The Nature of Things

A couple of quotes I've just recently heard that give me strength when encountering those who may be threatened by someone who's nature is to question irrational actions (most folks don't like to be questioned, period....thankfully it' s free country still):

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds"
- Einstein

"Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage....the human spirit is to grow strong through conflict"
-William Channing

"Certain conflicts cannot be overcome and bridges will be burned. The conventional wisdom is "don't burn your bridges", but this neglects the simple truth that most of us can swim".
-Unknown

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Celebrating 387 Years of Puritan Oppression with a California Roadtrip

God Bless the Pilgrims. If it wasn't for their brand of religious fanaticism that was extreme even by 17th century English standards, we might not know the joys of eating food grown on stolen land. At least we traded blankets for said land. Oh wait....those were laced with small pox.....how Christian.

Okay, cynicism aside, I dig Thanksgiving. I have fond childhood memories of wolfing down copious amounts of food, throwing dice with relatives, and doing other Puritan-approved things. Despite these sentiments, I couldn't muster up the energy to fight the crowds between the airport parking garage and whatever gate my flight to Chicago would leave from. Instead, I opted for six days off from work spent galloping through California's Eastern Sierras coupled with a side trip to Yosemite Valley (my first time there even though I lived in SF for 5 years...lame).

In the interest of time, and because I want even President Bush to be able to comprehend this post, I'm gonna bullet point if for you all (GW's preferred method of understanding complex issues such as 1300 years of Sunni-Shiite rivalry).

Wednesday, November 21

• Met up with Kiara, Pam (his gf), and her sister Kim in Lone Pine to climb Alabama Hills, a beautiful series of crags in the shadow of Lone Pine peak and Mt Whitney. A lot of old movies were filmed here....very cool place to hang out.

• Chased the day's climbing with disgusting amount of Chinese food. MSG never tasted so good.

Left: Patrick takes stock of a route

Kiara leading a route on the Shark Fin

Mt. Whitney with Lone Pine to the left of it.

Me climbing a route at dusk. Great shot Pam.

Thursday, November 24

• Bouldered for a bit at the Sad Boulders outside Bishop. Tougher than the Happys but still fun.
  
• Went to meet this dude Christian (sp?) who's dating a friend of mine living in LA. She had been in Flag for this survival course we both attended and she forgot her camera at my place. Christian was supposed to be the hand-off guy. He was bouldering at the Buttermilks, a gnarly area where only the big boys are allowed to hang out (aka, me only on my good days). Now, I've met this cat a few times and didn't totally remember what he looked like. Christian's directions were solid all the way from town to the dirt road which marks the start of the true sticks. He had told me to meet him where there were a bunch of cars parked. As I arrive at such a place, I see some guys waving at me. There weren't a ton of cars but I figured it had to be the place. I drive up to these dudes thinking one of them must be Christian. Indeed, one of the three did look like him though a lot scruffier (aka dirty hippy-like) than I remembered. So I get out of the car still not 100% sure that it's him, and ask "Hey man, are you Christian?"....I was met with three blank stares mixed with muted disgust. One of them finally breaks the silence by responding, "We've already been saved bro. Go back the way you came". Ha! You can't make stuff like that up. We all laughed and were soon on our way to the real Christian, who took the camera without allowing me to covert him.
  
• After our failed missionary experience, we decided it was time to head back to Mammoth, but not before stopping at the famed hot springs just south of town. There we met two So Calers who spoke at length about the nuances of making DMT (some sort of drug) in the average American kitchen. 30 minutes of this was enough for us. We got up to leave and thanked them for the company. One dude's response was "Smoke that DMT and you will understand god and how the aliens affect everything". Again, you can't make this stuff up.
• Thanksgiving dinner was held at Pam's friend's house. 30 guests including Patrick, myself, Pam and Kim. Everyone was a local climbing and/or ski bum, the kind of folk who choose the path of the struggling mountain town proletariat for the rewarding outdoor experience it affords. Even though we were strangers in a strange land, everyone treated us with respect and were friendly enough to share 2 turkeys (one deep friend...delicious!), 4 types of stuffing, and whatever else one would desire on Turkey day. It was more than we could have asked for. Thanks to all who made it possible.

Friday, November 25

• Global warming means that the Sierra Nevada passes aren't closing nearly as early as they used to. This meant that we could drive from Mammoth to Yosemite Valley in about 90 minutes. As said, I'd never been there before and neither had Patrick. The Valley was crowded and the ranger we spoke to was useless, so we opted to do a hike from a book we had borrowed from Pam: the Panorama Trail from Glacier Point to Illilouette Falls. 10 minutes from the crowded parking lot and we had the place largely to ourselves with views of Half Dome and numerous other formations to our left. Unbelievable. Check out the shots below.
• On our way out, we were treated with a somewhat rare spectacle of a full moon rising in a clear sky over Half Dome and El Cap. Again, unbelievable.

Me in front of the Dome....yes, it was chilly.

Illiloutee Falls

Moon rising near Half Dome (hard to see, but it's there!)


Saturday, November 26

• Went looking for the road to Owen's River Gorge, a popular crag with tons of routes, but couldn't find it .
• Settled for bouldering at the Happy Boulders instead.
• Watched "Transformers" which I must say, was much, much less than meets the eye. In fact, I think we all wanted to scratch out our eyes after watching it. Way to ruin another good idea for a movie guys.

Sunday, November 27

• Climbed ORG with Kiara. The routes here are long and steep, the rock slippery in parts, the grades far more difficult than the guide books would suggest. Still an awesome, intimidating crag. No doubt I'd be there every weekend if I found myself living in the area.
• Had a great farewell dinner at Whiskey Creek, a little brew pub where they make and serve beer from the Mammoth Brewing company. I think we had a pitcher of the 395......tasty though a little too much flavor for my liking.
  

