I saw this documentary on Netflix last night and it was fascinating. Who could believe that a single individual mollusk could alter the course of one’s life? Do yourself a favor and give it a go, and please let me and others know your reaction in the Comments section. With so much discord from the media right now this is a breath of freshness:
Month: September 2020
Seven Years Ago Today I Completed the Continental Divide Trail
Sept 18, 2013
Last day!
12:00 midnight- awoke to the sound of light rain on my miniscule silicone coated nylon tent. Nothing unusual. It often rains a bit at night, then passes. Felt cold at the edges of my goose down sleeping bag. Fell back asleep.
1:30 AM Awoke to harder rain. Groped around for my headlamp, with a headband stretched so badly it slides down over my eyes. Water is on the floor of the tent, migrating in from seams that were sealed just before the hike, but are now worn from 150 nights of folding, unfolding, and being subject to the harsh sun. My tent vestibule is ripped and the zipper is broken- my backpack sits out there sheathed in a waterproof trash bag. Everything I have is torn, worn, or at the end of its realistic trail life. Even the gear is limping to the finish line.
4:00 AM- I slept fitfully the rest of the night- my air mattress needs more pumps, it’s my last line of defense- fully inflated, the Exped mat lifts me up 3-4″ above the cold water that has pooled up all around me. What was laying in the floor is now drenched.
7:00 AM- I can see light outside. What sounds like freezing rain on the tent is worse- it’s snow. I call out to Wizard- he tells me that it is 36 degrees inside his tent. We are shocked silent. I stare out at where I don’t want to go. What natural majesty that will surround me, I won’t notice if this keeps up. At best, the walk today will be about survival and avoidance of hypothermia. I don’t want to be here, I want to be done.
8:00 AM- I wear thin wool base layers, tops and bottoms, under my Patagonia Specter jacket and my ULA rain skirt. I will get wet, but may stay warm. I pulled up the hoodie from my Backpacking Light merino wool long sleeve. Rain jacket on.
This setup worked.
What didn’t fare too well were my hands and feet. I started off with light Manzilla gloves that were saturated quickly. My hands were painfully cold, all day long. At times, I was so cold I was not able to use my fingers to open a snack wrapper, and had to ask Wizard to do it for me. I even got stressed about if I would be able to zip and unbutton/ button when I had to pee. I was not about to ask for that kind of help.
And my feet- quickly and completely saturated with 42 degree water. These are not feet that can take much more abuse. Many foot points hurt, and the addition of gravel and sand sifting down inside the boots and settling like sandpaper over the soles of my feet was particularly uncomfortable.
For hours, the discomfort in my both feet and hands ground me down.
I kept telling myself, “It will be done today.” Thinking like that was a good thing for me to do.
So was the constant walking. It’s how we survived the day. We decided to walk in 4 segments. The first was to a Patrol Cabin, almost 5 miles. Then another couple hours to the Goat Haunt Ranger station, at the base of Waterton Lake where the Ranger there actually checked out our backcountry permit.
This was when it got interesting. The terminus of the CDT was 3.6 miles away and the three of us moved so fast through “segment three” that we were practically running. We communicated none of this beforehand. It was just what we knew to do. Wizard and I had done this twice before, and knew the drill. Train was there at the end of the PCT, and he actually set the rapid pace.
I was sure I would see the monument from a distance. Nope. It seemed to just appear there- two small miniature Washington-Monument-shaped-pylons close to the Lake on a little rise.
I shouted out to Wizard, “O my God! There it is! ”
The intensity of happiness that I experienced at that moment was delicious. I didn’t know much right then, but did know that me standing there was an event that I will be percolating for some time. I don’t fully understand where the door ahead of me will lead me to, but I believe it will be a good road.
The town of Waterton was still 4.2 miles away. I was done with the CDT but still had more than four miles of hiking to complete. As soon as we got back on that last section of trail, we were right back at it, churning out miles.
Nothing had changed.
Or did it?
My 5 months of continual backpacking is over. It was often really hard to keep moving. I plan to write a bit more about what happened to me out there, and where this series of magnificent experiences takes me. Right now, I am really, really tired. I look forward to going home to those who love me. It’s what I missed so much, and yet that love might have become even bigger while I was learning how to stay present in the massive American wilderness.
Day Hiking in the Rockies
We’re playing patsy with the smoke that rolled into Montana yesterday. Up until now, the skies have been relatively free of major particulate matter that would keep one inside, but this is a different scene.
I’ve completed (sometimes two) hikes every day since arriving here by Amtrak from Portland, Maine a week ago. Most of the hikes are within a 30-minute drive from Livingston, Montana.
