Trail Journal: Garnet Hill Loop

Trail: Garnet Hill Loop
Date: July 25, 2008
Distance: 8.2 miles
Time: 4 hours
Elevation: negligible

This was our longest hike so far, and let me tell you, I really felt it. Luckily it was mostly flat, and skirted the base of a hill rather than going up and over it. The day was quite hot - not New Mexico hot - but fairly warm and sunny. The majority of the trail went through open meadows that offered no shade at all. The views were mostly of small hills and the river down below.

Eventually we passed into an area where it was shaded, and the river roared far below (maybe 100 feet? I'm no good at estimation.) However, it was only after 5 miles that we got into a seriously wooded area. Luckily there was also a creek running nearby, and I was able to dunk my head in and soak my hat. (I didn't take too many pictures of this hike. We were hiking with another couple and I didn't want to annoy them by stopping all the time.)

We came out of the woods and continued to follow the trail through waist-high (chest-high for me) grass. After accidentally dunking my feet into a creek (the bridge was a wobbly log and I fell off), all of the sudden the trail disappeared! Luckily the guy we were with was paying attention and knew that there was a stagecoach road running nearby. We forged through the grass and eventually hit the road. Whew! I was kind of worried there for a minute.

This trail wasn't all that breathtaking, but it had the advantage of being totally isolated. It also had the advantage of getting my new hiking boots dirty, so I no longer look like a dork wearing clean boots. It was quiet and serene. I also realized that I don't want to hike any farther than 8 miles. I'm sure I have the physical ability, but at some point hiking becomes un-fun. When you are tired of walking and just want a cold drink, you stop paying attention to the scenery - and that defeats the purpose.

Wednesday Picture #6

This is the view outside of my trailer. The other night I had to go outside and take pictures because it reminded me so much of Magritte's Empire of Light. (But more rural, of course.)

*Thank you to Heather J of Age 30 - A Year of Books who recently gave me the Brilliante Weblog award! It always makes me happy to know that not only do people read this thing, but some actually like it!

Sweet Pea Festival

This weekend we decided to forgo the usual hiking activity and hit up the Sweet Pea Festival in Bozeman, MT. I had overheard a few people talking about it, and when I found out that it was a arts festival, I knew we had to go. There were multiple stages with dancers & musicians, and about 100 vendor tents.

The art vendors were pretty impressive - there were many talented and creative artists and craftspeople showing everything from pottery to jewelry to wood furniture. (And one person with the largest amount of tie-dye I have ever seen in one location.) Unfortunately, the entertainment wasn't as professional. When I read there would be Hawaiian dancers, I was excited. But take a look at the picture below and tell me how many of these girls look "Hawaiian." (Answer: possibly one. The rest are pasty Montanans.)


Then there was a "folkloric" dance group. I was also excited to see this performance, as I took Folk Dance as my physical education requirement in college and really enjoyed those classes. But this performance... how can I describe it? Basically, these ladies took every dance form and combined it into one mishmash with no coherent theme. The lady below in the mask seemed to be the leader, and let me tell you, she was a certifiable nut job. She spoke in an odd manufactured accent, peppered her introductions with Irish words, and pretended not to know what a computer was. She kept saying things like "The magic is growing stronger! It wants me to dance!" Then she put on this Carnival mask and waved a scarf around. I guess the moral of this story is that perhaps more people need to ask themselves if their hobby, when performed in public, will be potentially embarrassing. It really was uncomfortable watching this performance because I was so embarrassed for the dancers.


I also was excited to see some Irish dancers (by now you can tell where this story is going.) I wasn't expecting Riverdance, but paying $15 to watch someone else's 7-year-old skip around a stage is not exactly good money value. I'm all for kids' dance lessons and recitals to make them feel proud of what they've learned, but at an arts festival I would have hoped to see something a little more professional. The only professional act we did see were Japanese drummers... but there were only 2 of them. Not exactly visually stunning, but they were talented.

Because we were in the big city, we spent the next day binge shopping (this is how its been for the past year... go shopping every 2 months and buy things while you can. I'm not really sure what people who actually live by shopping do - do you spend more money or less?) Because I'm predictable, I bought books and tea (total cost for everything: $14. I'm a big spender. The rest of our money was spent on food.)


I got some Vanilla Tea, which seems pretty decent, although a little weak. I haven't tried the Assam, but considering that the tin cost $2.69 and the contained tea doesn't even smell like Assam, I'm not too optimistic. But really I just wanted the container because I liked the label and it has a hinged lid. (The stupid people at Ross had to put the price tag right over the label... dorks.) The Zhena's Coconut Chai is excellent, and also gets props for having a cool looking tin (oddly reminicent of the insane dancers.)

The books I got were My Hutterite Life by Lisa Marie Stahl, Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. Some of these were in the bargain books at Border's, and the others came from a thrift store. Obviously the whole "don't buy anything because you'll have to fit it into the car when you drive home" concept hasn't hit home.

