Kv Life : Hiking Pacific Crest Trail reveals whole other world - Kern Valley Sun#blogcomments

Kv Life : Hiking Pacific Crest Trail reveals whole other world - Kern Valley Sun#blogcomments

My Final Day (35) on the Arctic Jeep Expedition Tour

Subject:  My Final Day (35) on the Arctic Jeep Expedition Tour

This morning after coffee and saying our goodbyes I drove the jeep from Sisters, OR to San Rafael, CA.  Upon arriving to San Rafael, Rico and I headed over to dinner at the Sabor of Spain restaurant.  Sabor of Spain is a Spanish style Tapas and wine bar located in the downtown area of San Rafael.  We both ordered the pallela and Sangria wine and it was outstanding.  Paella is this rice dish from Spain that originated in the fields of a region called Valencia in eastern Spain.  The dish was originally prepared with whatever ingredients they had on hand such as rabbit, snails and vegetables. Today paella is mostly served with seafood and chicken i.e. shellfish, fish, eel, squid, beans, peas, artichokes or pepper.  Safron is the spice that really turns the rice into this wonderful golden color that really makes the dish come alive.   Sangria is a wine punch that normally consists of red wine and then chopped or fruit such as orange, apple, pineapple, grape or mango plus a small amount of brandy, triple sec or spirits plus Sprite, 7UP and ice. 
Today is my final night on the Arctic jeep Expedition tour and so I celebrated arriving safely with my good friend Rico.  Tomorrow morning I arrive back home, start reflecting on my entire journey and see my Patti after 35 days on the road; hope you also enjoyed the ride.  
    

Let me now introduce to you Leo Babauta, whose blog I came across some time ago and whose words (written 6/19/2007) are worth savoring similar to the paella and sangria above.  Some of his words are obvious, some simple enough for anyone to have thought of, some useful reminders for us all to live life to the fullest.  

1.     Love. Perhaps the most important. Fall in love, if you aren't already. If you have, fall in love with your partner all over again. Abandon caution and let your heart be broken. Or love family members, friends, anyone -- it doesn't have to be romantic love. Love all of humanity, one person at a time.

2.    Get outside. Don't let yourself be shut indoors. Go out when it's raining. Walk on the beach. Hike through the woods. Swim in a freezing lake. Bask in the sun. Play sports, or walk barefoot through grass. Pay close attention to nature.

3.    Savor food. Don't just eat your food, but really enjoy it. Feel the texture, the bursts of flavors. Savor every bite. If you limit your intake of sweets, it will make the small treats you give yourself (berries or dark chocolate are my favorites) even more enjoyable. And when you do have them, really, really savor them. Slowly.

4.    Create a morning ritual. Wake early and greet the day. Watch the sun rise. Out loud, tell yourself that you will not waste this day, which is a gift. You will be compassionate to your fellow human beings, and live every moment to its fullest. Stretch or meditate or exercise as part of your ritual. Enjoy some coffee.  DO NOT SQUANDER A DAY! 

5.    Take chances. We often live our lives too cautiously, worried about what might go wrong. Be bold, risk it all. Quit your job and go to business for yourself (plan it out first!), or go up to that girl you've liked for a long time and ask her out. What do you have to lose?

6.    Follow excitement. Try to find the things in life that excite you, and then go after them. Make life one exciting adventure after another (with perhaps some quiet times in between).

7.    Find your passion. Similar to the above tip, this one asks you to find your calling. Make your living by doing the thing you love to do. First, think about what you really love to do. There may be many things. Find out how you can make a living doing it. It may be difficult, but you only live once.

8.    Turn off the TV. How many hours will we waste away in front of the boob tube? How many hours do we have to live? Do the math, and then unplug the TV. Only plug it back in when you have a DVD of a movie you love. Otherwise, keep it off and find other stuff to do. Don't know what to do? Read further.

9.    Pull away from Internet. You're reading something on the Internet right now. And, with the exception of this article, it is just more wasting away of your precious time. You cannot get these minutes back. Unplug the Internet, and then get out of your office or house. Right now! And go and do something.

