A Mountain to Climb

Kitsune · 12-30-2005, 12:51 PM

AP writer Calvin Woodward bicycled across the US and <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/12/30/biking.america.ap/index.html">has detailed his trip out in a well written article</a>.

So, since my job has me feeling down and I've been in a day-dreamy mood, lately, does anyone care to share their lofty goals or of any they've escaped on an adventure to attempt? Because escaping with a backpack to the Appalachian Trail seems worlds away from this bare office desk and future traffic-snarled route home.

seakdivers · 12-30-2005, 01:10 PM

Did you ever read "My Side of The Mountain"?

I always wanted to be that kid...... only in girl form.

wolf · 12-30-2005, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seakdivers

Did you ever read "My Side of The Mountain"?

I always wanted to be that kid...... only in girl form.

Me too.

Or Julie of the Wolves.

or to spend time with Rontu and Rontu-Aru on the Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Griff · 12-30-2005, 04:32 PM

Calvin is actually doing the one I want to do. I managed to get a promise from my 11 year old that we'd do it when she graduates from high school. Poor kid.

12-30-2005, 07:55 PM

Well, I kind of did that for 3 months in western Colorado when I camped alone beside the San Miguel River with my faithful cat, Traveler (may God rest his small soul, and may the creature who did Traveler in spend a very long sojourn in hell).

Anyhow, looked back on from a distance, it was an almost idyllic time in my life. Yeah, there were plenty of man eating mosquitoes; yeah I was in lion country and always built a big fire at dusk to scare them off (must have worked cuz here I still am); yeah, there were days of torrential non-stop rain when I feared the river would overflow its banks; yeah, I got pretty lonely sometimes; and sometimes my evening meal consisted of just a baked potato and a baked yam.

I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would end up doing something like that at age 51, but I did. It was drop dead beautiful where I was. The high peaks of the Weiminuche wilderness were to the south. A few miles down the road was the intersection with the dirt road which leads up to the top of the magnificent Uncomphahgre Plateau. I would drive up there sometimes toward twilight and watch the nighthawks come dive for moths in my headlights.

One evening toward dusk there was a giant hatch of flying ants. Every nighthawk and its brother came to share in the feast. There must have been easily 50 - 75 nighthawks swooping and diving over my campsight that evening. They paid me no attention at all and swooped so close to me that I could see the little bristles round their beaks and the lovely herringbone pattern of their feathers - as if each bird were wearing a solemn little business suit. I was filled with joy to be made a part of this incredible event. I felt that I, too, had become a nighthawk, dancing and soaring straight up in the warm summer evening toward the stars that were just beginning to come out. The birds had an uncanny accuracy - they came so close to one another with nary a collision, and I saw how they would sight in on an ant and snap it out of the air with the greatest of ease. After a while, I just laid down on the ground and watched, I was becoming so dizzy with it all!

Oh, there were so many other things, too! I never even thought of writing about those three months, but maybe I will someday. All, I can say is, if that's where your heart leads you, its never too late to go.

I emerged from those three months by the San Miguel with a self confidence that I can make it through the hardest of times and still find joy even in sorrow. And I now know what it is to fly with the night hawks...

PS And if you ever want to read a little known but truly wonderful book about that part of the world, do yourself a favor and buy a copy of Seasonal by Ed Engle. Its a lyric description of life in the out of doors in southwestern Colorado. Engle started off as a poet and is now an outdoors writer, Seasonal is his book that he wrote as he transitioned between the two writing styles. The book is pure poetry in eloquent prose form. You can still find it used at Amazon.com. LJ and Jinx, you guys would love that book!

barefoot serpent · 12-30-2005, 01:12 PM

or Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods

a season on the AT.

seakdivers · 01-01-2006, 03:05 PM

Well I got to do a little outdoorsy stuff this weekend, so I'm feeling a bit better.
We went to Kruzof Island, which has a large dormant volcano called Mt Edgecumbe. There are old abandoned logging roads covering the island, and lots of people from town load their bikes up in boats and head over to ride.
We stayed at the cabin on North Beach, which is only accessable by hiking or atv. You can't get there by boat because the surf is too powerful. You can see the mist/ spray from the waves in the picture of my son.
The second picture was all of us shaking our heads and being amazed that we made it through Iris Meadows at high tide - we almost didn't make it across. (I'm the goofy looking little head on the far right).
It was a blast, but I am soooo sore!!

