Book: A Mountain Year

I ended up appreciating Chris Czajkowski's book A Mountain Year: Nature Diary of a Wilderness Dweller. The book is a meditation on nature that draws you into the beauty and calmness of her world. She leaves out most of the gritty day to day details involved in the upkeep and running of her business - renting out cabins to summer tourists at her home, Nuk Tessli, in British Columbia. Behind the scenes of diary entries of her thoughtful observations on nature and with beautiful watercolors and drawings, a lot of hard work must be involved but she doesn't complain but instead distills the essence of the beauty around her into her journal.

I will be sad to end the book and leave her world. I admire that she lives there alone most of the year. She goes into the outer world for book tours and other chores such as resupply but mostly she resides at Nuk Tessli and says that she needs the solitude. She does have two dogs for company and keeps in contact with the outer world via email when her Internet connection is working. Though they are not "next door", there are neighbors in the area to help her if she needs it. Wwoofers, from the organization World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, come from around the world to live at Nuk Tessli in the summer and help her with brushing out trails and other upkeep of the grounds. She must realize that she is blessed to live her life her way.

Old Chili Line Near Ojo Caliente

The LL group hiked on the old Chili Line abandoned roadbed on BLM land just past Ojo Caliente. Mary Ann and her Colorado friend, Eloise, requested a hike that would put them about an hour closer to Colorado.

The hike started out past dumping grounds - a bad habit that northern New Mexicans have. When I asked her, Eloise said that kind of dumping doesn't happen in Colorado. She lives near Denver and she met Mary Ann, who lives in Golden, on the Colorado Mountain Club hikes.

The group of 14 people stopped for lunch after two miles and then headed back to the cars for a four mile RT hike. After six hours of sleep last night (got to bed at 12:30am), I didn't offer to drive as it sounded far and I was afraid I'd fall asleep. The country was pretty but not as pretty as the Pojoaque Badlands because it was more of a flat, open area. We did start up a ridge for a lunch spot but didn't go all the way up. At lunch, we had a view of the northern Jemez Mountains and could clearly see Pedernal's outline in the distance.

It's cold today, especially in the house, but it was fine down in the valley. If it's above 32 degrees in White Rock, our leaders wear shorts but they didn't today. One man said it was 18 degrees in White Rock!

When Mary Ann and Eloise took off for Colorado after the hike, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye because I had to visit a bush right before we got to the cars. For some dumb reason, I didn't realize that the blue SUV taking off was them and I didn't wave goodbye because I realized it too late.

Full Moon Riding High in Sky

Went to interesting Los Alamos Historical Society talk at Fuller Lodge by Ellen McGehee who works at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She gave slide show about Manhattan era (Project Y) buildings that are being restored in the Anchor Ranch, S Site, and Pajarito Site areas. One interesting factoid is that all the work that was being done at Pajarito Site has now been moved to Nevada and the lab is in the process of decommissioning Pajarito Site or TA-18. One day it will be open to the public who can then tour the Pond Cabin which is on New Mexico's State Register of Cultural Properties. It was very well attended. One glitch was that it didn't start on time because first they needed to round up a projector screen. The one they finally brought in was so small! I handily whipped out my binoculars and was able to easily see it, though, from the very back of the room!

Potrillo Canyon

Went to Potrillo Canyon today with spouse. Somehow we found our way out and avoided all the pitfalls of various confusion junctions! View of Rio Grande was spectacular! Heard cranes overhead. Saw several other hikers and dogs. One day, before it gets too hot, I want to go to Potrillo Canyon and walk every path going every which way so then maybe one day I can understand that place.

Now's a good time to do a lot of hikes in the lowlands before it gets hot so here's my hiking wish list for next two weeks - Potrillo Canyon explore; explore of trails on DOE land outside of Pajarito Acres; Ancho Rapids; Guaje Mountain; Burnt Mesa; Ponderosa Campground to Upper Crossing; and Valle Canyon. The last two are for Dorothy as she wants to know when she can tromp around for the big trees of Los Alamos County project. That's what I love about Dorothy - she always has another project that she is interested in. I'm lucky to be able to accompany her!

The symposium for poets and poetry teachers at UNM-LA was interesting. I'm not going to become a poet any time soon but I enjoyed hearing the poets - Jon Davis, Michelle Holland, Joan Logghe and Miriam Sagan. Each was a fascinating individual. Jon Davis performed a poem in his alter ego persona of Chuck Calabraze that was absolutely hilarious! It was a list poem and listed all the work that men do for their family.

A very interesting woman sat down next to me at lunch. She had turned vegan after a bout with breast cancer.