Hiking in Montana and nearby Wyoming is different than in New England.
First- the elevation. Livingston sits at the same elevation ( 4,500”) as the adjacent Paradise Valley. The hikes here generally start in the Valley and ascend the various foothills creeks, canyons, and spurs that lead to the 10,000’ plus Rockies towering above.
My oldest son Lincoln and I summited 8,564’ Bunsen Peak (BP) in Yellowstone National Park yesterday. We were down by noon, with excellent views despite the increasingly smoky skies. Aftermaking good time getting to the top, I experienced some difficulty with breathing up that high.
I last hiked to the top of BP in October of 2005. It is a climb of 1,300 feet through forest and meadow to the switchback path to the summit (German chemist Robert Bunsen studied geysers and invented the Bunsen Burner). There we enjoyed panoramic views of the Blacktail Deer Plateau, Swan Lake Flat, the Gallatin Mountain Range, and the Yellowstone River Valley.
The return is via the same route. The parking lots are crowded, however, we only encountered a dozen hikers on the trail.
Grizzly bears frequent this area, so I carried a can of bear spray on my sternum strap.
In 2013, I was in the company my thru-hiking partners Wizard and Train when we were dropped off at the parking area of this trailhead as we were working our way along in the opposite direction on the Big Sky variant as we worked to complete our Continental Divide Trail thru-hikes.
The 670 mile Yellowstone River flows through the valley, which hosts several hot springs, including the world-famous Chico Hot Springs.
In 1806, Meriwether Lewis marched from the three forks of the Missouri River to put into the Yellowstone River at today’s Livingston. There are no major dams on the Yellowstone from its source in Yellowstone NP to its confluence with the Missouri River. Notable area residents include Russell Chatham (landscape artist), Jeff Bridges, Peter Fonda, Arthur Blank, and John Mayer.
The Gardiner gate of Yellowstone National Park is 52 miles south from Livingston on Route 89. My Senior Pass entitles me to free entrance for myself, the vehicle, and up to three passengers. Yellowstone is massive, containing 2.2 million acres. The last major fire moved through the park in 1988, burning through one-third of the land.
In addition to grizzly bears, the park is home to herds of antelope, bison, sheep, and elk. Wolves and wolverines also live within the borders. Where hiking in areas where grizzlies are active, I clip a can of bear spray onto the sternum strap of my day pack.
Rattlesnakes abound out here. In fact, I almost stepped on a timber rattler walking up the spine of a ridge in the Gallatin Range.
It was right in the trail, completely camouflaged, and began loudly rattling. I was in front at the time and leaped backward. Lincoln pointed to the side and yelled to Dish dog, “Go around! ”, which the dog did as it appears to understand most human commands. He grabbed the new puppy Deja and we got out of there. Hiking up was over.
The valley here is a high desert, which is characterized by plants that appear to spread their seeds via barbed casings that are capable of attaching to clothing and even went through the sides of trail runners. It may be that the best footwear for hiking here may be ankle-high leather boots, with long pants which would protect somewhat from rattlesnake strikes, pointy plants, and ankle-high jutting rocks.
It gets hot here but not uncomfortably so. While he thermometer hit 93 yesterday, the humidity was only 12 percent. I am much more able to move around outside here in the West than when it hits the 90’s in Maine. At those times, New England’s oppressive humidity tends to be that high as well.
If tomorrow is another one of these good days, and the smoke from the West coast is not too thick, we might just end up floating the Yellowstone River for half a day. There’s a big rubber raft waiting nearby.
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument- my book review
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument by Eric E. Hendrickson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I ripped right through this book since I am putting together a multi-night bike packing trip in the Monument before the snow flies. I’ve blogged about bike packing and hiking there, joined the Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, and purchased the Map Adventures map of the Monument. This book will definitely add to getting the most out of my experience in the Monument.
Mr. Henderson states that the goal of his book .…” is to give information on the general history of logging in his area, as well as the geology that shaped the land to make what it is today.”
What I Liked:
Recreational History
Three of the twelve chapters are devoted to Recreational History, Roads into the Wilderness, and Wilderness Depots. Depots were the first farms established in the wilderness that provided shelter and food for those brave and resourceful enough to make the foray into places that had positively zero infrastructure. The first substantial sporting camp was Lunksoos, which provided it all to the “ sport”: home-cooked meals, lodging, and even hunting and fishing guides. Other establishments followed. I have yet to visit Lunksoos, which is now used as a base for maintaining and staffing the Monument
Historic black and white photographs
There are dozens. If a picture tells a thousand words, the reader is spared many pages, with depictions of old roads, camps, dams, advertisements, personalities, and antique maps.
