Bezabor: (posted from home)
Friday, February 10-
I had my head examined today. People have suggested this to me in the past and I ignored them but today seemed like a good day for it. Actually, I was just doing some follow up from my annual physical. I’ve historically had problems with recurring sinus infections and my doctor suggested we have a CT scan done to see if I have any blockage. The scan went quickly and results will be sent to my doctor so I won’t know anything for a few days.
After the scan I decided to go check out the Bass Pro Shops store in Harrisburg. I’ve never been there and just wanted to see what they have. It’s much like Cabela’s— mostly second-tier equipment and clothing. Too much Columbia and RedHead, too much like Dick’s and Gander Mountain. But I did manage to snag a couple of bargains. I like the very lightweight nylon outdoors/fishing pants with zip-off legs. Columbia has now gone completely nuts and charges $55 for their PFG (Peformance Fishing Gear) version, and those still go for $40 a pair on sale. But Bass Pro has good ones for $20 and they have more selection of leg lengths. So I bought three pairs plus two on-sale shirts.
This evening I’ve been catching up on the blog entries and I finished watching the lightweight backpacking video and talked with Labashi by phone.
Thursday, February 9-
With my late night last night, I didn’t get up until mid-morning (ain’t retirement wunnerful?). I watched some of the lightweight backpacking video (I like it!) and then took the bike to Rocky Ridge for a two-hour walk. I took much the same route as my last Rocky Ridge hike and again enjoyed some off-trail hiking among the big rocks and thicker vegetation in the more remote end of the park. And once again I found a skull lying in the leaves—in fact two of them (in two different places). They were somewhat smaller than the last one and the lower jaw bones were separated from the rest of the skull.
I tried a different clothing combination on this hike, hoping to address my getting a little cold last time. But I was once again chilled by my own sweat as I transitioned from the heavier work of off-trail hiking while walking downwind to easier trail walking into an oncoming wind as I returned to my bike.
I’ve also started a new book—“The Closers” by Michael Connelly—detective Harry Bosch stuff.
Wednesday, February 8-
It’s another colder, windy, cloudy day today. But I had a special treat. I took Mocha Joe to Willamsport to attend a Sierra Club presentation called “Through a Photographer’s Eye” with Lynne Wheldon. I knew of Lynne from my earlier interest in lightweight backpacking and in long distance hikers. He has done a series of videos about backpacking and his program about his experiences making those videos. The program wasn’t to start until 1930 but I wanted to explore the area so I left around noon and that put me up there around 1500. I toured the city and then went to Montoursville to visit an outdoors shop. Then I toured some more and ended up at Wegman’s, a food store with specialty foods which is supposed to be coming to our area. After checking out Wegman’s, I realized that I was only two blocks or so from the brewpub where the program was to be so I just read the brochures I had picked up, then went to the brewpub for supper. The brewpub is called Bullfrog’s and was very nice; I had some brewpub-brewed root beer and a tasty bleu burger, then headed upstairs to the presentation. Lynne was a very interesting presenter and I enjoyed both the samples of his films and his humorous comments. I had bought his instructional video about thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (via Ebay, if I remember correctly) back in 2002 and tonight bought his DVD titled “Lightweight Backpacking Secrets Revealed”.
I had planned to camp overnight in the area that night and toward that end had used Google to find a year-round campground a few miles below Williamsport. But as I had driven up in the afternoon I had passed a Wal-mart and thought I’d park there free for the night instead. But the program ended at 2130 and as I headed south toward the Wal-mart, I realized I was making really good time with the roads so empty and decided to just go on home and got home by midnight.
Tuesday, February 7-
Today’s another in a string of colder, partly cloudy days with lows in the mid-twenties and highs in the mid-thirties—somewhat colder weather than we had throughout January. I rode the Concours to Boyd Big Tree Area, a newer state park above Harrisburg. I had been there once before and had spent most of the time on the east end of the park so this time I went west. I was a little under-dressed for the windy day so jogged a bit to warm up but since the park lies on the side of a mountain, it wasn’t long before I was unzipping layers while huffing and puffing uphill. I had explored the blue-blazed Creek Trail and then the Coach Trail where I branched off onto an unmarked trail leading below the talus slope at the ridge of Blue Mountain. I came to some fluorescent pink ribbons and saw that they led toward the top of the ridge so followed them. This was one of those slopes where you can barely stand up due to the steepness of the slope but so long as I took my time it was not a problem. And it was not problem to take my time because all I could do was take fifteen or twenty steps and then stop to try to catch my breath. But it was only a few hundred feet of vertical rise so didn’t really take that long. And once on top it was worth the climb. I had suspected there was a ridge-line trail or jeep road there because I had been on a ridge-top trail far to the east on my last visit to this park. The string of ribbons led me to a mountain-top campsite and it lay beside a jeep road. I followed the jeep road west and it eventually led me to a large antenna farm and the most spectacular view I’ve seen in this area. The valley and river below were absolutely stunning and I had the good fortune for the sun to break through the clouds right then and make it even better.
I followed the ridge-top road back to the campsite and kept going on the jeep road—I figured it would connect with the ridge-top trail I had been on last time and it was only another quarter-mile or so before that happened. Then it was an easy and fast downhill walk on the Jamie Trail back to the bike, making it a two-hour hike.
That evening I watched “The 40-year-old Virgin”. With Labashi still out of town I’m trying to pick movies she wouldn’t care to see and a silly movie like that would be one of them. She didn’t miss much.
