4scHz2KI/AAAAAAAAAVY/mWuYEk2rAX8/s320/DSC01603.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234089528048998562" /></a><br />After another 1/2 hour or so of hiking through an eerily quiet forest I found the junction with the Meadow Creek trail and soon thereafter I forded Jack Creek. It was here that I used up the last of my water purification. I guess that with all the hiking I have been doing I forgot to check my supplies. Oh, well! I hoped the rest of the hike would be around relatively clean water sources.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM4ssQdlNI/AAAAAAAAAVg/WoxCzlHmkA8/s1600-h/DSC01610.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM4ssQdlNI/AAAAAAAAAVg/WoxCzlHmkA8/s320/DSC01610.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234089532380255442" /></a><br />Ever since Stuart Pass the trail had been becoming brushier and less well-maintained. When I soon turned onto the steep Snowall / Cradle trail I realized this trail had received very little use, let alone maintenance. At 6:30 PM I finally topped out at the Cradle Lake basin just as the clouds rolled in and it started to rain. I was happy to have the lake all to myself but was not really thrilled with the cold rain and wind which stuck around for most of the night. Suffice to say I didn't get to stare at the moon and contemplate life at the edge of an alpine lake. But at least my tarptent didn't blow over and I didn't get drenched in the rain!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM4tC8R4pI/AAAAAAAAAVo/zvY6dPnNMoE/s1600-h/DSC01636.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM4tC8R4pI/AAAAAAAAAVo/zvY6dPnNMoE/s320/DSC01636.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234089538469618322" /></a><br />The weather was still cold overcast and windy on Sunday morning but I figured I might as well see if anyone was hiding in the lake. So I setup my clunky beat-up fly rod and made a few poor casts. I think I got one strike before packing up to leave, but that could have just been a wind-driven whitecap sinking my fly! A quick climb to a small pass allowed my fingers to thaw-out.<br /><br />From here I left the main Snowall / Cradle trail and followed an obvious path with lots of elk footprints to another ridgeline overlooking the Meadow Creek valley, just as my map indicated I should. And then the trail completely disappeared! I searched high and low and could not find a trail. So I started out going cross-country down the 2,000 foot high hillside. About halfway down I found the other hikers on the hillside: two elk and two deer grazing side by side. Scrambling down wet heather and through chest high slide alder reminded me why trailwork is so important.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM5Gs8ZixI/AAAAAAAAAVw/SskU2Ma9U8U/s1600-h/DSC01644.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM5Gs8ZixI/AAAAAAAAAVw/SskU2Ma9U8U/s320/DSC01644.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234089979241138962" /></a><br />Finally at the bottom of the valley I found the Meadow Creek trail again, except at this point in the valley the trail was little more than a game trail through swampy head-height slide alder. There were no blazes and in some areas the only sign of the trail was a single set of footprints with a corresponding flattening of the bushes. At this point I knew that I had virtually no chance of finding the Solomon Creek trail but I pressed on, committed to doing a loop, rather than returning via Saturday's route.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM5HNow1oI/AAAAAAAAAV4/3rhLmK9tr9M/s1600-h/DSC01651.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM5HNow1oI/AAAAAAAAAV4/3rhLmK9tr9M/s320/DSC01651.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234089988017149570" /></a><br />Eventually I dropped down into the French Creek valley and came to a junction with the French Creek trail. The remains of a collapsed wood cabin/shelter were located at the junction. I immediately took a left and headed up the hillside toward Sprite Lake and Paddy-Go-Easy Pass. After a bit of steep hiking I found myself above Sprite Lake at a pass where an old mine was located. Once again I could not find a trail going down the other side. I went down a bit and found large rock fields and potential steep cross-country travel. Due to my experiences that morning I decided to choose the trail more heavily traveled. I backtracked and went north along the ridge until I found Paddy-Go-Easy Pass and then immediately dropped down into the Cle Elum River drainage (toward Tucquala Lake). Because of my reluctance to travel cross-country I would need to descend 3 miles, then hike the Forest Service road about a mile to the Scatter Creek trailhead, and then hike something like 3 to 4 miles up Scatter Creek to attain another pass. Since it was already 2:30 PM I nearly started running!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM5eM6Q4jI/AAAAAAAAAWI/Azbndc-eM7Y/s1600-h/DSC01658.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM5eM6Q4jI/AAAAAAAAAWI/Azbndc-eM7Y/s320/DSC01658.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234090382959108658" /></a><br />By 4:15 PM I was briskly hiking up the south Scatter Creek trail hoping that I could find the trail at the pass or figure out a route to get to Lake Ann. I was familiar with the trail from Lake Ann to the trailhead so I was certain that once there I could put my legs on autopilot. As soon as I started to enter the alpine meadows the trail began to disappear below heavy vegetation and windfall. By paying careful attention to rare blazes, cairns and trampled vegetation I was able to work my way through the meadows and even across a huge avalanche debris field. Finally I scrambled up to a pass at 6:30 PM and looked down the other side into the Meadow Creek and Jack Creek valleys. Again, there was no obvious trail. Somehow I still needed to get around a couple of large mountains, one of which was Ingalls Peak.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM5efc4f6I/AAAAAAAAAWQ/jBdjD7dtRLo/s1600-h/DSC01666.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM5efc4f6I/AAAAAAAAAWQ/jBdjD7dtRLo/s320/DSC01666.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234090387936149410" /></a><br />In retrospect, this is the exact point where clear critical thinking is most important in an adventure of this sort. My body was tired, my mind a bit frazzled and my map was not detailed enough to lead me confidently in the correct direction. So I guessed which direction to go around a peak and hoped that I would be able to find climbable ground. My guess worked out but it turned out I misjudged my location by at least a couple of miles which further added to my confusion later that evening. Around 7:30 PM I found myself on top of another pass between two rocky peaks looking down into an unknown valley with no apparent trails. At least I could see a dirt road in the bottom of the valley, several miles from where I stood, but as the wind whipped over the ridge and the sun fell behind the western peaks I knew that I had a long night ahead.<br /><br />I dropped into a beautiful little cirque and started heading in the direction which I guessed might put me near the Lake Ann trail. I was tempted to settle down for the night in the trees below the cirque, but I knew that I didn't have a lot of food, my tent and part of my sleeping bag were already soaked and if I didn't return soon I might be reported missing. Eventually I found a thin trail with blazes. I later discovered I had found the County Line trail, an old and very long trail which crosses many passes in the area. At 9PM just as it was getting dark, I finally found Van Epps Pass and was able to delineate exactly where I was on the map. From here I had a relatively uneventful 7 mile hike back to the trailhead in the dark. I got home at 3 AM and made my best and last plan for the weekend: to call in late for work on Monday morning.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM5HWuJQyI/AAAAAAAAAWA/CfT0TUBzd2A/s1600-h/DSC01652.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SKM5HWuJQyI/AAAAAAAAAWA/CfT0TUBzd2A/s320/DSC01652.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234089990455640866" /></a><br />Trail Conditions:<br />Ingalls Lake - clear, good condition<br />Jack Creek - some minor windfall, lost trail in swampy meadows<br />Snowall/Cradle - brushy areas<br />Meadow Creek - extremely brushy in spots, some windfall, lost trail in swamp meadows<br />French Creek - windfall, relatively good tread<br />Paddy-Go-Easy Pass - clear, relatively good condition<br />South Scatter Creek - extremely brushy in meadows, no tread in many areas, significant avalanche and windfall debris<br />County Line - very thin trail with no tread in meadows, windfall, disapears in alpine areas<br />Lake Ann / Esmeralda Basin - clear, good condition, water on some portions of trailadamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-29059373507730532602008-07-14T20:58:00.000-07:002008-07-14T22:12:43.914-07:00Sun, Saltwater and Semi-Solitude<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SHwv4rCGDBI/AAAAAAAAAU4/k2yETmmzq60/s1600-h/DSC01322.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SHwv4rCGDBI/AAAAAAAAAU4/k2yETmmzq60/s320/DSC01322.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223102318513622034" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Last weekend I was lucky enough to do a bit of bluewater cruising. That description might be a bit of a stretch if you are familiar with the colloquial description of "bluewater cruising." But I was on some pretty blue saltwater cruising to an island destination. I just happened to do it without the 42 foot long two-masted schooner and I certainly wasn't gunkholing through Baja. But kayaking across Bellingham Bay to a sweet campsite on Lummi Island came close enough this time!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SHwvY-wNjGI/AAAAAAAAAUY/p6jdgbvVi3Q/s1600-h/DSC01280.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SHwvY-wNjGI/AAAAAAAAAUY/p6jdgbvVi3Q/s320/DSC01280.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223101774051511394" /></a><br />On Saturday I set out to make the longest open-water crossing which I have ever tried. At first I wasn't even sure how far it was since both my map and my guidebook don't show the route I intended on taking. But once I got out the GPS and entered some coordinates for my destination I figured out the crossing from Marine Park to Lummi was at least 5.6 miles. I have to admit this made me very nervous. The longest crossing I had ever done before was probably 3 miles or so. I know that I can just as easily flip over my kayaking and succumb to hypothermia 100 yards from shore as 3 miles. But the farther out I go, the more I feel exposed. Oh, and of course the more likely it is that there will be huge wind-driven waves!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SHwvZYxdLzI/AAAAAAAAAUg/7HqmRWEpXsM/s1600-h/DSC01291.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SHwvZYxdLzI/AAAAAAAAAUg/7HqmRWEpXsM/s320/DSC01291.