Viva Las Vegas! (and Don't Mess With Texas)

Since last time I've mostly been mountain biking and hiking around Las Vegas. The outdoor recreation opportunities near Las Vegas are surprisingly good. Just west of town, literally a two minute drive past the last suburban neighborhood, there's Red Rocks. This is a sweeping valley bordered to the west and north by colorful 1000 ft+ cliffs. Road riding is poplar on the highway that runs through the valley. There are plenty of hiking and mountain biking opportunities on old horse trails. Then there are the cliffs themselves, which are a popular rock climbing destination. Some of the routes exceed 20 pitches and require use of big wall techniques (eg sleeping in a portaledge hung on a vertical cliff). Beyond the cliffs, washes turn into canyons which lead up into a wilderness area. This a great area for wilderness backpacking. A bit further (maybe 15 minutes drive) northwest of town there is a mountain range with 11,000 peaks along it's crest. Old mule trails offer epic level mountain biking in the same area. The peaks themselves offer winter sport opportunities. There's a ski lift for downhill skiing and snowboarding, plus trails for cross country and snowshoeing. I ran into some local climbers who showed me a photo of a three pitch WI5 ice climbing route which is located in the area.

More than anything I mountain biked. I did a couple of all day rides, one of them with local riders I met. I think I actually preferred the biking in Vegas to Moab. The surface seemed to be more uniform. It's made up of packed granules of sandstone, sometimes embedded with boulders. It doesn't beat dry coastal Oregon clay, but it's pretty good. A plus is that it doesn't get ugly when its wet, which Oregon's clay often is. Most of the trails are old mule and horse trails which head out into the desert that surrounds Las Vegas. The abandoned mines along some of the trails reminded me that Nevada was and still is a place where people go looking for fortunes, but often come back with nothing. The trails spanned the range of difficulty. Some were better suited to long travel downhill bikes, but there are plenty of epic level cross-country rides as well.

While waiting for wheel repairs (I had to hike-a-bike for three hours due to mechanical problems) the mechanic told me about Bootleg Canyon, just southeast of the city. I arrived there on an early Sunday afternoon. It was pretty packed, with maybe forty vehicles in the parking lot. Bootleg Canyon is a mountain bike park, in the same vein as Blackrock near Falls City, Oregon. The trails are on either side of a canyon bottom. A road runs up the canyon bottom to the top of a peak. The canyon was used to smuggle spirits to Hoover Dam construction workers during the prohibition era, hence the name. The county owns the land and actually pays someone to maintain the trails. Part of the parking lot is paved. There is a covered picnic area next to the lot, along with flushing toilets, water fountains, vending machines, and even a dumpster for your garbage. On the weekends there's a shuttle that will run you to the top for a small fee. For sure, in terms of facilities, Bootleg is better than Blackrock. The trail surface was similar to the other Las Vegas trails. There's an extensive "stunt park" where you can practice dirt jumping, drops, and gap jumps. The trails were pretty good, but lacked the large stunts and ramps of Blackrock. My favorites were fast, roller-coaster like trails, with the occasional boulder for use as a take-off ramp. I rode here often with a couple of bikers (Louis and Brian) who I met in the parking lot. They were more novice bikers than I am, but Brian in particular got a lot better even during the time I rode with him. Brian turned out to be a pretty good (5.11) rock climber. He told me about Red Rocks and what it was like. I hinted that I'd like to go for a climb there, but I think he was really liking mountain biking, so we mostly did that.

I spent one day hiking in the Mt Charleston area I mentioned earlier in this post. I'd hoped to reach the summit of Charleston but was turned around by increasingly deep powder snow. Great for skiing, not great for hiking in leather boots without snowshoes.

I enjoyed the Las Vegas area. Besides the outdoor activities the food and lodging is cheap. The "anything goes" character of the city appeals to me. I was surprised at how diverse the population was. It seems like a place that, more than most places I've visited, represents all of humanity. Somehow they all manage to get along and run a prosperous city despite the barren environment. The city's youth probably helps. 100 years ago downtown Las Vegas was a natural oasis with no permanent human habitation. In Las Vegas, everyone is a newcomer, and there's plenty of desert for new arrivals. The city seems to exist solely because of its ability to stand out and attract attention from the rest of the world. More than any other city it's size, Las Vegas seems to me like a city founded and sustained by a single, simple idea. There's good reason that standing out in Las Vegas is more challenging than it is in most cities.

While the van remained in Las Vegas I flew to Houston for a ten day visit of family and long time friends. I left the van at the house of one of the locals I'd met in Vegas. The flight was cheap (another nice thing about Vegas) so not driving to Houston was a no brainer. It seemed like I mostly ate, slept, and talked to people while in Texas. I went on an almost daily bike ride with my six year old nephew, which I enjoyed. After telling him a Frank story I convinced him that wearing a helmet is a good idea. I met my nephew and his sister at their school one day for lunch. Inevitably, when they introduced me to their teachers and friends, the first thing they mentioned was "He eats dog" (see the "Thit Cho" story). I don't think their teachers believed them, but their friends did. Its funny to learn what my sister's kids consider to be my crowning achievement.

I also visited with Elmo, a high school buddy who is now a detective on the local police force. We tentatively planned on getting together in Colorado in late February along with another buddy. Elmo seemed to be doing okay until his in-laws arrived. After that the only place I saw him was in his driveway next to a fire pit with a beer in one hand and, more often than not, some dead animal (as Tim would say) over the fire. As a sign on Elmo's house says: "Texas Ain't For Amateurs." Elmo's wife had given him a 40" flat screen TV for Christmas. Of course, it arrived shortly after his in-laws did. As of the day I left Elmo still hadn't sat down and watched it. To make matters worse, the visit coincided with time off which Elmo had taken from work. It gets even worse (really) but I'll spare additional details. The bottom line is that, by Texas standards, the whole thing was a tragedy. If you don't feel that way then you aren't fit to live in Texas.

I enjoyed hearing Elmo's stories about the criminals he's dealt with. After hearing them I couldn't help but think how true the sign on his house really is. If you're going to commit a crime, my advice would be to stack the odds in your favor by doing it somewhere other than Texas.

While I was in Texas my sister and I spent a lot of time planning an expansion for her bakery business. We're going to turn her garage into a dedicated bakery. I'll be back in the Houston area in the spring (this time with the van) to help with the start-up. Right now I'm on my way to Phoenix. Matt is there visiting his parents. We plan on spending a day hiking in the mountains. After that I'm heading to Palm Springs, California to pick up Chris and Al. They're flying in from Oregon. We'll be spending a week rock climbing and backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park. After that I'll be heading into Baja, Mexico.

Enjoy the New Year celebrations. Recent photos are at this link. I've included the photo my mom probably doesn't want you to see.

More Canyons & Dunes

The past few weeks have become something of a blur. Moab seems like a very long time ago. I've visited so many places I'm having trouble keeping track of them all.

Since my last entry I've taken two additioal backpacking trips. The first one was along the bottom of a canyon. The canyon started out as a river bed which gradually dropped down, until the walls became fairly high. Besides the typical rock formations I came across a couple of abandoned cliff dwellings (with old corn cobs still lying about), and encountered pools of water big enough to swim in.

My next backpacking trip was into the Grand Canyon. I started out at the north rim and gradually made my way down a subsidiary canyon to the Colorado River. The trip involved a lot of elevation loss, something like 6000 ft. This trip was quite memorable. Topography-wise, the canyon I dropped into reminded me of the deep valleys I saw during my Ptarmigan traverse trip in the North Cascades. From a vantage point within the canyon, the rim, which is actually flat on top, can't be distinguished from a mountain range. Of course, there are no glaciers, but it's much colder at the top of the rim than at the bottom of the canyon. The bottom is a desert, while the rim top is a pine forest reminiscent of some of Oregon's mountain forests. There were traces of snow on the rim, and overnight temperatures on the rim were around 10 F. On the way to the bottom I passed through layers of rock which spanned most of the Earth's existence. The canyon bottom was initially dry but about a quarter of the way down a spring rushed right out of the bottom of a rock face. The lowest point was the wide, muddy Colorado River, which was spanned by a suspension bridge. Certainly, there's good reason for the Grand Canyon's popularity. My trip had been undertaken during what must have been the north rim's off season. Everything on the north rim was shut down for the year. Although it meant tolerating low temperatures, I had the north part of the park to myself. I didn't encounter anyone else until I got near the bottom, where people had hiked in from the south rim. The weather was mostly clear, with occasional high, wispy clouds.

