So there we were, sitting in our rafts at the pushoff point, waiting to begin our 3rd and final whitewater run of the day. A lady comes paddling up in her solo kayak, asking us if we saw her friend up river. Which is well and good, but what really struck me was her age. Judging by the lines on her face, she must have been well into her 60s, if not 70s. And here she was, kayaking class IV rapids on the Kern on a perfect summer day. When our guide complimented her on her sweet looking carbon fiber paddle, she said thanks, and that she got it for her birthday.
Can you imagine that birthday party?
Happy Birthday Gramma! We all chipped in a got you this insanely high tech paddle. It weighs less than air! We hope you like it!
Dude, if I ever get to the point where my grandchildren felt like I could get really jazzed over a carbon fiber paddle on my 65th birthday... I'd consider that a life lived.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
You Know What I Hate?
I hate bugs that come and bite you for no good reason.
So there I was standing by a stream, waiting for my friends to cross, minding my own business... when I experience what feels like a hot needle being jabbed into my pinky finger. I instinctively shook my hand like a spastic monkey, and saw something fly off out of the corner of my eye. So I wasn't exactly sure what it was. What I do know, is that now my left pinky is all red and puffy, and currently about double the size in volume of my right pinky.
I also know that I had done nothing to provoke that little son of a bitch, whatever it was. It just decided to come and ruin my day for no good reason.
Bastard.
So there I was standing by a stream, waiting for my friends to cross, minding my own business... when I experience what feels like a hot needle being jabbed into my pinky finger. I instinctively shook my hand like a spastic monkey, and saw something fly off out of the corner of my eye. So I wasn't exactly sure what it was. What I do know, is that now my left pinky is all red and puffy, and currently about double the size in volume of my right pinky.
I also know that I had done nothing to provoke that little son of a bitch, whatever it was. It just decided to come and ruin my day for no good reason.
Bastard.
Monday, May 5, 2008
You Know You Should Start Doing Some Pushups...
...when your shoulder muscles are sore after throwing a Frisbee only 39 times the day before.
So all day yesterday, I was wondering to myself, "Why the hell is my right shoulder sore?" I mean, it's not *sore* sore, but there's definitely something going on there. I began recalling all the activities I did the day before. Okay... there was that hike to the gold mine that required some rock hopping/scrambling, but that was mostly leg muscles. Then we pigged out on pastrami sandwiches at Langers. Then... ah, right. We played Frisbee Golf, or as my Canadian friend Dave likes to call it, "Disc Golf". Of all things, my shoulder is sore from playing Frisbee golf. And I know I only threw it 39 times because that was my score. 12 over par 27.
So all day yesterday, I was wondering to myself, "Why the hell is my right shoulder sore?" I mean, it's not *sore* sore, but there's definitely something going on there. I began recalling all the activities I did the day before. Okay... there was that hike to the gold mine that required some rock hopping/scrambling, but that was mostly leg muscles. Then we pigged out on pastrami sandwiches at Langers. Then... ah, right. We played Frisbee Golf, or as my Canadian friend Dave likes to call it, "Disc Golf". Of all things, my shoulder is sore from playing Frisbee golf. And I know I only threw it 39 times because that was my score. 12 over par 27.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
All or Nothing
During my monthly visit to the laundromat last week, I was struck by a sudden hankering for Indo fried rice from the Indonesian restaurant in the strip mall there. A peek in my wallet showed only $4. Dinner was going to be more than $4, and this place only took cash. So I continued walking down to the quickiemart next door.
Two $2 scratch tickets later, I was $50 richer.
The fried rice wasn't even that good.
Two $2 scratch tickets later, I was $50 richer.
The fried rice wasn't even that good.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
I Learned Something Today
So for most of March, I was coughing from my yearly bout with post nasal drip. In fact, I coughed so much, I strained my left rib muscles to the point where I couldn’t cough or breath deeply without it hurting. A lot.
Anyways, I was reading something yesterday...
And somewhere in there it claimed that it’s almost impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. There were several things on this list that I *could* do, so I thought this was kinda BS too.
Naturally, as I was about to sneeze today, I remembered this littlefactoid, and went for it.
I learned something today: Do not try to prove a stupid internet article wrong by sneezing with your eyes open with a strained rib muscle. Ooouch.
p.s. The stupid internet article was wrong.
Anyways, I was reading something yesterday...
And somewhere in there it claimed that it’s almost impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. There were several things on this list that I *could* do, so I thought this was kinda BS too.