Wednesday Picture #5

This is a firewood pile outside of my front door - a reminder of the ridiculous winters in Montana. Last winter West Yellowstone got around 20 feet of snow! I used to love snow as a child (didn't we all?) It meant free days off from school and hours of playing outside on sleds. But, as an adult, I've had to drive in snow (and ice, and sleet) far too many times to get excited about it. Work is rarely canceled because of snow, and that means digging out and de-icing your car, then driving slowly over harrowing slippery roads.

I think this picture looks antique-y. I'm a huge fan of post-production; I rarely take black and white pictures because that can all be changed on the computer afterward. Some of the skill of photography has been negated these days, but there's no reason not to use technology if its available - one skill has simply been replaced by another. As a graphic artist, I mainly used Photoshop, but most basic photo fixes can easily be done with Picassa. Picassa has a lot of neat features like the ability to make collages and e-mail pictures without reducing their sizes individually, and the fixes are fun to play around with. I highly recommend it!

A Sock & A Trail

I guess after the year-long saga of my last pair of socks I've decided never to let that happen again. I already started a new pair, and I'm past the heel on the first sock! That's speed knitting compared to what I've been doing. I've heard many knitters say that stockinette is "boring," but I am perfectly content to knit round and round in circles forever. I usually am doing something else while knitting, like watching a movie or reading, so I don't like my patterns to be too complicated. Thanks to Mango for the yarn!


And now, another trail:

Trail: Elephant Back Mountain
Date: July 19, 2008
Length: 3.5 miles
Elevation: 800'
Time: about 2 hours

I didn't take too many pictures of this trail, since it is mainly goes through the woods & is fairly flat until some steep switchbacks towards the end. This seems to be a well-traveled trail, particularly because I think it appears on a lot of "must-do day hike" lists. The views at the top are well worth the effort:


Unfortunately we only had a few minutes of quiet at the top until two women showed up and decided to make cell phone calls to everyone they know. I wouldn't have even thought to check if I had a signal at the top of a mountain!

Some things about me...

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

I was 17, between my junior and senior years of high school. I think this was the year I worked at Busch Gardens in a store selling teddy bears and Hello Kitty products (yuck!) I was probably going on college visits & I think I took a community college entry-level calculus class (for apparently no reason, other than I like school.) I also had questionable hair style choices.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?

(1) Not get eaten by a bear. (2) Try to pick up some editing jobs. (3) Figure out what to make with a pound of ground turkey for dinner. (4) Look up possible hikes for the weekend. (5) Umm, I've got nothing. My life is pretty stress-free these days.

3) Snacks I enjoy:

Snacks. I love snacks. In fact, I hardly ever eat lunch, I just snack. A co-worker once said to me, after observing my lunch every day, "You really like snacks, don't you?" Snacks mostly include apples, pretzels, any crunchy-type cracker, rice cakes, almonds, and dried fruit. However, I have a horrible weakness for chips (of both the potato and corn varieties.) I could eat a bag of chips a day, but luckily I was also blessed with self-discipline. Jason & I like to refer to our snacks by name, i.e., "chicken-snack" or "salsa-snack." He is also fond of "burrito-snack," but me, not so much.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

I probably would still have a job, but I would be very picky about what job it was (otherwise I'd get bored.) I'd move to a city (maybe Santa Fe, or maybe somewhere like Seattle) and have a really awesome craftsman-style house. One room would have built-in bookshelves on all four walls and I'd compile the library of my dreams. I'd give my parents money so that they could retire, and I know I should say I'd give some to charity. But, I'd really have to research what I gave my money to, because I'm pretty much suspicious of everything these days. I'd also go on vacations all the time and buy some of that buffalo yarn.

5) Places I have lived:
I was born in Arlington, VA, and moved to Alexandria, VA, when I was young. Before high school my dad got a new job and we moved to Williamsburg, VA, where I also went to college. In college, I studied abroad in Cork, Ireland. After graduation, I lived in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM, and Larned, KS. I went to grad school in Newark, DE, before moving back to Carlsbad, NM. I just moved from Yellowstone National Park, WY, to a different area of the park near West Yellowstone, MT.

6) Jobs I have had:

My first jobs were at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, in shops in the Germany and New France areas. I also have worked as:
- Hostess in an Italian restaurant
- Assistant at an art museum
- Cashier at Target
- Education person at a national park
- Editor/graphic designer at electron microscope company
- Park ranger
- Science camp instructor
- Slide librarian
- Registration assistant at a decorative arts museum/mansion/gardens
- Graphic artist
- Editor

Trail Journal: Storm Point

Another trail! (I hope you're not getting tired of these, 'cause I'm not...)

Trail: Storm Point
Date: July 19, 2008
Distance: 2.1 miles
Time: about 1 hour
Elevation: none to speak of
Bison hair: LOTS

This was my most favorite trail so far! On the way there, we ran into a huge herd of bison (hundreds of them.) This caused the traffic jam to end all traffic jams, so it took us over 2 hours to drive the 58 miles to the trailhead. Then, we got sidetracked by a 90% off art sale at the Fishing Bridge gift shop (but that was a good thing.) Finally, we arrived at the trailhead, quite near Yellowstone Lake.