10. Travel. Sure, you want to travel some day. When you have vacation time, or when you're older. Well, what are you waiting for? Find a way to take a trip, if not this month, then sometime soon. You may need to sell your car or stop your cable bill and stop eating out to do it, but make it happen. You are too young to not see the world. If need be, find a way to make a living by freelancing, then work while you travel. Only work an hour or two a day. Don't check email but once a week. Then use the rest of the time to see the world.

11.  Rediscover what's important. Take an hour and make a list of everything that's important to you. Add to it everything that you want to do in life. Now cut that list down to 4-5 things. Just the most important things in your life. This is your core list. This is what matters. Focus your life on these things. Make time for them.

12. Eliminate everything else. What's going on in your life that's not on that short list? All that stuff is wasting your time, pulling your attention from what's important. As much as possible, simplify your life by eliminating the stuff that's not on your short list, or minimizing it.

13. Exercise. Get off the couch and go for a walk. Eventually try running. Or do some pushups and crunches. Or swim or bike or row. Or go for a hike. Whatever you do, get active, and you'll love it. And life will be more alive.

14. Be positive. Learn to recognize the negative thoughts you have. These are the self-doubts, the criticisms of others, the complaints, the reasons you can't do something. Then stop yourself when you have these thoughts, and replace them with positive thoughts. Solutions. You can do this!

15. Open your heart. Is your heart a closed bundle of scar tissue? Learn to open it, have it ready to receive love, to give love unconditionally. If you have a problem with this, talk to someone about it. And practice makes perfect.

16. Kiss in the rain. Seize the moment and be romantic. Raining outside? Grab your lover and give her a passionate kiss. Driving home? Stop the car and pick some wildflowers. Send her a love note. Dress sexy for him.

17. Face your fears. What are you most afraid of? What is holding you back? Whatever it is, recognize it, and face it. Do what you are most afraid of. Afraid of heights? Go to the tallest building, and look down over the edge. Only by facing our fears can we be free of them.

18. When you suffer, suffer. Life isn't all about fun and games. Suffering is an inevitable part of life. We lose our jobs. We lose our lovers. We lose our pets. We get physically injured or sick. A loved one becomes sick. A parent dies. Learn to feel the pain intensely, and really grieve. This is a part of life -- really feel the pain. And when you're done, move on, and find joy.

19. Slow down. Life moves along at such a rapid pace these days. It's not healthy, and it's not conducive to living. Practice doing everything slowly -- everything, from eating to walking to driving to working to reading. Enjoy what you do. Learn to move at a snail's pace.

20.Touch humanity. Get out of your house and manicured neighborhoods, and find those who live in worse conditions. Meet them, talk to them, and understand them. Live among them. Be one of them. Give up your materialistic lifestyle.

21. Volunteer. Help at homeless soup kitchens. Learn compassion, and learn to help ease the suffering of others. Help the sick, those with disabilities, those who are dying.

22.Play with children. Children, more than anyone else, know how to live. They experience everything in the moment, fully. When they get hurt, they really cry. When they play, they really have fun. Learn from them, instead of thinking you know so much more than them. Play with them, and learn to be joyful like them.

23.Talk to old people. There is no one wiser, more experienced, more learned, than those who have lived through life. They can tell you amazing stories. Give you advice on making a marriage last or staying out of debt. Tell you about their regrets, so you can learn from them and avoid the same mistakes. They are the wisdom of our society -- take advantage of their existence while they're still around.

24.Learn new skills. Constantly improve yourself instead of standing still -- not because you're so imperfect now, but because it is gratifying and satisfying. You should accept yourself as you are, and learn to love who you are, but still try to improve -- if only because the process of improvement is life itself.

25.Find spirituality. For some, this means finding God or Jesus or Allah or Buddha. For others, this means becoming in tune with the spirits of our ancestors, or with nature. For still others, this just means an inner energy. Whatever spirituality means for you, rediscover it, and its power.

26.Take mini-retirements. Don't leave the joy of retirement until you are too old to enjoy it. Do it now, while you're young. It makes working that much more worth it. Find ways to take a year off every few years. Save up; sell your home, your possessions, and travel. Live simply, but live, without having to work. Enjoy life, then go back to work and save up enough money to do it again in a couple of years.