I'm enjoying One Mile At a Time by Dwight Smith. I thought I would only skim it but I'm reading it all. Taking a bike trip around the United States at age 64 is certainly courageous. When I read about adventures like that, I'm envious but I would be too lonely.

I contrast that book with A Mountain Year by Chris Czajkowski which I'm also reading and I find I enjoy Dwight's better. Chris's is a very beautiful book with lovely drawings of plants and animals and a detailing of the natural world around her for a year but Dwight does a lot of philosophizing that shows his human side more. I like him for his humanness and fallibility and emotional vulnerability.

Feeling Rundown

Went on LL hike in Pojoaque Badlands, starting from dirt road that runs past El Rancho. Beautiful badlands with spectacular views of Sangres and Jemez ranges. Eleven people showed up.

I need to switch to lighter weight hiking clothes in this warm weather. I got damp from sweat and stayed that way.

Feel rundown like a cold is coming on. Too much hanging around doctor offices and hospitals. Sneezed a lot yesterday - that was a harbinger.

I'm running in and out watering the spruce tree. A lot of water is going into the street. Also, doing two loads of laundry. Making a tortilla pizza, no cheese, for supper.

Ice People and Jinja House

Two weeks in a row I've gone to Smith's in White Rock to stock up on fruit and vegetables. I'm enjoying the experience. It's giving me more variety than I would get at Vitamin Cottage.

Of my Smith's buys, today I roasted more asparagus as well as Sun Bella bagged, brown mushrooms and an eggplant. The eggplant was turned into baba ghanouj. I'll have some asparagus and mushrooms tonight along with some frozen mussels we picked up at Albertson's yesterday.

I managed to get by with only a stop at Albertson's in Santa Fe. Spouse says it's more expensive than Smith's. We did pick up some wonderfully fresh strawberries and cut up pineapple to make a strawberry-pineapple fruit salad. Spouse says he wouldn't have bought the cut up pineapple if he had realized it cost $5.99 but it was worth it!

We saw Ice People at the Screen in Santa Fe. We enjoyed it but it left lots of unanswered questions. A book to go along with the movie would be helpful. For instance, it showed two of the geology students walking around, one with a GPS and another with a backpack that had some kind of antenna rising up out of it. I assume that they were mapping but that's never explained. At one point when those two are approaching the other geology researchers, one comments that here come the moon people. What in the world does that mean?

I thought it was interesting when one of the geologist talks about how dirty you get out in the field and when you first take a shower back at McMurdo, you see these round, waxy, white balls dropping off which are the dead skin that is being removed.

After the movie, we ate a late lunch at Jinja House. I ordered two appetizers - the Tokoyo Crispy Tofu and Seasonal Vegetables Stir-Fried. It was good but next time I'll ask if they can make the tofu soft. I think they deep fat fry it even though the menu says lightly fried (which I thought meant pan-fried). I put a whole piece in my mouth when it first came to the table and it was absolutely molten inside. Spouse ordered Shaking Beef and liked it. It came with spinach, cucumber salad and fried rice.

Today we were going to hike Potrillo Canyon but I took so much time making things in the kitchen and preparing and eating breakfast-lunch that I decided to walk this evening. The weather is beautiful here so it will be very pleasant tonight.

Back Among the Living

Yesterday was stomach affliction day. I went to the doctor's office at 4pm and by the time I got done, all the ultrasound people had gone home, even from the emergency room. Los Alamos Medical Center has no ultrasound exams available in the emergency room after hours. I may get an abdominal ultrasound next week.

On the WRSC hike today, Eve told me that after hours, there is no one to read an x-ray in the emergency room. It's sent digitally to Australia and in an hour, you have the results. (I like Eve - she's human, real and will talk to you.)

The group hiked the Potrillo Canyon Trail but Mary didn't go out to the end, even though they were very close, because she had to get back early for a potluck at the senior center. After I got sick, I wasn't planning to go on the senior center hike but I woke up without the alarm at 6am and felt no stomach pains so I decided to go.

Anyway, after an afternoon and evening of stomach pains and throwing up, it's good to be back among the living again! This last happened like this in August 2008 while on vacation.

Lower Water Canyon Explore

Showed up at Tsankawi and who should I see but Dale. He had just finished giving a ticket to a hapless photographer who had parked at Tsankawi but didn't pay. I waved as I drove past to the meeting place. The hikers said Dale had asked if they were with the hiking group. That's interesting that his patrol extends all the way down to Tsankawi and all the way up in the Jemez Mountains to Dome Road.