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223101781036052274" /></a><br />The trip out to the island was relatively uneventful if not extraordinarily beautiful. There was just enough breeze to cool me. Not enough to build any big waves. The absolutely blue sky melted into the slightly darker blue bay-waters. Fish were jumping and I was smiling:-)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SHwvZ8IhBBI/AAAAAAAAAUo/LsZRe-9tsQg/s1600-h/DSC01297.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SHwvZ8IhBBI/AAAAAAAAAUo/LsZRe-9tsQg/s320/DSC01297.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223101790528013330" /></a><br />When I got to Lummi Island I found the old DNR campsite deserted. I had the pick of all the camps!! So of course I found my favorite spot with arguably the best view and made myself at home. Although later on some power boaters took up a spot at another campsite, I felt like I had the place to myself. I never even saw the power-boaters.<br /><br />I satisfied my inner geek by breaking out the GPS and kayaking to a geocache location on a nearby beach. I was actually surprised when I immediately found the geocache. I think I may have been the first to find it in nearly a year!<br /><br />I spent the evening watching the water turn different shades of blue.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SHwv4Qi-S0I/AAAAAAAAAUw/SNIbQqhK53g/s1600-h/DSC01317.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SHwv4Qi-S0I/AAAAAAAAAUw/SNIbQqhK53g/s320/DSC01317.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223102311403768642" /></a><br />On Sunday morning I was woken up by the tent trying to catch flight. A stiff wind built-up all night long until most of the bay was covered with breaking seas. The wind and sea conditions close to shore appeared to be doable based upon my previous experience, but I was pretty worried about how bad the conditions were over a mile from shore. So I decided to be cautious and abandoned returning the way I came. Instead I kayaking north along the shoreline, crossed the relatively narrow Hale Passage and landed at Gooseberry Point. Fortunately, my dad was able to drive over pick-up me and my kayak and give me a ride back to my car. I think this probably worked out better than testing out how long I can tread water and fight off hypothermia in the middle of Bellingham Bay!adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-57791878842654712052008-06-30T14:12:00.000-07:002008-09-16T09:20:28.558-07:00Summer Has Finally Arrived!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1KygkHL5I/AAAAAAAAAUA/8Mmi47t7Anw/s1600-h/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+228.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1KygkHL5I/AAAAAAAAAUA/8Mmi47t7Anw/s320/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+228.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218909774787587986" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This last weekend I went on my first backpacking trip of the summer season and boy was it a scorcher! Summer has finally arrived with a vengeance with 80's in the mountains and 90's in the lowlands.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1LIxXaVaI/AAAAAAAAAUI/DfiGET2XVck/s1600-h/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+197.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1LIxXaVaI/AAAAAAAAAUI/DfiGET2XVck/s320/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+197.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218910157254841762" /></a><br />It was time again for my annual perambulation through the Enchantment Lakes area near Leavenworth,WA. This year I got to share this place, one of my favorites, with three Enchantments rookies, Jim, Jessica and Alison. I know I had a great time on the hike and I think it was primarily due to the company. All three of these hikers had a pretty great attitude and seemed to really enjoy the Enchantments.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1J4GSFMJI/AAAAAAAAATQ/QpthUYnoBTw/s1600-h/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+264.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1J4GSFMJI/AAAAAAAAATQ/QpthUYnoBTw/s320/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+264.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218908771300225170" /></a><br />We started out on Friday at the Stuart Lake trailhead and headed straight up through a cloud of mosquitos to Colchuck Lake. Unfortunately, Jessica was not feeling well and became quite dehydrated during the day so we made a group decision to postpone the hike over Asgard pass until Saturday. We stopped at emerald Colchuck Lake hoping that Jessica would feel better on Saturday and that we would be able to escape from the mosquitos in the colder Enchantments. While everyone else settled into a camp in the boulders below Colchuck Peak I decided to burn some more energy and try for the summit of Colchuck Peak.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1KVafEFII/AAAAAAAAATw/xyNoMvf3IiU/s1600-h/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+252.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1KVafEFII/AAAAAAAAATw/xyNoMvf3IiU/s320/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+252.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218909274939593858" /></a><br />I remembered the last time I had climbed Colchuck I had been a relative neophyte to steep snow/ice walking and had been very grateful to have the comfort of crampons for the climb up the glacier. So this time I was a bit skeptical about how easy and safe it would be to hike it without crampons. After starting out at 4:45 PM I was surprised to find myself on the very top at 6:15 PM. The snowfield/glacier had been a relatively easy walk due to the fact that the top 3 or 4 inches was a bit slushy and some previous groups had left nice steps. The view from the top was spectacular especially since I could see all the WA state volcanoes except for Mt. St. Helens! The summit smelled a bit like a barnyard but I guess that is the price you pay for having the ubiquitous mountain goats in the mountains, where they belong.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1KV8bUYaI/AAAAAAAAAT4/BWZIG3IjSLk/s1600-h/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+253.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1KV8bUYaI/AAAAAAAAAT4/BWZIG3IjSLk/s320/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+253.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218909284050690466" /></a><br />On Friday evening Jim, Alison and I got to spend some quality hiker bonding time sipping a hiker margarita, staring at the brilliant stars and bs-ing about politics, theology and science, among other things. BTW, before this hike I did not know any of my hiking partners, although I had met Jim briefly on a Mountaineers hike a few weeks before. As far as I can tell Jim is a very entertaining professional conversationalist who should probably be on Jeopardy, Alison is a relatively hip young scientist who just happens to be a bit gullible and Jessica is someone who is committed to challenging herself.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1J4n86V0I/AAAAAAAAATY/xccvoSzuu5I/s1600-h/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+244.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1J4n86V0I/AAAAAAAAATY/xccvoSzuu5I/s320/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+244.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218908780338239298" /></a><br />On Saturday we struggled up the mighty Asgard Pass and entered the heavenly Enchantment Lakes Basin. Thankfully Alison and Jim were able to help out with carrying gear and hiking with Jessica so that we could all make it to the high point of the hike. Then we moseyed through the upper Enchantments before Jim, Alison and I dropped packs and headed for the summit of Little Annapurna. On top we were treated to the a spectacular view of a large portion of the Washington Cascades and the vertigo which comes from looking over the steep side of the peak. On the way up the mountain Alison got a quick lesson in ice axe self arrest and by the time we came down, I think she had nearly mastered the most important part of any climbing technique: confidence. We had no significant falls and I have a feeling that this was due more to the soft and quickly melting snow then our climbing technique. After the climbing we scrambled down to my favorite camp spot at Lake Viviane to settle in for another perfectly clear night of backcountry stargazing and sleeping.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1J5Nv7tRI/AAAAAAAAATg/ihUcjefB1EM/s1600-h/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+246.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1J5Nv7tRI/AAAAAAAAATg/ihUcjefB1EM/s320/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+246.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218908790484350226" /></a><br />After sleeping in on Sunday morning, we took our time wandering down the Snow Creek valley to the Snow Creek trailhead. Fortunately, we all survived without suffering from heat stroke.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1KVOVTsBI/AAAAAAAAATo/EOg3EGtcESU/s1600-h/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+248.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1KVOVTsBI/AAAAAAAAATo/EOg3EGtcESU/s320/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+248.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218909271677448210" /></a><br />During the weekend I did a few minutes of fishing at Snow Lakes and very little at Lake Viviane and Colchuck. I ended up getting skunked, partially due to the fact that there was still snow on Lake Viviane! But mostly due to my impatience, broken gear and poor fishing skills. Nonetheless, I enjoyed my time fishing on these beautiful crystal clear lakes.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1NkvV9WwI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/Yc5__hdNvos/s1600-h/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+231.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1NkvV9WwI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/Yc5__hdNvos/s320/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+231.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218912836771470082" /></a><br />I can't wait to go back!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1JN7FgkCI/AAAAAAAAATI/caRYsqtphEs/s1600-h/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+261.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SG1JN7FgkCI/AAAAAAAAATI/caRYsqtphEs/s320/VARIOUS+THRU+ENCHANTMENTS+261.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218908046740197410" /></a>adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-40744018884866327072008-06-03T21:30:00.000-07:002008-06-03T22:56:57.430-07:00Free Thoughts (no pennies required)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SEYtiFDd43I/AAAAAAAAATA/zJcBn1hoKkQ/s1600-h/DCP_2361.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/SEYtiFDd43I/AAAAAAAAATA/zJcBn1hoKkQ/s320/DCP_2361.