Tag Archives: nature

Yosemite National Park

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Erika and I spent April 26-30 in Yosemite National Park. John Muir and many others have raved about the majesty of Yosemite. Their words are not exaggeration. The earth falls open to reveal blankets of rich green sewn with threads of flowing whitewater; flora climbs huge granite sculptures painted with redwood monoliths. Life seeps from its every pore. Mother Nature is reflected in every pool throughout Yosemite. Her voice in every leaf. It is grandiose, splendorous, humbling. To try to capture its beauty in a photograph is an affront. Photos of Yosemite are mere ambassadors—a tease for future visitors. You cannot capture a star in a telescope.

We slept in a primitive camping area in Hodgdon Meadow where temperatures plunged into the lower 30s at night. All campers throughout the park are required to lock away all food in bear-proof lockers or canisters. A fire was a necessity every night. This is no complaint. You can’t commune with nature by locking yourself away in an air-regulated hotel for large portions of the day. Next time I visit, I certainly want to camp in the back-country and attempt some of the many multi-day hikes… to really experience Yosemite. I want to lie on one of its higher peaks and see the stars unobstructed.

Amidst the trees, waterfalls, rapids, and rivers we saw numerous squirrels, chickaree, woodpeckers, chipmunks, and other creatures. Along the road, we dodged two deer and spotted a foraging bear. We hiked a few trails, felt the spray of a few falls, surmounted numerous rocks, and stared in awe at the sights. Yosemite can keep a person busy for a life time. We’ve barely begun to see it.

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Our last day was spent rafting 16 miles down the Merced River with Zephyr Whitewater Expeditions. This was Erika’s first rafting experience, my second. I can’t wait for the day I get to raft class 5 and I hope to eventually have the knowledge and skill to traverse whitewater alone in a kayak.

The night before leaving for Yosemite we camped atop the little-known Pine Mountain with Extreme Things. The night was cold and the wind was ceaseless. The stars were the most populous I’ve ever seen.

More Yosemite Photos

June Rafting

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I never got around to posting more photos and blabber about the Rafting trip in June. I intend to remedy that right now.

I have been on a fair number of Extreme Things activities/trips (probably approaching 20 or so) and they have always been fun and very rewarding (even Strawberry Peak which beat me like a bitch), but the Kern Rafting Trip is likely the most fun I have had yet. I don’t know if the astral bodies happened to align perfectly that weekend or if that combination of calendar numbers ignited my joy chakra; but I was constantly in high spirits, bursting with energy, and having a great time all weekend.

Our camp site was directly in the blazing Sun—that weekend was relentless, but the awe-inspiring white-water river nearby more than compensated. We lounged around on immense rocks, explored, foolishly swam through rapids, and tubed. The next day brought the main event, 3-4 trips down separate areas of the River Kern. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time. It whet my appetite for rafting. I certainly plan on returning next year, although I want to up the stakes—class 5. I’d love to try out white-water kayaking as well.

The weekend saw the birth of a running gag that may never die—Team Sausage—the best damn rafting team the Kern has ever seen. There were numerous high points to the weekend, but nothing can top the look on Karl’s face after being launched from our raft into a roaring rapid. That’s when my smile was the widest.

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Compass and Map

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Today, Erika and I tried out something called orienteering, best described by Wikipedia as “a sport that combines racing with navigation using a map and compass.” Karl of Extreme Things set up the event and a number of us split into teams and trekked through a wilderness park seeking 13 digital markers hidden in a variety of locations and types of terrain. It was an enjoyable experience that I would love to expand upon by introducing more exciting elements—caves, raging rivers, rock-climbing, etc. Apparently there is a 24-hour Orienteering event. That could be something worth checking out.

Catch-up Part 5 (of 5): Malibu Creek Rock Hop

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I’ve been relatively silent for the last couple of months.
Thus, it’s time to play catch-up.
Here is what has been going on between April and the present.

I have often said that once genetic splicing attains maturity I want a prehensile tail and monkey-hand-feet grafted to my DNA. I like to climb things. It’s one of my favorite hobbies. Thus, the Extreme Things rock-hop through Malibu Creek State Park was an event I eagerly anticipated.

