Enjoy some pictures!
CHICKEN FEET!
Nice father/daughter picture:
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Buccaneer Beach
Dennis and Simone came with me to a beach hike this morning with a meet-up group. We had some quality family time on a nice 6 mile flat stroll along the ocean. Carolen was there and had brought her husband too. We talked PCT of course! After that, we had a Father's Day lunch at Chicken Feet Buffet and it wasn't even that busy.
Enjoy some pictures!
CHICKEN FEET!
Nice father/daughter picture:
Enjoy some pictures!
CHICKEN FEET!
Nice father/daughter picture:
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Impromptu Iron Mountain
Dennis wanted to hike Iron Mountain this morning when he got off work so I said Let's Do It! We had a little bit of marine layer in the beginning but it quickly burned off. There was a crap ton of people out this morning- winding their way up the switchbacks like little ants. I started singing Bob Marley's song Exodus: Movement of Jah people! That's what I think of whenever there are mass amounts of people all moving in one direction. Dennis was in fine form today and has resumed his speedster status. Lots of pretty flowers blooming too. Lovely hike in perfect weather. 5.5 miles in 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Tomorrow we have a Father's Day meet-up group hike in Oceanside and then after we are going to eat at Chicken Feet Buffet (Chinese buffet that I don't actually know the name of so I call it Chicken Feet Buffet because they have chicken feet you can eat).
Enjoy some pictures!
Tomorrow we have a Father's Day meet-up group hike in Oceanside and then after we are going to eat at Chicken Feet Buffet (Chinese buffet that I don't actually know the name of so I call it Chicken Feet Buffet because they have chicken feet you can eat).
Enjoy some pictures!
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Calavera
Dennis came with me on a meet-up group hike for the first time. He worked graveyard and then came straight with me to hike. What a trooper! I think he liked it okay.
There was a crap ton of people at this one! Ed said this was not a hike to lollygag on because it would be easy to get lost. How right he was! This trail wound in and out of the hills, through deep chapparel, with shoot-off trails everywhere. We had no problem keeping up and we ended up doing 6.83 miles in 2 hours 54 minutes. Nice pace. I didn't get pictures of all the little flowers I wanted to because I didn't want to lose the group. This trail also had the most poison oak I have seen in many many years. I was careful and hopefully didn't brush up against any!
In other news, I sent off for another permit for Mt. San Jacinto. I'm shooting for sometime in August. Solo.
Next outings up are a Father's Day hike at Bucaneer Beach, camping/hiking at Mt. Laguna with my friend Diana, my daughter Simone, and her friend Michelle. Then camping/hiking at William Heise with Dennis and Simone the following week!
Living' the dream, baby!
Enjoy some pictures-
25 hikers at least!
One of the several teeny tiny creek crossings.
Dennis getting his funny on :-)
Forest of poison oak!
We saw horses!
Interesting memorial to a biker that died.
There was a crap ton of people at this one! Ed said this was not a hike to lollygag on because it would be easy to get lost. How right he was! This trail wound in and out of the hills, through deep chapparel, with shoot-off trails everywhere. We had no problem keeping up and we ended up doing 6.83 miles in 2 hours 54 minutes. Nice pace. I didn't get pictures of all the little flowers I wanted to because I didn't want to lose the group. This trail also had the most poison oak I have seen in many many years. I was careful and hopefully didn't brush up against any!
In other news, I sent off for another permit for Mt. San Jacinto. I'm shooting for sometime in August. Solo.
Next outings up are a Father's Day hike at Bucaneer Beach, camping/hiking at Mt. Laguna with my friend Diana, my daughter Simone, and her friend Michelle. Then camping/hiking at William Heise with Dennis and Simone the following week!
Living' the dream, baby!
Enjoy some pictures-
25 hikers at least!
One of the several teeny tiny creek crossings.
Dennis getting his funny on :-)
Forest of poison oak!
We saw horses!
Interesting memorial to a biker that died.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Mt. Baden-Powell
I had another meet-up group over the weekend that involved climbing Mt. Baden-Powell, camping, and hiking the PCT the next day. It was fabulous!
Here's a little blurb on Mt. Baden Powell:
"Mount Baden-Powell is a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains of California named for the founder of the World Scouting Movement, Lord Baden-Powell. It was officially recognized by the USGS at a dedication ceremony in 1931. At 9,407 feet in elevation, Mount Baden-Powell is the 4th highest peak of the San Gabriel Range. The summit has long been a favorite hiking excursion either from the Mount Islip Saddle near Little Jimmy Trail Camp, or the Vincent Gap Trail which leads up a moderate to strenuous set of switchbacks from Wrightwood. Mount Baden-Powell is also the high point along the The Silver Moccasin Trail, a historic 53-mile Boy Scout hiking trail. The Vincent Gap hike leads through a variety of forested areas consisting of Jeffrey Pines, Ponderosa Pine, Lodgepole Pine, Incense-cedar, and an ancient forest of Limber Pine, some of which are more than 2,000 years old.