Logging in the old days
One-quarter of the book includes chapters on the Life of a Lumberman, Meals for the Lumberman, and Log Drives.
Wilderness Wildfires
This chapter was particularly interesting, given the recent increase in the wildfires occurring in the western US, which have been in part ascribed to climate change. I had no idea that a fire in the area in 1825 became one of the largest mega-wildfires ever recorded in North America. Three other huge fires in 1837, 1844, and 1933 were man-made, either on purpose or by accident.
Preservation and Proclamation
This chapter begins with the history and struggles to establish Baxter State Park, whose Governor Percival Baxter championed the cause of “Forever Wild” in a manner similar to that which Roxanne Quimby experienced as she purchased, and swapped to acquire the 87,000 acres of land bordering the eastern side of Baxter State Park. Ms. Quimby purchased land for fair market share in any condition; mature forest or cut-over following the lead of Governor Baxter, whose critics of his purchases of junk, or burned over land, were ignored as he had the foresight to realize that forests regenerate over time and eventually mature.
President Barak Obama’s August 24, 2016, Proclamation 9476 is included in full and helps the reader understand the uniqueness and value of KWWNM.
Weaknesses:
Lack of a chapter on Native American history
I’ve read full textbooks on the history of the Cree in eastern Canada. While the author does refer to specific native individuals, particularly those guides that made Henry David Thoreau’s forays into the area possible, I was thirsty for details about their villages, camps, and lifestyle leading up to the European takeover of their ancestral lands.
Lack of inclusion of a modern map of the KWWNM
I yearned for a modern map to refer to as the geographic features and historic locations unfurled. I strongly suggest that the reader acquire a modern map and have it open as you read through the book.
Instances of duplication within the book
Several times I read a paragraph and asked myself, “Didn’t I already read this? Am I in the right place?”
Book Architecture
President Obama’s Proclamation was so well written and detailed that rather than be the last thing you’d read in the book, it might be better moved to the front.
In sum, the book’s twelve chapters are well-focused in meeting those initial goals. If one buys the book to help plan a trip into the Monument, and to learn about newly established roads, trailheads, lodging, and camping details they will be disappointed. The reader is urged to regard the book as an extensive and highly readable historical review.
The Snow Leopard- my book review
The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I just completed my fourth read of The Snow Leopard.
Lately, I’ve been rereading classics and other books that have past meaning for me. Tim Ferris points out that once you get older, you begin to run out of time to do things, including reading books. The average American adult reads approximately 12 books a year. Several things have changed for me after turning 70. I’m guessing that I have about 15 more years of reading left in me, so it may come to pass that I would have the chance to read 150 more books. There may be more books read on this end and less as I age out; due to eyesight, interest, and cognitive decline.
I plan to get the most bang for my reading efforts from this point forward. I like using the Goodreads app to list books that I have read and want to read. I do better with my time by having a few goals in the background that help guide my activity. Reading more books has been important enough to me that I hope to read 45 books this calendar year. I’m two books behind schedule so far, completing 29.
The Snow Leopard is my favorite book, rising stronger of my list after I completed several long-distance backpacking trips, three of them even longer than author Peter Matthiessen’s 250-mile, the five-week journey through western Nepal. Matthiessen’s Zen Buddhism practice was strong at the time the book was written and presents the reader with rich detail about historical figures, locations of Buddhist monasteries, and his own inner growth and frustration as he moved through villages and holy sites on his journey.
I just read a disparaging remark slamming trail journals that have made it to book publication, describing them as lesser-quality productions than researched nonfiction. My response to that misguided position is this gem of a book, which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 1978. Then, at the age of 8, his epic Shadow Country novel won the same award, but this time for Fiction, placing Matheissen as the sole owner of National Book Awards for both genres.
For this read, I had the advantage of the internet and was able to instantly look up photos, references, and the like as I really took the time to expand the read.
I plan to travel to Nepal and trace his steps. Several trekking companies now offer itineraries that do this. I don’t know when I’m going, but I’m going. I’ll read Snow Leopard again in the remaining time that I have left to walk on this earth.
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument book release
What are the chances?
I had the post lady drive up to deliver me a copy if this book –>
immediately after I put the phone on the hook. I had just received a thank you call from Libby, with Friends of KWWNM, for a financial donation I made last week as part of a fundraiser!
”The universe responds to individual action.” – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
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