November 28, 2010 End Of Fall For The Park Staff

Sunday November 28, 2010

This was the last day of 2010 that the SNP staff will be working the boundary stations. I am already looking forward to the first day they are back in the Spring.

The leaves are completely off the trees and everything felt very grey. Because of the open canopy I was able to see three Pileated Woodpeckers in the middle of the Ridge Trail switchbacks. Seeing Pileated Woodpeckers is one of the pluses of the winter months. These birds have a very distintive call which can be heard on the Cornell site provided below:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/lifehistory

The next two pictures are of a couple of the SNP employees about an hour before they would be closing up for the day and the year.



The drive back from my parents in Cazenovia/Erieville NY had me getting home to Woodbridge VA pretty late so I slept in and arrived at the mountain around 1PM. This is pretty late considering how early it gets dark these days. Not only that but between visiting with the SNP staff and using quite a bit of time to unpack and repack my pack in the upper lot I did not start up the Ridge Trail until around 2PM.

It was clear but below freezing on the mountain. Lots of hoar frost and ice flowers in the switchbacks on the Ridge Trail. At this time of year the sun is so low in the sky that the shadows are long even at noon.


Looking up the rock scramble from the slab with the first good views of Etlan.

Looking back at the first false summit.

Looking down at the first false summit from just above the Chute.

Looking out at Etlan from the slab above the Chute.

Twilight from the summit. The air was crisp but calm. About thirty degrees Farenheit and no wind.

At the Byrds Nest Shelter two very friendly hikers were preparing dinner. They shared their fire and some good conversation for about a half hour.

At the beginning of the day I was in the upper parking lot for about forty minutes. As I prepared my pack for the day I saw about 60 hikers come through. Once I hit the Ridge Trail I only saw about 30 additional hikers all day. Quite a change from the multiple hundreds of just a few weeks ago.

There is a section of the Saddle trail just after the first switch back below the Byrds Nest shelter where it is not unusual for a couple hundred feet of the trail to be completely coated with several inches of ice. This ice has started to form. It is still very small and easy to navigate around as seen in the next picture.

Quixotic Cosmos

Just an FYI for my readers. A while back I spoke of an AHA moment to create at least one sister blog to deal with subject matter that while related was at best an awkward fit for Old Rag Patrols. Well......I started my first satellite sister blog,

Quixotic Cosmos
Mirthful Musings on Confused Enlightmentment

By the way Trebor Kool spelled backwards is Robert Look.

It will be a fun place for me to explore creative, aesthetic, epistomological, existential and theological thoughts.

There is link for it on the Old Rag Patrols' blog list and in turn a link on Quixotic Cosmos for Old Rag Patrols.

Sunday November 21, 2010

The following is the shot from near the Sharp Rock Vineyard that I post for folks to get a sense of seasonal conditions on the mountain.
The next couple of pictures are of the first false summit in the sun.

Unlike Saturday there was not a huge crowd. The parking lot was only two thirds full and at 11AM more overnight camping groups from Saturday seemed to be spilling out of the backcountry then there were day hikers heading in.

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My extremely slow journey with lots of long breaks 4-5 hours from upper lot to summit had me looking down at the first half of the rock scramble from the top of the chute around 4PM. The chute was empty of upward bound hikers so I decided to amble to the summit to catch the sunset and moonrise.

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While on the summit a frantic hiker approached and said that while he and his girlfriend were hiking down the rock scramble she slipped and fell and they thought she may have broken her leg. Off we went to do an assessment. Upon examination, it was discovered that she could slightly weight her injury. With the help of a couple of hiking poles and bandage wrap she could slowly move on her own power. Our group decided not to go down through the rock scramble. We headed back up over the summit and out down the Saddle trail. It was determined that a Park Law Enforcement Ranger would be available to give her a ride from Old Rag Shelter back to her car. Folks do not assume this will be possible. If there is something more significant than your injury going on in the park you will need to either wait for resources to become available or get yourself out under your own power.

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It was interesting that as we were heading up towards the summit a group of around 40 headlamped hikers out for a moonlight stroll passed.

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No ice on the trail this weekend but you should plan on that starting to happen any day now. The chute is an interesting problem when it is wet and even more intereting when it is coated in ice.

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Another highlight of the day was coming across a bunch of my ORMS buddies who had been out doing some filming and climbing. I agreed I would look for them at Rudy's after I got the patient out.

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Upon getting the patient out I learned that their cars gas tank was on empty and they needed to know where the nearest open gas station was. Folks during the day the nearest gas station can be twenty miles away. If it is late at night it may be 30 miles away. I agreed to shadow their car to the nearest gas station in case they ran completely out before gettting there.

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After making sure they got gas I was able to join my friends at Rudy's for two slices and a beer before heading home.