27.Do nothing. Despite the tip above that we should find excitement, there is value in doing nothing as well. Not doing nothing as in reading, or taking a nap, or watching TV, or meditating. Doing nothing as in sitting there, doing nothing. Just learning to be still, in silence, to hear our inner voice, to be in tune with life. Do this daily if possible.

28.Stop playing video games. They might be fun, but they can take up way too much time. If you spend a lot of time playing online games, or computer solitaire, or Wii or Gameboy or whatever, consider going a week without it. Then find something else to do, outside.

29.Watch sunsets, daily. One of the most beautiful times of day. Make it a daily ritual to find a good spot to watch the sunset, perhaps having a light dinner while you do so.

30.Stop reading magazines. They're basically crap. And they waste your time and money. Cancel your subscriptions and walk past them at the news stands. If you have to read something, read a trashy novel or even better, read Dumb Little Man once a day and be done.

31. Break out from ruts. Do you do things the same way every day? Change it up. Try something new. Take a different route to work. Start your day out differently. Approach work from a new angle. Look at things from new perspectives.

32.Stop watching the news. It's depressing and useless. If you're a news junky, this may be difficult. I haven't watch TV news or read a newspaper regularly in about two years. It hasn't hurt me a bit. Anything important, my mom tells me about.

33.Laugh till you cry. Laughing is one of the best ways to live. Tell jokes and laugh your head off. Watch an awesome comedy. Learn to laugh at anything. Roll on the ground laughing. You'll love it.

34.Lose control. Not only control over yourself, but control over others. It's a bad habit to try to control others -- it will only lead to stress and unhappiness for yourself and those you try to control. Let others live and live for yourself. And lose control of yourself now and then too.

35.Cry. Men, especially, tend to hold in our tears, but crying is an amazing release. Cry at sad movies. Cry at a funeral. Cry when you are hurt, or when somebody you love is hurt. It releases these emotions and allows us to cleanse ourselves.

36.Make an awesome dessert. I like to make warm, soft chocolate cake. But even berries dipped in chocolate, or crepes with ice cream and fruit, or fresh apple pie, or homemade chocolate chip cookies or brownies, are great. This isn't an every day thing, but an occasional treat thing. But it's wonderful.

37.Try something new, every week. Ask yourself: "What new thing shall I try this week?" Then be sure to do it. You don't have to learn a new language in one week, but seek new experiences. Give it a try. You might decide you want to keep it in your life.

38.Be in the moment. Instead of thinking about things you need to do, or things that have happened to you, or worrying or planning or regretting, think about what you are doing, right now. What is around you? What smells and sounds and sights and feelings are you experiencing? Learn to do this as much as possible through meditation, but also through bringing your focus back to the present as much as you can in everything you do.

The above words were written on 6/19/2007 by Leo Babauta, a writer, a runner and a vegetarian, and the owner of Zen Habits.

See you on the next big adventure! 

Trawlercat  

My Day 35 – Jeep Expedition – Carson Mineral Hot Springs & Portland Visit

Subject:  My Day 35 – Jeep Expedition – Carson Mineral Hot Springs & Portland Visit 

Snoqualmie Falls, WA - This morning at o’dark thirty (0515) I departed the Tim & Sonejan household saying my good-bye’s the night before hitting the road from Snoqualmie Falls to Portland, Oregon.   No need to pack, just open eyes, get dressed, bathroom stop and go without waking up the household.  Before long the jeep is cruising down the highway and I begin to view Washington state from my rearview mirror. 

Five days is the most time that I’ve gotten out of any one garment, specifically a pair of alpaca socks.  I bought my socks and a pair for Patti while hiking the Pacific Crest trail somewhere before Kennedy Meadows for $10.00.  I wish I would've bought more as they are the best socks I've ever worn.  I’m forever more spoiled wearing alpaca socks and will likely never go back to cotton socks.  For the time being I think I’ll let the five day record stand - they really never smell. 

For this jeep expedition I packed extremely light; and for the ease of traveling I shaved my head and did not pack shaving gear.  The red jeep draws lots of looks everywhere I go and since the other five jeeps that started with me are no longer around people just want to know where this California jeep is headed and where it’s been.  I’ve also gotten a few waves on the road from other jeep owners – similar to the Harley Davidson motorcycle riders who wave at any other bike coming the other way.    

