iamthesleepingiant

On the JMT at Devil's Postpile

2012-04-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

Found a great campsite at Red’s and met up with Irene who was dropped off there by a friend who made an incredible pasta dinner for us that night. She and I spent the next two days camped at Red’s Meadow, great campground. It was here we first encountered the “Eddie Bauer” backpackers. At first I thought I was in an episode of the Twiglight Zone. They were dressed in matching outfits, nothing out of place. At first I thought they were park rangers, the colors would be correct. Then I noticed their backpacks matched perfectly. Down to the “kitchen Sink” .

Not sure what that was for, have never needed a kitchen sink in the backcountry. Everything tied to their packs was new and expensive and right out of a catalog. They even had a large can of bear spray on their waist bands. I think my Mylar space blanket was a lighter, cheaper and better solution. I didn’t want to be that close to a bear that I could spray it in the face with peppers.

The Eddie Bauer packers were nice enough ut they were the strangest site.

We also ran into Ken and Theo at one of the cabins at Red’s. Unfortunately Ken severely sprained his ankle crossing a creek and trying to save his camera from the water. Their trip was over. He was on crutches. It was so sad; they had so looked forward to this trip.

We took a day hike down to Rainbow Falls, a mini Niagara. I couldn’t believe how much water there was. There was also a herd of people. I felt a little out of place, having gotten used to smaller groups only. It was a hot day and I couldn’t believe how many would make the 5 mile round trip journey with no water, little kids and flip flops. I can’t seem to get away from those.

On the JMT to Devils Postpile

2012-04-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

August 20, 2011

So far my experience with bears in the last few days has proven to me the Bearikade was a great idea. It fits great sideways in my Osprey Aura 65 and has proven itself to withstand the efforts of two sets of bears. It also made a great seat while cooking. I was more thrilled with the can than my pack. By this point I have discovered the limitations of this light backpack’s shoulder straps and was cursing their stiffness. Lucky for me I found a pair of brand new thick synthetic backpacking socks in my camp left there by the previous camper. After short consideration I chose to cut the bottoms off and use the tubes to pad my shoulder straps. It paid off, my comfort was greatly increased. Other than that the pack had so far proven itself to be easy to organize and fit my gear perfectly. I have also discovered I love the Honeyville powdered eggs.

Due to the mystery illness I have been suffering from for the last two years, I was determined never to get stuck hiking in the heat. If I could avoid this, I could complete the trip without numb feet and dizziness. After a breakfast at 4:30 am of powdered eggs, grits and coffee I hit the trail about 5:15. I already discovered if you want to have some alone time on the trail the best time to hike was early in the AM, most didn’t seem to leave their camps until about 9 or 10. Sometimes adversity turns into a blessing, it forces you to do things differently.

It was on to Devils Postpile to meet up with Irene who was resupplying me and actually going to hike the next leg to Eddison Lake VVR with me as her first backpacking trip.

Rosalie Lake

2012-03-11T15:36:00.003-07:00

It was then on to Rosalie Lake. I found a great campsite below the trail.

I had the great vantage point of being able to see people walk by again and they couldn’t even tell I was there. Unfortunately a bear did find my campsite and once again I was awakened in the middle of the night by a very pissed off furry friend. This time I wedged my bear can among some large boulders. This only added to his/her frustration because the can couldn’t be rolled around at all. My main concern was the can rolling into the lake, and it didn’t. I did end up with a couple of incredible claw grooves in the aluminum top as mementos.

Banner in the Morning

2012-03-03T14:41:00.000-08:00

The best part of my Thousand Island Lake campsite would come in the very early morning hours when I was able to photograph the many moods of Banner Peak as the moon slowly gave way to the day. I woke up about 4:30 and left camp about 5:30-6 it was an eerie morning because across the lake I could hear a small group of coyotes yipping.