More recently, Ann flew into Las Vegas for a visit. We went to Death Valley and Zion National Park. As most people probably know, Death Valley is the lowest point in the western hemisphere. It's extremely dry. The weather report I saw indicated less than one inch of rain year to date. Death Valley is another place with some impressive topography. Although the bottom sits below sea level, it's surrounded by peaks, some of which reach 11,000 ft. There is a good sized sand dune, many canyons, and the dry lake bed itself. As with the Grand Canyon, temperature and plant life depends mostly on elevation.

Sometime during the past few weeks I ran into a kindred spirit named Mr. Kim. I was taking photos at a park lot when I met Mr. Kim. He was walking towards me from a small group of vehicles. Mr. Kim was wearing what looked like army fatigues, including a cap. His fatigues seemed a bit too large for him. I started wondering what I had done to upset the authorities this time. Whatever it was, it must have been bad if they were sending the military after me. Mr. Kim came up to me and asked if the Westfalia (referring to my van) belonged to me. Mr. Kim had a heavy accent. I guessed he was of Korean ancestry. I noticed that the fatigues appeared to be genuine government issue. His jacket was embroidered with "U. S. Air Force" on the left and the name "Choi" on the right. The authentic looking uniform made it seem more plausible that I was in some kind of trouble. Unsure of whether I should admit to it, I told Mr. Kim that the van was mine. I was a bit relieved when he said that he also owned a VW Westfalia camper van, then proceeded to ask questions about my van.

Eventually introducing ourselves, we talked for a few hours. It turns out Mr. Kim and I had a lot in common. Mr. Kim had bought a van, left his job, and was on a road trip. He'd been on the road for three months and was now on his way home to southern California. Like me, he was doing most of the trip solo. At his wife's insistence he had bought a new van for the trip. We showed our vans to each other, exchanged stories from our trips, and shared "best practices" (good places to park your van overnight, where to get cheap food, etc.) I showed Mr. Kim photos from my trip. He was fascinated by them. Although we were both on road trips, it was clear that what I'd been doing during my trip was different than what Mr. Kim had been doing during his. At one point I said something that produced a strong reaction in Mr. Kim. It was like he had suddenly realized something. He tried to explain it to me, but I didn't fully understand what had happened. Later, bowing his head, he gave me his remaining food. I took it only because he insisted. He then requested a photo of the two of us. I accepted, but asked for a photo in exchange. After taking the photos we said our goodbyes. Mr. Kim thanked me, then bowed again, this time more formally, before returning to his van.

I've kept trying to deduce what it was I said that caused Mr. Kim's reaction and why he had reacted so strongly. I'm still bewildered as to what it was. Oh well.

Another memorable experience was spending a few days in a Navajo reservation. I guess I've never been in a large reservation. It was like visiting a foreign country, which is not what I had expected. It reminded me of trips to Mexico when I was a kid. Many of the Navajo continue to use their native language as their primary language. There were few non-Navajos in most of the reservation, so I stood out. The reservation looked more impoverished than most places I've visited in the US. I saw many street and parking lot vendors. I remember stopping at a parking lot early in the morning. Shortly after my arrival a beat up truck deposited an old Navajo woman, her grandson, a small folding table, and a folding chair. She set a bunch of jewelry out on the table and sat down, waiting for someone to purchase her wares. I assume she sits there all day most days.

I'm in Las Vegas at the moment. I'll be flying out from here in a week and a half to visit family and friends near Houston over Christmas. Between now and then I'll be exploring the wilds near the city. After returning from Texas I plan on starting my trip into Mexico.

The weather's been pretty nice in Vegas. Today was the warmest day they've had in a while. I heard that the northwest has experienced some nasty storms lately. Hopefully everyone's doing okay.

Happy holidays!

Photos from the past few weeks are here.

Biking and Climbing in Moab

Jeff arrived in Moab shortly after my last entry. We quickly caught up then proceeded to alternate our days between mountain biking and rock climbing.

We soon began to appreciate the area's main attraction: the weather. Through mostly sunny days we sampled the area's offerings of mountain bike trails and rock routes. Like most places, the quality of the trails and routes spanned the spectrum. From a purely technical standpoint, some I will not miss, others I would gladly repeat. One nice thing about many of the rides (and rock routes) is that the landscape is very open. There isn't much to block your view, and the scenery is pretty. From this standpoint, the rides and routes were mostly pleasant.

The riding surface was usually some variation of sandstone. The best riding surface was found on large monoliths of smooth sandstone the locals call "slickrock cowpies." It's a good description of what they look like. The surface is unforgiving if you fall on it, but the traction (when dry) is as good as it gets. Natural ledges in the stone turn the cowpies into a stunt park for bicycles. At the other end of the spectrum was sandstone in the form of sand. When piled up this stuff makes it feel like you're biking in molasses. It reminds me of biking in deep mud or snow. The deepest sand requires walking the bike. In between the two extremes are rocks and stones of various sizes. I got a lot of flats and wheel rim dings from our rides. I think it was a result of impacting hard surfaces with the tire. After finding the limits of Jeff's patience I started avoiding the rocks. This helped with the flats, but was less entertaining.

As with the bike trails, the rock climbing quality also varied. Neither of us had climbed harder routes in a while. We started off on lower grade routes and gradually worked our way up to a four pitch desert tower called "Castleton Tower", which was rated at 5.9. We had planned on doing this climb on Jeff's last day in town. Unfortunately, the day before our attempt we realized that we didn't have the right gear. We needed at least a couple of larger sized cams for protection. The best rock we climbed ended up being on a local crag called Wall Street. The Wall Street rock didn't have much surface texture, but it was very solid, and contained good cracks.

At the other end of the rock quality spectrum was a two pitch tower in Arches National Park called "Dark Angel". It had one route on it, also a 5.9, with a short bit of A0 aid. Like Castleton, Dark Angel is set in a scenic place. However, some of the rock on Dark Angel was horrid, especially at the start. I saw rocks instantly transform themselves into a cloud of powder when pressure was put on them. After releasing a large boulder I learned to stay off the worst stuff and be suspicious of everything I touched. Some flakes would bend visibly when I pulled on them. Jeff said leading on the bad stuff was the most scared he's been in a while. I could see why. The protection is only as good as the rock it's in. In addition to the poor quality of some of the rock, there were many moves which forced awkward body positions and squeezes. We concluded that the only reason the route existed was because it's the only way up a prominent spire. Hiking the few miles back to the van in the dark was a final (and fitting) kick in the pants from the Dark Angel.

Jeff started his return trip to Oregon this morning. It was good to catch up and spend time with him. As always, I've enjoyed exploring with Jeff. I think we both enjoy the uncertainties in life and the range of possibilities which that uncertainty entails. Good luck Jeff, whatever you do next.

As for me, I think it's time to leave the Moab area as well. I'll be meeting Ann in Las Vegas at the end of November. Between now and then I'll gradually make my way west through southern Utah and northern Arizona before heading into Vegas.

Photos from the past couple of weeks can be found here.

Cities, Arches, and Canyons of Rock, Nepalese Jewelry Peddlers

It's been a couple of weeks since my last posting so it feels like it's time for an update.

Since the last post I visited City of Rocks in southern Idaho, then drove more or less directly to Moab in southeastern Utah.

City of Rocks is a sport rock climbing area, in the same vein as Oregon's Smith Rock. Upon seeing it I thought the name was a good fit. It's kind of like the downtown of a mid sized city, but instead of buildings there's a bunch of rock formations scattered about. I'm not sure what elevation it's at but it must be fairly high, because it was snowing when I arrived in the late afternoon. The area is set in a high desert, surrounded by rolling hills which are actually rather high (~10,000 ft).

City of Rocks is in forest service land. The routes are very accessible via dirt roads and a network of trails. Some of the routes could literally be belayed from your car. There are many campsites and toilets in the area. The tiny town of Almo is within a 15 minute drive and has most of what you need.

As with the Bugaboos, the rock climbing season had pretty much wrapped up by the time I'd arrived. I saw one other party, which looked like some kind of school or guided group. I spent two days there, mostly hiking about and scrambling on some of the rock formations. I considered staying longer but took it as a sign to leave when it started drizzling on the second afternoon. I uploaded a couple of photos here.

Having spent much of the trip to date in cold alpine environments, often with snow, I was looking forward to a sunnier, dryer, and warmer climate. After yet another encounter with the authorities (they said I had parked in some kind of missile range) I arrived in Moab. The afternoon I arrived a thunderstorm came through, but since then the weather's been pretty much what I had hoped for. Most days it's been completely clear, with highs in the 70s. The sun gets just bright and hot enough to almost make me wish it weren't quite so sunny, but only for a short bit of time before it starts to cool off again. Nights are cold, around freezing, and usually clear.