Carson Hot Springs, WA - There is something about mineral hot springs that invigorates and charges up the body - I'm now sold on them and will go out of my way just to find one - my count so far is eight (8).  Perhaps it’s the ancient geothermal mineral water that activates our natural immune system and/or flow of oxygen rich blood.  Before using the Carson Hot Springs my stomach was full from lunch so I first took about a three mile hike down to the river behind the Carson Hot Springs attempting to find the source of the water and digest my lunch.  I did not find the water but found a rich old growth type forest and raging water before encountering a do not enter sign across a USFS bridge.  Across the bridge were what looked like a salmon counting station.  The trail back to the hot springs was steep as steep as the river bank.   

The Carson Hot Springs has eight cast iron bathtubs in a 1900’s era tile room.  One tub is set aside as the cold water soak tub; the others get filled as needed with 110+ degree water.  I had to add about two bucket fulls of cold water before I was able to get in. 

Jeff the attendant started telling me about the area and how the spring was actually found around 1875.  Jeff told me that the building I am now in was built in 1901 by a family member.  Apparently he was actually stabbed as a result of an argument with a customer over the medicinal value of the waters.  No arguments here – I’m sold on the medicinal value of Carson Hot springs and any other hot springs that I have visited so far on this jeep expedition. 

Beaverton, OR –  Stopped for the day and night to visit an old friend academy friend that I haven't seen since he left Los Angeles about 14 years ago.  Thank you Kevin & Delores for your great hospitality.    

Sister, OR - Today I arrived at Sisters, Oregon to visit my oldest son's in-laws.  Chuck & Mary have a beautiful home and it is a pleasure to spend time with them.  Chuck took me up to see where the Pacific Crest Trail runs through Sisters.  Perhaps one day I'll be able to hike the PCT through Oregon.    

Tomorrow I start for Redding, CA

See you on the mountain! 

Trawlercat  

My Day 34 – Jeep Expedition – Mt. Rainier, Washington

 Mt. Rainier

The old site of the Mineral Springs, Longmire

Subject:  My Day 34 – Jeep Expedition – Mt. Rainier, Washington 

After the turn of the century the automobile ruled and people just wanted to take it everywhere as much as they still do today.  So, the park service was faced with a new dilemma; should Americans driving automobiles be allowed to drive in national parks?  Would specially designed 4X4 jeep road crawlers and their drivers spoil the park experience for other drivers driving ordinary automobiles?  This was but one dilemma that the park service faced back then. 

So, in 1907 an experiment was tried.  Let the drivers who pay a $5.00 entry fee enter the park.  Mt. Rainier became the first park to allow drivers entry and Mr. Will Sanders on July 24, 1908 became the first driver to pay his $5.00.  Will received permit number one (1) for the privilege to drive his Model A Ford automobile into Mt. Rainier.   Today, Tim and I drove the red 4X4 jeep from one end of the park to the other because Tim knows everyone and because he was conducting park service business.  While he conducted business I took a walking tour of the site that had previously served as James Longmire's homestead, lodging, and mineral springs resort. Although park headquarters are no longer at Longmire, the original headquarters building houses a museum that tells the story of the early days of the park. All of Longmire is now designated a national historic district.

Another historic fact is that it wasn’t until 1929 before the park began to provide gas and other services to the then growing auto tourists visiting the park.      

See you on the mountain! 

Trawlercat  

My Day 32 – Jeep Expedition – Snoqualmie Falls, WA

This is how we got around visiting a friend who lives on 60 acres of old growth forest. 

Subject:  My Day 32 – Jeep Expedition – Snoqualmie Falls, WA 

I came off the Haines, Alaska to Bellingham, WA ferry Friday morning and headed directly to Snoqualmie Falls, WA to visit and spend a day or two with my good friend Tim Brown (AKA: Raptor Whisperer).   Today it is Monday, August 1, 2011.  I first met Tim last year while taking a drive to see Snoqualmie Falls.  We became good friends and kept in touch.  Tim was supposed to be one of my Trail Angels when I arrived hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. 