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207900082596078450" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today was Damon's birthday. I find it particularly weird that I often have trouble remembering some of my brother's and sister's birthdays, but June 3rd, my dead brother's birthday is easily remembered. Maybe it has to do with that one June 3rd when we were kids and my brother Micah was in the hospital with pneumonia. I remember how I didn't really know what to feel on that day since I was worried about my sick brother. But at the same time I was wondering, how does Damon, my other brother, feel? His birthday is today and everyone is too busy and too worried to really celebrate his birthday. I think we actually did do the whole presents and cake thing but I don't remember much about that. What stands out is that just as Micah was starting to recover and our Dad had just returned to his job which was over 150 miles away, my dad's dad died.<br /><br />I could be mis-remembering the exact timeline or minor details. But I definitely remember the strange sense of dread I felt at that time. When the whole world seems to start falling apart it can be extremely unnerving, especially for a kid. Prior to this time I believed my parents and other grown-ups could make everything ok. Doctors could always solve a problem. My dad could fix the problem like he fixed the car. God wouldn't allow terrible things to happen to you if you were good. The very idea that we are all mortal, that we live in a wild and crazy world where everything is not always fair, that good guys don't always win and that a birthday present may not make you feel better, was, and sometimes still is, shocking. <br /><br />Of course I am old enough to know better. I have hit the potholes in life and been totally washed clean of my childhood naivete. It really is not so much that bad things can happen, but that they sometimes happen to good people doing all the right things at all the right times. The idea that at the core of all things chance might be the determining factor is overwhelmingly depressing. It is much easier to live day to day if you allow for the delusion or illusion that someone somewhere is in charge and they are looking out for you and your world. Whether it be karma, fate, God, or a bit of optimistic thinking, sometimes you've just gotta believe it will all work out. Today, I believe.adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-12930510719210014202008-04-09T12:56:00.000-07:002008-04-09T15:29:37.633-07:00Hope is more than a four letter word<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R_1Cnqqao2I/AAAAAAAAAS4/0-bnyMhW9M0/s1600-h/a-purna.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R_1Cnqqao2I/AAAAAAAAAS4/0-bnyMhW9M0/s320/a-purna.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187375595035206498" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The other day, while biking to work during a cold and miserable rainstorm, I was jolted out of my funk by a simple but inspiring bumper sticker. It read "Got Hope?" Of course I know that the purpose of this message has to do with a certain political campaign, but to me, at least on that day, 'got hope' resonated as much more than a slick marketing campaign. I realized just how important hope is to my overall outlook on life, and it has little if anything to do with the current presidential campaign.<br /><br />If you can't hope for a better, happier, more fulfilling future life, than your present life can sometimes seem boring, dull and pointless. That doesn't mean your, or in this case, my present life is all bad. Sometimes it just seems a bit uninspiring.<br /><br />In the past, a lot of my hopes and dreams hinged on running goals and far-out ultra-running dreams. Since my right knee seems to be on the quick path to retirement I have had a hard time hoping for better running days. So I am trying to concentrate on other hopes and goals.<br /><br />I am starting to plan a vacation to Nepal so that I can hike around Annapurna in October. In addition, I am starting to wonder if my knee will let me take a few long epic hikes this summer. <br /><br />Hope can do amazing things to your outlook. Here's to hoping that you've got Hope! It is far better than milk and less likely to give you gas.adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-77947611046005785882008-02-26T10:57:00.000-08:002008-02-27T15:49:48.793-08:002nd Time is the Charm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R8XyV8bHVqI/AAAAAAAAASA/jgNTQcbGUx4/s1600-h/037.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R8XyV8bHVqI/AAAAAAAAASA/jgNTQcbGUx4/s320/037.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171806205915911842" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Last year I became a real blog post slacker. This year I am trying to do better but actually doing even worse! I always want to post about the fun stuff I do right after it happens, but then I get caught up in everything else and forget about it until I sit down at the computer with some free time. By then I usually have a hard time remembering what I wanted to post about. Guess I need to start posting from a fancy mobile device with speech recognition. Then I could do the post while driving home from a weekend adventure!<br /><br />Anyway . . . The subject of this post is my second trip to Cal's cabin this winter. I am truly blessed to have been able to visit the cabin twice this winter. And both times I had a blast! The first time the snow was fresh and gnarly. The second time the weather was awesome and the food was exceptional. Of course the company on both trips was superb.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R8XyW8bHVsI/AAAAAAAAASQ/y7YcalPdEDE/s1600-h/022.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R8XyW8bHVsI/AAAAAAAAASQ/y7YcalPdEDE/s320/022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171806223095781058" /></a><br />On the weekend of Feb. 16-17 I visited the cabin for part of the holiday weekend and hung out with Calvin, Kristen, Belinda, Bruce and Kat. They all were smart enough to plan for a three day trip. Whereas I had to be back to work on monday, so missed a 3rd glorious day:( Belinda, Bruce and Kat were friends of Cal and Kristen's from Mt. Vernon.<br /><br />I skied in by myself on Saturday, got the cabin setup, and skied up the hill north/east of Little Boulder Creek. Although the snow had a pretty nasty wind/freeze crust the sky was virtually cloud free and the daytime temperature must have been near 50 degrees. I had a great time skinning up the hill, following animal tracks, and checking out the views of the valley. At the top I had a great view toward the Mt. Cashmere and Mt. Stuart area but couldn't pick out any known peaks in that direction. Guess I wasn't high enough! I could see Mt. Daniel further up the valley and another peak, Granite or Trico (?), with sled high-marks on a damn near 40 degree slope. I find it slightly comforting to know that natural selection is still at work in the human population! I skied back down to the cabin, trying to stay off of the most wind-laden avalanche prone slopes.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R8XyWcbHVrI/AAAAAAAAASI/bnU45MVXHEw/s1600-h/034.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R8XyWcbHVrI/AAAAAAAAASI/bnU45MVXHEw/s320/034.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171806214505846450" /></a><br />Everyone else finally made it to the cabin, just in time for a great dinner prepared by Calvin and Kristen. Afterwards the wine and conversation flowed freely. Unfortunately for me I had brought enough alcohol for two nights instead of one. So I ended up drinking too much and belligerently arguing social science, conservation and land use with Kat, Belinda and Kristen (three conservation professionals). At least Kristen and Calvin are used to my penchant to play devils advocate. But I am certain I put on a sorry and somewhat scary show for poor Kat, Belinda, and Bruce. I hope they had as much fun as I did!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R8XyVsbHVpI/AAAAAAAAAR4/JBx8bysQQE0/s1600-h/044.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R8XyVsbHVpI/AAAAAAAAAR4/JBx8bysQQE0/s320/044.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171806201620944530" /></a><br />Sunday dawned just as clear and glorious as Saturday. But my hangover tempered my enjoyment of the beautiful morning. Thank goodness everyone else seemed to be in no hurry to hit the slopes. We spent the entire morning and part of the afternoon just eating, napping, talking, reading and playing card games. Around 2 pm when we were getting ready to do some xc shred'n the cabin just started shaking violently for about 5-10 seconds. I had just enough time to wonder: is this an earthquake and what should I do, before the shaking ceased. We looked outside to find that the entire roof snow load had split and slid off the roof leaving huge snow slabs on two sides of the cabin. This was a new one for me, and I think everyone else involved. It am sure glad I wasn't standing outside below the roof overhang, taking a leak when the roof decided to let loose!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R8XzhcbHVvI/AAAAAAAAASo/hojIcJq6Lgw/s1600-h/043.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R8XzhcbHVvI/AAAAAAAAASo/hojIcJq6Lgw/s320/043.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171807502996035314" /></a><br />All of us except for Kristen went on a little ski trip down in the valley. We toured around the Cle Elum River, checked out some frozen ice by the river, followed a bearprint trail, met some people at a cool yurt and enjoyed the sunshine. By the time we returned it was time for me to leave. So I packed up and had a relatively uneventful but very serene nighttime ski out to the car.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R8XzgsbHVtI/AAAAAAAAASY/hHeNVKifwAI/s1600-h/041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R8XzgsbHVtI/AAAAAAAAASY/hHeNVKifwAI/s320/041.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171807490111133394" /></a><br />Thanks to my friends Cal and Kristen for organizing such a fun weekend. I had a fabulous time meeting Belinda, Bruce and Kat and enjoying the cabin, once again.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R8XzhMbHVuI/AAAAAAAAASg/nnPz5RykiPg/s1600-h/042.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R8XzhMbHVuI/AAAAAAAAASg/nnPz5RykiPg/s320/042.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171807498701068002" /></a>adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-68924174381695857962008-02-06T13:41:00.000-08:002008-02-08T13:52:11.419-08:00Keep on Digging<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R6zM8m-VQoI/AAAAAAAAARg/KjsFHP-EdNk/s1600-h/057.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R6zM8m-VQoI/AAAAAAAAARg/KjsFHP-EdNk/s320/057.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164728214313321090" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">According to some people, too much snow can be a bad thing, and it nearly was for our planned trip into the mountains last weekend. Fortunately, the highways opened just in time and the people who went on the trip were a hardy group, willing to literally crawl on hands and knees to get to my friend Calvin's cabin. This year the group consisted of Lena, Aaron, Chris, Cindy and I; a big improvement over last year's group: me, myself and I. Personally I had a blast going to the cabin and getting to hang out with some great people. The icing on the cake was taking a few downhill runs through near bottomless powder on the slopes near the cabin!