12-30-2005, 12:51 PM	#1
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	A Mountain to Climb AP writer Calvin Woodward bicycled across the US and <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/12/30/biking.america.ap/index.html">has detailed his trip out in a well written article</a>. So, since my job has me feeling down and I've been in a day-dreamy mood, lately, does anyone care to share their lofty goals or of any they've escaped on an adventure to attempt? Because escaping with a backpack to the Appalachian Trail seems worlds away from this bare office desk and future traffic-snarled route home.

12-30-2005, 04:32 PM	#4
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Calvin is actually doing the one I want to do. I managed to get a promise from my 11 year old that we'd do it when she graduates from high school. Poor kid. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

12-30-2005, 07:55 PM	#5
marichiko Guest Posts: n/a	Well, I kind of did that for 3 months in western Colorado when I camped alone beside the San Miguel River with my faithful cat, Traveler (may God rest his small soul, and may the creature who did Traveler in spend a very long sojourn in hell). Anyhow, looked back on from a distance, it was an almost idyllic time in my life. Yeah, there were plenty of man eating mosquitoes; yeah I was in lion country and always built a big fire at dusk to scare them off (must have worked cuz here I still am); yeah, there were days of torrential non-stop rain when I feared the river would overflow its banks; yeah, I got pretty lonely sometimes; and sometimes my evening meal consisted of just a baked potato and a baked yam. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would end up doing something like that at age 51, but I did. It was drop dead beautiful where I was. The high peaks of the Weiminuche wilderness were to the south. A few miles down the road was the intersection with the dirt road which leads up to the top of the magnificent Uncomphahgre Plateau. I would drive up there sometimes toward twilight and watch the nighthawks come dive for moths in my headlights. One evening toward dusk there was a giant hatch of flying ants. Every nighthawk and its brother came to share in the feast. There must have been easily 50 - 75 nighthawks swooping and diving over my campsight that evening. They paid me no attention at all and swooped so close to me that I could see the little bristles round their beaks and the lovely herringbone pattern of their feathers - as if each bird were wearing a solemn little business suit. I was filled with joy to be made a part of this incredible event. I felt that I, too, had become a nighthawk, dancing and soaring straight up in the warm summer evening toward the stars that were just beginning to come out. The birds had an uncanny accuracy - they came so close to one another with nary a collision, and I saw how they would sight in on an ant and snap it out of the air with the greatest of ease. After a while, I just laid down on the ground and watched, I was becoming so dizzy with it all! Oh, there were so many other things, too! I never even thought of writing about those three months, but maybe I will someday. All, I can say is, if that's where your heart leads you, its never too late to go. I emerged from those three months by the San Miguel with a self confidence that I can make it through the hardest of times and still find joy even in sorrow. And I now know what it is to fly with the night hawks... PS And if you ever want to read a little known but truly wonderful book about that part of the world, do yourself a favor and buy a copy of Seasonal by Ed Engle. Its a lyric description of life in the out of doors in southwestern Colorado. Engle started off as a poet and is now an outdoors writer, Seasonal is his book that he wrote as he transitioned between the two writing styles. The book is pure poetry in eloquent prose form. You can still find it used at Amazon.com. LJ and Jinx, you guys would love that book! Last edited by marichiko; 12-30-2005 at 08:05 PM.

01-01-2006, 03:05 PM	#7
seakdivers Icy Queen Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Southeast Alaska Posts: 700	Well I got to do a little outdoorsy stuff this weekend, so I'm feeling a bit better. We went to Kruzof Island, which has a large dormant volcano called Mt Edgecumbe. There are old abandoned logging roads covering the island, and lots of people from town load their bikes up in boats and head over to ride. We stayed at the cabin on North Beach, which is only accessable by hiking or atv. You can't get there by boat because the surf is too powerful. You can see the mist/ spray from the waves in the picture of my son. The second picture was all of us shaking our heads and being amazed that we made it through Iris Meadows at high tide - we almost didn't make it across. (I'm the goofy looking little head on the far right). It was a blast, but I am soooo sore!! Attached Images

12-30-2005, 01:10 PM	#2
seakdivers Icy Queen Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Southeast Alaska Posts: 700	Did you ever read "My Side of The Mountain"? I always wanted to be that kid...... only in girl form.

12-30-2005, 01:12 PM	#6
barefoot serpent go ahead, abbrev. it Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lawrence, KS Posts: 2,623	or Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods a season on the AT.

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