Tim is slowly losing his eyesight due to a genetic eye condition so he is now taking as much advantage of the time he can still see.  According to him his vision is slowly closing in sort of like tunnel vision.  Tim is known as the Raptor Whisperer man  because he is credited with saving countless eagles and other birds of prey by not only restoring their habit but also by placing the animal back in its nest.  Here is a link to one story published: 

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/86121867.html?tab=video

SAMMAMISH, Wash. -- The American symbol of freedom found itself fighting for its own life on Tuesday.

A bald eagle was grounded along the waters of Pine Lake. A possible mate, perhaps confused, kept watch nearby.

Neighbors rushed to free the frantic bird, which had gotten tangled up in a rope hooked to a dock. The eagle appeared anxious.

That's when Tim Brown stepped in to work his magic.

Brown, a raptor bird specialist, whistled what he calls "an eagle song," and apparently the big bird found comfort in that, if not a bit confused by the sounds. Brown ever so gently draped a blanket over the eagle's head.

"When you hood a bird or put (something) over their eyes or so forth, they calm right down," Brown said. "See how the bird is listening to our voices? Calmed down."

It took a few minutes to unwind the rope that had tightened around one of the eagle's talons, but the bird let Brown work it out.

"Hey buddy, sorry you're all wet there," Brown said.

A dead duck was found in the eagle's grasp, apparently its dinner for the night.

"That grip there -- they're very powerful," said Brown.

The eagle likely got into trouble bringing its prey ashore. The bird, which appeared to be 6 or 7 years old, was taken to a veterinarian's office in Bellevue to be checked out, and then transferred to the Sarvey Wildlife Center in Arlington.

The potential of a broken bone was the biggest concern.

"I'm 99.9 percent sure this bird is OK, but it's nice to get these things checked out," said Brown.

For area residents, seeing Brown work proved to be an amazing opportunity.

"Absolutely awesome," said Polly Ek. "He whistled and calmed the bird down. It was like watching Doctor Doolittle; the bird immediately relaxed. He said that the bird knew he was a friend."

On Wednesday morning, officials at the Sarvey Wildlife Center said the eagle would likely be in rehabilitation there for about a week.

They said the animal has bruising on its leg where the rope was tangled, but otherwise the bird is looking healthy.

Today I headed to Seattle to visit with my Doctor son who is working at the Swedish Medical Center.  After eating Ethiopian food locally we headed down to the water for a kayak tour of American lake.  It was a great way to exercise and see the houseboats like the one that appeared in Sleepless in Seattle.  Following the kayak tour we visited Ivar’s for happy hour. 

Tomorrow we are heading to Mt. Rainier and the following day I leave Washington and head down to Oregon.  See you on the mountain! 

Trawlercat          

My Day 26 – Juneau and Auke Alaska

 Tongass National Forest - Mendenhall Glacier

Ice on Lake

 Glacier & Ice

Spawning Salmon

Subject:  My Day 26 – Juneau and Auke Alaska 

This morning while walking in the rain to the Visitors Center at Tongass National Forest - Mendenhall Glacier I spot a sign for the Nugget Creek trail saying it’s “Off the Beaten Path” and at 3.5 miles and just what I need.  I know those words extremely well - “off the beaten path” to me they generally say - the location is secluded and not frequently visited and also not widely known.  At first I thought, it just a stretch of the imagination for the forest service; to call the nugget trail “off the beaten path” but then - I run into several landmarks indicating where Mendanhall glacier used to be back in say 1916, 1925, etc.  Yes, maybe today the glacier did recede some more and I am truly walking off the beaten path. 

This hike, like all my hikes since I started this journey will be remembered by me – any time I look at any of the pictures I’ve taken.  Lots of broken glacial ice is scattered about the entire lake.  Russell who arrived on his Jeep Cherokee by ferry ahead of me called to tell me about the lake jam breaking loose and flooding the entire place. 

Just down the stream I spot salmon making their last ditch effort run upstream to reproduce and die.  The nugget trail was extremely wet.  If someone told me that I was hiking in the Pacific Northwest possibly the Olympic peninsula – I would’ve believed them – except for the large glacier that kept showing up from time to time.       

