Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Sunday, January 7, 2024

"New York Hiker Fell 'Several Hundred Feet' Down Steep Snow, Clung to Small Tree for Hours, Nearly Went Off Vertical Cliff"


"They were able to reach her vehicle at 6:30 p.m., but they couldn't make it up to her position until around 1:30 a.m., leaving her clinging to the tree branch for about seven hours. 

Ranger Jamison Martin said in a video describing the rescue that the temperature around the time had been hovering around the low 30s, characterizing it as "freezing cold.".."


https://themessenger.com/news/new-york-hiker-fell-several-hundred-feet-down-steep-snow-clung-to-small-tree-for-hours-nearly-went-off-vertical-cliff?utm_source=onsite&utm_medium=more_news 

Saturday, July 22, 2023

Equivalent of Everest "Hikers signed up for the challenge of walking up Snow King’s boot pack 19 times over 36 hours,

''Hikers signed up for the challenge of walking up Snow King's boot pack 19 times over 36 hours, with each trip notching 1,571 vertical feet over 1.1 miles to eventually reach a cumulative distance of more than 29,029 feet, the height of Everest...."


https://buckrail.com/185-hikers-complete-everesting-challenge-summit-snow-king-19-times/

"MOOSE, Wyo. — Grand Teton climber died on Thursday after falling .."

"MOOSE, Wyo. — Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) announced that a climber died on Thursday after falling from the Owen Chimney pitch on the Owen-Spalding route of the Grand Teton..."




https://buckrail.com/climber-dead-after-fall-from-grand-tetons-owen-chimney-pitch/

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Re Maple 🍁 Pass Trail, North Cascades NP , WA 🏔️

I enjoyed counter clockwise but going DOWN the steep part has a different wear & tear on the feet & toes & knees & joints. Nice side trail to Lake Ann but you will see plenty of it from above if u don't want the extra mile. Met a NICE FRIENDLY GAL 👧with a dog 🐕at the top. Its always great to meet friendly people who aren't afraid of interacting. 

There were a few grouchy ones in passing as well. And one gal thinking if she said hello I might interpret it wrongly like this is 1950 or something. Fear has NO place on the trail. The fearful vibe kills the experience. And  I don't mind passing in silence but could do WITHOUT the fearful or angry vibe. And the know- it -all vibe. 

Near the top I asked one lady if the trail goes "up that way" pointing to a spot where people were standing -trying to get an idea of the loop direction. She scoffed "it's a loop...it goes down" (she didn't say idiot but it was dripping off her not so nice lips).

 I said "I know it's a loop" (I didn't say "u blankety blank") ... (YES I did research this trail. Consulted many hiking blogs etc before arrival as I do with all hikes including my recent hikes to Cascade Pass, Yellow Aster, & Chain- of -Lakes; as well as Storm King, WagonWheel, Hurricane Ridge & Switchback at Olympic NP a few weeks ago, among others "...but which WAY does the loop go from here.." she seemed so upset by my question .. I just kept going. Maybe she was mentally ill.

Anyways the loop DID IN FACT GO UP to where I was pointing and then goes down. It was a very simple YES or NO question... Not sure why it caused this lady so much stress. She had just come that way a few moments prior

 (later I realized the cross around my neck sometimes causes certain types of people to experience irrational anger & false negative stereotypes of Christians. Yes, Christians DO read & use their minds including me, including the study of Greek & Hebrew & BA/BA/M.Div). We're NOT all backwater hillbillies & we don't confuse faith with luck. In fact the Christians I know read & study much more than so-called secular "scientific" people ( & the ones who messes up the COVID response so horribly) .Thank God people aren't wearing masks on the trail anymore. Those were the worst of times. Talk about superstitious 👎.

Down a ways nice view of BOTH Lake Ann AND Rainy Lake simultaneousy  & a waterfall 👍. Now the steep toe-stubbing section...finally the paved trail. Back to car 🚗. On the road again. 

Enjoy the hike. And commit at least one act of random kindness along the way 💥💯🌄🎁. It WON'T hurt u 😁☺️😊 #JesusSaves 

Saturday, July 2, 2022

video: full hike to Mount Whitney peak with dog Lola

full hike to Mount Whitney peak with dog Lola & night before by Lake Diaz
wow ! I thought I lost this video and I was going thru some old DVD's and this came off of one-- I guess I stored it-- thankfully-- and so here it is--- arriving the night before- camped at Lake Diaz -- starting the hike-- actually thru the night-- no camping & arriving at peak -- cloudy-- no views- and raining on the way back -- double rainbow . Lola exhausted. Me too.