Moab is at the center of a vast, year-round outdoor playground. Within an hour's drive are two national parks (Arches and Canyondlands), a 12000 ft mountain range (the LaSals), multiple sport rock climbing destinations (Indian Creek probably being the most well known), class V river rapids on the Colorado River, hundreds of miles of rough canyon roads for 4x4 off-road and ATV fans, and, of course, the famous slickrock mountain biking trails.

I've been here for a week and a half and feel like I've only scratched the surface. I was a but overwhelmed when I first arrived. There were so many possibilities it was hard to decide what to do first. I felt like a kid in a candy store. I decided to start exploring the area on foot. I spent a couple of days day hiking in the Canyondlands and in Arches. After that I went backpacking for six days, then scrambled up one of the LaSals peaks. I haven't even ridden the bike yet or pulled out my rock shoes.

Arches is a fairly small national park. The entrance is just two miles outside of Moab. It's very popular and has a very touristy, almost Disneyland-like feel to it. The main attraction is, of course, the high density of natural rock arches. All are accessible via day hikes and many don't even require that you leave your car for a good look. In the span of one long day I managed to get through all the day hikes in the park. I hiked into one arch late on a clear, moonlit night, which made it more enjoyable. It is, admittedly, a must see if you're in the area. Photos here.

Canyonlands is a larger, less popular park which is divided into two main districts. The first district I visited is called Island in the Sky. This is essentially a large mesa, mostly flat on top, about 10 x 10 miles in size, and a couple of thousand feet above the Colorado River on one side and the Green River on the other. On the south side of the island the two rivers merge. On the north side the island is connected to the "mainland" by a 40 ft wide neck, technically making the island a peninsula. The natives used to drive bighorn sheep through the neck and onto the island, making it easier to hunt them. Later, cowboys fenced off the neck, turning the island into a giant corral for cattle. On any side the island drops off steeply into canyons and water sculpted rock formations. The canyons look like photos I've seen of the Grand Canyon. The views from the top of the island are stunning.

My first backpacking trip took me on a loop, down the west side of the island to the Green River, up the Green River a bit, into a canyon heading east towards the neck, then back uphill on the north side of the island. For a region that gets less than 10 inches of rain in a year water was easier to find than I had expected. Trees seem to be a good indicator of a spring and pools sometimes lingered at the bottom of steep north facing walls. Some of the water admittedly looked and smelled rather foul, but boiling it will kill anything that might hurt you (so I hoped, anyway). The dead stuff might even be nutritious. It was on this excursion that I came across a rock formation called Zeus and Moses. These are two rock towers, the taller one with an overhanging block near the top. I hiked up to the base and noticed climbing gear on both towers. I later found route descriptions on the web. Moses, the taller one, has a route with 525 ft (eight pitches) of vertical. The descent involves three rappels on two 60 meter ropes. The route is rated a 5.11+, well beyond my abilities, but it looked like you could lower the grade by aid climbing some parts. I found a web page describing a mid air traverse someone had done between the two towers using 1200 ft of static rope. Island in the Sky photos are here.

My backcountry permit was good for a few more days. Wanting to make the most out of the $15 I paid for the permit I next headed to the Needles district of the Canyonlands. Although they're in the same park and just a few miles from each other as the crow flies, it's close to a two hour drive between the two districts.

The Needles are quite different from what I'd seen in Island in the Sky or Arches. I can only describe the rock formations as other wordly. I'd never seen anything like them, either in person or in photos. It often seemed like I was on another planet, maybe the desert planet in the Star Wars series. Like Island in the Sky and Arches, there were canyons and rock pinnacles, but the shapes were much rounder. Many of the formations looked like someone had taken different colored balls of dough, stacked them on each other, then waited a while for gravity to deform the balls into odd shapes. In some areas the formations were very regular, forming what looked to my eyes like a fortress of alien architecture. In other areas there were narrow canyons in the spaces between benches of rock, often with overhanging walls. Inside the canyons trees and plants grew. These canyons reminded me of the old TV series "Land of the Lost" because they seemed like places where you could hide dinosaurs without anyone noticing. Every now and then I'd come across Native American artwork and petroglyphs on the canyon walls. It only added to the feeling that I was in another, strange world. Hopefully the photos convey some of of what I'm trying to describe. I also uploaded a video clip. The photo at the top of this posting is from the Needles.

I later learned that these structures were formed when underlying layers of salt had deformed as a result of the weight of the sedimentary rock which had built up on top of the salt. The Island in the Sky canyons, by contrast, were formed by erosion.

I left the Needles planning on heading back to Moab. I expected to meet Jeff there the next day. Once I got a cell signal I discovered he'd left Corvallis a day later than planned. I headed in the opposite direction instead, towards the nearby town of Monticello, to pamper myself with some restaurant food after sleeping in the dirt for six days.

On the way to Monticello the van started cutting out intermittently. Since the engine wasn't completely dying I pressed on. Once I got into town the problem got worse. On leaving the local burger joint the engine finally died and refused to restart. I figured I might as well take a look at the engine and see if there was anything I could find wrong. After checking a few things I noticed that one of the vacuum hoses was in pretty sad shape. I pulled it off, put my finger over one end and sucked on the other. It definitely had a leak. I didn't really think that this was the cause of the problem but figured I needed to replace it anyway. Luckily there was a parts store just two blocks away. To my surprise the engine ran fine once I replaced the hose.

It was while eating a burger in the restaurant that I met the Nepalese jewelry peddler. She'd hit up the restaurant owner and his daughter first. Initially I thought she was a Native American conducting some business with the owner. However, when she was finished with the owner she came over to my table and introduced herself as a native of Nepal who was on a mission. Her accent was consistent with the region. I hadn't finished my food and for the moment my stomach had control of my brain, so I told her that I had no need for any jewelry before she had even finished opening her case. She then asked for a donation. Still eager to return to eating my food I gave her the first bill I pulled out of my pocket, a ten. She was still curious about something and asked me if I was familiar with Nepal. I rattled off what I knew about Nepal's recent history: For most of the current decade Marxist rebels had been fighting soldiers loyal to the Nepalese king in a bloody civil war. Recently they'd decided to stop shooting each other and were currently negotiating over the structure of a new government. She was surprised at what I knew, but still didn't leave. She then explained that in Nepal there are people who look like me (mentioning my hair) who are called hippies. She asked me if I was a hippie. I'd been living outside for a week in the same clothes, hadn't cut my hair in several months, and hadn't shaved since leaving Corvallis. I must have looked even more grimey and disheveled than I normally do. Still thinking about the rest of my food I searched for a response that would allow me to get back to eating as soon as possible. I finally told her that if I look like a hippie then, yes, I must indeed be a hippie. She thanked me for my donation then headed to the adjacent pool hall to look for more customers / donors. Later, after my stomach relinquished control of my brain I wished I had asked her what her mission was. The backwaters of Utah seem like an odd place to find a jewelry peddler from Nepal.

Since I had an extra day before Jeff arrived I decided to head to the LaSal mountain range after spending the night in Monticello. The turn off for range access is on the way back to Moab. The LaSals aren't an especially aesthetic range, at least close up. They're more like high elevation hills. There's no permanent snow on them and none of the routes have much in the way of exposure. Grass grows on the peaks almost to the summits. However, they form the backdrop for all the places I've mentioned in this blog entry, so I figured I'd might as well pay them a visit.

My original intent was to climb Mt. Peale, at 12.7k ft the highest peak in the range. After slogging up boulder fields, sometimes on all fours, and reaching a ridge line, I realized that I hadn't paid enough attention to where I was going. There was a steep rock chute immediately between me and the ridge that lead to Mt. Peale's summit. I had gone up the wrong gully. Mt. Tukuhnikivatz ("Tuku" for short) was in the opposite direction along the same ridge line. It was closer, and looked easier to reach. It's summit, 240 ft lower than Peale's, instantly became my new objective. More scrambling on boulders and a few small snow patches put me on top. The summit was marked with a wooden pole, a bivy trench dug into the boulders, what I think was a bear skull, and a pile of poop from some animal. It was pretty windy. Some ravens were hanging out just above me performing various acrobatic tricks in the sky. It was actually very majestic. It seemed as if they were surfing the wind, just for the fun of it, never flapping their wings. It was effortless. Every now and then I'd hear a loud swoosh as they dove and buzzed the summit. The things they did would put acrobatic airplane pilots to shame. I sat there and watched the air show until they headed off somewhere else. LaSal pictures are here.

