Sep 30

The five afflictions include avidya, asmita, raga, dvesha, and abinivesha, that is, ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion, and fear of death.  All of them are rearing their heads for this upcoming trip. 

What is appropriate clothing?

Will they like me?

The big suitcase is a requirement for all my belongings.

Not curry again!

What if I don't make it back to this blog?

Sep 29

One last rose blooms on the rosa rugosa before frost.

I am packing to go half way around the globe where it is 85 degrees, where the colors of autumn are in the tunics and saris instead of the leaves, where there are people on every corner like rocks in the mountains, where everything red and gold is sold for ten rupees, where there is still open ground to be broken to build a shrine for peace, health and good fortune.

Navaratri

Nine nights to celebrate Durga, the warrior goddess who rides a big wild cat, some say lion, some say tiger.  So to keep the mind off fruit-fasting during the day, one is supposed to meditate and chant while waiting for the evening meal of vegetables.  It's breakfast day at the airport where everyone will be eating bacon omelets with sides of bacon, and pancakes made with eggs.  What would Durga do?

Durga would ride the gondola to the top of Wildcat because she's weak from eating only fruit.

Durga would admire Carter Dome from a distance then turn around to ride her cat back down the mountain.

Durga would string up Tibetan prayer flags to flap in the winds on the ridge of Wildcat.

Sep 27

Another sports hero, another mountain;

Pete Maravich wore his dirty socks and dishelveled look playing at LSU with his father as coach.  He made the basketball hall of fame at the age of 39.  In college he scored over 3,000 points in 3 years, averaging a score in the mid-40s every. single. game.
He shot from the hip, did Pistol Pete.

And that's what I'm doing today, wearing dirty socks, sporting uncombed hair under a hat, and shooting from the hip.

Sep 26

The first order of the day, love and loveliness;

In honor of my love for Willie Wilson, base stealer extraordinaire (career 668 stolen bases) mostly for the Kansas City Royals, I climbed Mt. Willey.  Jim thought it was in honor of that other Willie.  But it was Willie Wilson, I swear.

Some Appalacian Trail hound built all these stairs over slick granite rock,

a major engineering feat, and for what?

The love and loveliness of the trail.  It certainly wasn't for the summit rock pile

which was a denoument after all those lovely stairs.  The leaves are turning in the mountains, great swaths of orange draped over the hillsides like a New Hampshire Christo.

But Willie Wilson...
Tall, lean, fast, and stealing bases like I want to steal mountains.

Christmas in September

Cimarron vs Hancock

Colorado vs New Hampshire

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!

Sep 24

Rain again in the wee hours leaves me no choice but to use the slow cooker today instead of hiking. I wonder how I would diagram that sentence.  It might not be a pretty diagram.

Last night it was chocolate cake after squash enchiladas.

Today it's pork tenderloin and sauerkraut.

Tomorrow coconut shrimp.

Autumn Leaves

 "The falling leaves drift by the window, the autumn leaves of red and gold..."

I scared myself yesterday.  I put the ladder up against the house to clean out the gutter that was overflowing from the rain.  It's a long way up there.  But that's not what scared me.

To dry off the gloves I'd been using, I put them over the soap dispenser and the faucet in the bathroom.  And running in later to use the bathroom, for a millisecond I could swear a monster was coming out of the walls to get me.  Just like those childhood nightmares of ghouls under the bed.

Summer's Last Hurrah

Uncertain the Final Run to Winter
                      -William Kloefkorn
Summer,
a fat horse
tender against the spurs

Now as the last edge of autumn
hangs precipiced in yellow on the trees
the animal sees the sudden space and shies.
I sense the ropy girth go loose:
uncertain the final run to winter.

Between the halt and the beginning
lies the gap,
familiar to the eye
as palm to pommel.

My lean horse balks:     ahead,
the wide white skylessness of space.

Not knowing where mount and rider end,
or where they come together,
I see myself as statue weathered,
sitting its saddle like an Ichabod.

Sep 21

 Here, the rock portion of rock, scissors, paper is made of granite.

