Full Moon Hike Pictures

Dennis looks a little shell-shocked-  LOL.

Can you see the little Tye Beanie Baby on my backpack?  Her name is Blueberry and she's a nut monkey.

Some scenery pics.  Looks like there's a thumbprint or something in a couple of the frames.  I'm a very talented picture taker.....

Full Moon Hike

We attempted a full moon night hike up Iron Mountain last night.  I was excited to test out my new backpack and trekking poles (or "sticks" as we are referring to them now).  I was also looking forward to the serenity and peacefulness of being out at night with the crickets chirping, coyotes yapping, and cool  sweet breeze wafting through the canyon.  The moon rose and hung on the horizon like a luminous orange orb and my sharp intake of breath when I saw it panicked Dennis and made him swerve on the road.  "What is it, what is it?!" he said, thinking he was going to hit another car.  I said "It's the moon.  Look." 

We got to the trailhead and started walking at 6:30pm- 63 degrees.  I had 20 pounds in my backpack and it felt good, evenly distributed and rested well on my back.  It took a few minutes to get used to my "sticks" but I ended up liking them quite well. 

We were not even 1/2 mile into the hike, not even to the climb yet, and Dennis was sucking wind.  Apparently he decided to stuff his backpack to the gills so now it was close to 30 pounds.  This backpack he's using is a day pack and all the weight was on his shoulders.  His real backpack is too expensive for us to get right now.  We start climbing and climbing and I stop periodically to gaze at the moon trying to ignore Dennis's stress energy that pours off him like an electric current.  We hit little pockets of warm air and every time I sing out "Hot Pocket!"  like the Hot Pocket commerical.  Dennis is not amused.  I don't even think he hears me.  Climbing some more.  I sing out "I see the moon and the moon sees me, God bless the moon and God bless me!" 

1.3 miles up I hear behind me a skitter skatter of trekking poles and body parts tumbling down and then blood curdling screaming.  I turn around and Dennis is laying in the middle of the trail, clutching his leg, and screaming bloody murder.  I stand still and survey the scene.  It is a familiar scene to me and a situation that I've been in before with Dennis's proclivity to hurt himself.  I look up the trail and down the trail- no one is coming so I wait out the screams.  "What's the damage?" I ask.  Sprained ankle and we can't continue up so we turn around and head back.  I'm glad Dennis is able to hobble off the mountain and didn't break a leg but I am also a little pissed.  I warned him about too much weight too soon with the crappy backpack.  But this is how he "trains" he assures me.  He's done this many times before so I can't help but feel maybe he should change his training tactic.  Baby steps instead of balls to the wall.  To each his own, I suppose.  As we continue down the hill, I can hear him behind me repeatedly saying "Son of bitch, son of bitch, son of a bitch..."  and then the gear tirade "I need night vision goggles, these shoes suck, this backpack sucks...."  Periodically I still stop and try to gaze at the moon, shining like a distant pool, collecting peace to myself like so many lit candles.  I can hear Dennis buzzing in the background and we turn to walk again. 

We make it back down to the truck and Dennis feels bad that we had to turn around.  I feel bad that he hurt himself.  I hope he has a fast recovery.  He says his trail name is the Sluggish Cryin' Hawaiian instead of the Flyin' Hawaiian.  We got a good cackle out of that.

As we exit  I call "Goodbye, Moon, Goodbye!"  (a play on words from a line in the Christmas movie, Prancer).

Until the next full moon attempt November 28....

I'll post a few pictures separately if they turned out in the dark.

Next up:  Oregon for Thanksgiving!

Rest in Peace, Uncle Papa

Rest in peace, Uncle Papa.  You will be missed.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!
-Mary Elizabeth Frye

Goethe

I remember often a passage I once read by Goethe that embodies my desire for completion in everything I undertake.

 "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."

Poignant.

Poetry Break

In honor of our full moon hike this Monday:

How beautiful is the night!
A dewy freshness fills the silent air;
No mist obscures, nor cloud, nor soeck, nor stain,
Breaks the serene of heaven;
In full-orbed glory yonder moon divine
Rolls through the dark blue depths.
Beneath her steady ray
The desert-circle spreads,
Like the round ocean, girdled with the sky,
How beautiful is the night!
- Robert Southey

Navigation Class

Navigation class was VERY good!  I feel much better about using a compass and map.  Certainly I still have alot to learn but I feel I'm moving in the right direction.  I think I have a mental block when it comes to maps/campass.  In my mind, it's similar to math and I'm afraid of it.  This class helped dispell some of the hype I had created in my mind that it was going to be hard or that I might be too dense to understand.  Some of it I still don't get but it will just take practice. 

We learned how to shoot a bearing, how to set the declination, and how to triangulate.  Fancy huh?  We also learned about latitude/longitude, elevation and contour lines.  There's alot of information that map gives that I had no clue about!

There's a class coming up where they put you in the field and you have to find your way with map and compass so I'm hoping to do that.  It's coming up fast though so I may not be able to get it into my schedule.  Not sure when the next one after that will be.  There's also a wilderness essentials class I want to do.  That one is closer to Thanksgiving and we are going to Oregon that week so probably won't be able to do it.  I'll figure something out.....

Next up:  Full moon hike up Iron Mountain with full backpack!

Penasquitos......AGAIN

I'm getting kind of tired of Penasquitos.  We had planned to hike Mt. Woodson from the Lake Poway side, walk to the top, then down the other side to HWY 67, then turn around and go back up and over (10 miles).  We got to Lake Poway about 6:15am because it was gonna be a scorcher day.  The parking was closed!  They don't open until 7am!  UGH.  I was antsy and ready to move and didn't want to sit and wait for 45 minutes so we headed back on over to Penasquitos and did that instead.  It was 50 degrees at the trail head and it took me about 3 miles to warm up.  My fingers were blue!  If I am that cold at 50 degrees, I can't imagine what it's going to be like in April in the mountains with possible snow!  I am such a cold weather wuss.  12 miles took 4.5 hours and it was 80 degrees by the time we were done.  Pretty large temperature swing.  Dennis wore his new Oboz boots and they SUCKED.  We seriously stopped about 15 times so he could readjust.  I told him they were so massive they looked like moon boots.  They sounded like it too- CLOMP CLOMP CLOMP.  He was very uncomfortable and got blisters.  I don't know what he's going to do for shoes.  His feet are jacked up and he can't seem to find that happy medium- ankle support yet flexible.  I hope he finds something that works soon....

Next up- navigation class at REI Thursday night!

Here's a picture of a MASSIVE spider we saw.  It's legs were so big and scaley, they looked like a reptile!

Carson's Crossing sign:

Shaka, bruddah!

Dennis showcasing his massively crappy boots:

Gas Prices

I paid $4.75/gallon for gas yesterday.  I put $20 in and barely got above 1/4 tank.  Seriously?!

I am going to work from home 2 days this week.  If gas goes to $5/gallon, forget driving.  I will boycott.

LAME!

Navigation Class

I just signed us up for a Navigation class at REI for October 18.  We'll learn how to better utilize a compass and topographical map.

We will also be doing a full moon hike up Iron Moutain the night of Oct 29 and I'll be doing it with a loaded backpack.  I'll be trying trekking poles for the first time ever that night as well.