As I post this entry I'm in the town of Moab. Jeff should be arriving later today. We'll be rock climbing and mountain biking in the area and will likely go back to the Needles for more backpacking. I should be in the Moab vicinity for at least a couple more weeks. There's still much to explore here, and it's hard to complain about the weather given the time of year.

Phantom Glaciers, Senior Climbers, Sawtooths, & Illegal Immigrants

Since my last entry I've visited Glacier National Park in western Montana and the Sawtooth Range in southern Idaho.

After successfully avoiding jail time in two countries I arrived at the eastern entrance of Glacier. There I learned that the road which cuts through Glacier was closed for maintenance. I had hoped to cross Glacier through this road. I quickly decided, mostly due to the immediately bad weather (see previous blog entry, Canadian police encounter section) to drive around the south end of the park and enter on the west side. While having breakfast in a small town on my route I learned that the wind storm had reached speeds of over 50 MPH overnight. The record wind speed for the area was around 110 MPH. Yikes! I thought only hurricanes and tornadoes reached such speeds in places other than high mountains.

Soon enough, I reached the west end of Glacier. My first stop after a night's sleep was the backcountry permit office. After describing my intended route, which involved backpacking to the continental divide, the ranger refused to give me a permit. He said there was too much snow on my route and that it would very likely snow more while I was out. It was overcast and raining at the time, snowing higher up, and the forecast called for more of this. Nonetheless, I was pretty upset at his response. I may never have the chance to visit this place again, I could always turn around if conditions warranted, and, after all, I had the most to lose from the venture. I took him up on his suggestion to check out conditions for myself (I think maybe he considered it a test) by doing a day hike to higher elevations. I picked out Mt. Brown, an 8500 ft peak with almost a mile of elevation gain. I got to within a few hundred feet of the top before turning around due to waist deep snow. Not for the first time I wished I had thrown my snowshoes in the van before leaving Corvallis. In any case, the divide was at a lower elevation, so I figured I could still get to it.

The next morning I showed up at the permit office, prepared with redundant arrays of arguments for why I should be granted a permit. My preparations proved to be unnecessary since there was a different ranger at the office. This time I made no mention of the continental divide and was granted a permit.

I did make the continental divide, although the snow was almost as deep as Mt. Brown. It was overcast and snowing or raining for most of my outing, so I didn't get to see much. My best day weather-wise was the day I hiked up Mt. Brown. On this outing I had decided to try my luck at fishing and trapping. Why buy food and haul it in on your back when there's food all around you? I didn't have a fishing pole with me so I made one. For trapping I made a snare out of dental floss, webbing, and some sticks whittled with a knife. A sapling served as the spring. I used peanut butter for bait. I set it up three times. Each time the peanut butter was eventually gone but the snare hadn't tripped. I'll need to make the trap more sensitive if I hope to catch anything. I think the problem was with how I had whittled the sticks and maybe also the angle of the pull from the sapling. I had similar luck with fishing, but I think the problem there was with the lure.

I have to say that Glacier was somewhat disappointing. Maybe it was the weather, or maybe it was the fact that I had just visited the Canadian Rockies. The Canadian Rockies peaks seemed similar to Glacier's. Despite the name I didn't see any glaciers. I have heard that Glacier's glaciers have retreated substantially. After picking up the van's newly minted duplicate title in Kalispell I headed for the Sawtooths. Glacier photos are here.

The weather looked much more promising as I headed for Stanley, Idaho. The skies were blue and the climate became dryer, reminiscent of central Oregon. I passed through the towns of Victor, Elmo, and Corvallis, all in Montana. Soon enough I reached Stanley. Stanley is a tiny town (the city limits sign claimed a population of 100) located just northeast of the Sawtooth range at the north end of a broad valley. Surprisingly it had a public library, and even more surprisingly it had free wireless internet service.

It was while I was at the library looking for a Sawtooths guidebook that I met Bob Dargatz. Bob is a retired structural engineer, lifelong climber, and all around athlete who lives just outside of Stanley. At the age of 82 he still makes multi-day backpacking trips (often as a guide) into the Sawtooths and climbs 10,000+ ft peaks. He invited me over to his place to pick up a guidebook and map of the area. The Sawtooths were literally in his back yard. He said he typically left from his house when traveling into the Sawtooths.

Bob had a wealth of information on the Sawtooths. He gave me his guidebook, saying he'd just ordered the second edition, and his well worn USGS topo map of the north end of the range. The map was especially valuable, since Bob had marked climbing routes, alpine trails, good camping spots, and a secret hot spring on it. None of this information was in the guidebook or in the available maps. Judging by the fact that some of the routes on Bob's map were not mentioned in the guidebook I think he had put up some new routes. After sharing photos of our forays into the peaks Bob went on to tell various stories from his life. We spent the afternoon and evening together, forgetting to eat. I especially enjoyed hearing Bob's stories about World War II. He had served in the army, first in the Philippenes and then as part of the occupation force after Japan surrendered. For someone of my age, WWII can often seem like the distant past. Hearing vivid accounts directly from someone who had lived it made the war seem much more real. It turns out that Bob has ties to Corvallis. Prior to shipping out to the Pacific he had spent time in Camp Adair, just north of Corvallis. After the war he returned to attend Oregon State. While attending OSU he met and married a local woman. He has a brother in law in Philomath, just outside of Corvallis. Bob invited me to spend the night. Not having slept in a real bed since leaving Corvallis, I readily accepted. The hot shower was nice too. After breakfast the next day we parted ways, having exchanged contact information.

Now, about the Sawtooths. Sawtooths is a good name for the range. They're quite jagged looking, reminiscent of the North Cascades, but even more jagged. The range is contained entirely within the Sawtooths Wilderness Area. The wilderness designation means that the Tooths are well preserved. By law, no man made structures (other than trails and trail signs) are allowed in the area. There are no prepared campsites, you just camp wherever looks like a good spot. The only way in is by foot or by stock (horse, mule, donkey). The marked trails are well maintained. The area runs 32 miles north to south and 20 miles east to west. It has 33 peaks which are over 10,000 ft in height. Unlike the North Cascades the Sawtooths don't appear to have any glaciers of significant size, no doubt a result of the drier climate. Although it's studded with alpine lakes and rivers the valleys in the Sawtooths aren't as gouged out and fjord-like as in the North Cascades. This makes access and movement within the area easier, at least relatively speaking. The rock is pink and gray granite. The summit routes span the range of difficulty, from walk-ups to aid climbs. Judging by the guidebook, some of the peaks have only been climbed using aid techniques. Many of the peaks certainly look quite formidable. Warbonnet Peak, which seemed to be one of the most difficult peaks in the area, is an overhanging blade of rock shaped like a shark fin. The guide book says that you can drop a rock from it's summit and not hear it hit anything for nine seconds.

I spent six days in the wilderness. My arrival late in the season meant that there was snow covering many of the peaks, but it wasn't as deep as in Glacier or the Canadian Rockies. It snowed a couple of the days I was out but the last two days I enjoyed completely clear weather. I attempted two peaks, reached the summit of one, and visited some of Bob's unmarked trails.

The climb up the peak which I didn't summit (Mt. Regan) reminded me of Oregon's Three Finger Jack or Mt. Washington. Most of it was a scramble up a ridge, with the most difficult part saved for the last few hundred feet on the summit block. After arriving at the base of the summit block I went up what I later realized was the wrong route. I kept going up until I got to the point where I didn't think I could make further moves up, much less downclimb. Probably I went further than I should have. The proximity of the summit had suckered me in. Downclimbing what I'd gone up proved to be rather nerve racking. The fight was on in my mind. Panic was a beast making lunges at it's prey, while calm was the sword which beat back the beast's thrusts. Mostly calm won out, but the beast had it's moments.

Upon reaching safer ground I pulled out the guide book and realized that I had misunderstood the route description. The described route continued around the east side of the summit block, traversing along an exposed ledge on the northeast face. The traverse was filled with snow and I had left my ice axe and crampons in the van. It was clear from the description that the route is normally exposed rock. I gingerly made my way along the traverse, not entirely sure of what was supporting me. At the end of the traverse it looked like the route went up into a shallow diagonal couloir, which was also filled with snow. After contemplating the matter for a good while I decided to abandon the attempt. The second peak was a walk in the park by comparison. The route was obvious and the most difficult section had no snow or ice on it. The photo at the top of this entry is Mt. Regan reflected in Sawtooth Lake on one of the sunny mornings. More Sawtooth photos are here.

The Sawtooths was another place I would have liked to stay at longer, but my food ran out and besides, I had to get to an Oregon DMV before my trip permit expired. I hope to return some day to visit Bob and the Sawtooths again.