Naturally, as I was about to sneeze today, I remembered this littlefactoid, and went for it.
I learned something today: Do not try to prove a stupid internet article wrong by sneezing with your eyes open with a strained rib muscle. Ooouch.
p.s. The stupid internet article was wrong.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
A Taste of Italy
So I was chatting with my co-workers today, and one of them mentioned gelato, which got me thinking...
Didn’t I read something in the LA Times about a gelato place that was supposed to be really good? Wasn’t it in Altadena? Being the type of food geek who emails himself whenever he comes across a nice food article, a quick search through gmail for "gelato" came up with one email, sent by me to me, exactly 1 year ago. In it was one simple link.
http://www.bulgarinigelato.com/index.html
There it is. Altadena. Only 10 minutes away from home. I’ll just swing over on the way back from work.
The gelato store is located in the corner of a little courtyard hidden in the back of a strip mall anchored by Rite-Aid. When you walk in, you’re greeted by one simple freezer filled with tantalizing flavors of gelato and sorbetta. After several minutes of indecision, I settled on 1 small scoop each of zabaglione (egg custard cream and Marsala wine), hazelnut, and pistachio.
Now I’ve had a lot of gelato and ice cream in my life, including Fosselmans, the LA gold standard for ice cream... this place ranks right up there. While Fosselmans knocks you out with good ’ol fashioned rich, creamy, delicious butterfat, Bulgarini seduces you with ethereal, yet intense flavors that can only come from primo ingredients. The gelato had this strange quality of tasting creamy without being creamy. It was very good. :)
As I was savoring my gelato, I walked around, reading the newspaper articles that were prominently featured throughout the store. I found out that the owner actually imports pistachio nuts from Italy in order to get the best flavors. Ironically, many Italian gelato places import cheaper California pistachios to save money. He must be doing something right, because the pistachio gelato was a winner. You’ve gotta try it.
After finishing my 3 scoops, I walked back to my car, knowing that forever more, I will not be able to drive home after an Echo Mountain or Inspiration Point hike without stopping by Bulgarini! On the way back down Lake Avenue, my mind must have still been in Italian mode because I remembered another something I read once a long time ago. Wasn’t there supposed to be an Italian market or something on Lake? There it was! Roma Market. In I go.
My first reaction? Wow! My senses were overwhelmed with all sorts of imported Italian food stuffs. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied a little deli counter with a bunch of meats and cheeses. I purposely veered away from that corner of the store, saving it for last. I knew if I went there first, I would be a goner!
As I walked through the store, I saw all sorts of vegetables, Italian wines, pastries, candies... literally anything you would ever need to make any Italian dish. Big packages of lady fingers and small tubs of mascarpone cheese. Visions of homemade Tiramisu danced in my head. Bottles of fine olive oil and balsamic vineger. Fresh loaves of olive oil bread. Bottles and cans of sardines and anchovies. Vacuum sealed bags of meatballs. Bags of homemade ravioli. Pastas of every shape and color. I could go on and on.
But let’s talk about the star of the store. The deli counter, and the very opinonated old Italian gentleman/proprietor who mans it. He’s a bit of the soup nazi type, if you know what I mean - but he means well.
Stand at the counter long enough, and look at anything even for a second, and Rosario will cut you a piece to try. I asked whether or not what he was shaving for one of the customers a few minutes ago was prosciutto (those of you who know me, know that I have a soft spot for this stuff), and he replied by shaving me a paper thin slice of translucent hammy heaven.
"Yes. Prosciutto. Not salty, no fat, like the store!", as he handed me the slice, which went directly into my mouth.
I was sold.
"A quarter pound of that please!"
As he began slicing more wafers of goodness, I started looking at the cheeses, thinking to myself, you know what goes well with prosciutto? Provolone.
Rosario must have read my mind, because the next thing he asked was,
"Do you want to try some cheese?"
Any remaining resistance left me as I heard myself say,
"Ya. I was thinking about some provolone?"
What he said next caused a paradigm shift in my cheesy world.
"What kind of provolone? I have mmanny different types. You want to try the best? Here, you try. It is aged 10 years."
You guys have seen provolone right? Round slices? Pasty off-white in color? A light smell? That was the extent of my familiarity with provolone.
Rosario pulls out a big ’ol half wheel of cheese. Thump! Carefully unwraps it. It’s the color of custard. He cuts me a small chunk to try. It was unlike any provolone I ever had. Nutty. Ever so slightly crumbly consistancy. Dissolved in your mouth.
