Welcome to my blog (1 Year in the Forest), an interactive journal following my life's journey. This Blog started in 2011 to document my decision to give up alcohol for a year. Organizing my thoughts on this subject in advance, it was clear that alcohol had become a major part of my lifestyle. That's when I realized that this would be a remarkable experience similar to spending a year in the forest, thus I decided to write this blog. Don (jtf.aviator@gmail.com)
July in the United States generally means warm sunny days, ice cream and watermelon, and Fourth of July fireworks all around the country. For me, July means another birthday. Many of you may know that my wife's birthday is in November, and each time her big day lands on our Thanksgiving Holiday, we take the entire week off and travel somewhere exotic. So every few years, she gets a "Birthday Week" while my big day only happens once. I mentioned this to Kandy recently, and she said, "I'll tell you what Don. Your birthday is very close to Independence Day, so anytime your birthday lands on the 4th of July, we'll take the entire week and do something special." Needless to say, my date never lands on that date, but still, my wife loves me, and I got a birthday week, only because I turned fifty this year. What does this 50-year-old man do for his birthday week? He hikes 40 miles in three days around Mount Hood on the Timberline Trail. As always, the first day is the most challenging, and by the third day, I don't even notice my backpack weighing down on my shoulders. Needless to say, like most of my adventures, it was a wonderful trip.
Mention Independence Day (4th of July if you're illiterate) and most people will say, "that's A'merica!" In fact, most Americans know it's their God-given right to celebrate this momentous day with a day off from work, a huge backyard bar-b-Que, and a fun-filled evening of fireworks. "We're free" they say. "It's America!" But what does that mean to them? Does that mean that they have the right to drive over to Washington state--or any other state sells gonzo pyrotechnics --and purchase fireworks deemed illegal in the Oregon? "Come on; It's Fourth of July," they say! Never mind the law, the fire danger, and the noise and displeasure caused to neighbors and their pets. I, for one, being a military veteran, never tire of laying in my bed at 10:30 at night, stark awake from the countless screech-pop-BOOM! noises going on until sometimes after midnight. It's no mater that I have to bring my kitty into the garage and my neighbors have to bring in their pets, some on medication from the trauma, while my other neighbors exercise their freedom break the law.
Two of my favorite quotes come from Benjamin Franklin. The first is unconfirmed, but I have the T-Shirt and it says, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." The second is pretty much confirmed (well I wasn't there, but I heard it from a friend who read it on a website, who got it from a civics teacher, who heard it from an old relative that talked to a colonialist, that said Ben Franklin told her this) and is reported to go like this:
In crafting our nation, the founding fathers came together, and when they emerged, an woman asked, "what sort of government have you given us Mr. Franklin?" Ben Franklin was reported to have said, "A Replublic Madam, if you can keep it."
With this, and all the follow-on debates and discussions on the matter, the subject has been construed as meaning they provided the foundation but it's up to us to maintain it. It's our "Responsibility" to vote, elect representatives, and hold them accountable. It's also our duty to obey the laws and respect our fellow citizen's rights to life, liberty and property. So where does illegal fireworks fit into this responsibility. Aside from my right to "peaceful enjoyment of property" granted in the US Constitution, illegal fireworks not only injure the dumb-asses that set them off, but they cause a lot of property damage due to fires in the area. Just recently a 60-acre wildfire was attributed to them. Earlier this year, a Des Moines (near Seattle) man nearly lost his life when a mortar exploded, severely disfiguring his right hand. In that case the $10 fireworks caused him $500,000 in medical bills.
Now I know it's not my responsibility to tell others how to live their lives. Heck, I just see others being stupid as part of natural selection, but it's so damn slow and takes forever to weed these folks out of society. Often more than not, they reproduce at a faster rate than intellectual individuals, so there are countless layers of idiots waiting to fill the void when one of these assholes takes themselves or a family member out of the gene pool. But there's a bigger picture to look out.
Yes, I always stay, "take a step back and take a look at the big picture." The reason we have increased laws, increased government, increased insurance rates, is because of those of us that cannot obey or respect the few laws we started out with. Take traffic light cameras for one. I personally thing that if a certain intersection has a traffic camera, there is something wrong with the design of the traffic flow at this intersection, because they only put them where there is a high incident rate of infractions and accidents. But, the fact is that many drivers are simply unsafe. Speeding, Texting, and Alcohol Use behind the wheel are probably more common than you think. But if we want to encourage more laws and traffic cameras or if we wish to pay more and more for insurance each year, let's just keep disobeying the laws we have now.