 In the game, paper covers rock, but here water does the job.

Shamans of the Andes would dive under this waterfall and find a tunnel under rock, travel through the tunnel and reach the gods.  There the shamans would commune with gods for answers to their pressing questions.  Rock pressing questions.

Look, can you see that shaman coming out of the water, back from his communion?  He's bringing fire to the world in the form of scissors and paper.  Rock, scissors, paper to answer his questions so he doesn't have to dive under that waterfall next time.

Sorry Charlie

A dream about flying to Hawaii with Mary, Brian and two others.  We were sitting around a campfire weaving our stories together, laughing.
Then we're in the airport looking for the boarding area.  At the boarding desk, I discover I've lost my carryon bag, but am still toting a purse with my ticket.  I've forgotten where we're going, and who we're going to visit, so I don't know if I'll be able to borrow clothes or not.  No matter how hard I try I cannot remember.  Oh no!
Mirror mirror on the wall, I am NOT my mother after all.
Sorry, Charlie.

Sep 19

Back from one overnight trip and 21 miles later.  As usual, more pictures than words today.

Snow on Washington.

The Bonds made me think of the Highlands,

but there were no sheep grazing here.

Obligatory and dramatic snaps from the Bondcliff.

And my proudest moment was not the summiting of 4 peaks, but the rigging of the bear bag, made of shoestrings and determination.

Mine is the navy one tied by red shoestrings and a purple carabiner.  Glad to have packed the sleeping bag liner and the down vest.

The Zealand Hut kitchen crew had baked cinnamon rolls!   But I had enough to pack.  And enough of mountains, for a couple of days anyway.

Sep 18

If all goes as planned, this should be the day for the Bonds.

Jim is reading a James Bond book.  I am hiking Bond, West Bond and Bondcliff.  Maybe another night in a tent for me.  Or camp will reach the infamous stature of a hellhole and require early departure.

Sep 17

Frost on Mt. Washington!  And Franconia Notch!
Does that mean the leaves will fall instead of hold on and turn their beautiful colors?

Today is a hike to Zealand Mountain carrying 38 pounds of solo gear, including the nicely repaired tent, a cannister stove to make hot meals at the insistence of a certain worrier, and plenty of cheese and summer sausage.  Because after all it is still summer, as NASCAR Dave reminded me, despite the temperatures.

Egg McMuffin, here I come!

Sep 16

If you live long enough every day is an anniversary for something.  Today will be another one.  It is next year's anniversary for when I stayed at home on a sunny day instead of hiking.  It's beautiful but cold for camping (says sissy), and windy for the summits.  Lenticular clouds will form over the mountains and lenses will cloud over with frozen perspiration.
I will miss the egg mcmuffin allowed on the mornings of hiking.  But the stove will be busy today with the baking of cookies, stewing of chili and scent of fresh cinnamon rolls.

Nothing better on a crisp fall day!

Sep 15

The promise of romantic fires waits in the form of potential energy at the top of the hill above the house. 

What a thing of beauty to see it take shape!  And how much more beautiful it is when someone else did it!

Sep 14

Just suppose you were 100% responsible for everything that happened to you.  That's the first premise.
Then what?
See what happens.
Okay.  Here's what happened.  The price doubled when the 'Purchase' button was clicked.  The flight was sold out.  The computer froze.  The credit card was at its limit and wouldn't be accepted.  There was a 'malicious' virus in the financial software.  The computer wouldn't reboot because a program was missing.  A restore was required on the computer before it would work.
Wow.  That's a lot of resistance.  How'd that feel?
Exhausting!  How about if I blame the computer just a little bit?
No deal.  All or nothing at all.  100% responsible.  I'd suggest you have a look at your beliefs about money.
Jerk.
I heard that.  You'll wish you hadn't said it.  Now let's see what happens.

Oops...Jerk Dancing

Sep 13

Signs of the harvest include

holes in the ground where acorns are pilfered and hid,

grapes sweetening on the vine,

sumac beginning their turn to red,

and apples too heavy for the branches.