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Advice

Think through your layered clothing system so that you can be in a short sleeves during the warm or heavy exertions parts of your day and all bundled up toasty warm on a cold windy summit. Keep in mind that an injury which prevents you from walking under your own power may mean that it will be hours before any help arrives. Are you and your party prepared to stay warm just sitting still on the trail possibly past dark while you wait for help?

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It is best to think of Old Rag as a self rescue zone because unless you are willing to wait the two to four hours it may take for significant help to arrive on scene self rescue will be your option.

Saturday 11/20/2010 HUGE CROWD

Huge crowd overflowing lot. Long shadows of late afternoon. Even at noon the sun is low in the sky.

Anywhere else a great sunset but on Old Rag it was in the lower 25%.

On the other hand the full moon was wonderful. Strong sharp distinct dark moon shadows. Since I no longer need worry about snakes I walked the whole way out under just moonlight. It was serene.

The moon and lights of Culpepper from the summit.

Wonderful day lots and lots of backcountry camp sites spotted off in the woods along my hike out.

Sunday 14, 2010 ORMS FUN DAY

SUNDAY 11/14/2010
ORMS FUN DAY
HUNDREDS OF FEET OF CLASS FOUR ROCK REACHING TO THE SKY

AFTER POST PHOTO ADDITIONS
The next five pictures are from Steward Kristan

The next four pictures are from Steward Karen

From the summit looking towards Graves Mountain

Saturn and the Moon from the summit.

The following two pictures are from Steward Dwayne

I heard designs on a reality show WOMEN OF OLD RAG personally I think Andy's Angles would work better.


Another great Old Rag sunset.

CELEBRATE
THE HEDDLESTON TOOLEY 2010 ORMS ROUTE

The soul of a great route. Alpine Journal's publishers would never agree but I think this one should be in the next edition.

Check out Old Rag Mountain Steward's, Silver Spring Wanderer's, Horizontal Tread's, and Shenandoah Mountain Guides' blogs for even more great pictures and text about the weekend.

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SOME BACKGROUND
Today was an ORMS Fun Day. A reward for all our hours of service on the mountain.

(SHHH! don't tell but our hours of service are usually fun too.)

Like all kids, young and old, we wanted it all. On this day we had a HUGE agenda planned. Well we only got through the first part of the agenda but it was FUN!!! Just the first part of the agenda took us past nightfall. We are hoping to get the rest of the agenda done at some future date.

A SHOUT OUT TO ALL OUR
ACTIVE AND ALUMNI MEMBERS
NOT WITH US ON THIS DAY

WE MISSED YOU ALL AND WE ARE HOPING TO CATCH YOU ON FUTURE FUN DAYS.

FOR THE ALUMNI WHOSE LIFE'S EVENTS KEEP THEM FAR AWAY JUST REMEMBER ONCE AN ORMSER ALWAYS AN ORMSER.

WITHIN OUR WONDERFUL VIRGINIA SHIRE THE ORMS TRIBE IS STILL GUARDING OUR WAPENTAKE CALLED OLD RAG. LISTEN CLOSELY, WOVEN DEEPLY IN THE BACKGROUND OF OLD RAG'S WINDS YOU MAY HEAR THE WHISPERING OF SWORDS AND SHIELDS AT THE WAPENTAKE.

Note: "OUR" is an interesting word, it can reflect a person(s) claim to an object but it can also indicate an objects claim on a person(s). In this case I use the word to indicate the later. Like all of the National Parks, Old Rag is yours too.

For me, the day's kick-off theme song was:

I'M COMING OUT by Diane Ross and The Supremes
It had been a long time since I had listened to this song but it is an awesome upbeat piece of music.

I took the liberty to write a verse that reflects the day's CELEBRATION OF ADVENTURE .

We’re coming out
We want the world to know
Got to let it show
We’re coming out
We want the world to know
We got to let it show
The time has come for us
To break out of the shell
WE HAVE TO SHOUT!
That We’re coming out .
We’ve got to show the world
All that we wanna be
And all our billities
Ther's so much more to us
Somehow, we have to make them
Just understand
We got it well in hand
And, oh, how we've planned
We’re spreadin' love
There's no need to fear
And we just feel so glad
Everytime we hear:
We’re coming out.

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JOIN US
We are always looking for new friends to join our fun and noble cause. Come out with us. If you're interested contact the head of the Old Rag Mountain Stewards, Andy Nichols.

Note: There is a link for the Old Rag Mountain Steward Blog on the right side of my blog. Just go to the web site and follow the links to communicate directly with Andy to join us. Spring Training Weekend 2011 will be upon us before you know it.