Turning 50 years old feels no different than turning forty-nine, except people make a bigger deal about it. Well this month, I turned the big 5 oh! And my wife Kandy did a wonderful thing, she reserved a section at Columbia River Brewing in Hollywood (in Portland, not L.A.) and about a dozen of my close friends came to celebrate this milestone of life. Needless to say, it was a great birthday and thanks to all who helped make my day so special.
"Hello, Lets go Hiking"
So, what does this guy do for his 50th birthday? Surely it involves spending time in the woods! Deciding what to do in the wilderness is always tough as we have so many choices in the Northwest. Kandy had previously wanted to take me back to Iceland for my 50th birthday, but I decided that with Makenna's age, the dent in our savings to visit a place where we used to live for two years, and the fact that I'd rather take a two-week sailboat cruise through the Greek Islands, I would differ a big trip until another time. But several local options entered my mind for distance hikes.
I originally wanted to do a two-week section of the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington. With Kandy having no business trips from home for about a month, I thought the timing was good for such a trip, but still, lots of driving and the logistics wasn't optimum for the family. Then I remembered my attempt in 2009 to hike around Mount Hood on the Timberline trail, a trip that ended early because my ankle hadn't healed all the way after my January fall from a tree that resulted in a broken tibia. On that trip, I made it around about one-quarter the trail and returned to my car. But on this trip, I had Kandy drop me at Timberline Lodge for the week and gave myself five days to circumnavigate the mountain.
Makenna and Me at the Parking Lot on Day 1
It was Monday, 11:30AM, and Kandy and Makenna sent me off
on a warm, sunny day in the Oregon Cascades. Snap, Snap, a few photos
to start my trip. The first day of a backpack trip is always the same;
"why am I doing this?" or "man, my bed is missing me right now." are the
usual thoughts when my legs are the weakest and my pack is the
heaviest. But, as with every one of my long distant trips, the first
couple of days are the toughest and by the third day, my pack doesn't
even weigh anything on my shoulders.
PCT and Timberline Trail Marker near Timberline Lodge
The Timberline Trail as a loop trail is officially closed in the portion at the mountains 12:30 to about 1 O'clock according to the officials at the ZigZag Ranger Station. For this reason, I planned an extra day and a half of to navigate a detour north around the washout area of the Elliot Glacier. Most online references also state that the trail is closed because of floods from the melting glacier have stripped out a canyon on the mountains northeast flank. Each year, the US Forest Service evaluates the option to install a bridge or redirect the trail, but more and more devastation is created by melting ice and snow, all a probable result of increased warming due to the increased CO2 we're putting into the environment. If you still aren't convinced that humans are compounding climate change through fossil fuel use, check out this movie http://www.chasingice.com/ and start reading the thousands of reports, interviews, and briefings available on the subject. If your favorite political figure or corporate leader is refuting this evidence, it's because their interests require you to be ignorant so that they can continue to be part of the 1% of wealthy, while you continue to keep yourself in the 99% as you surrender your wealth to the media, corporations, sports organizations, and the film industry. (more about this in a later post)
Zig Zag Canyon
My first day's hike to Ramona Falls was about 14 miles...not hard, but
long and with lots of heat, river crossings, and several hikers heading
south as in an effort to complete the the Oregon section of the PCT.
These South-Bounders as they're know started at the Bridge of the Gods
in Cascade Locks, Oregon, and they are going to the California Border.
One hiker said he started in Washington, but the snows were so deep in
some of the northern Cascades that he decided to bypass them all
together this year, thanks to el'Nino and global warming.
Slide Mountain
The views were awesome as always! Much of the Mount Hood landscape is scoured by ice and snow as glaciers advanced and receded over the years. The ZigZag, Sandy, and Muddy Creek canyons resemble the moon in some areas. Erosion and rockfall scars the land, and the topography is constantly changing. Often, the trail changes locations due to the steepness and hazards presented by this ever-changing environment. And to a sense, it makes this portion of the trail much more challenging (and rewarding) to the average hiker like myself.
