Saturday April 11, 2009 Easter With Relatives

THE SATURDAY BEFORE EASTER, APRIL 11, 2009
Easter is usually the first Sunday after the first full moon
(Paschal Moon or Ecclesiastical Full Moon) after the Spring(Vernal) Equinox
If theological history interests you look up Computus


IN THE LOT AT THE FEE STATION THE CLIMBING ADVENTURE BEGINS

Had a wonderful time with my sister Holly and two of her three kids my nephew Colin and niece Whitney. We left the parking lot around 2 in the afternoon. The top of Old Rag was still in the clouds but as we journeyed up the switchbacks the clouds lifted. The rain had limited the number of visitors but by the time we reached the first false summits the views were wonderful. It was their first time up Old Rag and so a very special circuit for me. Other than giving advice to a pair of backpackers, a pair of rockclimbers, a large backpacking group, and picking up a little bit of litter the patrol duties were light.





The Skunk Cabbage At Bartenders Spring Has Burst Out Of The Ground Since Last Weekend





GROUP SHOTS AT FIRST VIEWS






JUST BEFORE THE FIRST FALSE SUMMIT




FIRST FALSE SUMMIT AND START OF THE ROCK SCRAMBLE




THE STAIRCASE BELOW THE CHOCKSTONE

AT ATLAS ROCK IN THE MIDDLE OF ROCK SCRAMBLE THE CRUX IS COMING UP

THE FOURTH FALSE SUMMIT AFTER THE CRUX BUT BEFORE THE LEAP OF FAITH

WHITNEY AND COLIN LOOKING OUT ON THE HOLLOWS AFTER THE LEAP OF FAITH AND JUST BEFORE THE SUMMIT

THE LONG AND WINDING TRAIL

SUNSET WALL AT SUNSET

LOOKING OUT AT SKYLINE DRIVE AT TWILIGHT

A COMPOSITE OF AROUND FIVE SHOTS

MIST CREATES DIFFERENT TIME AND SPACE

SATURDAY MARCH 14, 2009

One of those cold wet early spring weekends. There were a fair number of visitors on the mountain considering the weather. Met Matt from PATC Trail Patrol on his was out. He and a friend from Colorado had just finished the hike. Starting in the later part of early afternoon, I mostly saw hikers that were coming out. I meet a nice group of four backpackers wearing heavy packs and dealing with the challenges of a wet rock scramble. I tagged along with them until Byrds Nest which was near where they planned to stay for the evening. While slippery in parts the mud was not too bad. As dark fell some of the raindrops were freezing on the tree branches but as of 9PM there was no ice forming on the ground. There were still patches of thin snow cover in the woods. So thin it was polka dotted by holes from rain drops. Good day to test your gear and your ability to deal with wet conditions.

MIST NAVIGATION CAUTION
Most of the time the mist is similar to what you see in these pictures and you can see one hundred feet or more down the trail. That said, on a very rare occasion I have seen it where you could barely see five feet in front of your feet. While woodland trails are continuous and easy to follow even in thick fog the rock scramble may not be.

Even when the mist is not thick, your lights will be greatly limited in the distances they throw light or can be seen at night.

HYPOTHERMIA WARMING

In all of my times in the wild I have found rainy weather near freezing the most challenging for survival from hypothermia. Cold wet days have fewer people on the mountain and therefore more need for self reliance. Remember that if an injury makes you non-ambulatory you will not have the furnace of physical exertion to keep you warm and it would not be unusual for it to take 12-15 hours from when someone goes for help for you to be evacuated.

MISTY WORLD

Misty days are a unique experience. Everything is muffled, close and a little bit surreal. Time is blurred and slower. The mist softens thoughts of goals. It no longer is important to push for the summit views because there will not be any. I find it easier to slow down and absorb the details of places I would never have focused on during a clear day. Mist brings quiet, soft, soulful, restful, nostalgic, reflective thoughts and both respite from and recharging for the more frenetic activities of clear dry days.

John Muir wrote

I was as wet as if I had been swimming after crossing raging torrents and fighting my way through the Alaskan jungle. But everything was deliciously fresh, and I found new and old plant friends, and glacier lessons that made everything bright and light.

Signs Of Spring

Down in the lowlands signs of Spring are showing. An early alarm that spring approaches for the mountain as well. It should not be too long before we start to see dark purple skunk cabbage blossoms followed by green skunk cabbage leaves up near bartenders spring. Skunk cabbage is a unique plant in that it generates its own heat (thermogensis) and therefore is one of the first plants to sprout and flower on the forest floor in the Spring.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Skunk_Cabbage

Of course now that I am watching Spring will take longer than my anticipations' expectations.