Adirondacks Day 3 (A) - Fri 6/22/12

Part 6, Mount Marcy

Marcy Dam remnants

5:15am - Up and out of the tent. I have been dozing restlessly since first light nearly an hour ago, but I can hear the others moving around outside so it is time to get up. As early as the hour is, the excitement of the "big hike" day gets me out of bed easily, and I am not a morning person. I am usually the last up, which is fine with me.

This is the day these guys have been talking about and waiting for since 2008 - the day they attempt to get their revenge on Mount Marcy. They successfully summited the peak in 2008, but weather and visibility were so bad they couldn't see anything, and they were so miserable they couldn't stay on the summit (not that there was any reason to at that point). There is a palpable excitement in the air as everyone gets ready. We have breakfast, get our gear in order, pack sandwiches and snacks, and load up on liquids.

Phelps Brook

As I have noted in prior blog entries, I am approaching this with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Excitement because getting to the top of the highest mountain in New York would be a great accomplishment, and trepidation because I have doubts about my conditioning and my ability to do so. It really all depends on pace, which worries me. I don't climb well, since I get winded fairly easily. I don't want to slow the group down, but pushing myself to keep up with their pace, which is guaranteed to be faster than I would choose, will wear me out. I am hopeful but realistic. I will go as far as I can as fast as I can, and whatever happens happens.

6:45am - We set out directly from camp. My daypack feels like a bowling ball. I am carrying a rain jacket, fleece vest, camera, assorted little bits of gear, lunch, snacks and drinks in the form of a 2 liter water bladder, a Gatorade, and a 32 ounce Nalgene water bottle. That's probably about 8 pounds of liquid alone, but I am a sweater, so I expect to need all of it. The other items are carried as precautions against unexpected weather setting in while we are on the hike. The forecast is for mid-80's temperatures and sunny, but the weather can change rapidly around here, as the guys well know.

Uphill slog

The first section of trail is similar to yesterday's hike, but with more boggy areas and foot bridges, including one elevated section through a small swamp. We haven't done any climbing yet, and I feel good. Even the soreness in my heel has faded somewhat, which is nice.

8:05am - Marcy Dam, 2.3 miles in. Apparently when the dam was functional, there was a small lake behind it and a foot bridge over it. The dam must have failed recently, because the detour north around to the left and over the stream is brand new trail, as is the new foot bridge. This must have been a nice scenic spot before, but really isn't anymore. What used to be the lake bottom is now mud flats.

Upper Phelps Brook foot bridge

Soon after leaving Marcy Dam, the trail gets rockier and begins to climb. It isn't horrible at this point, but it is certainly noticeable. My comfortable pace slows, as I knew it would. Dave, Ted and Phil continue on ahead at good pace and every now and then disappear from view on the trail ahead.

8:35am (ish) - We are a shade over 3 miles in, and the difference in pace between Leo and I and the rest of the group is noticeable. Leo still isn't feeling that well, and I never climb fast. The leading three slow every now and then to let us catch up, but I don't want them to spend all day lagging back because of us. We tell them to go ahead at their own pace and we will continue on at ours. I feel bad about holding them back and feel better after they are gone. Now I just need to worry about myself without worrying about my pace's impact on others.

Lower Phelps Brook High Water crossing

We continue climbing along the north bank of Phelps Brook, which is pretty, but the climbing is hard work and there is a lot of it left. At this point I am still hopeful that slow and steady will win the race, but we are only halfway there.

9:00am (ish) - We cross upper Phelps Brook on a foot bridge and continue climbing toward Indian Falls. The trail is rockier and steeper. We are struggling but plodding along. After a little while the trail gets wetter, steeper, and mossier. Footing is tough and the climb is by far the steepest yet. I am puffing along, as is Leo.

9:45am (ish) - The last few tenths of a mile have been brutal, and with no let up in sight, Leo and I agree to bail out together. He really isn't feeling well now, and I am tired enough to pull the plug as well. If this last bit is any indication, I don't know how much more I could force myself to do, and Leo is wiped out. I check the altimeter on my GPS and we are at just under 3600 feet, nowhere near the 5344 crest of Marcy. There is a whole lot more "up" out there. We take a brief rest, and dejectedly set off down the mountain.