Lupine and Paint Brush
One of the West Slope Canyons with Multiple Waterfalls
The wildflowers were still in amazing bloom this middle of July, 2013. Indian Paintbrush, Lupine, Avalanche Lilies, and Bear Grass was everywhere. There were more species of wildflowers than I could remember names for and I could even see the Huckleberry starts of tiny green nubs that will be juicy mountain blueberries in a little more than a month from now. Waterfalls in some areas of the west slope seem to stack on top of each other as the steepness and grade descends from the glaciers and snowfields near the summit. (Click on Any Image to Enlarge)
Ramona Falls
After a good six hours of hiking and sight-seeing adventure, I arrived at my first campsite near Ramona Falls. I must admit that I didn't research the trails to and around the Mount Hood area as I love to discover things for the first time in REAL-TIME as I go along. I soon found that Ramona Falls is a popular day-hike destination and there were several tourists whom had hiked up from their cars for a photo and to enjoy the trail. Some campers had come up this easy trail to get to the falls and they simply took day-trips around the area to see wildflowers and waterfalls and more. If you're not a hearty outdoor enthusiast, this trip might be perfect for you, or for families with small children. Some previous campers even left a half-gallon jug of Bourbon Whiskey and Soda Pop for someone else to enjoy and pack-out for them. Sometimes I feel there needs to be a sign, "ATTENTION: Peanut Shells, Sunflower Seed Shells, Pistachio Shells, Egg Shells, Banana Peels, and Orange Peels are not part of the natural environment and should be carried out by you!"
One of about Ten River Crossings on the Trail
Needless to say, these easily accessible areas on Mount Hood bring all types of people, some who are not aware of the trail ethics of "Leave No Trace" or "Pack it Out" in the sense that I am. For me, I want to experience the area as if I were the first person to step foot on this trail, and I want others to feel the same way. The sense of new discover is a magical one, something that every soul should detect in the wilds of nature. Generally, I found tons of trash, left over food, and equipment on the trail and in the rivers of the wild places I visit each year.
The second day, I was off on the trail by 7:30 AM after having my Starbucks Via and Quaker Oatmeal. My Cell-Phone was my clock, but I rarely had it turned on. So the sunrise and sunset would be my time keepers for the trip. The second day, I hiked for 12 hours and average just over a mile per hour. There was nothing difficult about the trail this day, and I simply met up with other hikers and went sight seeing in the meadows and canyons. A new friend, Tom, was out on his long time off from Powell's Books to reconnect with nature. Having survived Cancer and even quit smoking five months ago, but his new level of awareness, coupled with his passion for nature, revived this 36 year-old's consciousness and he is no longer trapped in the Matrix.
The Western Edge of the Dollar Lake Burn
Total mileage this day was around 14 miles and I hiked through the Dollar Lake burn area from a couple of years ago. I met lots of people out on day-hikes, and I even met a couple of back-backing US Army Vets, one of whom lost both legs in the recent Iraq/Afghanistan war. I thanked them for their service as they did for mine, but these guys were the real heroes to me. Everyone who serves honorably in the US Military is special, but to lose so much and still press on takes courage beyond the battlefield. I salute you all!
Somewhere on the North Slope
Mount Hood's north slope is pretty amazing. This day's cloud cover and slight shower activity made it feel like a totally different hike for me. The greens and tans were hewed with orange and brown with every changing light beam as the clouds intensified and subsided. For most of this day, I lost track of time as I couldn't see the sun move and I spent most of it socializing with other enthusiasts, none of which were hiking the Timberline Trail as I was. But still, we all had a love of nature and the outdoors as our bond. It was good to see others, but now it was time to press on to the goal.
Something from a Dr. Seuss Book
By the time I passed Elk Cove Meadows, the trail was becoming ever-increasingly overgrown with vegetation as I neared the portion of the closed route. Since most hikers heed the warnings and take an easier route or different hike, I had my sights set on completing the loop around the mountain, even if it meant detouring dozens of miles and thousands of feet in elevation. Still, the flowers and terrain offered spectacular views and the miles flowed by after I set back upon my original task; to get around the mountain. Stops for pack and snack breaks, water breaks, photo breaks, chat breaks, and to make water with a filter, I really didn't feel slow or fast, easy or difficult, happy or sad, I just felt there, in the moment. What a great day it was. A couple of times, I'd lose the trail in a burn area with fallen timbers and washed out canyon. By now, I was in the area of the map that showed no trail as the map-makers updated it lately.
