December 29, 2014

Nice five mile walk w/ Ellie— ice- fog.

Temperature dropping — hard snow; lighter snow; crunch under foot and as the temperature drops all I think about is winter camping!    14°F. —  at Elev 5440 ft 39.73 °N, 105.08 °W —

October 27, 2014

Reading List:

• Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy and the Power to Heal— Tom Shroder
• Summer of Fire— Jim Carrier
• Requiem for the West— Roger C. Brown

The so-called warm before the storm is past and the temp. is dipping southward. Trees still appear about 50% gone [turned]. Chill in the air however as is the usual here in the Denver Basin warmer days are ahead!

Can use a good dose of camping about now!

September 22, 2014

The autumnal equinox brings the fall season to the Northern Hemisphere on: September 22 at 10:29 P.M. EDT.

Went over to East Portal yesterday and walked in the storm—rainy bands and breathed-in the fresh air with the leaves and tress on the air.

Was good at elev. [9100’].

I enjoyed as I think Ellie- Mae did as well. 

    

September 1, 2014

Labor Day —[US holiday]—

Ever notice that when out and about here in America’s “quiet places”— National forest campgrounds, the National Parks/ state parks etc.—that the object is to eat all the food, come back lighter— hopefully “refreshed” and save the memories on camera?

Ever notice the Inuit in northern latitudes when stopping in the quiet places— they look to set traps, fish for graylings and look for meat to carry them through? They seem to come back heavier after the work out. They call it ‘shopping.”

“We call going to the mall shopping.”

Question to you my friends— why are Americans so preoccupied and stressed- out with relaxing and lightening the load?

From— CHARLES RUSSELL:

Shortly before his death in 1926, the great western artist, Charles Russell, was asked to speak at a Montana Booster Club meeting. When Russell heard himself introduced as a “pioneer," he stepped to the rostrum and addressed the boosters...

“In my book, a pioneer is a man who comes to a virgin country, traps off all the fur, kills off all the wild meat, cuts down all the trees, grazes off all the grass, plows the roots up and strings ten million miles of barbed wire. A pioneer destroys things and calls it civilization. I wish to God that this country was just like it was when I first saw it, and that none of you folks were here at all!”

August 13, 2014

Photosynthesis has slowed/ stopped in the trees here at this latitude north. Some are paling- out/ some duller green and the late summer wildflowers are yellow. The rabbit brush is healthy and full and the seed heads are nearly ready to pop.

The reading list follows:

                                    .

• Arctic Aurora : Canada's Yukon and Northwest Territories / John Holt. 

• Arctic sun on my path : the true story of America's last great polar explorer / Willie Knutsen and Will C. Knutsen ; foreword by William W. Fitzhugh.                                       

• Cold : adventures in the world's frozen places / Bill Streever. 

 

• Curse of the black gold : 50 years of oil in the Niger Delta / photographs by Ed Kashi ; edited by Michael Watts.                                                                                                                      
• Blue-eyed boy : a memoir / Robert Timberg.

Reading list-

• Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt,  Michael Lewis
• The Housing Boom and Bust,Thomas Sowell 

 

• 

  

 Reading List:

• Off the Grid: Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government, and True Independence in Modern America; Nick Rosen

• Long-Distance Hiking; Dan Feldman

• BelievingBullshit: How not to Get Sucked Into an Intellectual black hole: Stephen Law

 

Sometimes the things in life are cumbersome emotionally but the hiker remembers that emotional emergencies are better left to those most qualified. Moving in rhythm to the path or bush-whacking a way through becomes mechanical and it is this routine that helps us with clear thinking and direction.

Emotional emergencies do not have the power over the mature hiker that seemingly engulfs most city-folk.

February 27, 2014

Springtime is in the air meteorologically although the calendar points to another month. The migratory birds are arriving and beginning to make their song heard. The skunk is back and around. And the grasses smell good after the morning frosts have sublimated and they are still wet.

From the 8th thru the 14th historically here at this elev and latitude N photosynthesis begins...

Am so happy the growing season is upon us.

January 23, 2014

Champagne powder— snowed over night, cool single digits and dry this morning for the walk w/ Ellie.

Photosynthesis is fast approaching at this elevation. Usually around the February 6^th date and the 12^th— this historically has been the time when the larger organisms seem to lose dormancy. Again this year the ground has not frozen— making a two calendar year stretch of vulnerabilities for those trees. They are evermore so prone to disease and stress from infestations.

14° F. now— was approximately 9° around 8:30 MST at the time of El’s walk. Maybe 3- 3+ inches of snow.  But— dry; so tolerable with adequate layers and no wind at all… 

The sun has peeked out now after being cloudy w/ low ceiling earlier— 10:30 MST.

January 13, 2014

Reading List:

     Amended**—January 14, 2014

• Utah: Then and Now, Tom Till
• Potluck: Community on the Edge of Wilderness, Ana Maria Spagna  
• Trail to the Klondike, Don McCune
• ** At Home in the West: The Lure of Public Land, William S. Sutton

**  January 14, 2014

Snowing— just the right temperature to walk in… smiles!