Leo and my attempt on Marcy

10:05am (ish) - An odd thing happens. As we are working our way down the slope, we pass the turnoff for a very obvious side trail. But to my knowledge there shouldn't be a side trail. Just the trail to Marcy. We stop, look around, and much to our shock and amazement, the turnoff is the Marcy Trail. I pull out my GPS and map, and sure enough, we somehow managed to miss the main trail and ended up on a side trail (a winter ski trail) headed to the top of Table Top Mountain. Ugh. In retrospect it makes sense now why the trail got so much more rugged, as it is not regularly trodden as is the highway to Marcy. I am stunned and shocked and don't know whether to laugh or cry. We went a brutal four tenths of a mile up the wrong trail. If we had stayed on the correct path, the map shows it not getting quite so horrible so fast, and there was a section of upland meadow that would have helped give us a breather. Maybe, just maybe... Oh well, at this point, there is no thought of continuing up the right way, so we continue down.

10:20am - We reach the foot bridge over upper Phelps Brook. Being in no hurry anymore, I am much more inclined to stop and take pictures, which we do at several points. I try to distract myself with the scenery, but am only marginally successful, as there isn't all that much scenery to enjoy. As with the hike yesterday, there are no vistas or overlooks, just rocky streams and more woodland.

(note variance from trail at lower right...)

11:07am - We cross the High Water bridge over lower Phelps Brook. We are tired and pretty quiet as we do the last few miles. My heel is killing me again, and I am not happy with my performance today.

12:11pm - Leo and I trudge back into camp tired and defeated. We have hiked 8.8 miles of rugged terrain, climbing 1400 feet up and then 1400 feet back down, much of it in the middle few miles. We covered only 60% of the mileage and 40% of the elevation gain. As tired as I am, it feels like it should be more.

Next... After Marcy

Adirondacks Day 2 (C) - Thurs 6/21/12

Part 5, Evening at Camp

Heart Lake south to Wright, Algonquin, and Iroquois (ridge line L-R)

After our hiking today, I get to try out the bathhouse facilities for the first time. They are not bad for a campground - plenty of hot water and clean. There are three shower stalls, and my only issue is that they are about the size of an old style phone booth, and the shower head is pointing at my chin, not the top of my head. It's a small complaint, and the shower feels wonderful. Some careful twisting, turning and ducking results in a perfectly acceptable shower.

Our campsite is terrific. We have two adjoining sites. One is especially large and nice, and we end up using that for basically everything except the tent Dave and I will share. They are very close to level, with good spots for tents. Ted will be in one tent, Phil and Leo will share another. Phil has brought a little pavilion with a roof and sides that will be used as a combination changing room, storage area, laundry rack, and emergency rain hangout. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring with fold down grill grate. This is all very standard, but is nicely maintained here. Being nestled in a mixed pine forest, the packed sandy soil is covered with a layer of pine needles, which makes for a very comfortable (and not at all messy) carpet.

Camp

We spend the rest of the early evening at various tasks and diversions, each doing our own thing. Some read, or just sit and chat. I wander down to the lake to take some pictures, some of us try for wifi access at the Loj (with limited success for me), and I take the time to write notes that will turn into these blog entries. If past experience is any indication, I will take good detailed notes earlier on and get briefer and sloppier later (in the end this will prove to be true). That's where digital pictures and being a persistent photographer come in handy; I can build timelines of our activities very accurately based on picture timestamps.

Sharing camp with us are a swarm of large chipmunks and small squirrels. The chipmunks are very bold in their quest for food, and will do everything short of climb up your leg. If you sat still enough, I am not convinced they wouldn't. Chipmunks are cute, and are very much preferable to the mice we have had other places.

Sundown, Heart Lake (8:18pm)

Dinner is a late meal of grilled chicken and a green salad. Phil has done a great job of planning out the menu and between good planning and a ready supply of ice, we will have fresh produce and veggies with every dinner. The chicken tastes great over an open fire. The only minor glitch with the meal is a little (ok, a lot) too much cooking time which turns a half dozen baked potatoes into large oval hockey pucks. This isn't a total loss, as it provides a good trigger for cooking-related teasing for the rest of the trip.

