Cat Playing

Wiley playing in papers in a box.

Blue Ice Warthogs are back in stock...

Photo courtesy of Dave Searle collection



I have a good numberof the Warthog packs back in stock. Pre-orders wereshipped today.If interested you can order onehere:

http://coldthistletools.blogspot.com//04/blue-ice-gear.html

The Bicycle, and on Building (and Protecting) Your World

For myself and a number of my acquaintances, the desire to get a bicycle corresponded with experiencing what I can only describe as an early midlife crisis. Early, because it hit us some time in our late 20s. And crisis, because it was marked by a devastating discrepancy between what we were achieving in our lives at the time (impressive things, by society's standards) and the absolute lack of personal fulfilment derived from those achievements. Somehow, we were living in a way that did not make us happy, spending money on things we did not enjoy, and advancing along career paths we no longer believed in - yet saw no way of escaping after having dedicated huge portions of our no-longer-that-young lives to the education that led to those careers.



How does the bicycle tie into this?... I cannot yet verbalise it as eloquently as I would like, but I know for certain that it does. Maybe disentangling myself from one aspect of societal expectations and life's inertia made me realise that it was generally possible. Prior to getting a bicycle, I had made some radical changes in my life, and have continued to make others since. Those changes have made me considerably worse off financially, but the quality of my life improved. And most importantly, I feel that I have re-claimed my intellect and creativity, which I now understand was necessary for my sense of personal integrity.



When I ride a bicycle, I experience a heightened awareness of the extent to which we are the architects of our own worlds. Things don't just happen to us, as we like to think when feeling helpless about our situations. Whether we realise it or not, we orchestrate our daily experiences through a complex web of choices and decisions we make - which includes the choice to be passive and let our circumstances, or other people around us, shape our world for us. To live the life we want to live, we must actively build and protect it - not violently or smugly, but committedly and persistently, even if others don't understand us or criticise our choices. For me, this is an important parallel between cycling and life in general.

Angels Landing :: The Overture

Two miles after leaving the trailhead, way down in the valley, you arrive at Scout's Lookout. You've already climbed 1,060 feet, but you know that the “worst” is yet to come. Watching other hikers scale this first portion of the ascent to Angels Landing, you get this sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach.

You notice a few people sitting in front of that big rock. You approach them and ask the question “Did you do it?” No. They went a short ways up but turned back. The trail is too steep. It's scary. I sat there with them for a few minutes, then decided to go on. At the least, I had to try it. Lots of other people have done it. There are chains for safety. Yee gods, chains!

Yes, chains. Thank God! Just grab hold and pull yourself up, someone says. Yeah, right. But I do. And I did. You don't even notice how steep it is or how far down it would be if you slip and fall. Well, not much, anyway. You try not to think about it.

You concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other and holding on to that chain as if your life depends on it, because it does. But before you know it you've gotten over the first major obstacle.

Then you see this! And that sinking feeling comes back a hundred-fold. The trail goes up the edge, up the spine of that peak! Another 440 feet in height, in less than half a mile.

The beginning of the end. Doesn't look so bad, but it scared the begeebers out of me!

The view of Lower Zion Canyon is magnificent. I was told it was much nicer from atop Angels Landing though.

I talked to a few people as they came down from the top. “It's not so bad,” they said. “Just take it slow and easy and you'll be okay.” Another said “I'm 73 and I made it, so can you.” “You've already gotten over the worst part.”

But I wasn't so sure. The longer I stayed and looked at it the queasier I got. I wanted to do it, I really did. But doubts can be troubling.

To be continued... Angels Landing :: Interlude

Autumn is Coming...

As we push into late August the first signs of fall are starting to show themselves. Returning clouds, crisp days leading to cold nights, and fewer climbers are a familiar scene this time of year. We actually had some snowflakes fall on rangers the past couple of days, but the report from Muir today was of sunny skies, gentle breezes, and cool fall temperatures.

September is still a great month to climb, one of my favorites actually. Although the weather can be variable, it is still very pleasant for the most part. Climbing in September can also lead to a lot more solitude on a mountain where that is sometimes hard to find. Routes like the Emmons and the Kautz, which can be extremely busy during mid-summer, turn into full-on wilderness experiences in September. Something very notable about this year that is different from previous ones is that the routes still have a lot more snow on them than normally would be present in late August. This means instead of climbing glacial skeleton and having to wind around what may seem like endless fields of huge crevasses to reach the summit, climbers are treated to what can only be described as excellent climbing!

There are a few changes coming in the next couple of weeks of which climbers should be aware. One is that the ranger stations where you register to climb will no longer be open on their summer hours. After Labor Day the Longmire WIC, White River WIC and the Climbing Information Center will all still be open but on a more limited basis. Stay tuned for the exact hours,which we will be posting as we get confirmation on the schedules. Climbing rangers will be around throughout September, but on a more limited basis. So make sure to get your urgent questions answered by a ranger when you register.

Come on out and enjoy this next season change on Rainier. There is still a lot of climbing to be done, and watching the leaves change color from 14,000' is a pretty spectacular sight!

Big Bend Revisited :: Santa Elena Canyon

Saturday, March 2nd - - From Rio Grand Village to Santa Elena Canyon is about a 55 mile, very pleasant scenic drive, through the varied terrain of Big Bend National Park. It's worth the drive.







There is not much water flowing through this area of the Rio Grande. On the right you are in the United States, on the left is Mexico. You could easily walk across the Rio Grande, but it is definitely not recommended. In fact, it is illegal to do so.



A trail goes up the canyon wall in a series of short switchbacks on the far right, then takes you on back into the canyon a short distance. The temperature was reaching into the 80s and I had done the hike three years ago so chose not to do it this time.





This is the creek that was full of water during my last visit. You have to cross it to get to the trail. Going across was a bit of challenge then, not so now.






Yep, it was pretty dry. Some of those cracks were 3-4 inches deep.

Rainbow Sunset - Grand Portage Bay

This photo was taken last night at sunset just after a brief thunderstorm passed over Grand Portage Bay.