Friday, February 10-
I had my head examined today. People have suggested this to me in the past and I ignored them but today seemed like a good day for it. Actually, I was just doing some follow up from my annual physical. I’ve historically had problems with recurring sinus infections and my doctor suggested we have a CT scan done to see if I have any blockage. The scan went quickly and results will be sent to my doctor so I won’t know anything for a few days.
After the scan I decided to go check out the Bass Pro Shops store in Harrisburg. I’ve never been there and just wanted to see what they have. It’s much like Cabela’s— mostly second-tier equipment and clothing. Too much Columbia and RedHead, too much like Dick’s and Gander Mountain. But I did manage to snag a couple of bargains. I like the very lightweight nylon outdoors/fishing pants with zip-off legs. Columbia has now gone completely nuts and charges $55 for their PFG (Peformance Fishing Gear) version, and those still go for $40 a pair on sale. But Bass Pro has good ones for $20 and they have more selection of leg lengths. So I bought three pairs plus two on-sale shirts.
This evening I’ve been catching up on the blog entries and I finished watching the lightweight backpacking video and talked with Labashi by phone.
Thursday, February 9-
With my late night last night, I didn’t get up until mid-morning (ain’t retirement wunnerful?). I watched some of the lightweight backpacking video (I like it!) and then took the bike to Rocky Ridge for a two-hour walk. I took much the same route as my last Rocky Ridge hike and again enjoyed some off-trail hiking among the big rocks and thicker vegetation in the more remote end of the park. And once again I found a skull lying in the leaves—in fact two of them (in two different places). They were somewhat smaller than the last one and the lower jaw bones were separated from the rest of the skull.
I tried a different clothing combination on this hike, hoping to address my getting a little cold last time. But I was once again chilled by my own sweat as I transitioned from the heavier work of off-trail hiking while walking downwind to easier trail walking into an oncoming wind as I returned to my bike.
I’ve also started a new book—“The Closers” by Michael Connelly—detective Harry Bosch stuff.
Wednesday, February 8-
It’s another colder, windy, cloudy day today. But I had a special treat. I took Mocha Joe to Willamsport to attend a Sierra Club presentation called “Through a Photographer’s Eye” with Lynne Wheldon. I knew of Lynne from my earlier interest in lightweight backpacking and in long distance hikers. He has done a series of videos about backpacking and his program about his experiences making those videos. The program wasn’t to start until 1930 but I wanted to explore the area so I left around noon and that put me up there around 1500. I toured the city and then went to Montoursville to visit an outdoors shop. Then I toured some more and ended up at Wegman’s, a food store with specialty foods which is supposed to be coming to our area. After checking out Wegman’s, I realized that I was only two blocks or so from the brewpub where the program was to be so I just read the brochures I had picked up, then went to the brewpub for supper. The brewpub is called Bullfrog’s and was very nice; I had some brewpub-brewed root beer and a tasty bleu burger, then headed upstairs to the presentation. Lynne was a very interesting presenter and I enjoyed both the samples of his films and his humorous comments. I had bought his instructional video about thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (via Ebay, if I remember correctly) back in 2002 and tonight bought his DVD titled “Lightweight Backpacking Secrets Revealed”.
I had planned to camp overnight in the area that night and toward that end had used Google to find a year-round campground a few miles below Williamsport. But as I had driven up in the afternoon I had passed a Wal-mart and thought I’d park there free for the night instead. But the program ended at 2130 and as I headed south toward the Wal-mart, I realized I was making really good time with the roads so empty and decided to just go on home and got home by midnight.
Tuesday, February 7-
Today’s another in a string of colder, partly cloudy days with lows in the mid-twenties and highs in the mid-thirties—somewhat colder weather than we had throughout January. I rode the Concours to Boyd Big Tree Area, a newer state park above Harrisburg. I had been there once before and had spent most of the time on the east end of the park so this time I went west. I was a little under-dressed for the windy day so jogged a bit to warm up but since the park lies on the side of a mountain, it wasn’t long before I was unzipping layers while huffing and puffing uphill. I had explored the blue-blazed Creek Trail and then the Coach Trail where I branched off onto an unmarked trail leading below the talus slope at the ridge of Blue Mountain. I came to some fluorescent pink ribbons and saw that they led toward the top of the ridge so followed them. This was one of those slopes where you can barely stand up due to the steepness of the slope but so long as I took my time it was not a problem. And it was not problem to take my time because all I could do was take fifteen or twenty steps and then stop to try to catch my breath. But it was only a few hundred feet of vertical rise so didn’t really take that long. And once on top it was worth the climb. I had suspected there was a ridge-line trail or jeep road there because I had been on a ridge-top trail far to the east on my last visit to this park. The string of ribbons led me to a mountain-top campsite and it lay beside a jeep road. I followed the jeep road west and it eventually led me to a large antenna farm and the most spectacular view I’ve seen in this area. The valley and river below were absolutely stunning and I had the good fortune for the sun to break through the clouds right then and make it even better.
I followed the ridge-top road back to the campsite and kept going on the jeep road—I figured it would connect with the ridge-top trail I had been on last time and it was only another quarter-mile or so before that happened. Then it was an easy and fast downhill walk on the Jamie Trail back to the bike, making it a two-hour hike.
That evening I watched “The 40-year-old Virgin”. With Labashi still out of town I’m trying to pick movies she wouldn’t care to see and a silly movie like that would be one of them. She didn’t miss much.
posted by Bezabor&Labashi | 21:54
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