Speaking of the van, I picked up permanent Oregon plates in Ontario, Oregon, just across the border from Idaho. They're mounted now. It's nice to have the DMV odyssey over with. The only outstanding item with respect to the van is the permanent Oregon title. Ann should be getting it in the mail within 30 days. I'll probably just have her carry it with her when we she flies down to visit in early December.

Ontario was an interesting place. To say the least, I'm sure its far from the top of anyone's list of "must see" destinations. Its main claim to fame would probably be it's plethora of agricultural processing factories. There were many Hispanics there. I almost felt like I was somewhere in Mexico. While at an auto parts store I met a Guatemalan fellow. He worked in an onion processing factory for $8.65 an hour. He said it would take three months of work in Guatemala to make what he makes in a day working in the US. He asked me where I lived and what my job was like. He thought that he had a pretty good job but I think he wanted to see if things were better where I was. I told him that I lived on the other side of the state, in Corvallis. He said that he stays away from that part of the state (referring, I think, to the Willamette Valley) because its less friendly to undocumented workers and he's afraid of being deported. His family is still in Guatemala and they are dependent on the money he sends home. He was looking forward to returning to Guatemala soon and seeing his family, apparently for the first time in two years. On his next trip to the US he plans to bring his son (who just turned 18) with him so he can work here as well. After I told him where I lived he no longer seemed interested in what my job was like. He probably wouldn't have believed what I would have said anyway. He thanked me for translating between him and and the store's clerk, shook my hand, then took off in a van (which was of a later model year than mine), saying that he needed to get back to work. The tacos I had for lunch were the best I'd had in a long time.

A 100x pay differential seems like a huge incentive to come to the US, despite the risks and hardships it entails. If I believed that I could make 100x my pay in Canada I wouldn't have to think too long about heading up there. Instead of working for 12 years to be able to afford a leave of absence it would only take six weeks.

I'm in Boise, Idaho right now. I need to pick up a few supplies, make some gear repairs, and do a little research. My next destination will likely be City of Rocks, a rock climbing area just north of the Utah border in Idaho. After that I'm not too certain of my path. I'll probably head to somewhere in Utah, but it depends on if and when Jeff will be coming to Moab in southeastern Utah.

Adios, Canada (Don't Shoot!)

Sadly, it's time to say adios to the friendly Canadians and their pretty parks. I would have liked to stay for another week to check out Mt Robson provincial park. However, the van's title is on it's way to a post office in Montana and the current permit expires in two weeks.

I could have easily spent the rest of the trip in the Canadian Rockies, despite the winter-like weather. I had to keep reminding myself that there are other places to see, each with their own unique attractions. Still, it's hard to leave. The Canadians I met seem to have a deep appreciation for the beauty of their land. There was the old fellow who visited the same campground in Yoho twenty two times last year, the woman who left Hawaii and returned to work as a hut keeper in her favorite park, and the couple who returned each year to the campground where the husband had proposed to his wife.

Initially I thought that the Canadian parks lacked a remoteness and a preservation ethic. The huts and lodges in otherwise remote areas plus the popularity of flying in to places by helicopter lead me to this. After looking at a road atlas of Canada, however, I realized that "remote" probably has a different meaning in Canada. There are areas in Canada larger than most American states which are devoid of towns, roads, or, so it seems, any other mark of humanity. If you really want to get away from it all you can always head to one of those places.

It's clear that climbers have had a strong influence on the Canadian Rockies. There are a multitude of alpine huts maintained by the Canadian Alpine Club. I learned that a century ago the Canadian Pacific railroad company had brought over European climbing guides in an effort to promote tourism in the area. Many of the peaks were first ascended by these guides and their wealthy European clients. The guides imported the hut system from the Alps, and it's carried over into modern times. The huts lend an air of safety to what can be a harsh environment. The huts also mean that you don't have to haul as much gear as you otherwise would. In contrast, alpine climbing in the US seems to have more of a "you're on your own" quality to it. There is an American Alpine Club but I never hear much about them. The European influence can also be seen in the common use of guides and the strict guide certification process. It's interesting how choices made a hundred years ago have lead to such a differentiation.

So much for such generalizations. After the van repair I went on a backpacking trip covering ground in two provincial parks and one national park (Banff). The highlight of the trip was the Magog Lake / Mt Assinboine area, seen in the picture at the top. A former park ranger and a climbing guide independently recommended visiting this place. It was a good recommendation. Out of all the places I visited in Canada on this trip I think this was my favorite. Mt Assinboine is about the same elevation as Mt Hood in Oregon. It's often referred to as the "Matterhorn of Canada" due to it's similar appearance to it's more famous counterpart. The hike in was something like 17 miles, but you can fly in by helicopter and stay at a lodge next to the lake if you prefer. I didn't climb the peak, but I did go up a nearby minor peak called Nob Peak, mostly for the views. I had brought along a xeroxed page out of a guidebook describing the routes on Assiniboine and hiked part of the approach. The most popular route is a moderately easy (5.5) technical rock route along a ridge. Apparently no glacier travel is involved. There is an alpine hut near the base of the route. The route description warns that the route is "much more difficult" when it is covered in snow, which was the case when I was there.

The outing wound up being a big loop through valleys, over passes, past lakes and other peaks. In the mornings or late afternoons I'd take short spur hikes to nearby lakes or peaks, leaving most of my load at camp. I utilized the proven "slow and fat" style, carrying a large brick of cheese, a salami log, crackers, a bag of mixed nuts / candy, and several apples for snacking. Despite my best efforts I had to cut another hole on my belt once I returned. Next time I'll have to bring a bucket of lard with me.

The most impressive wildlife of the Assiniboine trip were a couple of moose. I saw two, a male and a female, on separate days. I had always thought of a moose as a deer with different looking antlers. After seeing one at close range I realized that they are much larger than a deer. If a bounding box were drawn around the bull moose I saw it would have been at least as tall and wide as my van, and maybe 80% of its length. For sure, it's not an animal you would want to upset. Fortunately it's the mating season for them so he had other things on his mind. I took photos of the moose but the camera had trouble focusing. There were plenty of signs warning of grizzly bears, but I never saw any. I did see tracks for what I initially thought was a cat-like animal. Later I realized that the claw marks indicate that the animal was not a cat, since their claws are retracted when walking. Most likely it was a coyote. One night I heard a cry from some large animal. Whatever it was it didn't last long, and it didn't sound happy either. Photos from the trip can be found here. I also uploaded a couple of short videos. The first one is a pan from the slopes of Nob Peak. The second one is from an exposed ridge higher up. It was pretty windy.

Next on my list is Glacier National Park in Montana. After that I'll likely visit the Sawtooth range in Idaho. The van's title is in the mail. I'll be picking it up in Kalispell, Montana. Once I have it I'll need to retitle it in another state and then get permanent plates. I contacted the Oregon DMV state offices and it sounds like I can do this without having to go to Oregon, but it also sounds like a time consuming and complicated process. I'll see if I can get plates and a title in Montana or Idaho. If not I'll continue on to eastern Oregon and do it there. In any case, it looks like my multi state DMV tour will continue for at least a bit longer. The WRX has been sold. Thanks go out to my sales team, Jeff & Ann.

Okay, you've made it this far. Here's the story on the subtitle. The most convenient place for me to cross the border back into the US turned out to be a pretty remote border station. There was literally nothing other than the two border stations there. The nearest town, gas station, house, or anything was about an hour's drive away. I arrived late and from all appearances it looked to be closed. A simple metal gate prevented me from crossing over. There were no cars parked at either station. It would have been be very easy to just walk across. If there had been another vehicle on the other side of the gate it would have been a simple task to transfer guns, drugs, nuclear warheads, etc. over the border. So much for homeland security, I thought. I remembered seeing a sign a while back saying that the station was only open from 9 to 6. Okay, I figured, I'll just park here for the night and in the morning there'll be some people there. I had dinner and fell asleep.

I was woken up by a bright light outside the van. I was still trying to remember where I was and how I'd gotten there when I opened the side door. The first thing I noticed was a bright light. The next thing I noticed was a gun pointing at me. Someone in the direction of the light and the gun was repeating the words "Put your hands up!", each time with increasing urgency. Other than the light, it was very dark out, windy, and raining hard. It all seemed very surreal. Still half awake, I was thinking that this was likely a dream. I figured I'd play along. After putting my hands up I was told to lean forward and put my hands on side of the van. Then I got asked a bunch of questions. "Where are you from? Why are you here? What are you doing in Canada? What's your occupation? Where did you cross into Canada? Where are you going? Is anyone else in the van? Are you carrying any weapons?" He was pretty wound up. I think some of my answers confused him, since I didn't really know the answers myself. (Is an ice axe a weapon? Where is it that I was going? What is my occupation if I'm on a leave of absence?)