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Review of Palos Verdes hiking

Used to love hiking here to "get away" ...  I managed to accept & work around all the parking "mickey mouse"  🐁 👎 that continues ( new rules every month). 

BUT then the new "ranger(s)"  (seem like city kids barely out of high school) in their white trucks became overbearing - they seem to think they have a right to drive up to you & speak thru their window at you while you walk down the sidewalk. & Later parking near where I was resting - clearly an attempt to assert their presence. 

This is the way it is now going in even the most remote parts _ even a "lifeguard" all year at remote Abalone Cove. It has an ulterior motive: to tell the people that the CA government is IN CONTROL of you in ALL places (whether local city or state) at ALL times. So I just QUIT hiking here.

 I think the residents are finally achieving their goal of getting rid of people. What a SHAME. I can easily LEAVE the state & enjoy epic hiking areas around the country & stay out of CA for months on end. 

BUT NOT all others are so lucky. PV used to be such a special place . I've been coming here since the MarineLand  days.  Key words: "used to be". Farewell. Enjoy the prison you created for yourselves

Monday, April 4, 2022

Re Palos Verdes hiking at top of Crenshaw Blvd

There's 2 problems: 1) with the rise of Google maps & social media people who rarely navigated out of their local neighborhoods NOW go to places ALL over including here.

 In some cases they DON'T have respect for the community & intentionally express their disrespect by leaving trash behind, or carrying loud boom boxes while they hike, etc. 

There was a time when you got to know familiar faces hiking here. Now its new faces all the time.

2) 2nd, there are both nice & gracious local neighbors in the community but ALSO those who despise the influx of hikers, and when #1 clashes with #2 it's a bad outcome as we see it now. 

The result is the long stretch of Crenshaw closest to the trailhead remains MOSTLY EMPTY & some of the locals speed thru it like the Grand Prix, while most hikers now park a half-mile away & slow down the flow of traffic at the busy crosswalk intersection. 

Meanwhile, some of the newly hired young "rangers" get a big head & become a little too bossy towards hikers who have been happily hiking here for decades. 

The Solution? Eliminate the #1 and #2 people described above👆: Those who live in PV and despise the visitors. And those visitors who despise the people who live in PV . How ? Not sure. There will always be jerks. 

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

photos: GLACIER & YELLOWSTONE 2021

if you are trying to save data:  
the big file is better quality images,
the small file is the same photos as big file
 but lower quality 
(less data required to download) 

-------------------------------------------------------

Friday, August 27, 2021

Begin with Americans 1st 👍 "As Crowds Overwhelm National Parks, Lawmakers Seek Solutions - "

Not sure how to implement it but
It should begin with Americans 🇺🇸 1st 👍.  USA National Parks have become a status symbol for foreigners to check off their bucket list & return to their home country and brag they did it -which is fine -but we should put the priority for Americans first and put a limit on foreigners. Maybe a reservation system for non-Americans or higher prices.  Just like some states make non-residents  pay more for a fishing license etc. If you've ever been to Grand Canyon lately you will hear MORE people speaking non- English languages in most cases. And there's the further problem that sometimes non-americans who are treating the trip like a  bucket list journey can sometimes be very rude towards other people . 
 "As Crowds Overwhelm National Parks, Lawmakers Seek Solutions - "

https://flatheadbeacon.com/2021/08/04/as-crowds-overwhelm-national-parks-lawmakers-seek-solutions/ 

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

8/24/21 Review of Fault Lake Trail near Sandpoint Idaho

8/24/21 started hiking at 630 am. All  of the places I've been hiking this summer so far have been crowded with other hikers including  Mount ⛰Rainier &  the Leavenworth area near Enchantments & also Mount Baker, but I had this trail all to myself BOTH ways - not a single other hiker & when I got back to the trailhead  no other cars. Really felt like "My Own Private Idaho". 😎

The hike was great & the 6 miles there went very quick. I enjoyed the lake & I had brought a fishing 🎣 line just in case because I read the reviews that there is some good fishing here. So I dropped my line in with a little red cherry lure and sure enough a beautiful rainbow 🌈🐟 trout took the bait in a few seconds. I quickly released him - too early for a fish dinner.

On the way back I think I heard 👂  one bear and I saw another 🐻. I also think I saw  the back end of an elk running away or something with a white rear end.  The bear that I did see cracked a branch so I saw him before he saw me. In fact I don't think he saw me but I think he did smell me or heard me cuz he was looking for something.