One look at me tasting that cheese, and our deli-nazi began cutting me a big slice. Who am I to argue?
As I was ringing up my purchases, Rosario called out from behind the deli counter.
"You know what you’re missing? Some of that bread!"
I looked at the olive oil bread. That loaf was HUGE. I told him that I simply can’t eat that much. The lady picked three small rolls of some other type of bread instead. Looked about right to me.
1/4 pound of prosciutto
1/3 pound of provolone
3 small loaves of bread
$10. I’m gonna have a nice lunch tomorrow. :)
Didn’t I read something in the LA Times about a gelato place that was supposed to be really good? Wasn’t it in Altadena? Being the type of food geek who emails himself whenever he comes across a nice food article, a quick search through gmail for "gelato" came up with one email, sent by me to me, exactly 1 year ago. In it was one simple link.
http://www.bulgarinigelato.com/index.html
There it is. Altadena. Only 10 minutes away from home. I’ll just swing over on the way back from work.
The gelato store is located in the corner of a little courtyard hidden in the back of a strip mall anchored by Rite-Aid. When you walk in, you’re greeted by one simple freezer filled with tantalizing flavors of gelato and sorbetta. After several minutes of indecision, I settled on 1 small scoop each of zabaglione (egg custard cream and Marsala wine), hazelnut, and pistachio.
Now I’ve had a lot of gelato and ice cream in my life, including Fosselmans, the LA gold standard for ice cream... this place ranks right up there. While Fosselmans knocks you out with good ’ol fashioned rich, creamy, delicious butterfat, Bulgarini seduces you with ethereal, yet intense flavors that can only come from primo ingredients. The gelato had this strange quality of tasting creamy without being creamy. It was very good. :)
As I was savoring my gelato, I walked around, reading the newspaper articles that were prominently featured throughout the store. I found out that the owner actually imports pistachio nuts from Italy in order to get the best flavors. Ironically, many Italian gelato places import cheaper California pistachios to save money. He must be doing something right, because the pistachio gelato was a winner. You’ve gotta try it.
After finishing my 3 scoops, I walked back to my car, knowing that forever more, I will not be able to drive home after an Echo Mountain or Inspiration Point hike without stopping by Bulgarini! On the way back down Lake Avenue, my mind must have still been in Italian mode because I remembered another something I read once a long time ago. Wasn’t there supposed to be an Italian market or something on Lake? There it was! Roma Market. In I go.
My first reaction? Wow! My senses were overwhelmed with all sorts of imported Italian food stuffs. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied a little deli counter with a bunch of meats and cheeses. I purposely veered away from that corner of the store, saving it for last. I knew if I went there first, I would be a goner!
As I walked through the store, I saw all sorts of vegetables, Italian wines, pastries, candies... literally anything you would ever need to make any Italian dish. Big packages of lady fingers and small tubs of mascarpone cheese. Visions of homemade Tiramisu danced in my head. Bottles of fine olive oil and balsamic vineger. Fresh loaves of olive oil bread. Bottles and cans of sardines and anchovies. Vacuum sealed bags of meatballs. Bags of homemade ravioli. Pastas of every shape and color. I could go on and on.
But let’s talk about the star of the store. The deli counter, and the very opinonated old Italian gentleman/proprietor who mans it. He’s a bit of the soup nazi type, if you know what I mean - but he means well.
Stand at the counter long enough, and look at anything even for a second, and Rosario will cut you a piece to try. I asked whether or not what he was shaving for one of the customers a few minutes ago was prosciutto (those of you who know me, know that I have a soft spot for this stuff), and he replied by shaving me a paper thin slice of translucent hammy heaven.
"Yes. Prosciutto. Not salty, no fat, like the store!", as he handed me the slice, which went directly into my mouth.
I was sold.
"A quarter pound of that please!"
As he began slicing more wafers of goodness, I started looking at the cheeses, thinking to myself, you know what goes well with prosciutto? Provolone.
Rosario must have read my mind, because the next thing he asked was,
"Do you want to try some cheese?"
Any remaining resistance left me as I heard myself say,
"Ya. I was thinking about some provolone?"
What he said next caused a paradigm shift in my cheesy world.
"What kind of provolone? I have mmanny different types. You want to try the best? Here, you try. It is aged 10 years."
You guys have seen provolone right? Round slices? Pasty off-white in color? A light smell? That was the extent of my familiarity with provolone.