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R6zM7G-VQmI/AAAAAAAAARQ/cCoP-tayWyk/s1600-h/033.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R6zM7G-VQmI/AAAAAAAAARQ/cCoP-tayWyk/s320/033.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164728188543517282" /></a><br />This year's trip definitely required some work though, especially for those on skinny skis. Both Lena and Chris were reduced to postholeing and crawling through waist high powder for the 1/4 mile between the cabin and the snowmobile track. Lena made it to the cabin but only after an hour of crawling up the hill. Fortunately ultra-man Chris was too tough to give up and hand over his pack to me or Cindy (it looked like he brought the kitchen sink!). Cindy didn't exactly have it easy on her skinny skis either. Once we were at the cabin, Aaron and I had to do quite a bit of digging in order to get to the well and the outhouse. At one point I was virtually swimming mid-chest high through powder trying to get to the cabin front door. I have never seen so much snow at the cabin!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R6zM72-VQnI/AAAAAAAAARY/LAaCyTYanXc/s1600-h/040.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R6zM72-VQnI/AAAAAAAAARY/LAaCyTYanXc/s320/040.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164728201428419186" /></a><br />The trip almost became a bust even before it started, since Snoqualmie pass had been closed for several days due to high avalanche danger. On the morning of our trip, only a couple of hours before we were to drive over the pass, WSDOT opened the pass to vehicular traffic. Chris and Cindy actually ended up getting detoured around the pass when returning home on Sunday, still due to avalanche danger. I wonder when WSDOT is going to learn how to keep highways open during the winter. Maybe they should get some lessons in mountain highway design and avalanche control from Colorado or Utah?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R6zObW-VQpI/AAAAAAAAARo/a0uiRgJ7ntk/s1600-h/035.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R6zObW-VQpI/AAAAAAAAARo/a0uiRgJ7ntk/s320/035.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164729842105926290" /></a><br />Thanks to everyone's back-breaking labor getting to the cabin, we had enough food for several days, even though we were only there for two. So a good portion of the trip was spent eating up all the food and hanging out in the warm cabin; just what the cabin was meant for. On Saturday afternoon and Sunday mid-day Aaron and I made a few trips up the hill behind the cabin and skied down through knee high powder.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R6zOb2-VQqI/AAAAAAAAARw/TifPt9K-GI0/s1600-h/052.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R6zOb2-VQqI/AAAAAAAAARw/TifPt9K-GI0/s320/052.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164729850695860898" /></a><br />Like usual, the trip was far too short and we all skied out on Super Bowl sunday, in order to get back to civ before monday. An added bonus was that very few sledders were on the trails for the whole weekend. I'm guessing the pass closure and Super Bowl kept most of the sledders away. So the ski back was relatively quiet. Just the way it should be in a snowy winter wonderland.adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-2714876883513196622008-01-12T15:20:00.000-08:002008-01-14T17:27:52.283-08:00I Smell Gooood!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R4wLxr3I1iI/AAAAAAAAARI/TUJ6UOu6nbQ/s1600-h/723.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R4wLxr3I1iI/AAAAAAAAARI/TUJ6UOu6nbQ/s320/723.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155508621647861282" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Thank goodness! I finally finished replacing my bathtub and tiling my shower. Glad that headache is done and now I can get back to smelling civilized! I definitely noticed a lowering of hygiene standards since I started the project in late October. No wonder most people feel the need to have more than one bathroom! <br /><br />A final picture of my handiwork is shown above. Fortunately, you can't see the mistakes. Unfortunately I will forever be able to see the mistakes. I guess this is one reason why many people choose to have someone else do their tiling!<br /><br />It is 3:30 right now and I am thinking about those crazy ultrarunners who have just begun the Bridle Trails 50K. Good luck to all my run'n friends. <br /><br />Looks like it may be a fast race since it is not raining and nowhere close to as cold as it was two years ago. Wish I was running:( Maybe I will stop by for the final laps in the dark, if just to feel some of the excitement. It is no picnic watching an ultra, or a marathon for that matter, and it usually isn't too exciting either. But sometimes it can be downright inspiring to watch others commit to such a serious challenge. Live it or lose it.adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-21085370824993931282007-12-13T13:04:00.000-08:002007-12-13T14:20:35.501-08:00The Eighth Wonder of the World<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R2Gske_eWwI/AAAAAAAAAQo/OAdJz8fqOZ8/s1600-h/platform2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R2Gske_eWwI/AAAAAAAAAQo/OAdJz8fqOZ8/s320/platform2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143581992228379394" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It is weird how when I start on a project it always becomes a massive undertaking. Oftentimes it overwhelms all other aspects of my life. In the case of my most recent project, the bathtub replacement, this is more true than ever! Recently I have started to wonder if I am building the 8th Wonder of the World.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R2Gs5-_eWzI/AAAAAAAAARA/dhM4OU0BNVw/s1600-h/tub1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R2Gs5-_eWzI/AAAAAAAAARA/dhM4OU0BNVw/s320/tub1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143582361595566898" /></a><br />All I did was set out to replace my bathtub and re-tile the shower, at the beginning of November, and now I am wondering if I should take time off work (my real job) in order to finish my project. For certain the project is taking longer than it probably should. But for the most part this is just due to the fact that I don't know what the $&@! I am doing most of the time! It may also be due to the fact that I decided I had to tile the ceiling and the skylight above the tub. Why you might ask? . . .<br />Probably just plain stupidity! At the time I reasoned that water vapor will damage the drywall in the skylight (like it did previously). Now I think, who cares??<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R2Gs5u_eWyI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/DUgVdcggKOI/s1600-h/sky1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R2Gs5u_eWyI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/DUgVdcggKOI/s320/sky1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143582357300599586" /></a><br />Anyway, due to my poor judgment I got to macgyver a couple of platforms to work above the tub and plan out a series of steps to complete the project. Here is the 2nd and more difficult platform below. I will have to remove the platform and tile at the platform connection point after the rest of the project is complete.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R2Gs4-_eWxI/AAAAAAAAAQw/qwenOtLOi7k/s1600-h/platform.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R2Gs4-_eWxI/AAAAAAAAAQw/qwenOtLOi7k/s320/platform.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143582344415697682" /></a><br />Fortunately, I think I am nearing the halfway done stage (2 walls have been tiled). I just hope that I don't make a mistake and have to re-do something. Things I have learned so far:<br /><br />1. Don't try tiling on a totally crooked, out of plumb, wall.<br />2. Keep it simple. Don't tile ceilings, outside corners or the neighbor's dog.<br />3. Pay a buck more for Hardiboard instead of Wonderboard. The Wonderboard makes you wonder how much extra work you will need to do to fill and sand all the screw holes and damaged spots.<br />4. Don't worry so much about the small defects. They might just add character!<br /><br />Here is the old tub:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R2Gsiu_eWvI/AAAAAAAAAQg/MlGw35HG-3Q/s1600-h/oldtub.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/R2Gsiu_eWvI/AAAAAAAAAQg/MlGw35HG-3Q/s320/oldtub.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143581962163608306" /></a>adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-42633776041701224992007-11-10T12:53:00.000-08:002007-11-10T14:03:43.348-08:00Someday I will get to run again!!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Yesterday I had quite an adventure on my road (or trail) to recovery. I went in for <a href="http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00109&return_link=0">arthroscopic surgery</a> on my right knee! Technically a part of the surgery might also have been considered a <a href="http://www.orthomimetics.com/thera-surgical-repair-chondroplasty.asp">chondroplasty</a> since some loose and folded cartilage was removed.<br /><br />Now that it is done I think that I am glad that I did it. I was worried at first that the doctor wouldn't really find anything to repair and that I'd be stuck with a big bill and nothing to show for it. But now I am a little more confident that I will someday get to run over hills and dales enjoying some of my favorite long trail runs. I can't wait to get out and try my new bionic leg (not really bionic, but hopefully improved). Life without running is tough.<br /><br />Since this was my first surgery and my most major medical procedure it was quite an experience. I highly recommend it, NOT! Well I have to admit it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, you know if I had been one of those rare 'died of surgical complications' cases. But it had its exciting moments like when I experienced what the nurse referred to as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasovagal">Vasovagal</a> response (Syncope). After checking wiki I see that I was just close to fainting but it was sure a strange sensation. I understand that it was just an automatic response which my body created to the panic of having the IV hooked up and knowing that I was going in for surgery. It may also have to do with what is commonly referred to as a flight or fight response. Of course I couldn't really flee the room so I ended up nearly fainting instead. This was a new one for me as it began as soon as she inserted the needle and told me that I would feel a sense of cold from the antibiotic. Instead I started feeling lightheaded, dizzy and I started sweating profusely. She attached the heart rate monitor and found that I had a HR of 30 bpm which even for me is really low! I am making a much bigger deal out of this than I should since it was just a near fainting episode, but it sure was a trip being that it was the first time.