We headed into the park, leapt a fence, and hopped our way across huge boulders and streams. Karl’s description read: “Surrounded by picturesque hills, forests, and sheer rocky cliffs, our route will follow a canyon stream in the heart of Malibu Creek State Park, accessing areas that are almost never frequented by hikers. This off-trail adventure will include rock hopping, scrambling on all fours (relying on both legs and arms for support), and traversing over low angled rock face above 10-feet deep water (no current).” His description was accurate and encompasses how we spent a few hours. During the rock-face traverse, I lost my grip and fell into the water, as did a few others. It felt great. At the end of the trek, we were welcomed by a enclosed pond where we will return in July for the annual “pool” party. There was one unforeseen ocurrence unfortunately. During a staggered scramble down a steep slope, a loose rock bashed open the finger of a guest. She was a hell of a trooper. Karl bandaged her finger and she continued on with nary a complaint. Later she would need stitches and discover her finger was broken. Despite this, she is recommending the club to others because she had such a great time. Climbing rocks is so fun, even a bashed up finger won’t stop some people.

More Hops and Scrambles Here

Catch-up Part 4 (of 5): Canyoneering

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I’ve been relatively silent for the last couple of months.
Thus, it’s time to play catch-up.
Here is what has been going on between April and the present.

I had been looking forward to May 31st for a long time. Canyoneering (also called Canyoning) is a sport involving technical descents into canyons. Karl, of Extreme Things organized an introduction to the sport for a few of us to try. In our case, Canyoneering would mean rappelling down waterfalls ranging in height from 15 feet to 90 feet.

We met our guides that Saturday morning and headed towards Mount Baldy. For the next six or so hours, we would make our way down 6 waterfalls, each with its own personality. Rappelling is an exciting sport for a variety of reasons. You must fight some of your natural survival instincts. Each descent begins with a backwards walk over the edge of a cliffside. You stand at roughly 90 degrees pushing yourself away from the mountainside. Your only support is a rope sliding between your hands and safety gear. Your body naturally wants to collapse and pull itself towards the cliffside. You have to fight that urge, otherwise your descent will be highly uncomfortable and difficult.

The views were beautiful. The rappels were exciting, often frightening. The water was ice-cold. Our third descent brought us beneath a torrent of frigid falling water. It was exhilarating, disorienting, cold, and scary. It was a triumph, the sort of activity that teaches you about yourself and boosts your confidence. Erika had difficulty with the first two rappels. This one was the most treacherous—90 feet through an ice-cold waterfall. She was scared, reluctant. After conquering it, her morale soared and she started to really enjoy herself. Three more falls to go, a dropping Sun, and dropping temperatures. We were all looking forward to them.

We would end the day cold and drenched.
I can’t wait to do it again.

See More Here

Catch-up Part 3 (of 5): Rustic Canyon

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I’ve been relatively silent for the last couple of months.
Thus, it’s time to play catch-up.
Here is what has been going on between April and the present.

In early May, Extreme Things decided to slow things down a bit and hike down into Rustic Canyon. This isn’t to say we had no fun or we took it easy. There were still plenty of steep inclines and off-trail hiking. The end of our descent brought us upon the ruins of Murphy Ranch, a defunct Nazi-sympathizer camp. We explored the ruins and ate lunch in an abandoned house with a large dented water tower (Danger Dan was the only one brave enough to climb it). We then slid into the woods and followed the river, leaving the decay of American Nazis buried behind us.

More Photos Here

Catch-up Part 2 (of 5): Camp Nowhere

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I’ve been relatively silent for the last couple of months.
Thus, it’s time to play catch-up.
Here is what has been going on between April and the present.

After being beaten by the unrelenting Strawberry Peak, I accompanied Extreme Things for an overnight backpacking excursion into the Sheep Mountain Wilderness. I had a newly purchased Camelbak, four quarts of water, ample foodstuffs, water shoes, a light tent, and everything else Erika and I would need. This time I would be prepared. Unfortunately, neither Erika or me were well-versed in the multitudes of backpacking sleeping bags. While everyone else could compress their sleeping bags down to the size of a football, we lugged oversized cottony Swiss-cake rolls six miles into the wilderness (as you’ll see in the photos). The learning never ends.

The hike brought us back down the path to the Bridge to Nowhere. We continued past it heading deeper into the mountains. By nightfall, our group of over a dozen squeezed multiple tents into a small area overlooking the mild rapids of the river. I quickly regretted my decision to leave behind a jacket as temperatures plummeted with the setting sun. My regrets paled in comparison to Karl’s after his drunken stumble into the ice-cold river after midnight. We had a great time joking around and dining on mediocre camp food while admiring two of our group cooking carne asada, rice, and later, eggs. I am awaiting the debut of his outdoors cooking program any day now.

The next morning we all hiked six miles back to our cars. Our hike was probably considerably more enjoyable than the man we met earlier who had gashed open his knee after slipping on a rock. My highlight was an uncomfortable deposit beneath some bushes along the river’s edge.

Egads! More Adventure Awaits!