He was through the trees on a ridge above me. I had a good view of him with my naked eye but I couldn't get a good picture 📷 of him - too many shadows & branches.

HE 🐻 stood there for a few minutes just looking around and then he started coming down and was on a trajectory to  intersect with the trail in front of me so I started running to avoid being seen and probably ran about half a mile to make sure I was out of his distance. HE  was a big 🐻 boy - i DIDN'T want to tangle with him.

Back at the parking lot i explored the river for about an hour before leaving.  There's lots of little pools and waterfalls you can cool off in although the water is a bit too cold to stay in for too long but it is warmer than Fault Lake itself which was too cold to swim in. Also by the way there were NO flies or mosquitoes up there this time of year 👍.

Getting to the trailhead is a fairly easy drive except for the last half a mile  is a bit rough - a dirt road with big bumps and rocks but if you go slow enough you can make it even with a regular car 🚗

Thursday, August 19, 2021

HiddenLake "Hiker's body recovered after nearly two years in North Cascade mountain range - "

What a coincidence . i planned to hike this Trail over the past week or so and called and asked the ranger about the conditions and they said Hidden Lake was closed and they didn't really say why.  They just said " there's some kind of thing .." -so maybe that's what this was all about -they had a search party going - but two years later - really?  Why did they wait so long to do such an extensive search ? #condolences

HiddenLake "Hiker's body recovered after nearly two years in North Cascade mountain range - the body of 28-year-old Rachel Lakoduk was found by a large search group over the weekend in the North Cascade mountain range."

http://opr.news/6cb9d994210817en_us?link=1&client=mini 

Review of Stuart Lake Trail, Enchantments region, Leavenworth WA

I notice  one review says they  "saw two bears". How come there's no pictures  📷 ? First thing I would want to do if I saw a bear 🐻 is take a picture unless  it's aggressively charging at me which doesn't sound like it did , so I kind of doubt that he actually saw two bears, but it's a nice story. 

2nd , to the two weirdos I saw near Stuart Lake who called me SIR. You don't do that out here on the trail.  This ISN'T like some kind of formal environment.  We're all just fellow hikers . YOU ruin the vibe. Go home. Go back  to west Hollywood or wherever you came from 👎

Sunday, August 8, 2021

CA "91-year-old Lassen National Park fire lookout destroyed in Dixie Fire"


"Each summer — until a few days ago — fire staff lived in the Mount Harkness lookout's single-room cabin, surrounded on all four sides by wooden catwalks. The park had just begun a restoration project on the aging structure, replacing old boards on the catwalk, reinforcing masonry and touching up windows and doors."

Saturday, July 31, 2021

The Decade Volcanoes | WIRED

"30 Unbelievably Interesting Facts About Mount Rainier - "

Review of Mount Rainier National Park (Mowich, Tolmie, Spray Falls/Park)

Great place to camp or just park for the day to take either trail to Tolmie Peak ⛰ and/or Spray Falls & park , or a few other destinations. End of July Lake Mowich is warm enough to swim in 🏊 👍. Don't bother fishing 🎣 though - i don't think there's any fish 🐟at all, except i DID see a few dead crayfish - but only dead ones.

 And there's also Lake Eunice on way to Tolmie - smaller than Mowich - there were some critters in the water - maybe polliwigs on the verge of becoming frogs 🐸. & don't forget mosquito spray or something to keep the bugs away - repellant seems to work but I ran out and then I had to use mud on my arms which actually worked pretty good .

 Oh also DON'T forget to purchase a park pass (or preferably  an annual pass to save money if you go to the National Park more than two times per year) .

 You might think that the rangers won't drive all the way out there to issue parking citations but they DO. In  fact when I came back from Spray Park I saw several citations on vehicles as I was walking back to my car .

 I'm glad I had put my annual pass on my dashboard cuz sometimes I DON'T do it thinking that they don't really ever check - but this time I did so I didn't get a ticket.

 I wonder how many people actually DO have annual passes but just forgot or neglected to put them on their dashboard.

 To be honest there's NOT a lot of signs saying you need to post your pass on your dashboard. Maybe they do that purposely to surprise you and raise a little revenue. Nothing surprises me

Monday, July 19, 2021

Re place where I hiked & a teachable moment

Pretty nice place - free parking & you take a Switchback Trail down to the water across the train track. One side of the water was very grassy NOT very swimmable. The other side was more clear - I went swimming 🏊 here and this is after I had taken about a 7 mile hike 👣 up by nearby Fragrance Lake. 