The trail starts in a meadow and quickly winds into the woods, where the blue-green lake becomes visible. The lake is so huge that it reminded me of the ocean. While walking through this wooded area, we came upon an area where a bison had laid down and shed all over the place. Score! I filled up a sandwich bag with fur... but I not really sure what to do with it. It's dirty, and obviously needs to be carded and spun - so we'll see. But I was excited just to have it. (Techinically its illegal to remove anything from a National Park... but also technically, it still has not left the park... just moved.)


Soon the trail open up, and you head towards a beautiful rocky point, where you can stand and feel the strong wind coming off the lake. It was so quiet here (besides the wind), and so scenic, and deserted... hard to imagine it's only a few minutes off the road.


After walking along the lake shore, you head back into the woods for a loop back to the road. It's hard to imagine bison walking through these woods, because they are so incredibly dense. There are fallen trees covering the ground, making it impossible to walk any where besides the trail (so it's impossible to get lost... a plus as always.) We did see a fallen tree, hanging about 7.5 feet above the trail, covered in bison fur! I was imagining a giant hairy beast prowling the woods, but then we realized that the fur deposition had probably happened during the winter, when snow weighed the tree down. However, if any one has seen a 7 foot tall bison, let me know... because that would be awesome.

This trail was fairly short, so we did another trail this day, Elephant Back Mountain... details to come.

Finished!

I finished the socks.


I feel like these socks have dominated my knitting life for the past year - first they were jaywalkers, which didn't fit, then finally became crosswalkers. I broke a needle in the process, and never really liked the all the hot pink in the yarn. But they are finally done! They won't supplant my favorite socks (stripy ones!), but they have certainly earned a spot in the rotation.

Trail Journal: Midway & Upper Geyser Basins

Trail: Midway Geyser Basin, Mudpots, Upper Geyser Basin
Date: July 13, 2008
Distance: maybe around 2 miles?
Time: about 4 hours, including driving from trail to trail

These are three areas between Old Faithful & Madison Junction, which can all be reached off of the main loop road. Since they are geyser basins, the trail is mostly wood boardwalks. I've shown you pictures of geysers before, so let's go straight to the good stuff.

The colors in the first two areas are absolutely amazing. Thanks, bacteria! In this picture alone I see pink, orange, yellow, purple, blue, & green - very cool, huh?

There were more pools of the florescent blue type:


And stark trees against the also blue sky:


But this, this was amazing: the Grand Prismatic Spring. It's difficult to capture it from the ground, but this is the general idea.


From the air, however, you get the full effect. All I can say is WOW. (I didn't take this picture obviously.)

From there we drove up to the Old Faithful area. If you take the time to walk down beyond the most famous geyser, there are plenty more to see. At this point I was a little thermo-featured out, so we didn't go too far. One of the more interesting features in this area is Castle Geyser, which was gurgling when we saw it. Many of the geysers in this area are predictable, so if you plan it right (which we didn't) you can see some really impressive eruptions.


*As always, and in these areas in particular, be prepared for lots and lots of people. Including men who think its OK to walk around without their shirts on. And people who stage photo shoots of their dogs.

Trail Journal: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone South Rim

*Instead of one picture this Wednesday, I bring you yet another trail...

Trail: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, South Rim
Date: July 11, 2008
Distance: 6.4 miles
Time: A while; I really need to buy a watch

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone probably has the most dramatic scenery in the park: waterfalls, a roaring river, a deep, colorful canyon. It's possible to see the canyon and its waterfalls from roadside pull-offs, but we all know by now that I think that's cheating (unless you are really old, a baby, or disabled. Otherwise you have no excuse.)

The trail starts right down next to the river, which is moving at high rates of speed. Curiously, the trail is partially paved, although you can tell it was done a long time ago.


After about a half a mile of woods and river views, you suddenly come upon a bridge, where you look out on this:


If you look closely you can see a huge mass of people on the other side of the waterfall - on my side, my husband & I were the only two people standing on the bridge. So, if you can walk half a mile, I strongly suggest hiking, it's so worth it!

After this point, the trail becomes more crowded, since "Artist Point" is one of the park's biggest attractions. I was sort of sad to see that part of the trail actually goes through a parking lot, and a lot of unprepared people wander out onto the trail. We saw some rangers helping a woman who had fallen on a switchback (wearing sandals), and they were getting ready for a "carry-out." When I worked at the Caverns, we had many carry-outs (really wheel-outs, since this means taking someone out on a litter), which are always completely difficult and exhausting. I felt sorry for them since I knew the next few hours of their day would be spent pushing this woman up switchbacks. So be prepared! And if you do fall, give the rangers cupcakes to make them like you more.

I digress... from Artist Point you have a view up the river and of Yellowstone Falls.


It was pretty cool that day... in the 60s I would guess. Notice I am wearing a fleece in the middle of July!

From here we continued on a mile to Point Sublime, which was considerably less crowded. But, the end of the trail is anticlimactic. The trail ends, but its difficult to see anything for all the trees blocking the canyon. However, again we were the only people there, so the 10 minutes or so of just hearing the river rushing below was worth the trek. (Are you seeing a trend?... its so hard to get away from people here!) There were great views of the canyon along the way though.


And finally, you can rest assured that "Wumpie + Slumpie" made it here OK.