In 1957 several Southern California councils of the Boy Scounts of America placed a formal marker at the summit with a plaque dedicated to Lord Baden-Powell."
I have had some work stress this past week so I felt a little out of sorts on the drive up to the trailhead. As soon as I got up to San Bernadino and I saw the mountains and the clouds surrounding them, work became a distant hazy memory on the outskirts of my conscious.
Only 6 of us showed up for this outing- myself, Ed, 3 other gals that I have met before (Carolen, Ingrid, Nancy), and a dude named Tom. We started walking up Mt. Baden-Powell at about 2pm from the Vincent Gap trailhead. The weather was close to 70 but there was lots of shade going up with all the pine trees. I got a good rythmn going, Tom chattering all the while. The further we ascended, the more frequent the rest breaks. Altitude steals the breath. Up and up, one swithback after another. I felt like I was back on San Jacinto but without the heavy backpack. Nancy wasn't feeling well so she and Ingrid dropped back a bit and took longer breaks. Tom sped ahead and we thought he would be hanging out at the top waiting forever for us (turns out he only got there 5 minutes ahead of Carolen and myself). Ed decided to turn back because the altitude was giving him problems. Carolen and I kept a pretty steady pace, although very slow, and stopping frequently to catch our breath. We made it to the top and the 360 degree made every step worth it. It was a hazy day but you could see the valley and the desert floor. It was breathtaking. Carolen and I signed the trail register at the top and looked around a bit for Tom. He was nowhere to be seen. Some thru-hikers said he had continued along the ridge. We figured he was smart enough to come back down when he was done so we headed back down. We saw many thru-hikers climbing Baden-Powell and it was fun talking to them. We talked to a guy who's trail name was Half-Cocked and he was spent. He had hiked 14 miles already and was trying to get to the top of the peak.
On the way down, we saw Ingrid and Nancy- thought for sure they had turned back around but they kept pluggin' along and eventually made it to the top as well. Tom caught back up with Carolen and I on the way down and chattered our ears off the whole way. He was an interesting character and had some idiosyncracies I won't get into here. I try to keep my blog as non-gossip as possible- except when it comes to Dennis. I'm allowed to talk about Dennis though because I'm married to him!
Anyway, we made it back to the trailhead. It was 8 miles round-trip and took us 4 hours and 45 minutes.
We drove on over to the Blue Ridge Campground and I'm so glad I had the truck because the road to get there was GNARLY. We saw Ed at a campsite and he pointed us to the one remaining site so we snagged it. It was just Tom and myself and I thought the other gals would be joining us after they got off the mountain (Carolen had stayed behind at the trailhead to wait for Ingrid and Nancy) but they ended up staying at Ed's campsite when they rolled in. So I was by myself in a campsite with Tom. His antics were very entertaining and sometimes a little scary. He brought a 20 year old lantern and took him 45 minutes to light it and when it finally lit, the fuel was on full blast and the thing was engulfed in flames. Then he couldn't figure out how to reduce the fuel. I'm standing there with my toothbrush hanging out of my mouth and a nalgene bottle water, ready to douse the lantern if needed, and alternating between laughing hysterically and being scared out of my wits he was going to start a forest fire. Anyway, that was a little tidbit on Tom.
I had a new hammock I wanted to try sleeping in so I found a couple of trees to string it up. Tom was surprised when I said I was going to bed and it was only 9pm. That's known as hiker midnight and pretty close to my normal bedtime anyway so I trundled off to test out my hammock. I couldn't quite get into my mummy bag and still be balanced enough in the hammock so I used my bag like a blanket. It worked quite well and was super comfy. I laid there and looked at the stars and the crescent moon for awhile before I drifted off. I slept till about 1am when I woke up because my backside was cold. No insulation on the bottom of the hammock so I'll have to keep practicing and see what I can do about that. I took the hammock down and used it as a ground cloth, threw down my sleeping pad and bag, crawled in and had no thought about bugs or snakes or anything other than sleeping.