Rosario pulls out a big ’ol half wheel of cheese. Thump! Carefully unwraps it. It’s the color of custard. He cuts me a small chunk to try. It was unlike any provolone I ever had. Nutty. Ever so slightly crumbly consistancy. Dissolved in your mouth.
One look at me tasting that cheese, and our deli-nazi began cutting me a big slice. Who am I to argue?
As I was ringing up my purchases, Rosario called out from behind the deli counter.
"You know what you’re missing? Some of that bread!"
I looked at the olive oil bread. That loaf was HUGE. I told him that I simply can’t eat that much. The lady picked three small rolls of some other type of bread instead. Looked about right to me.
1/4 pound of prosciutto
1/3 pound of provolone
3 small loaves of bread
$10. I’m gonna have a nice lunch tomorrow. :)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Havasu Falls Trip Report
I went on my first backpack trip of the year last weekend. It was a Sierra Club bus trip to Havasu Falls, which is in the Havasupai Indian Reservation in the western part of the Grand Canyon. I first read about Havasu’s blue waterfalls in a magazine a couple of years ago. It instantly made my list of Places I Have To See, which was why I was pretty excited to finally get to go.
For those who don’t know, the falls are near Supai village, which is located deep inside a canyon with no automobile access. If I recall, they’re one of the last, if not the last, places in the United States where the Postal Service still deliver mail via pack mules. Visitors who wish to see the falls must get to the village either by foot, by mule, or by helicopter... with prices rising accordingly!
By foot...
By mule...
By heli!
Getting to the top of the canyon was a simple matter of falling asleep, and waking up. We left LA late Thursday night on a chartered bus, and arrived at the top of the canyon early the next morning. After saddling up our packs, we began our 10 mile hike down the face of the canyon, and then on to Supai village. It’s the ideal hike, actually. You walk down into the canyon loaded with food, and eventually walk back out with no food. Since it was only a 2 night trip, and since I didn’t need to store my food in a heavy bear canister like I would for a trip into the Sierras, I didn’t pay much attention to food weight, and pretty much packed whatever I felt like eating... within reason of course. :) Fresh fruit and juice boxes that are normally considered a luxury due to their water weight made the list. Even so, I didn’t go quite all out like a fellow packer who brought eggs, cheese, bacon, and made scrambled eggs for breakfast.
Backpacking tip 81
Make friends with the guy who brings fresh eggs on a backpacking trip.
When we finally got to Supai village, my first impression was, well... kinda depressing. Sad looking houses, many with pack mules grazing in the backyard. The Indians there do not look like they are very well off. It’s rather ironic that the very qualities that make their native home a natural paradise also severely limit the options that these folks have to sustain themselves. It looks like many of them run the pack mule service that brings visitors and/or their equipment in and out of the canyon. Others help run the 2 or 3 stores that cater to both natives and tourists.
One of them is a cafe that served fry bread. Many in our group tried it. Turned out to be a lightly salted flat piece of fried dough. Not bad actually. If they had covered it in powdered sugar like a funnel cake, then I woulda been all over it! The cafe also sold exactly 1 variety of very ugly t-shirt. I swear, they can really make some good money if they would only spend some time coming up some decent souveniers.
Half of our group checked into the lodge located in the village, while the other half hiked another 2 miles to the campgrounds. That’s right... even if you’re not the most outdoorsy guy or gal in the world, you can still ride a helicopter down into the village, stay in a hotel, and still get to experience some of the most amazing waterfalls in the world. But for me, camping along the creek under lush cottonwoods and falling asleep to the sound of running water was the better choice!
The creek by our campsite
After setting up our tents, we had happy hour (my contribution was a package of proscuitto and another package of pepperoni) and cooked our dinners. Then we all kinda just hung out, talking to around 9 or 10pm before people started heading back to their tents. The funny thing about backpacking... your schedule gets all messed up. I mean, normally, I go to bed at like 1am. Out in the woods, you run out of options real quick once the sun sets. There’s not much to do except to go to sleep. Plus, we had a long day tomorrow.
On Saturday, there was a 10 mile hike to go see Beaver Falls, one of the 4 waterfalls in Havasu. But the way I figure, I was gonna hike 10 miles back to the bus on Sunday anyways, so I didn’t feel the need to come all this way to waste 5 hours walking. I mean really. There were three perfectly fine waterfalls within a mile of our campsite!
A group of us went to see Moony falls first. It was the tallest and skinniest of the three falls I visited that day. The climb down to the base of the falls involved a series of tunnels, chains, ladders, and rocky cliff faces. Kinda fun, and kinda nerve wracking if you’re afraid of heights. I got there relatively early, before a lot of people arrived, and ended up just sitting there, staring at falling water for about half an hour. When others got there, we just played in the water and made silly poses for the cameras.