I don't think he ever really believed that I was a former engineering manager taking the long way to Mexico, but he eventually calmed down. He said something about smugglers, told me that the crossing was closed for the season, and "advised" me to head over to the next closest crossing further east. He said that it was open 24 hours a day. I had already been pulled over earlier that same day by another officer, so I figured I'd better leave Canada as soon as possible before doing something else that would upset the local authorities. I really didn't want to be banned from future entry into Canada. I decided to cross that same night. Of course, when I arrived at the next crossing it was also closed. I turned around and this time got further away from the border station before stopping for some much needed sleep. As I bedded down for the second time that night I thought to myself: "If I run into another Canadian cop again I'm going to have to change some of my habits." No one came by. The next morning I crossed over.

The Canadians must have related their experiences with me to the Americans, because they spent half an hour searching the van. Finding nothing of significance, and looking somewhat disappointed, they were forced to let me back in. They did take my apples and the remaining salami log, saying something about mad cow disease as they did so. Later I regretted not having asked if I could eat the apples and salami while I waited for them to finish searching the van.

Bugaboos & Yoho

I've been in Canada for a week and a half now. Last week I visited the Bugaboos, a provincial park, which is a well known alpine rock climbing area. The park is full of granitic spires, many of them rising out of sheets of glacial ice. The summits are around 10,000 ft in elevation. Unfortunately the weather wasn't terribly cooperative. It snowed every day I was there and I had one night out in a storm.

I wound up climbing one peak (Eastport Spire). It was easy rock, mostly scrambling, but a bit slippery at times because of the new snow. I wanted to check out Pidgeon Spire as well but I don't think I ever even saw it. I climbed up glacier ice one day to a pass where I knew I should be able to see it, but the visibility was near zero so I didn't see much at all. I spent the rest of the time exploring the area, climbing up and over low points on ridges to see what was on the other side.

Even though I didn't see everything I had wanted to see I could understand the appeal of the Bugaboos. For one, it's pretty accessible. The hike in, while strenuous, is over in a few hours. At the end of the hike there's a really nice hut you can spend the night at. It's got stoves, heating, lighting, cooking utensils, hot and cold running water, and bunks. The electricity comes from a mini hydro generator that's set up in a nearby stream. If you'll just be in the area near the hut and are willing to shell out $22 Canadian per night you can avoid having to haul in a bunch of camping gear (like I did). The most famous spires (Bugaboo and Snowpatch) are within an hour's hike of the hut. The routes on the spires, even just those near the hut, span the entire range of technical difficulty. There's everything from routes for beginners to routes which would challenge the world's best climbers. The east face of Snowpatch in particular is a big wall with routes which are over a dozen pitches in length. The rock is solid high quality large crystal granite, the type of rock that rock climbers love. If you want a more remote experience just head for one of the passes between the spires and you'll find more spires on the other side. The park itself is not especially large, at least compared with places such as the North Cascades or the Olympics. However, the area is quite dense with spires and routes. Besides climbers, the park's natural beauty also attracts hikers.

It's clear, however, that I had arrived too late in the season. July or early August should be prime. The hut custodian told me that the hut can get very crowded in high season, to the point where they have to turn down people (the hut's maximum capacity is forty people). Most days I was there the hut custodian and I were the only people in the park. The hut shuts down at the end of September.

My night out in the storm was surprisingly comfortable. I spent the night in a space formed by two slabs of rock. One slab had fallen on the other and formed a tunnel shaped like an upside down V. It was the perfect size for a bivy sack and some gear. I walled up one end of the tunnel with boulders to keep the wind from blowing through the space and called it good. During the night I could hear the wind howling fiercely at times, but I was warm and dry, protected by a shelter of solid granite. I never thought I'd be so happy to be sleeping under some rocks.

I had seen many pika (a small rodent-like animal) in the area and had noticed that they used the spaces under boulders as shelters. I remembered the advice given in a wilderness survival book I had read a while back. If you are in an unfamiliar environment, observe how the local wildlife gets by and learn from them. Good advice.

Speaking of wildlife, I saw a lot of pika and squirrels. I also ran into a couple of ptarmigan, who's plumage was starting to turn white. The largest animal I saw was a beautiful snow white mountain goat, a ram. He definitely looked ready for winter. Besides having his full winter coat he looked pretty fat. He was lying down when I first saw him and seemed very reluctant to get up. He reminded me of Ann's chubby cat Samantha after she's had a meal. See the link for Bugaboo pictures.

After returning from the Bugaboos I stopped at some local hot springs and relaxed a bit. I next went to Golden, British Columbia to pick up a package. I hung out there for a couple of days before I got tired of being told that it had not arrived. I decided to spend a couple of days backpacking and hiking in nearby Yoho national park. I spent a night in a camp with a bunch of friendly Canadians and explored the area on foot, checking out valleys, lakes, and various passes. It snowed both days I was out. At times the snow was so deep that I had to wade through it, but it was fun to explore such a beautiful place. The park ranger who talked me into this particular area told me that the permits for it are typically reserved to capacity three months in advance. Since I was there at the end of the season I was able to get a permit the same day I hiked in. The pictures from the Yoho trip didn't come out too well but I uploaded a few to this link.

Currently I'm in Calgary. The van recently developed an electrical problem which prevents the windshield wipers and headlights from functioning. I was able to bypass a relay with some bailing wire and got the wipers to work. I thought I could do something similar for the headlights, but before proceeding further down that path I decided to stop listening to my inner third world mechanic. I figured I'd better have a real mechanic look at it before I short something out and burn down the van and everything in it. Luckily I found a VW specialist in Calgary. She was willing to get me in on short notice since I'm living in the van. She just called me and said that the ignition switch needs to be replaced. It should be ready later this afternoon. Meanwhile I've been cruising around Calgary on my bike. The weather's much nicer on this side of the mountains.

I had to stop at four DMVs (one in Washington and three in Idaho) but I managed to get a vehicle permit that's good until October 17th. I should have the replacement title by then. So far I've managed to avoid any jail time.

I'll post another update in a couple of weeks.

Finally leaving

Well, it's a drizzly morning in Corvallis, which must mean it's time to leave. The WRX hasn't sold and the van's legal work is still being processed, but I don't think my being here is going to help further with that stuff. First stop is the Bugaboos, a provincial park in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. It has some famous alpine spires that I'd like to see and maybe get on. Next stop is the Banff / Jasper area of the Canadian Rockies. Ann and I visited the area a couple of years ago and I'd like to explore more of the backcountry. The photos and descriptions I've seen of some of the routes in this area are pretty wild, but it also sounds like there are plenty routes which are within my ability.

My main concern is lack of familiarity with local weather patterns. I'll be packing good bivy gear (bivy sack and winter sleeping bag) and will be carrying extra clothing in case I have to wait out a storm. I'm guessing I could hole up for at least 3 straight days of stormy weather but I should be able to survive more than that. I'll be using a survival system which Jeff and I invented during our Ptarmigan trip. It's called "SLAP" for short. "S" is for "Stop", "LA" is for "Look Around", and "P" is for "Panic". Later on we shortened it to the "P" survival system. With my newly minted wilderness survival knowledge I should be fine.

If winter weather sets in I may bail early and head south. If the weather stays clear I'm planning on spending no more than 4 weeks in Canada before returning to the US. Of course, I may get distracted by something along the way and never even get to Canada.

I'll be driving up through central Oregon, eastern Washington, and the Idaho panhandle before crossing into British Columbia. I'll need to make some stops along the way at DMVs to look for ways to extend my temporary vehicle permit (the current one expires 9/22) and will likely also make some final gear / map / guide book purchases in Spokane. Assuming I don't get distracted too much I should be at a Bugaboo trail head by Sunday.

The house rental is going well as far as I can tell. No major surprises, but Chris has a good story about the dryer which you'll have to ask him about.

Since I stayed in Corvallis a bit longer than I had originally thought, I set up a web site for my sister's bakery business. It's not completely ready but here's the link to it: www.pattykakes.com. It was kind of fun to figure out how to put it together. The software they have for building web sites these days is pretty impressive, especially the professional grade stuff. There's still a lot of things that I'd like to be able to do but which I haven't figured how to do. My sister also has to do a few things before publicizing it more widely. My trip's composition should allow me time to work on it. It looks like my trip will have two main components: Stretches of time where I'm wandering around wilderness on foot or bike; Stretches of time when I'm recovering from the former. I figure when I'm recovering I can spend time helping my sister. Hopefully her business will do well.