Night Two Looking North
After one particularly difficult creek crossing, I bivouacked at the bottom of a snowfield just north of the Langille Glacier, just west of the Crags of the same name. Having a map and a clear view, I was able to keep progress on my trip, and by now, I was over half way around the mountain. During the later part of day two, the biting flies and mosquitoes dictated long pants and shirt sleeves as well as protective headdress which included a lightweight cap and bandanna. This left only my hands and face exposed to the bugs, but luckily, the temperature was cool due to the cloud cover. Life is so awesome!
Will and I survey the Route overlooking Elliot Glacier
That second night, I awoke every hour or so to check the weather as lightening flashes (no sounds) danced the night sky north of my position. All the storms stayed in the Washington Cascades, and I awoke on the third day to calm, cool weather and had a great breakfast. I did get cold that night as I brought my 45-degree down bag and had to use my rain fly as a cover to keep warm...but it's all good. The next morning, I met up with my first loop hiker, Will, and he and I both sought to find the best route across the washout area. Talk about perfect timing.
Snack on a Boulder in the Middle of the Elliot Moraine
Will was 21, looking to take a few weeks off from college life and partying. "Two weeks" he said. And I shared with him about 1-Year in the Forest...and we became good friends. I told him that it was good he'd come by when he did...at least someone would show the authorities where my body was if I didn't make it. After breaking camp, we headed to the point of no going through--a sign that said "TRAIL CLOSED" accented by a different sign that said "DON'T DO IT" on another tree. But we dropped our packs and surveyed the route. It became clear that we were not going down the original trail.
The Elliot Glacier Headwall at about 8,000 Feet
Our luck was with us, as just when Will came back up through the overgrowth, we met a cool backpacker Steve who told us of an easy route up high across the snow and rock field of the Elliot. Aside from some steep rock descents off the west ridge, we had an uneventful crossing at a few snow fields and the rocky medial moraine. In fact, we stopped in the middle of the glacier on a huge boulder to have a snack and drink some water. Just about three-hundred yards away, we could see the up-trail on the eastern edge of the Elliot, and this took us up to the Cooper Spur side, just near the climber's hut.
Some parts of the glacial moraine had solid ice, while others had something consistent with liquid cement mud, almost potential quagmire. We carefully selected our route and there was equal debate from both of us before deciding. Will surely has a good head on his shoulders and is very wise for his youthful age. He said that meeting Steve (just turned 60) gave him purpose of how he wanted to be living when he got that old. I told him good thing he and I were still so young, Ha!
Last Snowfield to Cross - Elliot Glacier
Will and I made it up the east ridge, and out of danger about mid-morning time. I had planned to cross the area as early as possible, before the mid-day heat to minimize the risk of high flow and loose rock during thawing. Upon reaching the connecting trails by the climber's bivouac, I told Will to press on without me as he was making for his car parked at Barlow pass by tonight. It was now Wednesday and I had two full days of free time ahead, but Will was ready for another adventure on some other mountain in the Pacific Northwest. As for me, I donned my long pants and long shirt and prepared myself for the desert-like expanse of the northeast slope, totally exposed to the sun for miles. I actually ran out of water for about an hour and found an oasis creek just about a mile south of the Cooper Spur Hut. Since most of the rest of my trip was downhill, I filled my hydration reservoir in my backpack and my 1400 ml Nalgene water bottle. Still, considering this isolated incident, there was water everywhere.
Cooper Spur Climbing Hut
From Cooper Spur area south, once descends from the Timberline Trail's
highest point near 8,000 feet to the around 4,000 feet at the White
River crossing just a mile or two from Timberline Lodge. I could have
hiked all the way out this third day, but that would have made Kandy and
Makenna drive up at 8 PM to pick me up. Since I had plenty of camping
time and food, I hiked about 10 miles that day and slept near Mount Hood
Meadow's ski area. This area just south of Cooper Spur presented many, many small snow fields, some that took me away from the main trail, and a couple of times, I strayed off course, only to re-intersect the trail down lower.
Almost on the Moon!