So I was a little bit tired and then I had an " issue" coming back up the Switchback Trail so I went off the trail and this is where I'll just have to be honest with ya'll - a guy started yelling at me not to take shortcuts but I had to find a place off the trail to take care of business (if you know what I mean) -  I had diarrhea 💩 -a bad bout of diarrhea- that had to be released -so I snuck off to the side and he thought I was taking a shortcut and started yelling at me. 

 I'm glad he didn't chase or he would have been in for an unpleasant surprise 💩. But it just goes to show that you if you're self- righteous or holier-than-thou sometimes you should suspend judgment until you know the whole story. 

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

re Ecology Trail Presidio San Francisco

Nice hiking trails 👣 BUT there are TONS of local yokel parents hovering over their super precious kids & you represent "stranger danger" to them. It kind of ruins the vibe of taking a hike 🚶. One kid actually announced "stranger" as I passed by. Another kid said "What are you looking at?" as I turned the corner & they were on the path. Both kids sounded SCRIPTED as if they had practiced with their PERFECT parents. Wow. This is the future of America 🇺🇸 ?Kids trained to adore & worship their parents & be suspicious of everybody else . i recommend you do this hike once to get to know the area & then cross it off your list.

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Review of Wahclella Falls hike

It's a very nice Trail -pretty easy and a beautiful waterfall at the end.  however on the day I went there was a wedding at the waterfall - I couldn't believe it . which is  fine and beautiful but some of the wedding party (from utah) were a little bit suspicious of other hikers & they kind of took over the place as if it was theirs- which ruined the moment that you have when you arrive at the waterfall and want to enjoy it.

 Instead  they stare at you suspiciously and start picking up their stuff like you're going to steal it.  good grief -I'm a tourist too  you fools.  I'm just as uptight about people stealing my stuff as yours. DON'T be so damned self-righteous and then as I tried to make my way through this group of about 50 people one of the dudes said "Stop. My girlfriend is changing. She's topless". too much information . just say "please wait, she's changing" i get it. I'm NOT a neandarthal nor a thief. Treat others the way you wish to be treated and don't act so damned self-righteous. 

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Review Re Polin Spring Ecology Trail, Presidio San Francisco


Review Re Polin Spring Ecology Trail,               Presidio San Francisco 

Nice hiking trails 👣 BUT there are TONS of local yokel parents hovering over their super precious kids 👦 👧 & you represent "stranger danger" to them. It kind of ruins the vibe of taking a hike 🚶.

 One kid actually announced "stranger" as I passed by. Another kid said "What are you looking at?" as I turned the corner & they were on the path. Both kids sounded SCRIPTED as if they had practiced with their PERFECT parents.

 Wow. This is the future of America 🇺🇸 -kids trained to adore & worship their parents (but NOT God) & be suspicious of everybody else .

 Do this hike once to get to know the area & then cross it off your list. 

Friday, March 26, 2021

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Tuesday, March 2, 2021

"Daring skiers complete first descent of Half Dome to Yosemite Valley"


"Huffing and puffing up the granite cliff when the cables are up in the summer is hard enough. But climbing it unaided in winter and then skiing back down? Unheard of.
Half Dome isn't on any big-mountain freeskier's bucket list. Gutsy snowboarder Jim Zellers descended the 800-foot section from summit to subdome in 2000. But no one is known to have attempted the entire 4,000-foot descent from peak to valley..."

https://www.sfchronicle.com/travel/article/Daring-skiers-complete-first-descent-of-Half-Dome-15980947.php 

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Joshua Tree "Hiker, 67, is rescued after breaking his leg and being stranded for 40 HOURS | This might be the last episode': Hiker, ...


Joshua Tree "Hiker, 67, is rescued after breaking his leg and being stranded for 40 HOURS | This might be the last episode': Hiker, 67, records harrowing video after he breaks his leg and is left stranded in California national park for 40 HOURS with no cell reception before he is rescued "

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8560985/Hiker-67-rescued-breaking-leg-stranded-40-HOURS.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailus 

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

2) From Oregon to Seattle: End of June2020 Greetings ❗I am a prayer warrior & passed thru & PRAYED ..


2) From Oregon to Seattle: End of June2020 Greetings ❗I am a prayer warrior & passed thru & PRAYED 1000 PRAYERS for y'all & #coronavirus. I am prayerfully traveling the USA 🇺🇸 until we #KillTheVirus 🔪 !  #repentAndBeBaptized ❤ ✝ 🙏#AmeriPrayer2020