I know some of you believe that there may also be a few sprinkles of time where I'll be sitting in a jail for not driving a fully legal vehicle. That possibility can't be ruled out. I'll have to hope that modern jails have wireless networks.

Thanks for all the well wishes from everyone. I leave you with this photo of Jeff on the sixth morning of the Ptarmigan trip. It'd been raining or snowing I think for the previous 40 hours or so, and we still had most of a long day and another half day to go. Jeff's starting to look less happy. Little did he know at the time that it would get much worse before getting any better.

Stay happy, wet or dry.

Next post will be when I leave Canada, or when it becomes more obvious to me that I'm not going there.

Ptarmigan traverse (kind of)

I'm back from my trip to the North Cascades. 6 1/2 days in rugged (lots of topographic relief) and remote country. The only other people we saw during our entire outing was on the first half of the first day. The route we took zigzagged up and down above tree line between 4000 and 8500 ft. It crossed several glaciers and countless boulder, scree, and snow fields. It wound through multiple alpine meadows and high passes. I'm not sure how much distance we covered, but we know that during the last 1 1/2 days we traveled 33 miles. I'm guessing based on this that the total length was something like 70 miles. The route was essentially a backpacking trip which required some technical climbing skills. We threw in a summit (Dome Peak) for grins. We were on the "official" Ptarmigan route only the first three days. We were making good time and decided to split off from the Ptarmigan route onto a different route on the fourth morning. We expected the route change to add a day to a five trip. We used ice axes, crampons, and sometimes a rope for glacier travel. On our fourth day we encountered a 35 meter pitch of mid grade technical rock which ended up being the crux of the entire outing. Our third camp site must have had one of the most beautiful vistas I've ever seen.

The weather was variable, everything from clear blue sunny skies to fog and snow. We spent a couple of days mostly in the rain. On our fifth day the visibility was especially bad. We had to revert to map and compass for navigation and despite that we often found ourselves bushwhacking. On the fifth night it poured rain and on the sixth day it snowed. Jeff's feet hurt so much at the end of the sixth day that I had to stop where he was and make camp around him. On the seventh day we found ourselves sitting down every few minutes to rest our weary bodies. I walked barefoot at times on the last day because the boots hurt my feet so much. We saw marmots, bears, and ptarmigans. On the fifth day we found cougar tracks in the snow going up and then down a steep 6800 ft pass.

Despite the unpleseantries, it's a trip which I would do again. I thought the same even as I was hobbling along on the last day. Every time we crossed over a pass we had a new vista. It seemed like each one was more beautiful than the last one. I found myself looking forward to the next pass, just to see what might be on the other side. I also learned some good lessons about navigation in bad weather.

It was great to have Wayne along. A native Washingtonian and a very capable rock climber, he's been coming to these mountains ever since he was a boy. He nailed the crux pitch of the whole trip, a slabby, dirty, 35 meter upward traverse that we almost abandoned. I learned a good bit from watching him. It's very clear that he loves these places.

Wayne outfitted us for the trip, determining what provisions to take. We brought what initially seemed like too much food. On the route we ate all the time, snacking frequently along with the three normal meals. We ate the kinds of things that doctors warn you about: cookies loaded with butter, lots of different kinds of nuts, pancakes, something like 10 different kinds of cheeses. Although we were mostly on the route when there was daylight, we had frequent breaks. In part this was to provide time for snacking. Jeff and I loved it. We called it the "slow and fat" climbing style. It turned out to be just the right amount of food.

Often we encountered meadows of wild blueberries. There was a patch at our third camp. Like hungry bears, the three of us had hunched over and moved about the patch picking and eating delicious blueberries. We never missed a chance to pick a few berries when our route took us through a patch and often ate them as dessert. There were lots of water sources so we didn't carry much water. We'd often take sips directly from the streams we crossed.

Despite all the gorging I lost weight on the outing. When you can pig out and still lose weight, that's a great trip. See some of the photos here.

The house is being turned over to the renters tomorrow. It's all set to go. The remaining problems are: 1) The WRX hasn't sold; 2) I still don't have permanent plates for the van. Jeff is going to store the WRX for now. If it doesn't sell soon I'm going to lower the price. Apparently the van's title holder lost the title and they have to get a replacement. My last temporary permit expires on 9/12 so I'm ok until then.

Ann and I are taking a labor day weekend trip to the John Day area in north central Oregon. I'll be back in Corvallis at least on Monday of next week. I'm not sure what after that. Much depends on the state of the remaining problems.

Spend it like you're jobless

I'm off the the North Cascades in northern Washington for a week. Jeff, his friend Wayne (who I haven't met) and I are planning a week long ridge traverse called the Ptarmigan traverse. We're also throwing in a few peaks which lie near our route. I've climbed in the North Cascades once before (Forbidden Peak) and really enjoyed it. Good rock (relatively speaking), long, sometimes technical knife edge ridges, lots of exposure, alpine meadows, glaciers, wildlife, and remoteness. It's an area that seems to have a lot of the things I like in a climb.

I'm looking forward to the trip but I'm also a bit concerned about how much suffering I'll be in for. In terms of fitness, based on my Olympus trip I think I'll be fine. However, it seems like I always have some kind of foot and/or joint problem, especially on longer treks. Jeff (and others) finally convinced me to buy some new boots. I think they believe that my footwear is part of the problem. I can't in all honesty disagree. In addition, the leather backpacking boots I took to Mt Olympus were completely soaked after a day on snow and ice.

After some searching, I ended up buying the same model boot Jeff bought last year, which he's been very happy with (best pair of boots he's ever had is what he said). The boots were pricey but they fit well. They're also quite light relative to my plastic mountaineering boots. They are designed for technical alpine climbing. "Alpine" in climbing parlance generally means highly varied terrain, so they should be versatile boots. Although they're not plastics they are supposedly highly waterproof (Jeff confirmed this with his experience). This means they should be good for snow and ice. My plastics are warmer and stiffer, but that shouldn't matter much given the types of things I'll likely be doing over the coming year. Jeff, Cliff and I did a one day trip using my new boots to a nearby peak (Three Finger Jack). They aren't going to work any miracles, but they did well for a new pair of boots.

Unfortunately the new boots don't work with my old crampons (the metal sandals you strap on to boots so you can climb ice). So, I had to get new crampons as well. My old crampons have failed me in some fashion three times this year (most recently twice on the Mt Olympus climb). The plastic boots I have were also getting pretty worn and are held together in part with duct tape. Maybe it was time for new climbing boots and crampons regardless of any foot / joint troubles.

As I mentioned in my last entry Jenny Davis found some good tenants for the house. She's done a great job, much better than what I would have done (yes, I know, that's not saying much). She thought of all kinds of things that I never would have even considered. Anyhow, if you ever need someone to manage your rental property give her a ring. It's been wonderful not having to worry at all about finding tenants. Now all I need to do is get out of the house.

The WRX is up for sale. $12,400 (blue book value) or best offer if anyone's interested. It's had regular servicing and I recently took care of some minor things. A very fun to drive yet practical and reliable car.

I got the van back from having a mechanic look it over. The only things they found were that the front brake pads were near their end of life and the front brake rotors were worn down pretty far. I went ahead and had the pads and the rotors replaced. Compression on all cylinders was good (within spec) and well matched. This indicates that the engine internals are in good shape. I'm getting the impression from various sources that I'll need to check the oil pretty regularly. It seems that these engines, even when they're in good condition, consume oil.

I almost forgot to mention the biggest expense of the week. I picked up a new laptop. HP kept my work laptop so I went out and bought one. I went with a small (13" screen) Apple MacBook. I used Apples in college, and also at NASA. Although I've gotten very used to Windows, I think Macs still have the best operating system on the market. The current OS is actually an open source Unix variant. It's a smart move on the part of Apple. Unix has always been known for its reliability and security. The fact that it's open source means that Apple saves a lot of money on expensive OS development. A nice bonus feature of the newer Macs is the ability to run Windows and Windows based applications natively.

That's it for now. Next entry will be once I'm back from the North Cascades.

Mt Olympus & Ho River

I'm back from my visit to Olympic national park in Washington. I went half intending to climb Mt Olympus, the highest point in the range. The summit is pretty remote, something like 20 miles and 7500 feet of elevation gain from the nearest parking lot. I spent the first day hiking in along the Ho River. Just the hike itself is very pretty. The trail runs through an old growth rain forest. Huge trees (some of the biggest in the world), moss, and all kinds of plants growing everywhere. It seems very primitive and ancient somehow. There are a number of impressive waterfalls and a crossing over a deep gorge along the trail.