<br /><br />I missed the other excitement of the day since I was anesthetized for the procedure but from what the nurse said afterwards, I can only imagine that there was a little excitement in the operating room. She said that I was a little rambunctious in my sleep and tried fighting my way off the operating table. That is just plain weird! I remember having some strange dream but I don't remember anything about it. I guess I am subconsciously not so fond of surgery! She also told me that under anesthesia I developed a irregular and/or slow heart rhythm and had to be given atropine (like adrenaline) in order to stabilize my heart. On a side note I just learned about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_rattle">'death rattle'</a> on wikipedia. I'd never heard of this but it is very interesting! Anyway, at least according to the doctor the surgery went well and my knee injury may have been repaired. Now I just can't wait to take it for a test ride (run)! <br /><br />I usually wouldn't open up like this on the internet (literally), but since I have got the pictures why not show them! Attached are some of the photos from inside my knee!! Personally I think it is a pretty good looking knee joint if I do say so myself. What did one knee joint say to the other knee joint? I don't really know but there has gotta be a funny answer to that one.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RzYoHbP1fTI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/NWcC5MbvHD4/s1600-h/adamknee1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RzYoHbP1fTI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/NWcC5MbvHD4/s400/adamknee1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131332933473631538" /></a><br />Super-thanks also have to go out to my friends Ana, Keith and Eli who were nice enough to care for me after the surgery. Just wish I could have had a celebratory beer!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RzYoHrP1fUI/AAAAAAAAAQY/9MMMmDtE5Lo/s1600-h/adamknee2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RzYoHrP1fUI/AAAAAAAAAQY/9MMMmDtE5Lo/s400/adamknee2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131332937768598850" /></a>adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-60157556124592801062007-09-18T17:28:00.000-07:002007-09-22T19:46:58.635-07:00>218 Miles of Pure Beauty<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPiU-16VSI/AAAAAAAAAPY/_KHAKlSzwsc/s1600-h/DSC00408.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPiU-16VSI/AAAAAAAAAPY/_KHAKlSzwsc/s320/DSC00408.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112678852090025250" border="0"></a><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">So I am back from the JMT and I'm not quite sure where to begin. The trip was incredibly fun and challenging and the places I went were very very special. I don't really think I can convey how insanely beautiful and wild the JMT was and I definitely can't explain how that place changed me so I will just mention a few things here and post some of my favorite photos.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPc5u16VGI/AAAAAAAAAN4/A52UUCBNNwQ/s1600-h/DSC00206.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPc5u16VGI/AAAAAAAAAN4/A52UUCBNNwQ/s320/DSC00206.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112672886380450914" border="0"></a><br />I hiked the entire trail North to South including a side trip to Half-Dome and the hike down from Mt. Whitney in less than 10 days. I planned for 12 days so I actually skipped my last re-supply because I really didn't want to hike out to pick it up. A hike out would have interrupted my hiking rhythm which was extremely satisfying. Everyday I woke up at the true crack of dawn or just before, ate a little bit of food and started walking. Nearly the entire day was spent walking. Just walking, thinking and checking out every single view from the trail. The trail rises from something like 4000 foot elevation in Yosemite to 14,496 foot Mt. Whitney and between the two ends it crosses 10 passes. So everyday I would get to see a good amount of the flora and fauna from the lower elevations, the valleys, to the upper and most austere elevations, the passes. There was extreme beauty and pristine wildness in both places and everywhere in between. The valleys seemed to be overflowing with life; huge meadows with absolutely clear streams divided by seemingly endless forests which showed no signs of man-made management. In most places the forests consisted of several different tree species with a wide variety of undergrowth. Although I never saw a bear I did see many deer, including some very large racks and one trickster (coyote). The forests would thin and become more gnarled as I climbed throughout the day, until I entered what was often a moonscape like area full of high alpine lakes surrounded by miles of granitic peaks.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPdme16VKI/AAAAAAAAAOY/f8gfAmMWrp4/s1600-h/DSC00543.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPdme16VKI/AAAAAAAAAOY/f8gfAmMWrp4/s320/DSC00543.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112673655179596962" border="0"></a><br />Except for two afternoons when thunderstorms shook the nearby peaks I had absolutely beautiful clear blue skies throughout my trip. I am guessing the temperature ranged from the 30's at night to the high 80's in the hot and dry sections of the trail with a couple of nights on the high passes where the temps fell below freezing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPdmO16VJI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/PXBq6Qn4XuE/s1600-h/DSC00456.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPdmO16VJI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/PXBq6Qn4XuE/s320/DSC00456.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112673650884629650" border="0"></a><br />Caught this trickster checking out a camping area near Red Cone (click for large view).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvXN_-16VYI/AAAAAAAAAQI/36krVCWjivU/s1600-h/DSC00335.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvXN_-16VYI/AAAAAAAAAQI/36krVCWjivU/s320/DSC00335.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113219451033638274" border="0"></a><br />I think one of my favorite places during the entire trip was crossing Muir Pass on day 6. The climb to the pass was not steep but it just seemed to flow on for miles, starting in the absolutely stunning McClure Meadows, winding around several sapphire lakes and a moonscape of boulders to end at the Muir Pass shelter, located directly on top of the pass. The Muir shelter, which is a circular stone building with a weather-beaten but sturdy wood door seemed to fit so seamlessly and perfectly into it's place, I almost wished that I could have been stranded there in a storm. It's purpose is to provide emergency shelter to high-country hikers and to commemorate Mr. Muir, but that place seemed more like a temple than any other place I have ever been. Many people had written small notes and left them inside the shelter, in front of the lone window. I tried to read one of them but was overcome with sadness and couldn't continue. I quickly realized that a lot of pain was left with those notes. So I didn't even try to read the rest. What better place to leave your pain then at a temple. I think I left some of mine, because that night I slept better than ever. But I didn't write anything down.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPeWO16VMI/AAAAAAAAAOo/RWg6kMbv2UU/s1600-h/DSC00492.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPeWO16VMI/AAAAAAAAAOo/RWg6kMbv2UU/s320/DSC00492.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112674475518350530" border="0"></a><br />I didn't set out to hike the trail faster than planned it just happened due to circumstances. On day 3 I realized that I only had two more dinners so I needed to get from mile 58 to 108 in two days in order to pick-up another re-supply. Then near the end of the trip I realized that I had some extra food and if I just found a bit more I could stay on the trail without having to go into town for food. So I asked for and found some food at a ranger station and received some more from an overloaded hiker.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPfKe16VRI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/WF93W8eE4eI/s1600-h/DSC00532.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPfKe16VRI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/WF93W8eE4eI/s320/DSC00532.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112675373166515474" border="0"></a><br />I was extremely surprised at how lonesome the trail was in September. Except for at the two ends of the hike as well as near Muir Pass and in the Rae Lakes Basin, I rarely saw anyone and that was nice. The solitude I found in Tully's Hole and on top of Mather Pass really made the trip seem like an adventure.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPeWe16VNI/AAAAAAAAAOw/tjeNNTEWv-s/s1600-h/DSC00619.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPeWe16VNI/AAAAAAAAAOw/tjeNNTEWv-s/s320/DSC00619.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112674479813317842" border="0"></a><br />I met and hiked with a guy named Forest near the end of the trip. Forest had hiked all the way from Donner Pass, over 400 miles, and ended on the same day I did at Mt. Whitney. He also happens to be from Leavenworth, WA and is a pretty quick lightweight hiker! Hopefully we will meet up again sometime for a hike in the Cascades. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvXJC-16VUI/AAAAAAAAAPo/W-EppjAiwOU/s1600-h/DSC00620.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvXJC-16VUI/AAAAAAAAAPo/W-EppjAiwOU/s320/DSC00620.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113214005015106882" border="0"></a><br />The trip home from the trail was relatively uneventful except for the fact that I received a great hitch from a guy named Ed from Santa Barbara. The trip to get to the trail was awesome since I got to visit my friend Lora in Lafayette. Thanks for all your help Lora. Without it I may never have made it to Yosemite!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPfJ-16VPI/AAAAAAAAAPA/GMkju6yPqVc/s1600-h/DSC00148.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPfJ-16VPI/AAAAAAAAAPA/GMkju6yPqVc/s320/DSC00148.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112675364576580850" border="0"></a><br />I learned quite a few things on the trail, a couple of them being:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPc6O16VHI/AAAAAAAAAOA/I4IjyqaTrnc/s1600-h/DSC00244.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPc6O16VHI/AAAAAAAAAOA/I4IjyqaTrnc/s320/DSC00244.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112672894970385522" border="0"></a><br />I have learned to be realistic when thinking about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. This means that I am not so convinced that the PCT is for me. It would be really HARD!