Donahue to Thousand Island Lake

2012-02-20T08:49:00.000-08:00

I started out about 5 am and ran into Ken and Theo again, they had a great campsite just on the other side of the bridge at McClure, will have to take note of that area for future trips. The trail up to Donahue was easy except for the one deep water crossing before the top. There were several people ahead of me who seemed to make a bigger deal out of this and I should have gotten my camera out and done a video of their various methods and difficulties. It was some of the best entertainment. I am not sure why they struggled but each did. The water was thigh high due to all the snow fall we had had during the winter. I am ever so grateful I purchased a pair of Merrell Trail Gloves. I simply changed shoes and walked across, it was nothing and they would come in handy many times over. It was amusing to watch all those who thought flip flops would somehow work. Donahue pass was easy and I encountered my first snowfield at the top making route finding a little interesting as there were many paths carved out by previous hikers.

There was a strange box at the top of the pass for wilderness surveys which no one up there had and of which there were none in the box. Not sure what that was for but it was worth a photo.

The other side of Donahue Pass opens up to a different kind of beauty. Open spaces and incredible peaks. It was a great place for lunch…. And a swim.

After about a 14 mile day and having completed both Donahue Pass and Island Pass I reached Thousand Island Lake. It was the most picturesque place I had seen since leaving Colorado many years ago. It must have been about 4:30 and finding a campsite was very difficult. I managed to find a very small ledge which offered some privacy due to the large rock on the trail side.

Unfortunately the lake itself was a bit of a tourist trap because it is accessible from other trails and not far enough from civilization. Many groups were camped here and some had no clue as to how to behave in the backcountry.

I was quickly advised by a mother of three kids who was camped above me on the other side of the trail about 100 yards (not feet but yards) that where I was camped was in front of “her” swimming spot and “her” water and that she and her kids would be there. And… they were. They spent the next couple of hours right in front of my tent in the water despite the lake being very large and the shoreline having many places for swimming. It was the strangest thing I had ever encountered. I have to say I truly had the feeling I was in LA on some crowded beach.

On The Trail

2012-02-13T11:30:00.000-08:00

I finally have time to update this blog on my great John Muir Trail adventure. It began on August 17, 2011. I hope to add posts every few days attempting to describe a journey that was physically, emotionally and at time spiritually challenging. I ended up doing the trail solo. I started out with 5 people wanting to go and ended up walking off alone. In retrospect, It was probably the best way to go. I had only myself to rely on and had an opportunity to go at my pace and on my schedule without worrying about someone else's wants and needs. I met a lot of incredible people along the way and they will stay with me always. To those on the trail forums who complain about seeing too many people out there, they missed out. Part of what made this journey spectacular was the people who ventured to go that far, their heart and resiliance and in some cases their outwardly bizarre behavior. I loved them as much as the trail itself.

After a year of planning and 8 months of physically preparing I headed out from the Lyell Canyon trailhead. I had no idea how emotional it would be to walk away. It was the thing I wasn’t expecting. I think I must have cried as I walked off for about 5 minutes. It was a strange feeling leaving Jonathan, Dylan, Sean and the rest of my family behind for a month.

The first day I had planned out to be very light only 5-6 miles and I found a great campsite on the left side of the trail near the creek. My permit was checked twice, once by a ranger on a horse and a second time by a pair of trail volunteers.

I met a really nice couple, Ken and Theo who were also doing the JMT and also planned to spend a month doing it. They were going to camp at McClure Creek and head up Donahue in the early AM.

I set up a great camp about 2 miles before theirs, made a fire and went for a swim. The evening was uneventful until much later and I had my share of entertainment watching people walk by who couldn’t see me due to my location behind a slight hill and a few well placed rocks.

About 11 pm I was awakened by a bear trying to play hockey with my bearikade. I could hear grunts and some banging around as he/she pushed it around in the space I placed it. I quickly discovered bears don’t like those cheap Mylar space-blankets as rattling it about sent the creature running. It wouldn’t be my last encounter with the furry ones.