When dinner is over we clean up, stow all food and smellies in the van (to keep from attracting the resident black bears), and sit around the fire. We begin working our way through the assortment of beer that we have brought, and talk. Dave has recently purchased a "travel guitar", meaning a lower priced acoustic that he feels comfortable bringing on trips. It's actually a really nice guitar... Tonight, and throughout our time at camp, Dave will periodically pull out the guitar and play for a while. He has gotten very good and knows lots of songs. What we realize when attempting to sing along is that nobody seems to know the words to much of anything anymore, except Ted who remembers the words to most everything but doesn't really sing. Perhaps next trip we need a song list with cheat sheets for lyrics.

Fading Light, Heart Lake (8:30pm)

It is the first of many beautiful evenings, cool but not cold, with enough of a breeze to keep the campfire smoke from lingering. It is forecast to drop into the low 50's tonight, but we are all prepared and should be fine.

It's Grace's birthday today, and I have not been able to get a call through. Much Daddy guilt. I did trade texts with her this morning, so at least that is something. It would normally be the first day of summer and the longest day of the year, but since this is a leap year that all happened yesterday.

10:15pm - Tomorrow is expected to be the big hiking day, so Dave and I head to bed early, leaving the others to their drinks and conversation. I don't think anybody stays up too late. Quiet time begins at 10pm and ends at 7am by campground rules. The place isn't very crowded, and it does get quiet quickly. I sleep easily and well.

Next... Marcy Day

Adirondacks Day 2 (B) - Thurs 6/21/12

Part 4, Indian Pass Trail to Rocky Falls

Typical Adirondacks Trail

Once camp has been set, and lunch eaten, everyone is very anxious to get out on a trail and be moving. A quick look at a map shows one easy option which we settle on quickly: an out-and-back from the campground to Rocky Falls, a scenic spot a little under two and a half miles out the Indian Pass Trail. This trail passes the side trails to Mount Jo, a 2,900 foot mountain that overlooks the north end of Heart Lake and has great views of the big mountains to the south. (More on Mount Jo later).

1:30pm - Our hike begins right from our campsite (although I started the track map below at the information center), and after all the time in the van it is great to be moving. My only complaint, and it is a minor one, is that my left heel has been bothering me for the last few days, and I have no idea why. I have not been doing anything physical, and I don't remember feeling anything at any point, but my left heel in the area of my achilles and below my ankle is very sore to walk on. It is annoying, not limiting in any way, but it is persistent and doesn't go away.

Indian Pass Brook below Rocky Falls

The trail is exactly what the entire trip's trails will prove to be like. Well maintained trails through mixed pine and deciduous woods. As on other hikes, we are almost always completely shaded. This is a pretty level one, with only minor ups and downs as we very gradually climb up the valley that would eventually lead to Indian Pass and ultimately Henderson Lake. It is a warm and humid day, but being in the shade makes it not bad at all. The trail is sometimes dry, sometimes a little sloppy, but most low areas have stepping stones, flattened log bridges, or even sections of corduroyed trail (rows of small logs laid perpendicular to the trail). Any small feeder stream or runoff that we cross has a bridge of some sort. Everything is green or brown, with no other colors in evidence. Nothing is flowering at the moment. Photo opportunities are limited, as everything kinda looks the same, and there are no vistas or overlooks down here in the valley.

Rocky Falls

2:45pm - After a little over an hour of walking in the woods, we come to the side trail down to Rocky Falls and head toward the sound of water over rocks. We come out on Indian Pass Brook a few hundred yards below the Falls, and it is beautiful. I have always loved everything about water, and working our way up the rocky stream bed is the kind of scenic lift I have been waiting for.

As we come around a clump of trees, we hear a dog barking, and then voices. On the other side we see two bikini clad women sunning themselves on large boulders in the stream. This of course provokes rampant speculation that only the warning barks of the dog gave them enough time to get their clothes back on before we got there (among other things). I remain skeptical, but it is nice to be among my childhood friends and know that in our mid-to-upper-forties we are still children at heart. Boys will be boys, and apparently men will also be boys.