The second day I headed out for the summit. I hadn't really seen much of the mountain until I got about a mile out from camp. I crested the top of a ridge of rubble and then I saw it. It was spectacular. The other side of the ridge dropped down steeply onto the Blue Glacier. Most of the glacier was bare, blue ice, with lots of crevasses. Further up the glacier were massive ice falls, flowing their way around pinnacles of rock 1000 ft or more in height. At the top of the ice falls was a relatively flat and very large snow field with more rock pinnacles sticking out the top. I figured one of them must be the summit. Unfortunately my camera decided not to work (I now own three non-functional digital cameras) so I didn't get any photos. Check out this link for other's photos of what I saw.

Crossing the glacier solo was a bit intimidating. It took some will to convince myself that each step would not result in my breaking through the roof of a crevasse and falling into its bottomless pit. Once I actually got on the glacier I felt better. Still, the thought of falling into a crevasse was something I had to keep beating back, sometimes before each and every step I took. Whether or not such fear was warranted I don't know. Some times I saw features in the ice which suggested I was overreacting but some times I saw features which suggested the opposite. I was constantly on the look-out for any signs of a weak surface, often poking with my ice axe to test surfaces before putting my weight on them. If nothing else it served to convince myself that I was being safe. Soon enough I was across the glacier and on to the next part of the climb.

The next part was a long, pleasant slog up relatively gentle snow slopes to the top of what is called Snow Dome (see photos at the link). The top of Snow Dome is a relatively flat snow field with multiple pinnacles poking out of it. I could understand now why Mt Olympus is properly referred to as a massif. Olympus is basically a huge mound of snow and ice with a few pinnacles of rock jutting out the top of it. It reminded me of some of the pictures I've seen of Antarctica. A landscape of snow with the occasional rock tower poking out. The valleys below had filled with fog making it easy to believe that everything below me was snow and ice. At some point during past ice ages it probably was.

The next phase of the climb involved crossing the snow field to reach the bottom of the pinnacle. Here I had a problem. I didn't know which pinnacle was the highest. I had brought some pages copied out of a guide book with me, but much of their route description didn't make sense to me. Access to the peak which looked to be the highest was blocked by bergschrunds (a type of large crevasse). It looked like I could cross a snow bridge over one of the bergschrunds, move through a narrow pass, and get around to the backside of the pinnacle. I was thinking that maybe the backside would offer better options.

After moving through the pass more pinnacles came into view. I was less sure that I had picked the tallest pinnacle now. I decided to stick with the original pinnacle. It didn't matter to me if it really was the summit or not. More slogging through the snow and I got to the base of the pinnacle. What I could see of the pinnacle looked rather technical and exposed. Here, as at the glacier crossing, I had to spend some time convincing (deluding?) myself into believing that it was safe to try the pinnacle. After getting within 100 feet of the top and trying various lines I decided to stop trying. The up climbing itself was not hard for me. My main concern was being able to climb down what I was going up. As with ladders and trees, down climbing is always harder than up climbing. I was carrying no rope so rapelling was not an option. After giving myself a few good scares I decided I had had enough and came down for good. By this time some clouds had moved in and completely obscured the view of the pinnacle. Somehow it made my abandonment of the pinnacle attempt easier to accept. I followed my path back down Snow Dome. On my way down I passed three climbers heading up. They were the only other people I'd seen since leaving camp.

Before reaching the edge of the Blue Glacier I stopped for a while and admired the view. I was at about the same level as the ice falls, where they flowed around some rock spires. It's always hard to convey the sense of scale which these landscapes generate when seen in person. They more than fill your field of view. Their sounds surround you completely. Here a giant sheet of ice fell, I'd guess over 1000 feet, to the Blue Glacier below. Within the flow of ice, and within the ice fall itself, stood giant (at least several hundred feet tall) rock spires. The spires were resistant to the ice's flow, yet over the eons the ice had carved and formed the rock into their current shapes.

Seeing such things makes it pretty clear that people, despite all of our achievements, are still very much at the mercy of good old mother nature. Any city in the world would be wiped off the map by a process of this scale, let alone the scales on which these processes currently operate at in places like Antarctica. The ice is like a giant pencil eraser acting on the surface of the earth. Once the eraser is done you can tell that something has been erased, but there's no clue as to what was there before.

All too soon it was time to start moving again. I noticed fog creeping up the glacier I was about to cross. At some point, while crossing the glacier, I was no longer able to see either edge of the glacier. In every direction there was just ice and fog. It was a bit creepy, kind of like losing sight of shore. It was too bad I had left the compass which the group of engineers I used to manage had given me back at my house. I continued on and reached the far edge. However, I couldn't find the trail back up the rubble pile. I couldn't even find the rubble pile. I zigzagged along the edge of the glacier, first downstream then upstream, at times trying to push further into the rocks. The visibility had gotten worse. A couple of times I had to beat back a sense of panic before I finally found the trail. It turns out I had initially landed just downstream of it. 30 minutes later I was back at camp and the idea of panic seemed silly. The next day I hiked back out the way I had come in.

The van and the modifications worked great. The gas gauge seems to be inaccurate, but not enough to make me fix it. I've decided to go ahead and add an inverter into the secondary power circuit. They're pretty cheap for my wattage needs and they include battery under / overcharging detection and protection circuitry. Of course, the best part is that they allow you to power anything that plugs into a standard wall socket.

I'm off for a couple of days to Crater Lake with a bunch of friends. I think most are biking around the lake. I haven't decided what I'll be doing but there are a lot of options in the area. Jenny has found some good tenants. The lease has been signed. I need to find out about the status of the WRX tomorrow. I expect to be mostly at home for at least the next week or so. Beyond that I can't say.

Vic

Van is ready

The van is ready for it's first trip. I installed a second battery to power the radio, interior lights, and anything connected to a cigarette lighter. The second battery is charged when the engine is running. I also bought a 12 watt solar cell array to help provide power on the secondary electrical power system. The bike rack has been installed and I figured out a way to connect my iPod to the car stereo. Most importantly, after spending half a day on it, I got a piece of paper which says I can legally drive the van. I still need to make a roof mount for the solar array, but I figure it's time for a trip. I'm going to head up to the Olympic mountains in Washington for a few days.

The house cleaning is going well. I'm to the point where I need to get the garage cleared up so I can store my stuff in there. Jenny Davis (Chris's wife) is doing a good job finding renters. Last I heard there's at least one party who definitely wants it.

The WRX is at the Subaru dealer to get some safety recall stuff fixed. After that it's off for a new windshield. The current one is cracked beyond what I think the legal limits are. I also ordered a new skid plate to replace the current one, which is all bent up. That's my third skid plate on this car.

I'll miss the WRX, especially when I'm puttering up some long steep mountain pass in an overloaded and severely underpowered van. It's a very fun car, especially for the money. Unfortunately it doesn't make sense to let it sit around for a year, so it's got to go. Ann thinks I'm selling it just to have a good excuse to buy a new car in a year.

I'll write another post when I get back from the Olympics.

More van photos here.

Its Friday!

Well, the time finally came. July 31st, about 4:00 PM. I left work to start a one year leave of absence from my engineering manager job. My plans are to travel western Canada, the US, and Mexico in a VW camper van for several months. I'll be visiting some people and taking plenty of time to wander the great outdoors.

Before I do that there's a few things I need to take care of. The van I'll be using is at my house but I'm making some modifications to it, mostly in the electrical power system. My friend Cliff came by today to do some final soldering work. I should have all the electrical connections complete tomorrow. I haven't burned down the van yet so I think the mods are going well.

The other thing the van needs is a license plate. It's a long story, but as a result of how I acquired the van I don't have the title yet. The lady at the Oregon DMV (Departmet of Motor Vehicles) said I needed a title to get plates or even just to get a temporary permit. However, Oregon's DMV web site said other things would work as well for the purpose of getting a temporary permit. I'm going to try again some time this week.

The last thing I need to do is get my house ready to rent and store my stuff. I've been cleaning up the place slowly over the past month or so. Next on my list is to finish cleaning the bathroom. After that I need to start packing stuff into my garage. While I do this I'm going to go through my stuff and get rid of some things. The plan is to wall off part of the garage and use it to store my things there. I've comitted to leaving the house no later than September 1st so I have all of August to get everything done.

I'll be taking some short trips in the American northwest during August as well. In this part of the world August is one of the nicest months of the year so I figure I should take advantage. Right now it looks like these short trips won't start for about another week. So, I think I'll be pretty focused on the house for the next few days.

Anyhow, that's it for now. By the next posting I should have the van completed and will add photos of it to this site.

Thanks for all the well wishes.

Vic