Tracking

2011-08-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well on Wednesday AM I'm off to start a much awaited journey of over 200 miles. The John Muir Trail solo. Sounds crazy but its been a year of planning and I didnt start out alone but thats how it worked out. I do have a friend meeting me to do 4-5 days and Jonathan is meeting me at Eddison Lake and again at Woods Creek Crossing with a friend. I broke down and rented a SPOT so that my family wouldnt totally freak out about he lack of communication and anyone can see where I am at any time by going to http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0jUzEY4GRKkYbtxX8tTDzUF4csXO2Yuqd
If the link doesnt work by clicking on it just copy and paste it into your browser. I will have it turned on begining 8/17/11. Right now all you see is all my tests. It seems to work great even where I live which is surrounded by pine trees. managed to complete 2 half marathons and several hundred miles of walking and hiking to prep for this. Cant wait to hit the trail! Wish me luck. Mariell

Who Dresses the Water Guy?

2011-04-23T17:59:00.000-07:00

As each holiday approaches and I mean every holiday, someone mysteriously changes the attire of the water guy.

He sits on the side of the road and has been decorated for years by someone or some persons in Santa outfits, patriotic clothing, witches, pilgrim garb, etc. I find myself looking forward to the changes just to see what they come up with.

He is almost always waiving at motorists. In the many years I have driven by him (sometimes 10 times a week), I have never seen the person(s) who decorate him. They must come and go in the middle of the night, although I have driven by countless times and never seen anyone during all sorts of late hours.

So who dresses the water guy?

Whomever that person is, Happy Easter to you!

When Snow Meets Building

2011-03-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a fine example of what happens when now meets a building and isnt removed. Just up the road the ski resort got 13 feet of new snow over the last week. The roof of this building, a few miles before that, had about 5 feet of new snow and completely collapsed under its weight and that snow is now inside the building.

Making Your Own Trail Food

2011-03-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

It’s snowing again here. Probably won’t get plowed again. I’ve been experimenting with dehydrating various vegetarian foods. 30 days on the JMT is just too long to pay the high cost of those prepackaged backpacking meals and quite frankly there isn’t much variation for those of us who don’t eat meat.

Last weekend I played around with mini Matzo Balls made from a mix. They work great. I boiled them first and then dehydrated overnight. Put them in a cup of soup and let them sit in the hot water about 2 minutes. You couldn’t tell they were once dehydrated.

Today I dehydrated meatless meatballs and they worked equally great. First I pan fried them (not sure if that is necessary but seemed like a good idea), then placed them overnight in the dehydrator. To rehydrate, I merely let them sit in hot water much like I would on the trail.

These could be rehydrated with either ramen noodles or a flat fettuccini type noodle we found at an Asian Market. For $1.29 you can get a package of 15 rounds of noodles which when placed in water that has reached a boil will rehydrate in 3 minutes in a closed container. I like these noodles better, the texture is nice and they don’t taste as starchy as ramen. They are great in soup or in a spaghetti/fettuccini type recipe.

Next week, Lentil soup.

John Muir Trail Conditions

2011-03-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

I got approval for my one month vacation time from work and got my reservation for a permit from the park service can’t beat that for a milestone birthday! Now I can only hope the weather starts to stabilize and the snow begins to melt. Not that I want ski season to end but I really don’t like the idea of hiking in the snow for 200+ miles.

Photo taken last weekend from 8500 feet elevation a few miles in front of where the JMT passes Eddison and Florence Lakes.

Taxes, What are They Good For?

2011-03-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we were “Snowed In Again “

This time we know why. I can totally sympathize with the folks back east a few weeks back when they didn’t get their roads plowed. They paid their taxes, made it a priority, or at least pretended to so that their homes wouldn’t get taken by the government. They paid their taxes faithfully and didn’t get their roads plowed. Stuck. Money is tight, I got that.