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPdmu16VLI/AAAAAAAAAOg/eCuN34rjFqw/s1600-h/DSC00570.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPdmu16VLI/AAAAAAAAAOg/eCuN34rjFqw/s320/DSC00570.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112673659474564274" border="0"></a><br />I want to do some more long hikes in extremely wild and rad places. I'm just not sure where yet!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPc6e16VII/AAAAAAAAAOI/8Ssm3pnTG-U/s1600-h/DSC00404.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvPc6e16VII/AAAAAAAAAOI/8Ssm3pnTG-U/s320/DSC00404.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112672899265352834" border="0"></a><br />I think that if every high schooler in the nation did a hike like the JMT, in 10 years we would have a country full of conservationists and true patriots. If you don't know anything about the land in which you live and the true freedom you may enjoy (if you so choose) your not likely to defend it or conserve it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvXMlO16VWI/AAAAAAAAAP4/VQtQ-j4A6J4/s1600-h/DSC00233.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvXMlO16VWI/AAAAAAAAAP4/VQtQ-j4A6J4/s320/DSC00233.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113217891960509794" border="0"></a><br />I am glad to be back and hoping that I will be able to start running again soon!?!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvXNde16VXI/AAAAAAAAAQA/iBuRAkDUct0/s1600-h/DSC00467.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RvXNde16VXI/AAAAAAAAAQA/iBuRAkDUct0/s320/DSC00467.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113218858328151410" border="0"></a><br />I did small videos for each day of the trip. I can't put all of them up here. So here is the final one, done on top of Mt. Whitney:<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzeYKSjxdO3oZl_aXR2yRxGz110lznuAvwd1E5SMamZhFd5t1LQJ9Hi8ctfOVivfpFTAcpdMjM_seE' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span>adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-10870181152895029492007-08-29T10:53:00.000-07:002007-08-29T13:08:28.664-07:00Emptying My Mind<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RtXRC-E82DI/AAAAAAAAANw/N9fkuzdhiI8/s1600-h/180px-John_Muir_Cane.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RtXRC-E82DI/AAAAAAAAANw/N9fkuzdhiI8/s320/180px-John_Muir_Cane.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104215601648031794" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Almost everything has been packed, shipped, photocopied, and readied for my trip to hike the John Muir Trail, which begins on Saturday. And just now I am starting to wonder if I have mentally prepared myself adequately. I know it is just a hike. I am not going to the moon, hiking the length or breadth of a country, or exploring unknown or completely unpopulated country. But I have a feeling that my mind and my conceptions are likely going to be changed drastically by this experience. It will be a physical, mental and possibly spiritual challenge. Just as I was pondering this in the last week I came upon my horoscope which seemed extremely prescient:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">While I was out in the California wilderness doing a vision quest, I came upon a painting in a cave that I immediately sensed was an oracle for the current state of your life. In the painting, there was a hunter who had dropped his bow and arrow on the ground. He appeared to be dancing inside a circle of eagles. The birds were also at ground level and had their wings spread, as if dancing with the hunter. I encourage you to come up with your own interpretations of this oracle, but here's how I see it: You need to commune with wilderness in a way you never before imagined. The best way to proceed is to empty your mind of all the thoughts about what you can get out of the experience, and instead cultivate the free-wheeling, no-expectations attitude that comes when you're dancing uninhibitedly.</span><br /><br />Now I am not a big believer in astrology or vision quests and I only read the horoscope on the rare occasion that I browse through The Stranger and come to the last page with the horoscopes. That being said I've gotta wonder if this 'advisor' might just be on to something. Either way, the advice seems sound. So I have begun trying to empty my mind of expectations and prepare myself to live in the moment. <br /><br />This non-planning might actually be the hardest part of the journey. I have spent countless hours already planning out every detail of this trip, including dehydrating foods, mixing and making freezer-bag meals, creating miniature maps, emailing trail forums, buying gear, getting permits, sending food packages and on and on. Can I do an 11-12 day 220 mile hike in the California wilderness without constantly rationing my energy, strength, time and food. Can I free my mind from constant worrying about whether or not me knee will hold-up, obsessing about getting from point A to point B, cooking dinner #1 or #2, hiking for 3 or 4 hours between breaks, etc. When I step onto the trail, will I be able to free myself from the future and enjoy my present. I sincerely hope so because in fact, this is a major reason why I will set out on this journey. One word seems to encompass my primary goal: Freedom.<br /><br />So I will try. I will empty my mind, put my feet on the trail, and start walking. Life doesn't get much better than that. <br /><br />By the way; That free-thinker at the top of the page, is John Muir.adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-70276329248795896722007-08-27T11:31:00.000-07:002007-08-27T13:53:53.234-07:00Props to CC100 Runners<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RtM1KOE82BI/AAAAAAAAANg/-mD0Ztrnf7s/s1600-h/DSC00143.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RtM1KOE82BI/AAAAAAAAANg/-mD0Ztrnf7s/s320/DSC00143.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103481252434728978" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">On saturday afternoon I finished up all my errands and chores early and was a little bored so I decided to try and watch a bit of the <a href="http://www.cascadecrest100.com/">Cascade Crest 100 mile race</a>. I was hoping that if I timed it right I might be able to see some of my friends in the race. The trouble was that I wasn't totally sure of the course directions and I also wasn't sure how fast most people would be running. So I made an educated guess and decided to hike the Twin Lakes trail to the PCT then continue south to see who I would run into. The other smaller problem was that it was raining off and on and daylight was fading fast.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RtMyreE819I/AAAAAAAAANA/Ic73aQvqUQU/s1600-h/DSC00127.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RtMyreE819I/AAAAAAAAANA/Ic73aQvqUQU/s320/DSC00127.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103478525130495954" /></a><br />I hiked up a truly steep and overgrown trail a couple or three miles to get to the PCT just aways south of Olallie Meadows. Then I hiked to Yakima Pass/Twilight Lake before stopping to eat dinner and wait for the runners. About 20 minutes later the first place runner came running by and sarcastically commented on the stellar conditions (wet , dark and slightly windy). Twenty cold minutes later the 2nd place runner ran by and appeared somewhat surprised to see a fan so far out on the course! I stuck around for awhile longer watching the first 8 to 10 runners pass, including the first place woman, but it was getting dark and nasty so I started back. I ended up seeing a couple more runners before leaving the PCT but didn't get a chance to see most of the pack. The only person I saw who I knew by name was Ralph Pooler, who recognized me and said hi. There is Ralph (below) with his head down.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RtMysuE81-I/AAAAAAAAANI/NNwH3DNWQnY/s1600-h/DSC00131.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RtMysuE81-I/AAAAAAAAANI/NNwH3DNWQnY/s320/DSC00131.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103478546605332450" /></a><br />I hiked out in a truly miserable cold rain just as it became pitch black under the forest canopy. It was obvious to me that with approximately 60 miles of cold and wet running to go, all the runners were going to have a rough night. Based upon the results some people appear to have had amazing races, despite the rainy weather. Congrats to Arthur, Alison, Shawn, Van, Wendy, Eric, Glenn and everyone else!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RtM0peE81_I/AAAAAAAAANQ/j8P7O4ojSM0/s1600-h/DSC00135.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RtM0peE81_I/AAAAAAAAANQ/j8P7O4ojSM0/s320/DSC00135.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103480689794013170" /></a><br />On Sunday I went kayaking and saw this sunken upside-boat. I wish I knew more about the boat and why it sunk. But I don't. Someone probably just neglected to take care of the boat and left it tied to the mooring buoy when it should have been repaired. Just thought it was cool to see the bottom of a boat sticking up out of the water!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RtM0qOE82AI/AAAAAAAAANY/X2ieTCO2TTE/s1600-h/DSC00140.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RtM0qOE82AI/AAAAAAAAANY/X2ieTCO2TTE/s320/DSC00140.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103480702678915074" /></a>adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-19779017607661322582007-08-20T09:09:00.000-07:002007-08-21T15:36:39.054-07:00Bluegrass + Friends = Friendgrass<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RsnHneE812I/AAAAAAAAAMI/9nEVmUYeOe4/s1600-h/DSC00069.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RsnHneE812I/AAAAAAAAAMI/9nEVmUYeOe4/s320/DSC00069.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100827533876451170" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Lately I have been a little bit obsessed with my planning for my upcoming vacation and worrying about my knee injury. Unfortunately this has even carried over to my blog, where my posts have been truly self-obsessed. I was recently reminded of this by a couple of friends, Cindy and Chris (C & C), who felt left out of my post on the 2nd White River training run. Ok, so here is my addendum to that post: I ran into a couple of friends pushing their bikes up the road to Suntop during the run, Chris and Cindy. They appeared to be tiring of the hill already and were wondering how much farther it was to the top. I told them it was probably two to three miles (and then comes all the downhill) and that they had a lot of riding ahead of them (or bike pushing!), being that it was already around 2 pm. They asked how far I had run and I guessed that it was somewhere over 20 miles and that I was looking forward to a soak in the river, at the bottom of the hill. I left wondering, how can they be so relaxed about their recreation? Starting out after noon?? Slackers!