The part of the agenda we did get done was climbing the first pitches of what I will call the Heddleston-Tooley 2010 ORMS route up the western slabs of Old Rag. Check out the pictures of a few of the pitches. Many thanks to Chad, Jeremy and anyone else who had a hand in designing this wonderful route and the day's adventure. Chad and Jeremy along with Ben's help put in a very artful day of setting and removing fixed lines while guiding/teaching/training/ their nine ORMS friends how to self belay or ascend on the fixed lines.

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THE DAY

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Starting on Middle Sunset ledge. We went past Frigid Air (Trad 5.8) and then down around and over to:
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CLASS FOUR ROCK THAT RAN UPWARD FOR HUNDREDS OF FEET TO THE SKY!

Once a long time ago Old Rag was 30,000 feet tall. At around 1.3 Billion years of age its pretty short now but it is still a real mountain.

A class five move and arguably the crux of the days climb.







Arriving on Old Rag Summit after dark (with some rain it could have been an epic) we put in a quick call to Rudy's to make sure our pizza's would be waiting.

SOME CONSUMER ADVICE

Rudy's is a great hiker friendly pizzeria just a short block from Route 211 in the center of downtown Sperryville. For the B&B or wine tasting crowd the following link should provide some ideas. http://sperryville.com/. If you are both a very busy professional short on time and a hiker/adventure seeker/ nature lover/ climber of any skill level, staying at a great B&B and hiring the Shenandoah Mountain Guides http://www.teamlinkinc.com/shenandoah/index.htm to put together a personally tailored day in the mountains is a high powered way to a great experience.

At Rudy's Jesse performed an acrobatic move in order to get the day's whole band of explorers on film.
Post Script
One of the day's highlights was watching falcons harass a raven. We feel lucky when we see one falcon on this day there was a flock of free flying falcons.

ORMS Last Patrol Day 2010 Dulcified Bullies On Parade

These first two pictures are mostly for those who use my blog to ascertain recent conditions. The first was taken for Nethers the second was taken from Etlan.

Double click and use + hour glass for higher resolution.

Some vultures scared off a deer carcass.

Deep in Berry Hollow a little bit of brilliant color was still to be seen.

Learning to place anchors.

WISH I HAD A PICTURE FOR THIS QUIXOTIC MOMENT

DULCIFIED BULLIES ON PARADE

In the middle of our rappelling and ascending practice we heard quite a ruckus over on the summit. Chad decided to go check it out. After about 5 minutes I decide to check myself. As I approached up through the back of a semicircle of around 30 fraternity brothers I realized they were looking down and heckling someone down below them in what I knew to be a natural amphitheater. As I snuck up to the back of the crowd I could peer down to see Chad on center stage. The banter between Chad and "the boys" was on the borderline between fun and mean and I could tell Chad was using all his creativity to keep things "Happy". There were some in the crowd who seemed to want "Lord of The Flies". Suddenly "the boys" noticed I was in their midst. Across the semicircle from me someone tapped the shoulder of one of the chief hecklers and pointed to me. It seemed that they thought this somehow changed the dynamics of the situation. In the meantime, Chad was still working his magic turning every potentially mean comment into a lighthearted joke. He took the next opportunity to segue to an exit stage right. Chad had masterfully navigated potentially ugly to stay happy. Hopefully his counselling had some effect on the remaining part of "the boys" day and maybe live's.

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MY CONTROLLED INNER BESERKER OR IS IT SKIER SKATER?

I have played very competitive hockey, high school level football and participated in beginning competitive martial arts sparring. I love extreme competitive physical contact when it is with a willing skilled co-participant. Win or loose it is just one heck of a blast to release primal passions and to revel in split second violent coordinated body skills when it is ethically ok to do so. Win or loose, pain or no pain, the contact and contest is just plain simple violent passionate fun.

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Being able to honestly display that you can enjoy a good tussle while giving a problem child a face saving way out is sometimes a good way to diffuse a tense situation.

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Like the extreme skier hurtling towards sure death who at just the right microsecond applies just the right amount of edge and sails inches past a mortal crash.

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"When I held that gun in my hand, I felt a surge of power - like God must feel when he's holding a gun. " Homer Simpson

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This next one is for my LE(law enforcement) friends who might be getting a little worried about me about now.

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"When I first heard that Marge was joining the police academy, I thought it would be fun and zany, you know like that movie... "Spaceballs". But instead it was dark and disturbing, like that movie "Police Academy"." Homer Simpson

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If Given A Choice Of Controlling Ugly Crowds, Participating In Violent Sports Or Enjoying Extreme Skiing......I Choose Extreme Skiing

In ugly crowd situations others can get hurt. In violent sports others can get hurt. In both there is a limited number of decisive moments that can give you the joy of exercising your skills.