Well, we just discovered why our little community of about 100 homes has been neglected year after year by the county roads dept when it comes to plowing the snow. My husband hunted down the plow driver as he went past our community of about 150 full time residents and on to the next one up the road of about 50 full timers but whose homes are about 1000 sq feet larger than those in our 100 year old neighborhood. He honked at him and stopped him and asked what the deal was. The deal IS we are “low priority”. That’s actually what he said. I wonder what it takes to become higher priority? At least 4 TV stations have their broadcast towers in our community and without those being accessible for repairs a whole city of a half a million could be shut down from watching Survivor, the Biggest Looser, Hell’s Kitchen and all those “fine shows”. Riots could ensue if people in the city were denied their “right” to be a couch potato. Trees drop like flies around here when it snows. It wouldn’t take much to reduce those towers to scrap metal. I guess we might rank a little higher on their list for plowing if that happened. Till then I guess we have to pray no one has a heart attack. The ambulance couldn’t get in.

Let There Be Light

2011-01-30T17:08:00.000-08:00

Leave it to the Chinese. Gotta love it. These days everything appears to have been made in China. Americans won’t pay more for American made ‘It’s cheaper and we get what we pay for. The Chinese have mastered cheap labor and cheap products. You can’t find anything that isn’t made there. Go to any department store shoe store. You can’t find a reasonable pair of shoes made anywhere but China. I’ve tried and given up. I now resign myself to shoes that cost at least $100 to avoid the garbage that hurts my feet for less. Well it’s come home and was disguised as a task lamp. We went to a lighting specialty store and purchased a rather modern task lamp for our bathroom which we have remodeled. No way to tell on the plain white box that my lamp was made in China. It looked great and appeared to have been well made. Thank god JT is a jack of all trades and can install just about anything without help or instructions because we quickly discovered our lamp was made in China. Thank god they didn’t skimp on the product itself. They just skimped on the translation of the instructions. See below. Gotta love it.

On To Bigger Things

2011-01-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

It’s time to seriously start the planning for the John Muir Trail

I have allotted double the number of days to do the JMT; a month should cover it very well. Now I’ve got to get my boss to get as excited as I am and part with me for a month. My plan is to hike a day or two and rest 24 hours, hike a day or two and rest 24 hours. This will give me plenty of recovery time and a few spare days in case I have a bad spell. Of course this means carrying more but that really is no big deal. I’ve cut my essentials down to 15 pounds and the rest is food. The last time I did Mt. Whitney as a 3 days trip my pack was 25 pounds and I came back with at least two full days extra food/snacks and fuel. Better to have more than not enough. I could have shaved some weight off some items I never used. I’ve gotten better at predicting what I really need and have cut things back considerably. I have also become obsessed with weighing everything and trying to find a better item that’s lighter. If it comes down to cutting my toothbrush in half I will to save weight. That being said, I’m looking forward to taking the extra time to just kick back and enjoy the views, the people and the experience as a whole.

On Cats and Trees

2010-12-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

Why is it cats won’t learn from their past mistakes? I don’t get it. Jack’s done it again, gotten himself stuck in a tree. He does this about every 8 months like clockwork. He has spent 2-3 days stuck in trees through snow storms and rain storms and blazing heat in the summer. Once up there he just can’t figure out how to get down. He doesn’t pick particularly difficult trees to descend but still gets stuck. We have climbed trees using ladders, rock climbing gear and just brute strength. We have had him fall out of them with exhaustion and injure himself afterwards. This time he selected a reasonable tree which normally if he had picked one like it anywhere else we would have just gotten a tall ladder and retrieved him. NO, this time he selected the one tree that has lots of branches….but it happens to be planted just above a 30 foot straight drop off a cliff. No way were we taking any chances falling down that while on the ladder. He’s nuts. This is a cat, who aside from his tree problem, has gotten trapped in the neighbors have a heart trap for raccoons, for three days through a rain storm. He has also taken a ride in our dryer….and lived. The person who said that cats have 9 lives was wrong. They are immortal. Well at least this one is. His survival instinct is not the greatest but his will to survive is. I’ve coaxed him down with fish…. By the way that works the best, especially if the neighbor’s cat appears from behind a bush to claim this treasure before he gets down. Competition really sparks motivation ...even in felines.

Aliens Among Us

2010-12-03T05:28:00.000-08:00

The Aliens are confirmed to be here. In my backyard (figuratively). I have always thought they were here but now it’s confirmed.