<br /><br />Last week I got to hang with some friends and see some great music. Here is a synopsis:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RsnFtOE811I/AAAAAAAAAMA/9mI8ER_WIyQ/s1600-h/DSC00060.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RsnFtOE811I/AAAAAAAAAMA/9mI8ER_WIyQ/s320/DSC00060.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100825433637443410" /></a><br />Wednesday: Went to an Old Crow Medicine Show concert at the Woodland Park Zoo with Ana, Chris and Cindy. I had a great time although I am regretting the fact that I didn't dance nearly as much as I should have! Thanks to Ana and Cindy we ate a delicious picnic dinner on the grass right before the show began. Ana thought Ketch Secor was making up his accent. I wondered why peaches have fuzz. We had tons of fun!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RsnHnuE813I/AAAAAAAAAMQ/KywFp7xVPmM/s1600-h/DSC00064.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RsnHnuE813I/AAAAAAAAAMQ/KywFp7xVPmM/s320/DSC00064.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100827538171418482" /></a><br />Friday: Went to Ana and Keith's for dinner with Chris, Cindy, Brielle and Beezer. The two young'ns are Eli (Ana/Keith) and Mabel (B&B). This was the first time I had met Mabel. She sure seemed feisty for a 5 week old. The burgers were great and the company was fantastic. It is too bad I don't own a teleporter so that I can visit B,B and Mabel in W2 every weekend.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RsnIhuE814I/AAAAAAAAAMY/1k8aR9xDtpI/s1600-h/DSC00063.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RsnIhuE814I/AAAAAAAAAMY/1k8aR9xDtpI/s320/DSC00063.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100828534603831170" /></a><br />I have a new camera so I am going to test putting a video of the OCMS show here (if I can ever get it to work):adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-65518111078591329492007-08-08T13:21:00.000-07:002007-08-08T16:08:17.027-07:00Gear Test<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpET9z8lJI/AAAAAAAAAKo/LhusGH13wB4/s1600-h/dcp_3972.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpET9z8lJI/AAAAAAAAAKo/LhusGH13wB4/s320/dcp_3972.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096461038123783314" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In anticipation of my upcoming John Muir Trail hike I took off last weekend (8/4 & 8/5) and tested out the ol'body and gear for the trip. I left early Saturday morning thinking I would hike deep into the Cascades on a trail originating near Leavenworth; a trail I had never been to before and one which was likely overgrown. But when I got to Leavenworth I stopped by the ranger station and found that they were just about to start the Enchantment lakes lottery drawing. So of course I couldn't resist entering. Lo and behold I was the first one drawn and was awarded a coveted permit to camp in the Enchantments. So I changed plans.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpEUNz8lKI/AAAAAAAAAKw/7Y86ux-DOGI/s1600-h/dcp_3985.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpEUNz8lKI/AAAAAAAAAKw/7Y86ux-DOGI/s320/dcp_3985.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096461042418750626" /></a><br />I took the Colchuk Lake / Aasgard Pass route and was strolling into the upper Enchantment Lakes basin just before noon! I can't believe how much easier this route is than hiking all the way up the Snow creek valley, like I usually do. Before I had walked even a 1/4 mile down into the basin I spotted 10 mountain goats, several of them kids. They were not all together but came in groups of 1 or 2. I've seen many goats in the Enchantments before. But there were so many at one time that I was starting to wonder if they were looping around behind me and walking by again! It was a blue sky near perfect day to wander through that wonderland of granite, sapphire lakes and twisted gnarly Larch trees. I was in heaven!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpKRdz8lQI/AAAAAAAAALg/OrX7NMVxk_4/s1600-h/dcp_4026.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpKRdz8lQI/AAAAAAAAALg/OrX7NMVxk_4/s320/dcp_4026.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096467592243877122" /></a><br />I stopped at the first lake with fish, about halfway down the basin, and started waving the ol' wand. I caught two fish on my own hand-tied Elk Hair Caddis fly within 5 minutes. Even though I broke the tip off of my fly rod on the hike in, I was still in heaven! The fish were small like usual but they fought like true cutts and were exciting to see thriving in the cold clear lakes.<br /><br />I wandered over to one of my favorite lakes, Crystal Lake, hoping that I could do some fishing here and camp at one of my favorite spots. Unfortunately a large group was already there so I decided to head for the hills and a bit of seclusion. I hiked up over Prusik pass and wandered down to secluded Shield Lake. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpEy9z8lMI/AAAAAAAAALA/jq6NMTfmHEQ/s1600-h/dcp_4008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpEy9z8lMI/AAAAAAAAALA/jq6NMTfmHEQ/s320/dcp_4008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096461570699728066" /></a><br />I have explored this area before and have been wanting to camp here for a long time. Fortunately, most of the Enchantment hikers are too lazy to climb over Prusik Pass so Shield lake and the lakes below it almost never get visitors. For me, walking down into this basin is like walking into a forgotten land, a near-perfect wilderness, the garden of Eden. The trail becomes ever more overgrown, to the point where in the meadows, the trail is barely recognizable. The entire valley seems to be alive with the songs of birds, the constant thrum of bugs and the pitter-patter of fish riseing on the lake. During my stay at Shield lake I was startled on more than one occasion by a large splash on the lake. I would quickly look out over the lake to see an Osprey rising from the lake with a fish.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpEzNz8lNI/AAAAAAAAALI/rA548MpUg_c/s1600-h/dcp_4011.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpEzNz8lNI/AAAAAAAAALI/rA548MpUg_c/s320/dcp_4011.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096461574994695378" /></a><br />I wandered down to the lake and took up my spot on a point of land near the outlet stream. The outlet stream is more like a canal since it soon enters another lake further down valley. Because of the large amount of water which comes directly off the melting snows of the surrounding ridges, the valley was extremely lush this year. After catching a fish or two I camped at Shield Lake and had the entire valley and lake to myself. I was in heaven!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpKQ9z8lPI/AAAAAAAAALY/oszBR0lMtF8/s1600-h/dcp_4022.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpKQ9z8lPI/AAAAAAAAALY/oszBR0lMtF8/s320/dcp_4022.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096467583653942514" /></a><br />The stars were out that night but I setup my Tarptent since I needed to test it out and I need the practice setting it up. This time I was able to set it up well and actually got the feeling that it will work for my upcoming trip. Until I woke in the morning and noticed that the bottom part of my sleeping bag had been soaked by condensation on the inside of the low end of the tent. Because the tent is so low at the foot end of the tent my bag rubs on the ceiling thereby picking up condensation. I am not sure how I will deal with this on my trip, but I am not too worried.<br /><br />On Sunday I did a bit of fishing in the morning then ambled back up out of the valley just in time to see a couple of rangers dropping into the valley. When they checked my permit I am certain that they were surprised to find that I was legal. I have to admit that I have considered visiting Shield Lake to stealth camp on many occasions. They said they usually don't patrol this valley but that they would head down valley and work cross-country to the Snow Creek drainage. They indicated that they had never tried it before. I told them how I had tried the same thing before and never found the correct route.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpML9z8lSI/AAAAAAAAALw/r36xqIAl6cI/s1600-h/dcp_3997.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpML9z8lSI/AAAAAAAAALw/r36xqIAl6cI/s400/dcp_3997.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096469696777852194" /></a><br />After leaving the rangers I stopped by Inspiration Lake and did some fishing before heading toward the car. On the way out of the Enchantments I ran (not literally) up Little Annapurna and caught some awe-inspiring views. Little Annapurna mountain really isn't nearly as grand as it's name sounds (named after the Himalayan peak) but it does have a cool summit. On it's summit a few large heavily weathered rocks project out over a couple thousand foot chasm on the south side. I like to go out and sit on the rocks where I can get the feeling that I am suspended in the air; my own little magic carpet ride. Usually after a few minutes I start to get characteristically paranoid that there will be an earthquake! If there was any sort of earthquake I am certain that I would be taking a fast trip to the bottom of the valley. The rocks on top look like they are ready to topple over at any time!<br /><br />My knee injury was ever present on the hike out but it didn't slow me down and it seems to be slightly less painful/sore. All in all it was an awesome trip and it made me even more excited to take a long walk on the John Muir Trail next month! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpKRtz8lRI/AAAAAAAAALo/Iv1jyJ2eZwQ/s1600-h/dcp_4037.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RrpKRtz8lRI/AAAAAAAAALo/Iv1jyJ2eZwQ/s320/dcp_4037.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096467596538844434" /></a>adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-25321200768721196582007-07-26T13:04:00.000-07:002007-07-27T11:14:30.234-07:00A Return to Sanity<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/Rqo1rtz8lII/AAAAAAAAAKg/pABc9ijx5YU/s1600-h/Newton-WilliamBlake.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/Rqo1rtz8lII/AAAAAAAAAKg/pABc9ijx5YU/s320/Newton-WilliamBlake.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091941353843889282" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">With far more fretting, whining and worrying than I thought I was capable of, I have finally made a decision to NOT run the White River 50 mile this year.<br /><br />For me at least, when I plan on doing something it starts to take on a life of its own and sometimes it is hard to put on the brakes. Momentum, energy and spirit build-up and seem to propel me along on a course I am nearly helpless to change. I find it interesting that Newton's first law seems to apply:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"An object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an external and unbalanced force. An object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an external and unbalanced force."