Patrick on our 5.9 warm up

Me attempting to lead a 5.10b (i.e., normal 5.10d). I ended up bailing. It happens.

Kiara finishing the 5.10b. Good climbing bro!

Monday, November 28

• Said our good byes and headed to Bishop for breakfast.
• Breakfast was at Shat's Bakery. While the past tense of shit may be shat (I'm still awaiting confirmation from Webster's on this), there's nothing shitty about this food. Seriously good eatery with fresh pastries, sandwiches, and about 50 different types of bread. Try their tomato foccacia.

• What else to say....it took a while to get home.....the interior of S. Cal is bland....Barstow should probably be made into a penal colony. Oh...we did see one crazy car on I-40 near the Mojave desert. Someone apparently got way into "Madmax Thunderdome".

Note to viewer: This is only possible in California. Do not attempt in your home state.

Conclusion: BEST THANKSGIVING EVER!!!

Trip Report: Backpacking the Blue Range Primitive Wilderness Area

My friend Patrick and I backpacked the Blue Range's Foote Creek Trail over the Memorial Day weekend. We began at Hannagan Meadow Trail Head about 25 miles south of Alpine on Saturday morning. Here's a fairly decent trail description, though it fails to neglect that the "detour" trail burned in a wild fire several years ago and has yet to be prepared: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf/recreation/trails/alpine_trails/trl_alp_foote.shtml. We pretty much bushwhacked for a good 1.5 miles, almost stepping on a rattle snake in the process. Despite not having a map, we reached Horse Ridge Trail at about 3:30pm, making that day's mileage about 10.5 miles including some of the backtracking we did when mistakenly thought we were lost. We camped at the trail junction next to a picturesque slot canyon and hung out until dusk. A solid meal of spaghetti and sausage links, followed by a nice fire and a bear bagging adventure (when you hang your food from a tree....we never did see any bears, though they are abundant supposedly), got us ready for a chilly night under the stars. We hiked back to Highway 191 via Horse Ridge the next day, steadily climbing while taking in the views of the surrounding forests and sandstone peaks. Very cool. After reaching the highway we started walking back to our car and hitching along the way. After about 2 miles a nice couple picked us up. We had thought it was about four more miles back to the car....turns out it was more like seven. Three cheers for random acts of kindness.

That's my pack on the left. I got to try out my new ultralight backpack and camp gear on this trip. I maxed out at about 22 lbs. including water. It's a lot more fun carrying less over 16 miles. Check out the gossamer gear link on the top of this blog if you're interested in obtaining said gear.

Comrades in Arms

Private Patrick marches onward

The slot canyon near our campsite.

View while hiking up Horse Ridge Trail

Castle Rock, one of the defining features of the Blues.

My Cat is Better Than Your Everything

It's true. My cat rules. Don't try to argue with me on this. Definitely don't try to argue with him or he'll sharpen his claws on your calfs. Still skeptical? Here are some defining traits of this king among men, or cats....I don't think that expression was meant to cross into the animal kindgom....UNTIL NOW!

-He sleeps in the bathroom sink

-He's loyal like a dog, yet other dogs fear him

-He sprints across the yard with his back rising up like a cheetah pursuing prey

-Just because you live in a different house than me doesn't mean my cat won't find you. He's goes where he wants when he wants. Don't be surprised to find him strutting through an open window like he owns the place; he probably does own it. Read the fine print before you sign a lease from now on.

Trip Report: Flag to Sedona Mountain Bike Ride

About a month ago, on a windy 48 degree day, Kenny, Tera, Patrick and myself decided to do the 45 mile classic ride from Flagstaff to Sedona. The route follows a variety of mountain bike trails before joining the Old Munds Highway (aka, dirt road) for some 20 plus miles. After entering Munds Park via a much-appreciated three mile downhill paved road, we followed Interstate 17 for approximately two miles. For some of us, this was the scariest part of the trip. Gas trucks barreling past you at 75 mph will do that. We exited at Schnebly Hill road, and traveled for another five miles over gradual hills before the elevation began to drop precipitously. We bombed down the last 8 miles of Schnebly, losing over a 1000 feet of elevation in the process as the infinite red rock formations framed our descent. I'm not sure if I'd do this ride again (or at least not in such cold weather), but I'd definitely be interested in another kamikaze run down picturesque Schnebly. As the photos attest, the views are almost as exciting as the ride. We finished up at Bear Willow Canyon, everyone with all limbs intact, and drove back to Flagstaff to enjoy a pint of Patrick's homebrew.


A crude map of our expedition can be found at the following link:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106772392888324115931.00000112d9d9df7739e92&om=1&z=11

Starting shot

Schnebly Hill Road

One of many breathtaking views

Stopping for a photo opportunity before the serious downhill begins

Not sure what's going on here....looks like a face-off

The postcard perfect trend continues

Parting Shot: Much deserved pints of Patrick's wheat beer

Hiking: Veit Springs Trail

I've not blogged in a while but I have been busy, so it's gonna be a backlog bonanza ladies and gents. First up is Veit Springs. This is a short hike on the road up to Snowbowl, our local ski resort in the San Francisco Peaks. With an old log cabin and petroglyphs on the adjacent rock face, Veit Springs is somewhat of an archaeological/historical hike. However, the aspens make for a lovely walk in the woods. Here's some info on the actual trail:

http://www.arizonahikingtrails.com/hikingpages/vietsprings.html .