Intrepid Explorers at Rocky Falls

The Falls themselves are not overly large, but are very picturesque, and it is very nice the way they cut through a narrow chute in the rock on either side. There is a small tower cairn of rocks atop the Falls. The guys lament that on this hot day we do not have swim gear (or the privacy to go without swim gear) to take advantage of the nice swimming hole. The water is cold (but not frigid) and is very clear; exactly what you would hope mountain stream water to be. We stop and rest for a few minutes, enjoying the spot, and snacking on whatever we happen to be carrying. This would be a nice lunch spot. After a relatively brief stop, and some picture taking, we head back the way we came.

3:45pm - We arrive back at the junction with one of the side trails to Mount Jo, and it is decided that Dave, Ted and Leo will do that, while Phil and I head back to camp and start thinking about dinner and chores. The trail to the summit only adds a couple miles, but is a steep climb in places. My heel is still bothering me, and I figure I might as well save myself for tomorrow's big day. Phil and I stop at the store for ice and firewood, and are back at the campsite by 4:05.

Camp to Rocky Falls and Back - 4.6 Miles

4:30pm - Leo shows up back at camp ahead of Dave and Ted. He hasn't been feeling 100% recently, and decided that he would also stop the Mount Jo hike partway in and come back and rest up. Dave and Ted show up within the hour having summited Mount Jo (which they had also done on the last trip), and we all settle in for the evening.

Next... First Night at Camp

Adirondacks Day 2 (A) - Thurs 6/21/12

Part 3, Arrival at Heart Lake

Chapel Pond

The general plan for today is to get to Heart Lake (the Wilderness Campground at Adirondack Loj), set up camp, and get a "stretch the legs" hike in before the end of the day.

6:44am - We agreed to get up at 7 (or no later than...) this morning, but many of the gang are early risers and Phil arrives with a knock as Dave and I are still lying in bed dozing. He tells us that he and Leo have decided to run to Walmart early, and do we want to go along or is it alright for them to go. Without giving it much thought we say "go without us", but over the next hour or so it occurs to me that there were a few things I had planned on looking at, and I probably should have gone. They were little things, not even worth a phone call, and in the end it didn't matter.

"Chapel" geocache

7:19am - With Leo and Phil off shopping, there was no real urgent need to get moving, so I have flopped in bed for another half hour before getting up to shower. I am dressed and ready to go by 7:30, but it is 9:15 by the time the shoppers are back, everything has been gathered and the van completely reloaded. I don't know how we got even more stuffed into it...

We stop for a McDonalds drive through breakfast, and more importantly, coffee. Any time we are on the road in the morning, there seems to be an Egg McMuffin imperative, which I understand, as it is one of the few things at McDonalds that I like. It is a trip ritual if nothing else. We get back on 87 and roll north.

Unloading

10:20am - We stop at a rest stop 8-10 miles south of our exit, and I am happy to see that there is a cache here. While the others tend to business, I walk the 400 feet to the other side of the parking lot and make an easy find in a pine tree. "High Peaks North" is the cache, and it is my first in Essex county NY. There is also a cache at the exit, which Phil and I find, and which gives me a little poison ivy on one calf. We are off the interstate for good now, and heading deep into the High Peaks region on route 73, heading towards Lake Placid.

10:45am - We stop at a beautiful little mountain lake called Chapel Pond. It's a very nice spot, with a picturesque lake tucked in between the mountains and the road. I can't help wondering how deep it is. I take a few pictures, and Dave, Phil and I wander off into the woods just beside the road to find a geocache. While heading toward the cache, Dave sees a complete shed snakeskin in a rock crevice (it's about two feet long). We find the cache easily, which makes a total of 6, but we are all leery of reaching way under a rock to pull it out after seeing the snakeskin moments before. We are back on the road soon, driving between lovely forested peaks on all sides.

Home Sweet Home Away From Home

11:30am - A brief stop on the access road into the campground nets us cache #7. I am anxious to see what the campgrounds looks like, having heard the others talk about it.