After saying good-bye to Will that morning, I didn't see another person for quite a while. Often, the only indication of others in the area was Will's fresh footprints as I found, and lost, his trail at various times throughout the day. Finally, in the afternoon, I ran into some endurance runners whom I'd met earlier on the trail at a different point around the mountain. They had not seen Will, but I later found his boot print near the ski area and rested that he made it safely home. I eventually checked my cell-phone and texted Kandy that I was probably finishing about 24 hours earlier.
The Timberline Trail near Mount Hood Meadows
The Timberline Trail has many different starting points. Mine took me
from civilization to wilderness and back, and I'd have to say that my
favorite part is from due North to about Due East of the mountain as
it's high and wild. Getting back to the areas frequented by people, I found more and more evidence of humans like trash, lost items, and development. The trail was a goal I'd set for myself a while back, but I'd rarely do this again, instead opting to climb to the summit solo, or find another adventure elsewhere.
Almost Home - Mount Jefferson in the Background
Although it was less than 72 hours, it seemed like a long time because I wasn't reminded of the time except for sunrise and sunset. During most of my trip, I could track the sun, check the map for position, and orient myself with a compass. But mainly, I hiked where and when I wanted. I shared stories with folks I'd never met but who had associations with old friends of mine. A Geologist and his colleague knew two of my friends from Battle Ground, and Will new people from my old mountain bike club in Portland. It's truly a small world.
Greetings everyone, welcome back to 1 Year In The Forest, my interactive blog journal documenting my 2013 experience. It's been quite a while since I last wrote in this blog (almost a year) and as most writers will say, "you write when you can and think about writing all the rest of the time." Effectively, writers blocks always arrive at the wrong time. Factor in life, travels, and general laziness and you'll get my reasons for being tardy on my writing. So sit back and enjoy this refresh in the blog as I went through a growth-spurt of ideas while vacationing in Canada earlier this month. By design, I was out in the wilderness or up on a mountain when the ideas came, so I tried to cram as much of them into my 1 megabyte memory chip embedded into my brain. Fortunately for me, I no longer have Task Force Blackjack to gobble my time and my energy as you'll hear about my divorce from a good clan after being married to them for over a year and a half. At the end of this post, you'll ultimately endure my rambling on about the next direction for this blog as I swear I had it all figured out two weeks ago on Ha Ling Peak above Canmore, Alberta, one of hardest hit areas in Canada last week during unprecedented floods for that area since human settlement.
Eagle Scout (Jeremy) and myself in Banff, Alberta, Canada
Most of you that actually read my blog entries might remember a friend from my online gaming community named Eagle Scout, AKA Jeremy. Well Jeremy and his family were vacationing in Alberta, Canada and asked if we'd be in the area, so we made time to get to see old friends from Canmore and Banff and it worked out that we spend the day in Banff with Jeremy, his wife, daughter, and his brother and his girlfriend for an awesome day. Jeremy did well considering he was fighting a cold or allergies as well as altitude sickness. He lives at sea level in St. John, New Brunswick.
Our families took the Sulfur Mountain Gondola up the mountain to the scenic perch above the town of Banff. After a few photo ops on the mountain, we headed to Banff Avenue Brewing http://www.banffavebrewingco.ca/ for a great beer and a good lunch. Then we finished off the afternoon with Ice Cream and shopping as we said goodbye and parted ways as they were heading north to Lake Louise and the Cline River areas. We headed south as we were staying in Canmore with Friends Charla and Sean, awesome friends we met during the Banff Mountain Film Festival world tour many years ago.
One of the Bears of Southern Alberta
Driving to Canmore is as beautiful as it gets in the great Canadian
Rockies, but when we got to Canmore, I immediately told Kandy that I
cold live there. The town is in a valley by the Bow River totally
surrounded by 8,000 to 10,000 foot mountains.
The town is laced with hiking and biking trails as well as minor
marshes and waterways. Even with the expense of living there, a special quality of life beckons the outdoor enthusiast to migrate to the area as thousands of Eastern Canadians have done before. Even our friends moved there 14 years ago from Ontario. The drive to and around Alberta exposed us to awesome views of mountains, waterfalls, and wildlife, including bears, dear, elk, moose, wolves, eagles, hawks, mountain goats, and bighorn sheep. The hospitality was warm and the water was cold there, truly a mountain community with tremendous heart. Such a close nit community would be tested in the week after we left as flooding never seen in that part of Canada would arrive within days of our departure.