Doris and Brian were the only two hikers that showed up. They agreed to do one of my suggestions which was to walk in lower Water Canyon. First, I took them into Gate 6 onto the little mesa. They enjoyed that. Doris took us down a new way. We walked in the Water Canyon drainage until it became too brushy and then we ascended a hillside to explore some cavate ruins. Everyone enjoyed sifting through the pottery shards and looking at the cliff dwellings. One of our number who shall remain unnamed (wasn't me!) found a beautiful white arrowhead. Maybe it was made of quartz. We passed under the powerline where there is reputed to be an old trail. I might have seen one winding upwards but we moved on without exploring further.

We had lunch at the Water Canyon-Potrillo Canyon saddle. I asked if they wanted to go back via the mesa trail but Doris wanted to follow the Water Canyon trail back so she could one day take her friend on that hike.

I headed for home around 1:30pm and am now finishing up a load of laundry. Tonight, grandson comes over while daughter goes to jujitsu class.

Los Alamos Geological Society talk last night was fun. I didn't really understand her explanation of why the cinder cones in Taylor Valley Antarctica are emplaced on the wall of the valley rather than on top of the mountains or in the valley. She explained it with an equation. She was very young and pretty - a post doc who recently became a full-time LANL staff member. I think that everyone gave her a pass on the explanation of her research. The best part of the talk was the slide presentation on the questions everyone asks her about her Antarcticic experience. One was what do you take and she showed us this enormous array of clothing that is issued to each person. She went during the Antarctic summer and said it really wasn't as cold as people said it would be.

There will be some good talks upcoming - Bill Johnson, Dorothy's son-in-law, in March and Bob Parmenter, chief scientist of the Valles Caldera National, in April.

Think I'll LIve

Turns out that exceptionally sore biceps last week were due to my seldom doing biceps curls and hammer curls. They didn't get sore this week. Perhaps there is some value in training the small arm muscles rather than just concentrating on shoulders and back.

Also, dummy me was once again overdosing on Vitamin D. I keep forgetting that the D3 capsules I have are 2000IU and not 1000IU! That's probably what was causing the sore big toes and some minor return of foot pain. If this keeps up, I'll have to hire a home health aide to supervise my supplement dosages! : )

Walked on Camp May Road. I never, ever get tired of studying the views from that road! It was very windy but I was under-dressed on the way up and didn't sweat much. I added another layer and warm gloves on the way down.

When I first started walking, some snowflakes were blowing around - at least one or two - but the dark cloud blew east toward the Sangres. The snow seems to have passed us by.

Yoga class this morning was good. I may have strained my buttock muscle in Warrior III (the one where you tilt forward and balance on one leg) but it seems minor. The mirrors were helpful. My form is not as bad as I imagined it from just doing yoga at home to an exercise dvd.

I could almost see getting a gym membership just for the classes but after a while, I'd tire of the obligation of going there on a regular basis to get my money's worth.

The nicest thing about a gym is that you do meet like-minded people who value their health. Today I saw Tom and Jean there. They used to hike with the LL group. Tom was working out on the treadmill. He can't hike anymore because of peripheral neuropathy which makes it really hard for him to walk on uneven ground. I also met a woman named Roberta who said that her 85 year old Mom never really exercised and now has all sorts of limitations as to how long she can stand and what movements she can make and generally has lots of aches and pains. Roberta is hoping that through regular exercise, she can be in better shape if she's lucky enough to make that age. Turns out that she was in the melodrama the same year I was but she was a can-can dancer.

It is so tempting to get a membership to the fitness center but I have to restrain myself because it will end up becoming just another obligation, albeit a thrilling one at first.

Yesterday and Today

Yesterday, went with spouse to lower Water Canyon outside of Pajarito Acres. Walked to drainage in Potrillo Canyon. Spouse waited for me just below the final climb to the saddle. I tell you, he was really hot-footing it on the way back! Fortunately now that my foot is healed, I wasn't suffering. He did slow down on the final hill up to the road. We went in the northern entrance where the powerlines are. Wasn't as snowy and icy as the classic middle entrance but there was still some hanging on.

Went to two LA Fitness Center classes today. After the Fifty Plus muscle strengthening class, I went to the Fifty Plus cardio one. Not much in the way of cardio but fun to move to music. I think, though, that I can safely skip that class in the future. Later this week, I'll try their yoga class. I'm concluding that I'd rather do my muscle strengthening at home (even though I'd really rather do anything else!) and go outdoors for my cardio. Maybe there will be a place in my life in the future to join a gym but not now. I feel good when I get outside to exercise.

Spouse went to see Slumdog Millionaire. It's supposed to be good and I'd love to see the scenes of India but I read about two violent scenes in the movie that I didn't want to see. I'll ask spouse how graphic those scenes were.

May walk this evening. It's semi-cloudy here and the Spring winds are gearing up.