11:45am - The Adirondack Loj serves as the office for the campground, and we stop to check in and pay the balance due on our two sites (campsites are in the neighborhood of $45 each per night). The Loj is right on Heart Lake, which is small but beautiful. There is an area for swimming, canoes and kayaks that can be rented for $5 an hour, and a wifi hotspot for internet connectivity (although this turned out to be pretty sketchy speed-wise). One thing I quickly find out is that the cell reception is not good at all. Calls are impossible, and text messages only go out once in a while, but fail more often than not. We are completely out of touch more often than not.

It doesn't take us long to set up camp, and after a quick lunch of sandwiches and chips, we are ready for that short hike.

Camp

Next... Rocky Falls Hike

Adirondacks Day 1 (B) - Weds 6/20/12

Part 2, Lake George

Leo, Dave, Ted, Phil

4:39pm - We left the rest stop south of Albany at 3:35, and arrive at our motel with plenty of daylight left. The motel is... ok... although the room Dave and I share doesn't smell so great. Blasting the air conditioning takes the edge off that however, and the price is right for a simple overnight stay. We have two rooms; one for the early sleepers (Dave and I) and one for the night owls (the other three). One thing we realize upon arrival here is that we didn't pack the car with any forethought to what we would want to get out of the van for this stop. We basically have to disassemble things to get at what we need (and consequently do so again to reload the following morning). If we had been thinking ahead, everyone would have had what they would need in their day packs, and all we would have wanted was one cooler with some liquid refreshment. Live and learn.

5:45pm - Having gotten what we need into our rooms, we hop back in the van for the short drive into town. The others have been here before, and they warn me that it is touristy and full of shops selling all sorts of junk, but that the lake is pretty and there are places right on the water where we can get something to eat. The consensus is that we are looking for wings and beer. That shouldn't be too hard to find.

Right around the corner from the motel, we stop and find a geocache, the first of three we will find in the town (and the first of eight overall for the trip).

Tourist steamboat from dinner deck

We park on the southwest side of the lake, right in the midst of everything, and quickly find a waterside bar and restaurant with a deck overlooking the lake. We settle in a order some drinks and an assortment of appetizers, including wings and steamers, as dinner. The wings are just the way they should be: crispy and lip-buzzing hot. It's a nice way to end a day, and we quickly settle into the familiar conversations and jokes. We have all known each other for a very long time, and everything is comfortable. We all have our quirks, but they are very well known and expected quirks. I have known Phil for about 30 years (maybe 31-32), Ted about 34, and Dave and Leo forever.

After finishing dinner, we make a second unsuccessful attempt to find an easy cache right outside the bar. When logging caches at home after the trip, I would see that the cache had gone missing and been disabled between the time I loaded my GPS and when we got there. If I had used my phone app, we would have known this, but I didn't think to do that.

Fort William Henry

Due to leap year, I think I saw somewhere that the summer solstice was at 7:09pm tonight, so it is the longest day of the year (not the 21st as usual). We have plenty of light left to take a leisurely stroll around the south shore of the lake, passing by the exterior of Fort William Henry. This area was extremely important in colonial and Revolutionary times, and seeing this old stockade fort was a nice bonus. There wasn't time to go in, even if it was still open at that time of the evening. The views birth up the lake were gorgeous as the sun faded.

Sunset over Lake George

9:00pm - Back in the night owls' room for a couple beers and some TV. Dave and I didn't last long and headed back to our room to write a little, read a bit, and then sleep.

Dusk with steamboat

Next... To Heart Lake

Adirondacks Day 1 (A) - Weds 6/20/12

Part 1, Preparing for Launch

Well, the boys trip 2012 is finally here, and I am very excited. The plan for today is to meet at Phil's house, about an hour north of me, at around 10:00am. Pending last minute work stuff that Leo may have to get through, we will leave as soon as we can, and drive as far north as the Rodeway Inn at Lake George, NY. We expect this will be about a five and a half hour drive if all goes well, with a lunch stop and other brief breaks as needed. This will leave only an hour and a half or so tomorrow to get to our final destination. There is a Walmart near the motel where we will be able to get the last of the provisions tomorrow morning, which will mainly consist of produce, eggs, cold cuts and other non-freezable perishables. I have bought a list of non-perishables ahead of time, and Phil has planned menus, prepped food, and frozen things ahead of time for most if not all of the main courses.