The next day we were to hike the PCT east from Blue Ridge to Acorn Trail. Tom decided he was done and wanted to go to a festival on the beach instead so he left. So Ed, myself, and the other gals started walking and words just can't describe the beautiful scenery, the fresh pine scented air, and the mountain vistas. It's a shame I can't adequately describe how I feel out there. A few miles in, Ed decided he was done and left us 4 gals to our own devices. We walked to where Acorn Trail splits off and it's 2.7 miles down into Wrightwood. But we turned around at this point and headed back. We took a break at Guffy campground to eat our lunches. These ladies had very healthy lunches and it made it me feel like I should be eating better (which I should!). I've kind of gotten into one of those phases where I don't care what I eat. Not good for the blood sugar. Then we continued on, stopping periodically to gaze out over the mountains or take pictures. These gals have a good pace, they stop to rest, and like to take pictures too so I felt very good hiking with them. Carolen happens to be planning to thru-hike in 2014.
We made it back to Blue Ridge in about 4 hours for a total of 7.5 miles.
I did get a cheeseburger at Carl's Jr. on the drive back but I think I need to quit doing that. I need to figure out something else to eat after hikes that is good for me but still satisfies my hiker hunger.
Enjoy some pictures!
Left to Right: Nancy, Tom, Ingrid, Carolen, Ed
These are snow flowers but I also learned they are called Dick Flowers because they look like penises! Carolen proceeded to call them Dick Weeds everytime she saw one. LOL
I'm signing the register at the summit. I've been wearing skirts to hike in and I LOVE it!
Left to right: Me, Nancy, Ingrid, Carolen
We walked under the Mountain High ski lift.
Our fearless leader, Ed. He would be mad if I told you this but he is 73 years old.
Hamming it up at a PCT marker.
Here's a little blurb on Mt. Baden Powell:
"Mount Baden-Powell is a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains of California named for the founder of the World Scouting Movement, Lord Baden-Powell. It was officially recognized by the USGS at a dedication ceremony in 1931. At 9,407 feet in elevation, Mount Baden-Powell is the 4th highest peak of the San Gabriel Range. The summit has long been a favorite hiking excursion either from the Mount Islip Saddle near Little Jimmy Trail Camp, or the Vincent Gap Trail which leads up a moderate to strenuous set of switchbacks from Wrightwood. Mount Baden-Powell is also the high point along the The Silver Moccasin Trail, a historic 53-mile Boy Scout hiking trail. The Vincent Gap hike leads through a variety of forested areas consisting of Jeffrey Pines, Ponderosa Pine, Lodgepole Pine, Incense-cedar, and an ancient forest of Limber Pine, some of which are more than 2,000 years old.
In 1957 several Southern California councils of the Boy Scounts of America placed a formal marker at the summit with a plaque dedicated to Lord Baden-Powell."
I have had some work stress this past week so I felt a little out of sorts on the drive up to the trailhead. As soon as I got up to San Bernadino and I saw the mountains and the clouds surrounding them, work became a distant hazy memory on the outskirts of my conscious.
Only 6 of us showed up for this outing- myself, Ed, 3 other gals that I have met before (Carolen, Ingrid, Nancy), and a dude named Tom. We started walking up Mt. Baden-Powell at about 2pm from the Vincent Gap trailhead. The weather was close to 70 but there was lots of shade going up with all the pine trees. I got a good rythmn going, Tom chattering all the while. The further we ascended, the more frequent the rest breaks. Altitude steals the breath. Up and up, one swithback after another. I felt like I was back on San Jacinto but without the heavy backpack. Nancy wasn't feeling well so she and Ingrid dropped back a bit and took longer breaks. Tom sped ahead and we thought he would be hanging out at the top waiting forever for us (turns out he only got there 5 minutes ahead of Carolen and myself). Ed decided to turn back because the altitude was giving him problems. Carolen and I kept a pretty steady pace, although very slow, and stopping frequently to catch our breath. We made it to the top and the 360 degree made every step worth it. It was a hazy day but you could see the valley and the desert floor. It was breathtaking. Carolen and I signed the trail register at the top and looked around a bit for Tom. He was nowhere to be seen. Some thru-hikers said he had continued along the ridge. We figured he was smart enough to come back down when he was done so we headed back down. We saw many thru-hikers climbing Baden-Powell and it was fun talking to them. We talked to a guy who's trail name was Half-Cocked and he was spent. He had hiked 14 miles already and was trying to get to the top of the peak.
On the way down, we saw Ingrid and Nancy- thought for sure they had turned back around but they kept pluggin' along and eventually made it to the top as well. Tom caught back up with Carolen and I on the way down and chattered our ears off the whole way. He was an interesting character and had some idiosyncracies I won't get into here. I try to keep my blog as non-gossip as possible- except when it comes to Dennis. I'm allowed to talk about Dennis though because I'm married to him!
Anyway, we made it back to the trailhead. It was 8 miles round-trip and took us 4 hours and 45 minutes.
