Friday Wanderings

I really didn't do much outdoors last week - not that the weather didn't *scream* to be outside. Simply, we had enough snow to make everything soggy or icy. By Friday I figured all but the shady northern slopes would have melted and so I took the girls for a walk.

We didn't pick any new trails or venture off on a long hike. I did the three mile hike from Inspiration point into Grassy Hollow and about a mile past there, looping back to GH on the Jackson Flat road. It gives me enough up and downs to enjoy it the scenery and still work the muscles. Penelope did okay, despite some snowy areas. Much more snow and she's just not able to tolerate it with her miniature paws.

It was clear out to Rancho, and the views of the desert on the dry side were fantastic. I love when the temp dips to the 40's and the sun still shines. It was a lovely day to be in the mountains and fresh air. I truly hope to get out more this next week.

See it on Runkeeper

I think I'll head to Canada...

(Pic taken near Grassy Hollow visitor center)

Scent of a Forest

It was an out of season day. The sun shone bright in the cloudless sky bringing temperatures in the sixties, with a cool breeze stifled by the trees. As I walked in sunlit stretches of the PCT, I caught whiffs of the San Gabriels. The warmth of the sun began to heat the unique mixture of soil and mulch, creating a specific fragrance only found in this forest. The Jeffrey and Ponderosa pines emit a vanilla aroma when warmed that enhances the perfume of the forest.

The Sierra Nevada has a different bouquet, if only slightly. Even the western slope differs from the eastern side, as the soil is full of moisture and more variety of flora. Next to the sound of wind in the trees, the scent of a forest is my favorite sensory experience as I explore different mountain ranges. Nothing, though, compares to the distinctive aroma of a giant sequoia grove. It must be the tannin found in the spongy bark that dominates the fragrance. From the California coast to the Rockies, I am still amazed at the scent of a forest...

On a different note, I enjoyed about a 3 mile hike today. (See it on Runkeeper.) The walk was relatively easy, and since I could not capture the scent for you, I noted a Jeffrey Pine nursery just outside of Grassy Hollow.

34 and 3

Tey, Penelope and I took a quick hike to the first shaft of Big Horn Mine, from Vincent Gap (about 3 miles round trip).
Fresh snow covered the packed ice found splattered along the trail, making it much easier to navigate. Started sunny; ended foggy (seems the story of most of my adventures). 34 degrees - almost too cold for Penelope to go.

I actually like to ski this trail, but I can only ski to the landslide (about 1 mile). Of course, much more snow is required, and I have to get there before the rest of the flatlanders destroy it with sledding and postholing. So maybe 2-3 times a year I can get a local nordic ski in. I relish those days though.

Next time, we check out the mine. Unless we are skiing.

See it on Runkeeper

The shaft

Blue Ridge Hike

South View - sunny skies

As promised, I headed up to Blue Ridge via Big Pines today. The weather was threatening, and a few snow flurries met our faces, but nothing too worrisome. Fiance was AWESOME and gave it the ol' college try, threw up at .8 miles into it, and elected to head back to the truck. (He seems to be down with the stomach flu now - poor guy!)

The trail is moderate, nice climb of about 500 ft/mile. There are several view areas, nothing spectacular, but nevertheless beautiful. A few nice views of Mountain High east (and sometimes you can hear skiers and snow blowers). Most of this trail is north north-east facing, so in a normal winter it wouldn't be very accessible. Ran into some ice and a little hard snow near the top. Blue Ridge was nice today -not a soul up there and the South side (facing Rancho) was foggy - as if the world ended at the end of the campground. I enjoyed an apple at the top, gave Teyla her treats and water, and headed down - jogging most of the way. I really wasn't wearing proper shoes for trail running - my Asolos are way too clunky for that.

Total time was about 2.3 hours, with a 20 minute break at the top. Trail map says 2 miles one way; I clocked it at 2.25 from the car. Gear: Camelbak day pack, 3 liters of water, snacks (and extra), waterproof in pack, extra beanie, Sig Sauer. I'd say at least 15 pounds of gear give or take. Teyla carried her own water and treats and packable dish. Wore my NF Flight Series pants, Stoic Merino wool base, Polartec pro fleece and Black Diamond Glove liners. I was plenty warm (if not HOT) until the top during my rest where I felt the chill from my perspiration.

View it on Runkeeper

Pictures:
Trail Head

Lil' bit of ice

Teyla

Mountain High East

Campground - slightly blurry because my glasses were fogged!

Prep Hike

Took a prep hike today (see it on Runkeeper). It wasn't too difficult, other than the few patches of ice. I figured 3 miles would be a good prep for Sunday's four mile trip to blue ridge. Penelope did pretty good on it. Teyla behaved most of the time, too. I must say I enjoyed the 40 degree weather and sunshine, along with the wind in the tree, my favorite sound. Trail was free of people except near Grassy Hollow. Lots of birds and even some busy woodpeckers.

I must confess, though, the last and only time I hiked on the blue ridge trail is when Nana was killed. In that sense, I am worried about my emotional state more than anything, as I still often picture her in my head, right after she was bitten. Anyway, it is a more moderate trail, and given the *situation* around Acorn trail and the difficulty, I believe this is a better hike for a Sunday morning.

Here's my crappy picture off my phone. I love this crest on the trail - a nice view of Baden Powell and most of the trees are dead from lightening. It's like a tree graveyard, but the afternoon sun killed my pic.

Tomorrow is my WGAF day, so I shall return on Sunday (rain or shine!)