The climb down to Moony
Moony Falls
The Thinker @ Moony Falls
After Moony, we walked to Navajo Falls. This was my favorite one. It was not very tall, but it was spread out pretty wide, which made for a nice visual effect. There was a deep pool for swimming too. All the falls had deep pools, actually. Since we got to Navajo around noon, it was warm enough to go in the water, even in the middle of March. :) I can see how great it would be to come here in the middle of summer. It would be torture to hike in and out in that sun, but the swimming must be pretty awesome.
Navajo Falls
More Navajo
Relaxing
Finally, in the late afternoon, I went down to the biggest set of falls, Havasu Falls. By then it was getting kind chilly, so I decided I was done with water for the day. I should mention that due to the high levels of precipitating calcium carbonate that give these waters their distinctive blue color, travertine terraces form all along the edge of the base of the waterfalls, as well as along the entire length of Havasu Creek. So I walked along one of these terraces along the edge of the pool to this sunny area where the last rays of the day were hiding, and sunned myself until the sun set.
Havasu Falls
You can see the terraces here
It was a day well spent.
That night, I cooked up my dinner of ramen and a can of roasted eel. Sooo good. Turns out Asian markets are great places to shop for backpacking food. :) Went to bed early because we had to get up at 4:30am the next day to pack up and hike out.
The hike out was uneventful, except for the weather turning bad. Clouds, wind, and cold weather blew in just as we were leaving. Better than coming in one day earlier I suppose. With my pack practically empty, probably weighing only around 10 pounds total, I made good time through the first 8 miles. Then I got to the base of the cliff, looked up, and saw the heart sinking climb I would have to make to get to the top. I think it was a 2000 foot gain over 2 miles. Amazingly, the steady beat of Indian drums kept me on task throughout the climb. Turns out there were a group of Indians there that weekend, passing through Havasu on their walk from San Francisco to Washington DC to raise awareness of Native American issues.
When I got to the top, I was greeted by snow and wind. I made the mistake of only bringing my shorts, t-shirt, and wind jacket. So ya, I was freezing my ass off. One of the other backpackers lent me his fleece, which made a big difference as we all sat there, waiting for an hour for our bus to arrive. Thanks Jeremy!
Me in Jeremy’s fleece, freezing my ass off
As you can probably tell, I had a great time. If you ever get a chance, definitely try to go see these waterfalls. You’ll fall in love with them just as I have! :)
p.s. Did I mention that during the entire trip, we drank water from an honest to goodness spring? As in, water getting filtered through rocks and flowing out of the cliff face spring? As in, you don’t need to treat or boil this water spring? So tasty!
For those who don’t know, the falls are near Supai village, which is located deep inside a canyon with no automobile access. If I recall, they’re one of the last, if not the last, places in the United States where the Postal Service still deliver mail via pack mules. Visitors who wish to see the falls must get to the village either by foot, by mule, or by helicopter... with prices rising accordingly!
By foot...
By mule...
By heli!
Getting to the top of the canyon was a simple matter of falling asleep, and waking up. We left LA late Thursday night on a chartered bus, and arrived at the top of the canyon early the next morning. After saddling up our packs, we began our 10 mile hike down the face of the canyon, and then on to Supai village. It’s the ideal hike, actually. You walk down into the canyon loaded with food, and eventually walk back out with no food. Since it was only a 2 night trip, and since I didn’t need to store my food in a heavy bear canister like I would for a trip into the Sierras, I didn’t pay much attention to food weight, and pretty much packed whatever I felt like eating... within reason of course. :) Fresh fruit and juice boxes that are normally considered a luxury due to their water weight made the list. Even so, I didn’t go quite all out like a fellow packer who brought eggs, cheese, bacon, and made scrambled eggs for breakfast.
Backpacking tip 81
Make friends with the guy who brings fresh eggs on a backpacking trip.
When we finally got to Supai village, my first impression was, well... kinda depressing. Sad looking houses, many with pack mules grazing in the backyard. The Indians there do not look like they are very well off. It’s rather ironic that the very qualities that make their native home a natural paradise also severely limit the options that these folks have to sustain themselves. It looks like many of them run the pack mule service that brings visitors and/or their equipment in and out of the canyon. Others help run the 2 or 3 stores that cater to both natives and tourists.
