Back Home in Humboldt

Just returned from a spectacular trip back to the northern California homeland! No overnight camping on this trip, but plenty of scenic, outdoorsy daytrips to familiar spots. The best part was sharing it all with my wonderful travel companion (that would be the same, aforementioned, cute and capable mountain tour-guide mentioned here... it was only fair I return the favor)!

Here are a few memories from the journey...

Crossing the bay bridge enroute to the Golden Gate...many hours south of the true *Northern* California!

Towering redwoods in Sequoia (sempervirens) Park...

...along with a family of turtles

Foggy coastline and empty beaches, near Trinidad

Patrick's Point State Park...with fog...

...and without!

A local (spotted) banana slug

Redwoods meet the coast near Agate Beach

Agate Beach...

...home of...plentiful agates...

...and nice sunsets (at least twice a year)!

A cormorant sea and air show, along Humboldt Bay

Our final morning, at Samoa Dunes

Secret Spot

Took a quick overnight to the secret spot, where I had another epic wildlife encounter...

Another great secret spot sunset, this time with a "finger cloud" and a crescent moon

A couple hours after watching this beautiful sunset, I was off in the woods taking care of (and minding my own) business (thank you) when I was stalked by a wild mountain lion. From the journal:

"my headlamp caught a pair of eyes reflecting back at me about 30' away. I figured it was a deer, and made noise to scare it off. It kept staring at me. I could tell by the way it slinkily moved that it was not likely a deer. I clapped and yelled, but it just kept pacing behind a bush. I could make its shape out now...cat-like but too large for a bobcat. Maybe 70 lb...small for a mountain lion! I chucked a big rock at its face, and it slinked to the side. A second rock finally scared it off into the bushes. The whole thing was pretty nuts. I figure maybe a young lion who really doesn't know people too well, and/or was confused by the bright light of the headlamp."

I sure do seem to attract the wildlife...

Baden-Powell Thunderstorm

Came up the Angeles Crest this morning for a summit attempt at Mt. Baden-Powell via the Dawson Saddle route. There was beautiful, higher elevation terrain with many pine trees, and views north to the Mohave.

Nice view. However, note ominous, dark clouds

I had gotten a late, mid-morning start, knew there was a chance of thunderstorms, and saw some clouds over the peak in the distance. Perhaps against my better judgment, I proceeded anyhow...

Enroute south toward the PCT

All was well as I hit the long, east-west ridgeline traversing toward Baden-Powell past Mt. Burnham. Climbing a short switchback around 9000', I heard a single rumble of thunder, at which point I should have immediately turned around. Again, against my better judgment, I continued, saying "hmm, that was only one very isolated thunderclap." Bad wilderness decision.

About half an hour later, just short of the summit, along the lonely, isolated ridgeline, a righteous thunderstorm arrived, throwing down lightning bolts all around me at an alarmingly high frequency.

Good spot to be in a thunderstorm? Not so much.

Having just that morning reviewed the NOLS lightning safety guidelines, I cursed myself for being an idiot, then set about making the best of a bad situation. I had open ridgeline for a mile or so in either direction. The only real option was to traverse down the north slope of the ridge, seeking relative safety amidst relatively smaller trees. I found a spot in a small gully, and assumed the lightning position, hoping for the best.

Assuming the "lightning position" amidst a clump of smallish trees

It was a pretty intense hour or so as I waited out the storm. When the interval between thunderclaps grew back to 5min or so, I beat a swift retreat back to safety, abandoning my summit attempt, but grateful for lessons learned and the opportunity to try again another day.

Time Lapse

I came across a couple great nature time-lapse videos today. The first, passed along from my friend Joe, features the desert southwest. I find the starry sky shots especially mesmerizing.



Joe's comment, which I can't improve on:

"Sometimes wish there was a timelapse button on life, not that I want to make the moments pass faster, just so I could see water that smooth and the stars spin."

And the second, courtesy of the Patagonia Cleanest Line blog, featuring, well, Patagonia:



Inspiration, found. Aloha.

Quiet Night @ the Secret Spot

Solitude restored at the secret spot...just had to go on an off-night.


Just a few more weeks until a trip to the Pac NW homeland...

Hey....Bear

Photo: LA Times

Mama Grizzly fatally mauls hiker in Yellowstone

Yikes!

Farewell Uncle Dick

Somebody Can't Keep a Secret...

So, cruised up on Saturday for a quick getaway at the ol' Secret Spot. I kinda knew it would be a test of its secretiveness, being a Saturday in the summer and all. Sure enough, upon arrival I found three sets of campers already set up, with four tents between them, a veritable mob by secret spot standards. Someone had even brought children. GASP!