If Ever You're in My Arms Again..

Ha, you think its all about a dood, huh?

Hardly.

My wonderful fiance has fixed my Corolla. As I drove home from my daughter's high school this morning, the only phrase that came to me, "If Ever You're in my arms again, This time I'll hold you forever."

This car has an odd little story. It first belonged to my ex-husband's wife. Then he drove it for some time to work, just as a commuter car. They decided to buy a newer Corolla, and gave the car to me and my oldest. The intention was that if my oldest son was mature enough to drive, then the car would be his. It came with some mechanical issues, some of which were never fixed until now. Christopher had his permit for some time, yet while driving home from school, he gunned it during a left turn, lost control and I sort of took over - steering it into the curb. Everyone was fine, but the front end was messed up. Some time later it was repaired and Christopher never did get his license (to this day). Don't worry, I have his blessing to keep using the car.

When I left Victorville, the Corolla was all I had.

I have driven the piss out of that car. It's been to Yosemite several times, Sequoia (in the winter, I might add), Phoenix, Sacramento, San Francisco, Mammoth, and Vegas. It's my driving lover.

Just last summer, I drove to Mammoth - got some 34 MPG. Just found out the spark plugs were gapped wrong, so I can expect even better mileage. Take that, new cars!

So a week before we are supposed to go to the SNHA picnic in Sequoia National Park, I start noticing some vibration, but only at speeds exceeding 50 mph. I had the tires rotated and balanced, just in case it was *that* simple. Nope. Took it to a "trusted" repair shop to find out the bearing in the transmission was shot - which was connected to the axle, causing the vibration. So, new transmission needed. Oh, and those issues from before? Motor mounts. Yeah, those were the cause of the now bad bearing (constant vibration). Had I known...

I should note that we ended up driving a car WITHOUT A/C in August, up the middle of California... Would not recommend. This also interfered with plans to Vegas end of August. Had to rent a car for that one. But back to the story.

Here's what hurt the most. People talked. They talked of selling the Corolla, like it was some OLD car that was run down. They said it should be traded in. They said it wasn't worth fixing. I knew they were wrong. I begged for a second chance. It's a god-car - you don't sell cars that are invincible. Instead, you throw in a newer engine when you reach 500k miles.

So tonight I anticipate picking up the Corolla. In some ways, it will be totally new to me. I have never driven it without the constant vibration of bad motor mounts. The driver's side window has NEVER worked. The small oil leak (which I had identified as a valve cover gasket) should be gone. New battery. New door handle (that my father just busted about 6 months ago). Will my car even remember me? Oh - new timing belt. Corolla hasn't seen a new timing belt since it left the factory.

You know, I have never named the car. I feel that it's probably a girl because it keeps functioning (well) even though it needs rest and repair. Very female quality. But it treats me well, like a good man would. I think we need to stop calling it "the Corolla". It is Corolla - the essence of what every small car yearns to be.

Making Fabulous

I changed my outlook this year. No, not a New Year’s resolution. I am viewing my goals, to-do lists and accomplishments in terms of weeks. It’s *about* 40 weeks until I turn 40. For some reason, counting down from 40 seems so much easier than counting months or days.
So how to make fabulous 40 in 40 weeks? I have small goals each week to accomplish, whether they involve work, organization, cleaning, fitness, fun, or nutrition. Each week, I also give myself one day of who gives a f***. I find myself picking my WGAF day out each Monday. This week it will be Saturday, so I can watch the playoffs. This presents a challenge for Thursday, as we are going to the Wine Tailor. Wine – not so bad – what I eat after lots of wine – bad. If I want Saturday to be my WGAF day then I will have to be watchful on Thursday. I have to get up earlier in order to accomplish my goals for the day.

I set some pretty lofty goals for 2012.

1) Make it to Chicago to see my son graduate boot camp.
2) Hike to Mt. Borah with Katie (Idaho’s highest pike)
3) See Dave Matthews at the Gorge with Katie
4) Have a fabulous 40 party!

Mt. Borah is definitely the most physically challenging. I had wanted to climb Whitney, but there is a lottery to get an overnight permit there. Mt. Borah offers a similar challenge, with the guidance of a Borah veteran (thanks to Dennis McLane), and the opportunity to visit my best friend and her family. My *normal* backpacking trips will be replaced with local trips – utilizing the ruggedness of the San Gabriel’s and the accessibility of the Pacific Crest Trail. One week at a time. Say hello to Pine Mountain, Dawson Peak and Mount San Antonio. Say hello to Mount Baden Powell. 2nd ,3rd ,1st ,4th highest peaks in the San Gabe’s, respectively.

I had to give up a few wants this year. I have a very strong yearning to take up downhill skiing again. I simply cannot afford that with my other goals, so it goes on the list for 2013. It’s a blessing, really, given the lack of snow we have this year. This blog may have read, “Looks like I picked the wrong week to take up skiing” (see Airplane). Instead, I am going to use this drought to my advantage. Take that, winter!

I have been looking forward to a trip to wine country this year. In the name of savings, I decided a one day trip to Temecula will have to do. Ha, I will use one of these ridiculously warm weathered winter days to head down South. Screw you, Winter.

Party time. This is probably the “trickiest” of the goals. It’s tricky, tricky, tricky.

Okay, so I AM a little pissed at Winter right now. Hey, it’s only like the third week of “winter” so I guess I will allow for some redemption. As long as you stay out of my way in Summer.

Here’s to week 2 of 40.