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In extreme skiing situations, only you, the skier can get hurt and the joyous skill testing comes continuously providing a gravity manipulating dance that lasts all day.

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What a rush. What an affirmation of the joy of life.

LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW!!!!

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But these are young person's games and I am no longer young. Time to .........

The next picture is of some ORMS Stewards practicing both rappeling and ascending.

Silver Spring Wanderer captures some light. If you follow her blog you will realize that her subjects are often the wild flowers of the Appalachian Mountains.

The next two shots are of new Stewards Ben and Gabby. Welcome aboard.

AN ORMS CELEBRATION EVENING

Some folks from the day camped out in anticipation of the next days Fun Day. Jeremy arrived for the night and in hopes of a competitive Scrabble game. We all enjoyed a blazing fire and had some good eats. Sorry LNT folks but I love a great campfire. Check out the following link http://www.bluedeer.org/sacredfirecommunity.html

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Some highlights of the day's gourmet menu:

Home Made Cinnamon Buns

Olive Tampenade On Bread

Grilled Beef and Swordfish Steaks

Mashed Potatoes

Grilled Acorn Squash and Portobello Caps
Wine

Late Post Nov 6&7, 2010

Late Post
November 6&7, 2010
AWESOME WEEKEND

AN AHA MOMENT CONCERNING THE BLOG

The rescue was of the most interest to folks so it ended up on the EARLY POST this week. The events on the LATE POST all took place on Saturday.

OLD RAG CELEBRITY NEWS
Mark Sanford and his son were on the mountain Saturday. The following link has more information:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2010/11/rs-_sanford.html

The next two pictures where taken Saturday morning and will help folks have a sense for the progress of the seasonal changes.




This is a picture of of a tractioned femur splint. Notice the tensioned rope at the bottom of picture. Before the picture was taken there was a responder holding the patient from behind in order to provide back tension. Alternatively one could use another line or webbing to back tension the patient to another immovable object.

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On this day our training also called for us to practice off trail navigation.

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The following picture is of an old cement warning post on what is now an over-grown fire road that would never be followed by hikers looking for the trail but at one time obviously did just that.

At one point we found a puddle covered in ice and we wanted to get a picture. Folks expect that it may be windy and cold on top of Old Rag from now until well into Spring 2011.

A great off-trail view point.

A view of the Saddle Trail, Sunset Walls and the Western Summit.

Slabs that are not impacted by human traffic can develop the most wondrous moss gardens.

This is a picture deep in an Old Rag gully a long ways from any trail.

AHA MOMENT CONCERNING THE BLOG

Mutual of Omaha has a great site dedicated to the Aha moment found at:
http://www.ahamoment.com/

I use this blog for a lot of purposes:

• A personal photo diary
  
• A journal for family and friends
  
• An Old Rag outreach site
  
• A means to learn about new technology
  
• A means to exercise my creative side
• And lots of other reasons

I have been struggling with how to post on subjects that awkwardly fit within the focus of the main theme of Old Rag Mountain Patrols. This morning I had an AHA Moment as to how to do that.

I am going to create another blog or blogs with slightly different focus. Old Rag Mountain Ascetic could be an example. Anything that is more philosophical or spiritual in nature will have its writing on that blog. When appropriate I will build cross linkages between the blogs. This way I can keep the writing of the Old Rag Mountain Patrols focused yet still write about other subjects.

Once I thought of this solution it was so perfect and so easy to do I wondered why I was too dim-witted not to have come up with it right away. Oh well that is probably often how it is with Aha moments.

Personal Journal Reminders

mostly for me to remember the day months and years from now.

This was the day after I did something embarrassingly stupid:

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To use an analogy, I was purposely causing and riding in avalanches of self indulgent emotion. No avalanche of emotion was too big. On one level, this is fine when the only bruises and pain are being caused to yourself or a willing partner. It is totally irresponsible when well meaning bystanders or unwilling participants become embroiled. On the plus side the catharsis provided immense amounts of self awareness and allowed me to escape a very powerful crush vortex. On the downside I probably cost myself a friend and may have hurt someone I truly care for in a very soulful way. I pray that I am wrong on both counts. We are not given operator manuals in regards to our bodies, conscious persons or spirits and there are times when On-The-Job -Training leaves much to be desired.

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Thank goodness for good ORMS friends who were willing to help with my psychic healing. A mountain rescue of a different sort.

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Memorable lines from the day:

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"You did not press send did you??!!!" A.R.

(said with a touch of mischievous anticipatory schadenfreude)

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"I am not gay or anything.... but that Oprah and Ricky Martin interview had me in tears. " R.L.

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Upon finding a perfect fifteen foot house sized bouldering boulder miles from anywhere. "Oh I can not wait until I tell Chad about this one. I just know he is going to come out here and break his leg!" J.T.