When we were in Canmore for a week, we enjoyed Grizzly Paw Brewing, hikes along the Bow River, and the summit of Ha Ling Peak...but in all my travels on foot around town, I often wondered if the town ever flooded, especially with the mighty Bow flowing through the city. But the now famous floods that arrived just days after our departure didn't come from the Bow, but mainly from the Cougar Creek area, southeast of town and on the other side of Trans-Canada Highway 1, opposite of the main part of town. Still, with most of the devastation in that area, even the city center and our friends home had flooded streets. The highway to Calgary (south) and to Banff (north) was closed, so basically, Canmore residents were stuck to experience the flooding in near horror. Our hearts go out to those stranded and we finally reached our friends a few days after the news broke to find that they are alright and only have property affected by the deluge.
The mayhem in Canmore will pass as our friends told us, and countless news reports where the residents of this area were interviews attests to the hearty and positive spirit of these robust people. That's the west, and everyone there resounded in reinforced assurance that they will rebuild, recover and move forward.
Speaking of moving forward, I decided last month that I'd had enough of the fun over at Task Force Blackjack. Don't get me wrong, TFB or Task Force 21 is one of the finest online military game-sim communities on the web. Fact is, It's one of the best run, military coordinated units I've ever had the privilege be a member of, and that's the truth. Even my buddy Eagle Scout from our visit in Banff joined TFB after playing ArmA2 Combined Operations with several other units online. We valued the professionalism, respect and camaraderie there, but the personalities and gaps in leadership brewed a condition of instabilities that lead to me and several others needing to walk away. That's how I saw it.
I joined TFB in October of 2011 and within 24 minutes of being a member, I applied to the Gryphon Aviation Company. A couple of months later, I joined Gryphon to help Lusky01 wrestle some quality issues back into compliance. I soon learned that my leadership experience from the USAF and my private pilot skills were forefront in some of the TFB leaders bent on excellence in this premier online military gaming unit. However, the principle founder of TFB felt threatened by my interaction with the group, and maybe rightly so, since I challenged him on his caustic demeanor and the inappropriate way he dealt with teammates within the unit. Here's a guy that helped develop the TFB Core Values, yet he was unable to abide by published rules of conduct and common decency. Again, don't get me wrong, the majority of TFB leaders are top-notch, experienced, seasoned and proven leaders with everyone's welfare in mind. I'd have to say that I remained in TFB as long as I did because of Attridge, Cornelius, and Shock, as well as few others. But when I saw this one guy do what he did, I simply couldn't help but wave the BS Flag!
Needless to say, he didn't like anyone calling him out on discipline or professional behavior. Granted, he was seriously injured during the Iraq/Afghanistan war, there is no excuse for maltreatment of teammates in any capacity. Further complicating maters, several members with less than honorable intentions were allowed to impose influence over logical and prudent mission managers simply because they were personal buddies with the founder and main gorilla in charge of the unit. For my part, I simply assumed that everyone was a valued member of TFB and that we built this team together.
But, the nature of online video gaming is pretty much like kids playing in a sandbox. If the kid that owns the sandbox doesn't like how you play with his toys, you're kicked out of the box. The fact is that I called them on leadership, this individual's behavior, and the status of others trying to affect my visions within Gryphon Company. In my err, I'd have to say I actually saw TFB and Gryphon as a real military unit with all the honor and professionalism endowed in such a unit. And just like any organization, there should be expected the normal rifts and gripes that come with personal interactions. It was time to go!
The picture says it all!!
Soooooooooooo, with all the drama of TFB and the detrimental floods of Canmore, I leave you with a wall mural in the beautiful city now assaulted by high water and torrential rains. The picture says it all, "Do More, Play More, Live More." Just as I told my buddies from elk camp last year, take time to watch the sunset. Life is too short to dwell in the piddle of things. My time with Task Force Blackjack was worth it, I made some friends (and some enemies) and learned some lessons along the way. As for Canmore, it's been less than a week since the rain started falling, and we're waiting to see what happens to the area as I plan to go there again, maybe early to help restore the area, if not just to bring my tourism dollars that sustain this region. I encourage everyone to visit this area sometime or at least get out into nature...where real inspiration comes from.