</span><br /><br />See I am a nerd. Or at least a geek! Today's physics tangent is thanks to my often-forgotten and relatively under utilized degree in physics.<br /><br />Although I won't be at the race to watch or volunteer, because it will suck to watch a race I should be running, I am hoping that all my ultra-friends will have fun and do well. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Good luck TC, Alison, Bruce, Shawn, Brian, Arthur, Mike, Van, Nick, Michael, Glenn and many more!!</span>adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-10309800920070960212007-07-20T12:47:00.000-07:002007-07-20T14:32:34.858-07:00Crazy Person Talking<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RqEpbPGau3I/AAAAAAAAAKY/Ibb00FYzZpU/s1600-h/GT4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/RqEpbPGau3I/AAAAAAAAAKY/Ibb00FYzZpU/s320/GT4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089394601792027506" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Before you read this just remember to say "That is a crazy person talking." In fact the only reason I am posting this is because I am amazed, in a sort of detached way, at my own irrationality. The crazy thing is that as of today, 7/20,I am still planning on running the White River 50 mile next weekend, even though my knee swelled up to the size of a small grapefruit last weekend!<br /><br />Prior to last weekend's White River training runs I had been struggling with some pain/soreness in my right knee. I figure it might be tendinitis or something similar as a result of that twisting injury I had in February (I won't bore you with details). Of course the injury has likely changed from one bad thing to another and my professional diagnosis changes everyday! Anyway, I ran 18 miles on the road last Saturday and then the 23 mile trail run on Sunday. Even before the trail run my knee was swollen and there was a bit of soreness for the first several miles of the trail run. But I was able to complete the run and take a dip in the icy White River. I was hopeing that the river would miraculously heal the problem. No luck there. On Monday my knee was sore and swollen. Gradually the swelling has gone down thanks to my friends Mr. Nsaid and Mr. Ice but it is still a little sore 4.5 days later even though I haven't run at all! I may not even run a step up until the race since running isn't going to help for this injury (Craziness!!) Everything about this injury is screaming at me don't run. <br /><br />That said, I am unwilling to cancel my plans to run the White River race. To be perfectly honest, I just don't want to miss out (there it is FOMO, again) on an awesome race, like I did for all my races last summer. I am starting to think that in order to run ultras I may just need to run with some injuries and hope for the best, because I am just to damn stubborn to quit. I figure I'll quit when the winter rains come and it is light outside for only 6 hours a day. So that is it! Enough of the bellyaching . . .or kneeaching!<br /><br />It is gonna be awesome to see my running friends again and the views at Corral Pass and Suntop. There will be beer at the finish to dull the pain and swell the ego. It is going to be Legendary!<br /><br />P.S.: I am not really sure why I was scowling in that photo? I can only guess it was because I was nearing the top of Suntop and tired of the uphill grind! (Thanks to <a href="http://http://www.pbase.com/gtach/root">Glen</a> for the photo)adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-45592012598957898982007-07-06T08:27:00.000-07:002007-07-06T16:45:47.025-07:00Idealists Unite<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/Ro7RpZWa5qI/AAAAAAAAAKA/pA4lbYF6rU0/s1600-h/index_02.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_jL-UaDums5s/Ro7RpZWa5qI/AAAAAAAAAKA/pA4lbYF6rU0/s400/index_02.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084231538457634466" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Last weekend I had the opportunity to meet and hike with Andrew Skurka who is currently attempting to complete the first ever "Great Western Loop". The loop is one of his own creation and it basically encircles the entire western portion of the contiguous U.S. He started at Grandview Point at the Grand Canyon, headed west to the Sierras, and headed north on the PCT until getting here to Washington. Soon he will head east on the Pacific Northwest Trail until meeting the Continental Divide Trail. He will go south on the CDT until reaching the Arizona Grand Enchantment trail and complete the loop at the Grand Canyon. You can check it out here: <a href="http://www.andrewskurka.com/">Andrew Skurka: Enlightened Outdoor Adventurer</a><br /><br />Meeting Andy was no easy feat since he hikes 35 to 40 miles a day and can only occasionally make a phone call from one of his mail pick-ups. About 4 days before we met he called me from Cascade Locks. He had just arrived at the border between Oregon and Washington at the Columbia river and was set to leave on the following day. I believe the next section of the PCT from Cascade Locks to White Pass is approximately 140 miles. So I understood that he would be at White Pass on Saturday evening which would give him 4.5 days of hiking. We talked about meeting possibly the following week on the 4th of July, further north around Snoqualmie or Stevens Passes. But then I got thinking about my schedule and decided I should just try and catch him at White Pass. So I took off early on Saturday morning (June 30) thinking that I could hike south from White Pass, meet him and then hike back, north, to White Pass with him. When I arrived at White Pass at 8 AM I was pleasantly surprised to see a lone individual sorting food in an asphalt parking lot in front of a lonely service station. Andy had arrived that morning and already was preparing to hike another 35 miles north that day!<br /><br />So we took off hiking and talking. I hiked for 5.5 hours with Andy and I don't think there was more than a minute or two without one of us talking. Usually I don't like to talk nearly so much when hiking but I figured that Andy was probably in dire need of some stimulating conversation. We talked thru-hiking logistics, multiple use and wise use of public lands, nutrition, forest and park fees, ultrarunning, general politics, global warming and Andy's lightweight lifestyle. I have to say I was impressed with Andy's idealism especially with regard to global warming and his idea to live on his own terms.<br /><br />I hope I am not putting words in his mouth, but Andy seemed to be somewhat pissed off about how many people seem to be just waiting for life to begin. He told me that people are always coming up to him and telling him how much they would love to do what he is doing. And he just has to wonder 'So why aren't you doing it?' I have to agree that in this day and age many people are just taking up time and space, without ever resolving to do what they most want to do. But, I am not nearly as idealistic as Andy. I tried to explain that although it doesn't always seem like it, we all have basic needs like food, water and shelter. At a minimum these needs will control whether or not we take a 9 to 5 job just to pay the bills or set off to conquer a long trail, invent a new product, cure aids or help the homeless. The way I see it too many people get their needs and their wants mixed up. If you only have to satisfy your own basic needs then it can be very possible to chuck the 9 to 5 grind. Andy has already risked a lot by going out on the trail right after college, but it is starting to pay off, in the sense that he may be the only person who will be hiking for the next several months and getting paid for it. He works for and is sponsored by Golite. Idealism can be easy (or easier) when you have a steady income. <br /><br />I know that personally for me, there are many goals that I have which have nothing at all to do with making a living or having a career. But that doesn't mean that I am going to leave a 9 to 5 job and devote 100% of my time to that one goal. I am trying to find ways to mix both work drudgery with my real passions. For instance, I will be hiking the John Muir Trail (220 miles) this September, but I won't be giving up my job to do it. I guess my young idealistic self has given way to an older and more realistic person. <br /><br />It was a breath of fresh air to hear the views of an idealist, such as Andy. And I am glad I got to take a hike with someone who will likely change the world for the better. I am certain it takes some serious idealism to hike over 6,800 miles! Andy - Good luck and happy trails!adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14937114.post-75825612351193753212007-06-29T09:33:00.000-07:002007-06-29T10:33:53.979-07:00The Dreaded Track<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I am not sure why I do it, but I have forced myself, on occassion, to run to the track and do a little bit of so-called interval training. Yesterday happened to be one of those days. I usually plan these workouts early in the week so that I will have at least partly fresh legs. So this week I decided I would try the intervals again on Thursday after work. So the funny thing is all day yesterday I dreaded going to the track. I don't think it is just the pain of running hard that scares the wits out of me. It is that damn watch. Somewhere in the back of my mind I know that as I age I am losing speed and the track is where it will become glaringly obvious. An additional second on each lap portends the inevitable decline. Sometimes I think, I'd rather not know that I am becoming slower. It is not that I was fast in the first place, but at least for me, losing something I once had is so terribly bittersweet.<br /><br />Anyway, I couldn't quite come up with a good enough excuse to miss the workout yesterday. So I jogged over to the track and decided to stick to the planned minimum workout 3 x 1600 meters with 3 minutes rest in between. I know this workout is not really the correct one for my training goals, but it has become the standby, at least until I feel like I am in shape.<br /><br />The first 1600 was terrible. With each lap I was slowing down and by the end I came in at 6:04, feeling like I was totally spent. I know that just a couple weeks ago I did the same workout and was able to do all my intervals under 6:01 with the first one being at 6:01. Why is it that the first one is always the hardest and the slowest? I reminded myself that usually this is the case, the second is usually a little smoother and easier. So the second went by at 5:58 and that was with the headphones on. Then I did the third in 5:56 knowing full well that I would not do a fourth. On occassion I have done 4 and am certain that I need to be doing 5, but the mind was not ready to push that hard.<br /><br />I ran home feeling like I had accomplished something but a little worried that two weeks ago I finished with a 5:51. There go those seconds. Oh well, I am betting a few seconds aren't going to make much difference in my next 50 mile race!adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347022104397536161noreply@blogger.com0