May 26, 2010 Georgetown, CO
17:05:16 hours, MDT

…continued hiker’s journal…

Walked w/ Ellie a couple of miles shy of Bakerville this morning. Was out by 05:55 hours and walked up on ‘the bridge to nowhere’ a mile past Plume and turned west/uphill and walked to an old home site. The concrete pilings and cement floor is all that is left. Passed over many braided running creeks from tree line and took a drink often at these.

Again, walked up along the tracks in the valley that separates G-town from Plume. Tossed a stick in the creeks for Ellie and although she did not wash away at times she swam to bring in the stick. She is a good dog. Kyle’s energy in my mind’s eye is embodied in this dog’s animas.

Came back to the house after 11AM and made coffee and stripped down to shorts, sat in back and read more about Ned and Jane walking the pipeline in Alaska. He met a couple that is in recovery and describes his interview w/ the man. Good reading overall. I am enjoying this season of reading narratives.

May 25, 2010 Georgetown, CO
16:36:22 hours, MDT

…continued journal…

Out around 6 AM temp. was about 30° F.

Continuing the training; some pay for gym memberships inside… the way I see it at this point in life is simply that this man has already paid for it and therefore the whole outdoors is the gym so-to-speak. Besides why work the body and lungs in a ‘controlled environment’?

Walked w/ Ellie up Biddle, scooped her 1st dump into the Denver Post bag and continued on downtown.

Passed through both gates on way up tracks to Plume. The tracks were mainly in the shade and before the sun-up in the valley, therefore atmosphere was cool and comfortable. Threw the stick in Clear Creek at many points and she was not washed away. She is slightly faint-hearted at how white and roily the creek is becoming now that it is running high.

Walked west along US 6 out of Silver Plume to a mine and tailings owned by Jack Pine mines and on all 4s like a crab we walked or better yet scooted down a pile 70 feet down and across the face maybe another 100 feet. The tailings pile must be near as I can reckon maybe a 55% angle and the talus very loose.

Walked back by bike path along-side I-70 to the High Gate Bridge and threw the stick into Clear for Ellie-Mae one last session and then headed in for more coffee and reading a book―> by Peter Maass Crude The Violent Twilight of Oil.

Nice four hour walk. Plume is approximately 9,100 feet elev.

Sat in chair in back and luxuriated in the warmth of the sun before the inevitable clouds obscured it.

Took a nap, ate lunch and now am finished reading another grip of pages in Walking My Dog, Jane by Ned Rozell.

Nice day today, here at elevation.
Elevation…8,600 feet is cool clear and invigorating.

today is two-thirds through springtime...

May 21, 2010 Georgetown, CO
15:47:56 hours, MDT

… Nice relaxing day…

Took Ellie-Mae for the walk along the tracks before daybreak here on the floor of the valley…Although the sun was shining on the snowfield above tree line it was not quite ‘up’ yet here and the walk besides helping to invigorate my body/mind was just perfect.

The temperature continued down after the sun-up period…was 34° F. approximately 06:20 hours and slightly lower at around 08:30, according to the thermometer nailed to the side of a garage over on Biddle.
The tracks were good, this time I forgot the ‘punch-proof’ toilet paper and although I needed to use some by the so called tunnel between the High Bridge and the next trestle up the line I managed.
I forgot that I might need the blue paper towels.

Punch-proof paper is necessary, don’t you think? The toilet paper companies might do well to provide this item to the consumer; after all― the governmental agencies supply it in some of their lavatory facilities. And it alleviates the distain when a wiper presses the fingertip through in effort for that clean wipe. Is Charmin’s softness all that and a deck of cards? Would not you really like punch-proof instead?

Took a nap and sat out in back in shorts reading sans shirt earlier, reading Walking My Dog, Jane: From Valdez to Prudhoe Bay Along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline by Ned Rozell.

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF14/1496.html

Georgetown Spring snows

May 14, 2010 Georgetown, CO

Snowed again nearly four days in a row, here.

Took Ellie-Mae again along the tracks up to Plume and shot some more snow images from the tracks.
Am continuing the training to help and assist the metabolism to be primed for a North Rim trip, possibly next week.

See posted images.