One of them is a cafe that served fry bread. Many in our group tried it. Turned out to be a lightly salted flat piece of fried dough. Not bad actually. If they had covered it in powdered sugar like a funnel cake, then I woulda been all over it! The cafe also sold exactly 1 variety of very ugly t-shirt. I swear, they can really make some good money if they would only spend some time coming up some decent souveniers.
Half of our group checked into the lodge located in the village, while the other half hiked another 2 miles to the campgrounds. That’s right... even if you’re not the most outdoorsy guy or gal in the world, you can still ride a helicopter down into the village, stay in a hotel, and still get to experience some of the most amazing waterfalls in the world. But for me, camping along the creek under lush cottonwoods and falling asleep to the sound of running water was the better choice!
The creek by our campsite
After setting up our tents, we had happy hour (my contribution was a package of proscuitto and another package of pepperoni) and cooked our dinners. Then we all kinda just hung out, talking to around 9 or 10pm before people started heading back to their tents. The funny thing about backpacking... your schedule gets all messed up. I mean, normally, I go to bed at like 1am. Out in the woods, you run out of options real quick once the sun sets. There’s not much to do except to go to sleep. Plus, we had a long day tomorrow.
On Saturday, there was a 10 mile hike to go see Beaver Falls, one of the 4 waterfalls in Havasu. But the way I figure, I was gonna hike 10 miles back to the bus on Sunday anyways, so I didn’t feel the need to come all this way to waste 5 hours walking. I mean really. There were three perfectly fine waterfalls within a mile of our campsite!
A group of us went to see Moony falls first. It was the tallest and skinniest of the three falls I visited that day. The climb down to the base of the falls involved a series of tunnels, chains, ladders, and rocky cliff faces. Kinda fun, and kinda nerve wracking if you’re afraid of heights. I got there relatively early, before a lot of people arrived, and ended up just sitting there, staring at falling water for about half an hour. When others got there, we just played in the water and made silly poses for the cameras.
The climb down to Moony
Moony Falls
The Thinker @ Moony Falls
After Moony, we walked to Navajo Falls. This was my favorite one. It was not very tall, but it was spread out pretty wide, which made for a nice visual effect. There was a deep pool for swimming too. All the falls had deep pools, actually. Since we got to Navajo around noon, it was warm enough to go in the water, even in the middle of March. :) I can see how great it would be to come here in the middle of summer. It would be torture to hike in and out in that sun, but the swimming must be pretty awesome.
Navajo Falls
More Navajo
Relaxing
Finally, in the late afternoon, I went down to the biggest set of falls, Havasu Falls. By then it was getting kind chilly, so I decided I was done with water for the day. I should mention that due to the high levels of precipitating calcium carbonate that give these waters their distinctive blue color, travertine terraces form all along the edge of the base of the waterfalls, as well as along the entire length of Havasu Creek. So I walked along one of these terraces along the edge of the pool to this sunny area where the last rays of the day were hiding, and sunned myself until the sun set.
Havasu Falls
You can see the terraces here
It was a day well spent.
That night, I cooked up my dinner of ramen and a can of roasted eel. Sooo good. Turns out Asian markets are great places to shop for backpacking food. :) Went to bed early because we had to get up at 4:30am the next day to pack up and hike out.
The hike out was uneventful, except for the weather turning bad. Clouds, wind, and cold weather blew in just as we were leaving. Better than coming in one day earlier I suppose. With my pack practically empty, probably weighing only around 10 pounds total, I made good time through the first 8 miles. Then I got to the base of the cliff, looked up, and saw the heart sinking climb I would have to make to get to the top. I think it was a 2000 foot gain over 2 miles. Amazingly, the steady beat of Indian drums kept me on task throughout the climb. Turns out there were a group of Indians there that weekend, passing through Havasu on their walk from San Francisco to Washington DC to raise awareness of Native American issues.
When I got to the top, I was greeted by snow and wind. I made the mistake of only bringing my shorts, t-shirt, and wind jacket. So ya, I was freezing my ass off. One of the other backpackers lent me his fleece, which made a big difference as we all sat there, waiting for an hour for our bus to arrive. Thanks Jeremy!
Me in Jeremy’s fleece, freezing my ass off
As you can probably tell, I had a great time. If you ever get a chance, definitely try to go see these waterfalls. You’ll fall in love with them just as I have! :)
p.s. Did I mention that during the entire trip, we drank water from an honest to goodness spring? As in, water getting filtered through rocks and flowing out of the cliff face spring? As in, you don’t need to treat or boil this water spring? So tasty!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)