I have always thought they have substituted normal, reasonably intelligent humans with their own less developed and more primitive life forms. I see them every day, you do too. Drive on any freeway and they can be spotted within minutes. They drive cars that look just like yours and mine but they do it differently. It’s because they haven’t figured out that they are supposed to focus on the road, no one has told them. I see them going 70 miles an hour while putting on mascara and traveling less than a car length behind the car in front of them. I’m sure you’ve seen them driving with their wrist (not the hand but the actual wrist) at the top of the steering wheel while talking on the phone with the other hand. Occasionally they even master grabbing a cup of coffee while talking on the phone and steering with their legs. All the while they slowly drift side to side in their lane 20miles an hour slower than the rest of the freeway traffic around them. Multi tasking is not their strong suit they aren’t that developed yet.

The head and right foot is connected on the Alien. An Alien can move one without the other also moving. When they look over their shoulder to check for oncoming traffic before switching lanes they ALWAYS hit their brakes as their necks look over their shoulders while traveling 70 miles an hour causing everyone behind them to freak out and do the same. I’m sure somewhere behind them there is an accident, it’s like dominos but the Alien will never know. They merrily go about slowly infiltrating our population assuming no one will ever discover they are here. Well the gig is up! They have been found! They live on arsenic. I should have known it all makes sense now.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2373775,00.asp

Next time you get on the freeway and wonder if the car in front of you is clueless, an idiot, a jerk or just plain rude, take a second and contemplate this new alternative.

First Days

2010-11-28T13:46:00.000-08:00

First days of skiing! You can’t beat a small crowd, sunshine and powder. Great ending to the Thanksgiving holiday. And…. The Vikings won! It just doesn’t get better.

Survival Instinct (part 2)

2010-11-25T12:49:00.000-08:00

Sometimes individuals just do stupid things. Snowmen are no different. They can have low levels of survival instinct just like humans. Sometimes they spend hours at a time sunning themselves, standing right out in the open of a front yard. The sun beating down on them. Every minute melting away the layers of their exterior. Sometimes they just hang out in places that are hazardous to their survival. Don’t ask me why but they seem to insist that they can conquer obstacles such as large pinecones dropping on them or trees shedding their massive amounts of snow right down on their heads. Sometimes they just have to claim the road.

Coincidence?

2010-11-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes strange things just happen and you wonder what the meaning is. After my MRI, the search for the proverbial needle in the haystack lesion, I had treated myself to a cut and color with my hairstylist. She is personal friend of mine and the wife of a coworker. The two of us were alone late in her shop which sits on a quiet old fashioned street. We were chatting away about everything and nothing waiting for my husband to meet me there, when in walked a short dark middle aged Hispanic gentleman wearing a black knit cap, a jacket and sweat pants. In a jovial voice he announced, “I want you to make me look like George Clooney!” I just busted up laughing and said something like, “I wanted to look like Sophia Loren, but that aint happening and your shit out of luck.” He then remarked how he would settle for looking like Johnny Depp as he took his stocking cap off revealing a bald head with a ring of hair around the base. I just died laughing and told him he needed to accept that Johnny probably wasn’t going to be possible either. My girlfriend/hairstylist started in on the poor guy too and we were all laughing.

After a few minutes he glided out of the salon almost as quickly as he entered. After a couple minutes of verbal exchange we both realized neither one of us knew the guy who had walked in and out of the salon so swiftly. I had thought he was her next client and bantered with him as many of her clients often do to each other. She had thought all along he was my husband. It was pretty shocking to each of us to realize neither knew him. A few minutes later in walks my husband, ironically also wearing a black stocking cap.

I bring this story up because on today of all days in a split second in walks a seemingly ordinary man who oddly fits right in to the scene and happens to mention two male actors I happen to like, he then splits as fast as he came. I am left wondering if he was real. I don’t believe in coincidence. There is no such thing as coincidence. Life is not that disorganized. Reincarnation, Karma, God or whatever you want to call it obviates coincidence. When I think back on all the odd things of my life and those around me, anything I brushed off as coincidence in the past later came back as obvious signs that there is a master plan. I wonder who/what he was and what it means.