The other explanation for “off the beaten path” by my forest service ranger person Linda is because the trail is not maintained and overgrown with devil’s club, alders and nettles.  At the time she was talking I made a mental note to acquaint myself with devil’s club, as I kept hearing about it from the locals?  So here it is – a large shrub native to these moist cool forests noted for its large palmate leaves and erect, woody stems covered in brittle spines.  Find a picture and don’t touch the plant.    

Last night I arrived at Juneau by ferry and prior to the ferry docking and before my droid died I made hotel reservations.  Note to self – when you see a one star by a hotel do not stop.  The price seemed right at $70.00 so, how bad could it possibly be?   The Alaska Hotel & Bar is dead in the middle of downtown Juneau and also smells that way.  This place is possibly on the historic register since it opened back in 1913.  The original owners were three miners who struck it rich in the nearby Coast Range.  To signify that their hotel would never closed they took the original keys, tied them to a helium balloon and released them.  Apparently this is also a true story but another true story is that the place was condemned in the 70’s until supposedly rehabbed by its current owners.  Any of the local drink ‘em up and shoot ‘em up folks or as we call them in LA – “tweakers” would love this hotel.    

My assigned room faced the not in the day time seedy street side of downtown Juneau with two beds, a sink and Wi-Fi, who could want more?  How about sanitary conditions and sleep?  Shower, tub and bathroom down somewhere down the hall.  Could the ambiance be the stink of former beer binging gold seekers; and could that be why the original carpet laid down when the place was condemned still is on the floor?    

To show you how two different people can look at the same thing and both come up with totally different opinions here is Ken’s review of the Alaska Hotel & Bar!  “Adequate with old time charm.  Pros:  Location, high Victorian ceilings, Wi-Fi, great beach/bath towels and lots of hot water, lots of TV channels, flat screen, and great large remote and across from popular bars.  On the negative side he did bring up the fact that drunken homeless wandering souls on the street level at night did become a little loud.”  Truly an understatement!  Several times during the late and wee hours of the night I woke up to the outside noise by the young and the alcoholic and wondered if I had somehow screwed up and was now part of an insane asylum complete with the shock therapy noise and the lobotomies. 

Runner Girl wrote on the other hand wrote - don’t stay here:  “We had to stay one night at this awful place. The room had a private bathroom but it was filthy and smelled like stale Tijuana Pine Sol. The window was wide open and could be accessed from the hill outside. The shower had no hot water, the carpet had stains, hair, who knows what else. The drunks from the bar downstairs kept trying to open our door and brawls could be heard all night long. In the morning, a cockroach was spotted crawling on the bed. Totally gross!!

I now have exactly eleven hours to kill and so I’m starting at the Auke Alaska, Waffle Shop – because it’s raining outside.  Auke is between downtown Juneau and the Haines ferry to Bellingham, Washington.  It is a small community that contains Auke Lake, the U. of Alaska Southeast, and a branch office of NOAA, an elementary school, a church, a post office, a bar, a Thai restaurant and the waffle shop.  The Thai place was my first choice but, no Wi-Fi.  So far I’ve organized all my photos; started two PowerPoint presentations on my over 10,000 mile traveled trip; by foot, jeep, Ferrari, jet boat and now marine highway ferry.  If you add it up it comes up to 702 miles by foot on the Pacific Crest Trail before I jumped on the jeep and traveled approximately 7,000 miles by jeep; then I met my friend Petr in Anchorage and we traveled 500 miles by Ferrari; then 300 miles by jet boat and now about 1200 miles by Marine Ferry from Haines, Alaska to Bellingham, Washington. 

This 10,000+ mile journey is almost over and no one will be happier than my wife Patti; who told me a long time ago to go take a hike.  She is my closes confidant and without her this journey would truly not have been possible.  Thank you baby!  I am the one who wants things NOW and thankfully I got what I wanted on this journey.  It exposed me to some of the hardships of hiking, weather, time alone to think and truly some amazing people who are just living life.  

Driving the jeep after hiking any distance is truly a luxury.  When you've hiked alone it is usually hard to keep from wanting to break out from any organized group; for you  know what they say – the view never changes, unless you’re the lead dog!    

See you on the marine highway!

Trawlercat