August 20, 2005
The Josephine Peak Trek
boredom and/or nostalgia can indeed be a motivator. this past thursday 'bout noon, i had a notion. not just to head (again!) for the angeles forest, but to "do" josephine peak. so.....with the usual suspect snack (ice ta, water, cookies, cheese crackers and peanut butter cracker, bug repellent, hiking stick and bug repellent, off and up i went. although it has been YEARS (i am positive more than 10) i could basically anticipate the trail. i made it to the josephine-strawberry peak intersection -- i know that's not a mountain term -- in 58 minutes. and from there to the peak was another 40 mins. i was whupped but elated! sat, snacked, read, let the mind wander and RESTED! i set the camera on some rocks and "flicked away" it was kinda overcast but quite warm and pleasant.
you'll be getting the flicks later this morning. you'll note both a white and red "hankie" wrapped around ye olde head. i usually wear the white one but i found myself driven to high altitude madness by the little bitty bugs who are bugged by repellent. they continue to hear for/into my ears. thus, my new do. get it. it looks ridiculous, but worked like a charm.
trek to islip with the antioch folks is tomorrow. i'll go to early service at st john's. (painting there later this morning)
luv,
pops
Posted by mbowen at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)
July 31, 2005
Chilao On Sunday
Well, the lesson of the day is: Follow your own first, or second – and if that fails, your third mind. While in Sunday school this morning, one of the youngsters asked if I had a band-aid. She had a small exposed sore, but I didn’t have a band-aid. I did have my little notebook with me so I made a note to ask the rector about getting a first aid kit. It occurred to me that on a number of occasions over the years, folks have had all manner of medical emergencies at church, some serious enough to call the paramedics, others of a minor nature. This past Thursday when I came down from Mt. Islip I made a note (in the same small notebook) to add these items to my camping list: handiwipes, an extra handkerchief and (you guessed it) a small first aid lit. Strike 2!
So here I am on a beautiful Sunday afternoon (4:30 pm.) and what do you think I do with my brand new Swiss Army sharp as a razor knife – while lopping off a chunk of Trader Joe’s Mozzarella cheese? Right again. I cut through the cheese, through the wrapping and into my finger. Quick, clean and deep. The very first thing I did was use an expression not particularly fit for a (few hours after church) Sunday afternoon. And as if I hadn’t heard myself the first time, I said the same word a few more times. The next thing was mental instead of verbal. I thought about the non-purchased fist-aid kit. And I remembered telling the Sunday school director that a kit should be purchased. And I remembered her writing it down and me doing the same thing days earlier. But a rapid fire memory does nothing to stop a finger from bleeding. I snatched a piece of towel paper and wrapped the finger.
When driving into Chilao picnic grounds where I am making these notes, I noticed a green truck…the kind used by forest rangers and other park service employees. The truck was near the visitor’s center so I decided to walk over and see if I could scrounge a band-aid. The finger was starting to sting. The ranger wasn’t at his truck; but there was a small group of folks who I later learned were mountain runners. I asked one of the dudes if he had this now desperately sought piece of medical paraphernalia. He said he might have one and went to his car. In the meantime, the long lost ranger came down the walkway from the visitor center only to be asked the same question by paper-towel-wrapped me. He went to the green truck and literally checked out every conceivable nook and cranny until…presto! Or is it eureka? He found 2 of them! By this time, the runner dude had located one and I had quickly but rather sloppily unwrapped it and put it on the cut. I gratefully accepted the ranger’s contribution as well, placing it on top of band-aid number 1. I thanked all parties and headed back to the waiting picnic area. Grateful and more relaxed. Laughing at myself for my experienced folly, my ever-prepared shortcomings. What else could or should I do but laugh at myself instead of revisiting those “bad words.”?
Lessons learned:
1. Buy a first aid kit before even thinking about coming back to the mountains.
2. Understand and accept the reality that accidents have a long history within the frail context of the human experience.
3. Hike, picnic where there are other (obviously better prepared/equipped) people; and most important, if you can’t avoid the innocent, accidental, low key, minor drama self-inflicted pain, of a knife
4. DON’T BUY A GUN!!!!!!
Now…tis time for some very carefully cut cheese, salami, sour cream potato chips, cold bottled water and………Shakespeare’s sonnets!!!
Posted by mbowen at 08:40 PM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2004
Whitney Trail
Crew,
Well, the Antioch folks have fallen by the wayside. So it looks like it’ll just be the 4 of us. The timeframe remains the same. I am hoping we can get on the road no later than 6:00am, Sunday morning.
Here’s the tentative schedule: Leaving at 6, we should get to Lone Pine by 10am. First stop is Mojave, about 95 miles from L.A. There’s an Arco station and a number of eateries. I usually gas up here, just to be on the safe side although it was crowded last time and I went straight on to the Portal. The 2nd stop is a Caltrans rest stop at about the 140 mile mark. Just a number of picnic tables, a dog run and restrooms. Lone Pine, another 60 or so miles, has a super market, restaurants and whatever has been forgotten can be purchased here. The distance from the town’s centre to the Portal parking lot is 13 miles.
The weather should be good. Perhaps 90 degrees in Lone Pine and about 72 at the Portal. (You can always check this out on line.)
What to bring: Warm weather means hiking in shorts! An extra tee shirt makes sense because of sweating on the trail itself. Some folks bring walking sticks. Backpack with whatever you plan to eat along the trail or at the lake. Camera and extra film. Good walking/hiking boots. Sneakers not advised. Waterproofing of boots not necessary. Cap with bill for sun. Do rag without concern over urban colors! Insect repellent. At least 3 bottles of water. There are no bathrooms once on the trail. But since no females will be in our B Men party, you can piss where you find a waiting tree or large boulder and no folks coming down the trail. Greeze: Sandwiches, fruit, nuts, cheese, candy, cookies, soda (in cans, not bottles), crackers, trail mix (ugh!) make good for good mountain snacks. I’ll have ice in the cooler so whatever you bring can be chilled. To be on the safe side, you may wanna bring your own cooler. There will be plenty of room in the Avalanche bed.
If you have a favourite cd, that be fine as well. There is a spot where radio signals all but disappear.
That should ‘bout do it. You know how to reach me if you need to before Sunday morning.
Later,
Mr B
Posted by mbowen at 05:51 PM | Comments (0)