Walk #339: Can You Out Hike a 4th Grader?

Kylie (aged 9 and 3/4) was kind enough to hike down the Canyon with me today..

I showed her the bear track I found this morning...

And we hiked down to the bottom of the Canyon. Kylie said: "This is the best hike ever!"

Angel came along and had a swim in the Feather River...


And Grady, one of my neighbor's dogs, came along for a hike and a swim too!

We spent about an hour climbing the rocks on the bottom of the Canyon. We let the dogs swim. Had a rest...

And then we climbed the leg quivering, heart racing Canyon back to our home. Took 1 hour and 7 minutes to climb back up the Canyon. Not too bad, considering that the dogs ran off (doing doggy things and getting into some bear scat for a treat). Kylie was a trooper!

I told Kylie, as she huffed and puffed up the trail, that if you enjoy hiking, you will have one of the cheapest and most thrilling hobbies that you can enjoy throughout your whole life!

Walk #339: Black Tailed Deer and a Bear Track...part one

After the run...

Angel and I headed out this morning to do the Long Loop. My second day of running. We were rewarded for our due diligence with a nice view of a black tailed deer. A doe. She walked ahead of us as we ran down a hill; going up the other side of the hill, until she finally spotted us and bounded off...with her freak flag tail flying.

And when we got to the top of the second killer hill--a black bear track in the mud was our reward. I shall hike back later to get a photo of this. I've been looking for bear tracks since moving up here. It was nice to have this reward.

And my time? 39 minutes and 36 seconds. Almost a six minute improvement over yesterday. Hooray!

I take Angel with me as mountain lion bait. All the experts say that dogs attract mountain lion. I disagree--of all the mountain lion attacks over the last one hundred years in California, I cannot find one reference to there being a dog present during the attack. Besides, I like to think that Angel Chow is much better tasting than Allan Chow!

Walk #338: Or Waddle #1 and Consumer Militaristic Society

Time to get more serious about this training. Today I laced up my running shoes for the first time since 2005. I have many pounds of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Claret, Sangiovese and a few other varieties--to run off.

But we don't call it running. Or jogging. Those are much too dignified of terms for what I do. Now in my late forties, let's call it as we see it: Waddling.

Yup. I waddled.

The course. I have decided on two main staples to get into backpacking shape. The first one is the Canyon Hike. Did that yesterday. Today was my Long Loop.

When you live on a ridge, on a mountain, you can either go one of two directions: up or down (or down and then up). It is good terrain to get back into shape. The Long Loop consists of going down the ridge, with one deep plunge--followed by a killer hill; followed by yet another plunge--only to be beset with yet another killer hill and then a long, gradual incline back to the house.

I can walk the Long Loop in 60 to 65 minutes. It took me 45 minutes and 31 seconds to Waddle it.

And so now we have my base line times for both the Canyon Hike and the Long Loop. From here we shall monitor any improvement---and this should be a good indicator as to whether I can survive two very strenuous hikes in January.

Lest this blog become too aerobically oriented, let me quote from an e-mail exchange I'm having with a friend from high school that I have recently become reacquainted with. The subject is whether the United States is an empire or not.

.................................................................................................................

All politics isn't local. All politics are moral. Our worldviews shape our politics. And our environment, class, faith system, family and on and on--shape our worldviews. Even if you say you aren't political, you are.

My premise:

We live in a Consumer Militaristic Society. This is the best way to describe American Society since the Second World War. This is not a sustainable system and should be opposed on all counts.

This Consumer Militaristic Society has not led to happiness. In fact, the Earth cannot tolerate this type of society. Witness: global warming, species extinction, desertification and the like.

Since all politics are moral, we need a change in morality. A new world view that is opposed to the current Consumer Militaristic system (which seems to be cracking all on its own).

We need to bring back new values--amongst them are:

1. Egalitarianism.

2. A devotion to the right of all species to pursue happiness (both flora and fauna). Deep Ecology.

3. A total rejection of both hyper-consumerism and militarism.

This is the lens that I use to perceive the world...

Walk #337: The Canyon...

The path to the bottom of the Canyon.

Today I applied for a passport. I have a big trip planned for which I am desperately working on getting back into backpacking shape. More on the trip as we get into shape...

Step out my front door and you can take a path down to the bottom of the Feather River Canyon. I don't know exactly how deep it is. Some say 500 feet--others have said 1,500. So I'll split the difference and call it 750 feet deep. It is deep enough anyway.

The path that takes you down there is steep! Leg quivering, lungs bursting steepness! It took me exactly 45 minutes to hike to the bottom (at doggy sniffing pace). It took me 61 minutes and 28 seconds to hike back up. Back up the hill in Concow Death March fashion.

I have a ways to go to be ready for this planned hike in January (that requires a passport)!

Walk #336: Ibuprofen...

The older I get, the more I appreciate the wonders of Ibuprofen. Or Vitamin I, as Joni calls it.

With just two drugs, you can treat almost anything: Ibuprofen and Benadryl. Actually, at my age Aspirin might be a better choice...fewer cardiac risks.

But I needed the Ibuprofen. Take 800 mgs one hour before exertion. Then climb, run, walk, bike or build.

A walk with Angel on a sunny December day....

Walk #335: A Full Moon Walk...

Stepped on the scale this morning; down seven pounds...beginner's luck!

Worked all day and drove across the Sacramento Valley with a Full Moon on the rise. Home! Angel nosed me for a Full Moon walk; I obliged her.

A friend of mine celebrates each Full Moon with a "night hike". I like that idea. Full Moon hikes are rarely done and are terribly underrated.

Tonight the moon did a nice job of illuminating the walk. The air crisp and clean. Woodsmoke in the air. Fragrant! Exciting!

Walk #334: Mustard Blooming?

Napa Valley Mustard blooming on November 30th?

And the red, red leaves of a grape vine...

November 30th, and this is the earliest I have ever seen Mustard blooming. Calistoga has a week long event (The Mustard Festival) which is held in March. Joni tells me that early January is early for the Mustard plant. But November?!

Climate change?

After work, down to the library and a walk around my favorite (in town) vineyard. I stopped off at the optical store to 1. try and fix a broken pair of glasses (no, they don't weld itsy bitsy frames); and 2. to get my eternally crooked glasses straightened.

One of my imperfections is a set of ears that aren't symmetrical. One of these ears (and they seem to be getting bigger--and less effective--as I get older) is lower on my head than the other. It makes for some tricky fitting in the glasses department.

So why not get contacts? Because I will never, ever touch my eyes. Too clumsy to put the buggers in. And secondly, I like wearing glasses. I feel bookish. It adds an ornament to my face. I can hide behind them.

As for laser surgery? No way!