We drove on over to the Blue Ridge Campground and I'm so glad I had the truck because the road to get there was GNARLY. We saw Ed at a campsite and he pointed us to the one remaining site so we snagged it. It was just Tom and myself and I thought the other gals would be joining us after they got off the mountain (Carolen had stayed behind at the trailhead to wait for Ingrid and Nancy) but they ended up staying at Ed's campsite when they rolled in. So I was by myself in a campsite with Tom. His antics were very entertaining and sometimes a little scary. He brought a 20 year old lantern and took him 45 minutes to light it and when it finally lit, the fuel was on full blast and the thing was engulfed in flames. Then he couldn't figure out how to reduce the fuel. I'm standing there with my toothbrush hanging out of my mouth and a nalgene bottle water, ready to douse the lantern if needed, and alternating between laughing hysterically and being scared out of my wits he was going to start a forest fire. Anyway, that was a little tidbit on Tom.
I had a new hammock I wanted to try sleeping in so I found a couple of trees to string it up. Tom was surprised when I said I was going to bed and it was only 9pm. That's known as hiker midnight and pretty close to my normal bedtime anyway so I trundled off to test out my hammock. I couldn't quite get into my mummy bag and still be balanced enough in the hammock so I used my bag like a blanket. It worked quite well and was super comfy. I laid there and looked at the stars and the crescent moon for awhile before I drifted off. I slept till about 1am when I woke up because my backside was cold. No insulation on the bottom of the hammock so I'll have to keep practicing and see what I can do about that. I took the hammock down and used it as a ground cloth, threw down my sleeping pad and bag, crawled in and had no thought about bugs or snakes or anything other than sleeping.
The next day we were to hike the PCT east from Blue Ridge to Acorn Trail. Tom decided he was done and wanted to go to a festival on the beach instead so he left. So Ed, myself, and the other gals started walking and words just can't describe the beautiful scenery, the fresh pine scented air, and the mountain vistas. It's a shame I can't adequately describe how I feel out there. A few miles in, Ed decided he was done and left us 4 gals to our own devices. We walked to where Acorn Trail splits off and it's 2.7 miles down into Wrightwood. But we turned around at this point and headed back. We took a break at Guffy campground to eat our lunches. These ladies had very healthy lunches and it made it me feel like I should be eating better (which I should!). I've kind of gotten into one of those phases where I don't care what I eat. Not good for the blood sugar. Then we continued on, stopping periodically to gaze out over the mountains or take pictures. These gals have a good pace, they stop to rest, and like to take pictures too so I felt very good hiking with them. Carolen happens to be planning to thru-hike in 2014.
We made it back to Blue Ridge in about 4 hours for a total of 7.5 miles.
I did get a cheeseburger at Carl's Jr. on the drive back but I think I need to quit doing that. I need to figure out something else to eat after hikes that is good for me but still satisfies my hiker hunger.
Enjoy some pictures!
Left to Right: Nancy, Tom, Ingrid, Carolen, Ed
These are snow flowers but I also learned they are called Dick Flowers because they look like penises! Carolen proceeded to call them Dick Weeds everytime she saw one. LOL
I'm signing the register at the summit. I've been wearing skirts to hike in and I LOVE it!
Left to right: Me, Nancy, Ingrid, Carolen
We walked under the Mountain High ski lift.
Our fearless leader, Ed. He would be mad if I told you this but he is 73 years old.
Hamming it up at a PCT marker.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Poetry Break
I am diggin' on Lew Sarett poems.
Teton Mountain
By Lew Sarett
She walks alone against the dusky sky,
With something of the manner of a queen--
Her gesturing peaks, imperious and high;
Her snowy brow, serene.
Under her feet, a tapestry of pine;
Veiling her marble figure, purple haze,
Draped with a scarf of clouds at timber-line,
In a billowy silken maze.
And in the moonlight a spangled necklace shakes
And shimmers silver-blue upon her shoulders--
A fragile thread of crinkling brooks and lakes
In the glimmering ice and boulders.
Among her eagle-winged and starry host
Of lovers, like an austere virgin nun,
She broods--yielding a moment at the most,
To the lips of the amorous sun.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Memorial Day at Double Peak
Today I had a meet-up to hike Double Peak in San Marcos. About 18ish people came. I had some nice conversations with a couple of the gals so I felt good about that. The weather was just shy of 60 degrees and marine layer was just burning off. Gorgeous day to hike! We did 4.5 miles in 1 hour and 47 minutes. It was a nice pace- not too fast :-)
Now I'm going to eat BBQ hotdogs, potato salad, and corn on the cob!
Enjoy some pictures!
Now I'm going to eat BBQ hotdogs, potato salad, and corn on the cob!
Enjoy some pictures!
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