Undeterred, I employed the Super Secret Solitude Strategy (henceforth to be known as the S-Quad), and proceeded up the mountain. Along the way, I ran into Bambi and her mother:


Soon I had arrived at a very acceptable spot for the night, where I took a picture of this sunset:

It's not as good as this one, but let's be honest, what is?

Now then, technically speaking, I wasn't allowed to camp here. But, technically speaking, I was camped back at the secret spot, and since technically speaking I didn't have a camp stove, didn't want a campfire, and had securely strung the rest of my belongings (including my tent) up in a nearby tree...


...technically speaking, I wasn't camping. I was just having a long night of stargazing. I'm not gonna lie, I was mildly concerned about the bear coming to visit, a rattlesnake slithering up in my business, and/or a wild band of coyote vagabonds stumbling upon me, mistaking me for a giant roadrunner, and exercising their much-deserved revenge. But...none of that happened, I had a relaxing night, and the worst of it was a mildly annoying attack from the spineless mercenaries of insecta. Hey biting flies, what's your frickin' deal anyhow?

Camp Stargazing Site

Buried deep in the safety of my cocoon, I slept soundly and awoke early at first light...


...with dawn bringing a very pretty, shadowed, hazy scene of the distant mountains:


Success? Success. Aloha.

ColoRADo

Had an amazing Colorado mountain trip following my visit to the 2011 ACSM national conference in Denver! Here's a brief photo-journal:

Despite the fact that Colorado's state animal is the Bighorn Sheep, I found bear images to be ubiquitous. Here's the biggest bear I've ever seen, trying to get into the conference to see my poster...


First thing after the conference, my exceptionally cute and capable mountain tour-guide took me up to St. Mary's Glacier, elevation 10,700'.


There was plenty of snow, so we proceeded to build this snow-(wo)man.


Exhausted from our efforts (and a raucous, hypoxic snowball fight), we stopped for lunch at Beau Jo's, whose "Mountain Pies" - with the possible exception of the legendary family deep dish - might just be the best pizza there is.


...plus there's a sweet waterfall across the street.


The nearby "buffalo herd overlook," while evidently quite popular, made me a little unsettled based upon prior experience.

The next day I cruised up to Rocky Mountain National Park, where I was welcomed by this not-so-shabby view at the Glacier Basin campground.


Glacier Basin camp

After a brief hike to nearby Bierstadt Lake, I found another decent photo-op...


...and enjoyed the sunset view with this she-moose who was grazing on lake grass.


The next day I did some more mountain lake exploration. On the way, a photogenic ground squirrel posed near Alberta Falls.


Above 9,000', there was plenty of snow. I'd characterize some of it as "unstable."


"The Loch," elevation 10,100', was about halfway frozen.



I continued routefinding up to ~11,400', near the top of the drainage, in search of a higher lake called "Sky Pond." I never found it, perhaps because it was still buried in snow.

Later on, however, I visited Dream Lake (elevation 9,900'). It was pretty.


...and since it was called "Dream Lake," I figured I'd take a nap.


Meanwhile back at camp, some elk cows were hanging out, having a graze. Later on they came by to admire my evening stretching routine.


The third day I decided to summit a mountain and check out some scenery. This one (Twin Sisters) looked good...


This was the view looking west from the summit (11,428') toward Long's Peak.


While I was enjoying the view, this yeller-bellied, sap-suckin' varmit tried to jack me for my trail mix. Not a chance, marmot!


The view was rad (click here for a sweet, 360-degree panorama), so I stayed for a while.


Driving back toward camp, I stumbled upon a couple big, bull elk grazing in a farmer's pasture.


To finish off the day, I took a quick hike to "Twin Owls," a popular rock-climbing spot.


I didn't do any climbing, but instead sat back and took in this spectacular sunset over the mountains.


Later that night, a massive thunderstorm came through, reminiscent of an evening at King's Canyon last October.

Driving out toward the west side of the park on my last day, I took note of water levels in the streams, sure to rise as the past winter's massive snowbase melts away...


At 12,000', there was still 12-15' of snow along the side of the road.


I took a little while to explore the alpine tundra, which was decidedly windy, cold, and un-June-like...


...and came across this obviously lost elk cow wandering the frozen ground...

Word to the wise: very nice lakes with ample vegetation and big-horned bucks 3000' below!

Despite the cold, I enjoyed the view west to the Never Summer Mountains...


...and paused briefly for a photo at the continental divide.



Though I don't have photos to prove it, I also took a brief trip down to "The Springs," where I visited the Garden of the Gods and took in beautiful views of Pike's Peak. Back north, I enjoyed checking out Golden, and the views from Lookout Mountain, in the Rocky foothills.

All in all, a spectacular first outdoor trip to the great state of Colorado. It reminded me of other places in the west, especially Utah and Idaho (and particularly the Sawtooths), yet was uniquely endearing and appealing in its own way. I can't wait for my next opportunity to go back!

Aloha.