Answers

2010-11-23T05:30:00.000-08:00

Going for my 5^th MRI, this is old. I understand that I don’t fit their neat box but a year of testing is insane. I’ve had Dr.’s tell me I don’t have enough lesions, others tell me the lesions aren’t in the “right” places. I don’t really care; I still feel like crap and want solutions. A year of battling lightheadedness, tingling, memory issues, wobbly gate, sudden onset extreme pain and itches that feel like something eating me is enough. I just want answers. I have never been a medical attention seeker. I am the daughter of a doctor and niece of a doctor and was brought up not to bother them unless dying (just and extreme description but you get the point). If this is Multiple Sclerosis I want to know how to deal with it while on a month long backpack trip on the John Muir Trail. Do meds have to be refrigerated? Will they keep in summer temps in my pack? Should I be seeking someone with a medical background to go with me other than my husband who may not be able to do the whole thing since I want to take a month do to it? If it’s not MS, then what the heck is up?

Snow Gods

2010-11-21T06:59:00.000-08:00

The people with low survival instinct will soon be headed to our area in droves. They come to pay homage to the snow god. They will glide up and down on the ground in the hopes the god will notice them and that they will take a part of it with them when they leave. Some of them will leave parts of themselves on the snow god.

They will forget their chains, or never have tested the ones they purchased to see if they fit. They will drive way too fast for their driving abilities and the conditions and they will spin and crash and get stuck. They will travel roads they have never been on and not think twice of how much gas they have remaining in their vehicles. All this makes for great entertainment up here. We don’t need movie theatres for drama, we have it live.

First Snow

2010-11-20T07:41:00.000-08:00

First snow today! Welcome the change in season.

Resort to Skiing

2010-11-19T06:30:00.000-08:00

Its been snowing just above our house! When a ski resort changes ownership, changes its name and changes the things we ski bums have come to accept as normal and it can be disquieting. The resort near our home did this very thing and I tell you from experience it’s much like going through a divorce. One is left wondering what will be normal, what will it feel like, and where will I go if it is uncomfortable? There are many people in my community who have been skiing this same small resort most of their lives, and during that time it has remained much as it was 20-40 years ago, very small and personable. I’ve skied the whole thing in a day. We don’t do the fur coat thing, we don’t march around showing off the latest gear, each out doing the other in expenditures. We go to have a good time and meet up with friends. Lunch is a pot of fondue on the deck. We’ve been sitting in the same spot for years with our pot of fondue for whoever happens to join us, including staff members. I’ve heard they have made changes in operations and where things are configured. I hope the deck is still there.

Changing Trails

2010-11-17T06:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the wizard doesn’t have any answers. I’m getting used to this. And so we order yet another MRI for another part of the body in the hope of finding a needle in the haystack, another lesion; this one possibly residing in my spine. Apparently if it’s there it will explain my symptoms. I find myself praying it will show itself so I can move forward. It feels like I’ve been going round and round for the last year on a trail that’s just a loop. I’m ready to find the fork in the trail. Sometimes you just have to take another path. Speaking of trails, its supposed to snow at our elevation this weekend. If I can get my back to feel better a couple hours of cross country skiing would be a great thing.

Long Journey

2010-11-16T06:59:00.000-08:00

I’m off to see the Wizard. Does he have answers to my demyelization and weird symptoms or not is the looming question. I feel like a patient on the FOX program House. For the last five days I’ve been totally bedridden with severe sudden onset back pain which I’m praying isn’t the beginning of a new symptom like the sudden onset foot pain and sudden onset hand pain which much like my back came about out of the blue, one second it wasn’t there and the next it was. No injury or event preceding the pain and lasting 5 to 6 months before disappearing almost as suddenly as it came on. I have adapted to joints which are almost non-functional but I can’t do back pain like this for a half a year or until it decides to go away. I now have a four hour drive ahead of me to the UCSF Multiple Sclerosis Center in the hopes of getting some answers. I’m ok with whatever this is, I just need to know WHAT it is so I can adapt.