9:00am - I leave the house with what I think is a frighteningly large amount of gear. In the interests of being more flexible with packing the van, I have divided my personal stuff into two medium sized duffles rather than one huge one. In addition to this I have my day pack which contains various items including my good camera. I also have an inflatable air mattress (no larger than a true backpacking sleeping pad but much more comfortable. There is also one file storage sized box and three bags of non-perishables that I have bought for the group. And a camp chair. And a frying pan and an eight quart stock pot. It's a lot, and it's only my contribution.

9:30am - I get to Dave's to pick him up on the way, and when I pull into his driveway, he has an equally impressive pile of gear to bring. His personal items are about the same as mine, but instead of the non-perishables that I have, he has the tent we will sleep in and its accessories, and an acoustic guitar. He is hopeful that there will be room for the guitar, even if he needs to carry it all the way on his lap. Our combined pile of stuff pretty well fills my post-car-accident rented Altima.

As we are loading the car, I comment that we will almost certainly need the roof rack clam shell this time. Dave points to the far wall of his garage, against which the roof rack is leaning, and says "yeah, about that...". It seems that the rooftop carrier that I am thinking we will be using is actually Dave's, not Phil's, and as it is sitting in Dave's garage with no way of getting it to Phil's, the only way we will be able to use it is to bring the van back down to Dave's house. This is an hour out of the way, not to mention the extra time to fiddle with it. We shrug and hope we can find a way to not need it.

10:05am - Dave and I arrive at Phil's. Ted pulls in almost at the same time as us. We put all the combined gear together and organize it to be ready to load when Leo arrives. We have a rented Dodge Grand Caravan, the same vehicle that we rented for the Dakotas trip last year, where it proved to be a comfortable workhorse. It's a mountain of stuff, and we hope that Leo has packed light.

When Leo shows up at around 10:30, he hasn't packed any lighter than any of the rest of us. The mountain grows. We have all the personal stuff, boxes and bags of food, 3 loaded coolers, many cases of water, Gatorade and beer. And a host of other things. I can't believe it will all fit, but after a half hour of fiddling, we manage to have it all in. I'm still not quite sure how we did it, but Dave did have to ride the whole way with a guitar between his legs.

11:01am - We leave Phil's, happy to be on the road in very good time. A quick stop at the rental place to add me as a secondary driver and we are on the way.

12:09pm - Having travelled up the Northeast extension and over on I-78 East, we cross into NJ.

1:00pm - We have come up I-287 and stop at the Wendy's just off the Hanover/Whippany exit for a quick lunch.

1:30pm - Back on the road again.

2:00pm - Into NY.

3:20pm - We stop at the New Baltimore rest stop just south of Albany to stretch our legs. We are making good time, as the speed limit on most of the non-urban interstate is 65, which means Phil can go 80 ish most of the time and be moving with traffic.

Next... Lake George

Attitude Adjustment

Mount Marcy. The highest point in the Adirondacks, and the highest point in New York state. I have to admit that the idea of a 15 mile hike with 3,200 feet of elevation change on the way up and the same 3,200 feet on the way down has been weighing heavily on my mind. I was in decent shape for the Dakotas, but not as good now. And I have done very little hiking this year. Or anything that uses my legs really, not even geocaching in local parks and woods. So I can't exactly pretend that I am prepared physically.

Rereading Dave's blog posts earlier today from the last trip on these same trails was not particularly helpful, as he characterizes it as the hardest hiking he has done (and I know that nothing in the last four years has changed his mind). So I wouldn't exactly say that I am prepared mentally either.

This made me feel pretty gloomy about my prospects of accomplishing this, but also made me realize what I need. I need an attitude adjustment. There is no sense in dreading what should be one my most memorable hiking achievements, and the high point (literally) of a wonderful vacation trip. If I believe I can't do it, then I won't. If I believe that I can, even if I shred a couple of knees in the process, then I will. And so I will. I will go as slow as I need. I will take as many breathers as I need. I will lag behind the rest of the group if I need. But I will get to the top of Mount Marcy. I will.

Fast Approaching

It is less than two weeks until we leave for the Adirondacks trip, and the excitement has finally kicked in. For whatever reason, with everything else that has been going on, I just haven't been thinking about the trip that much, and when I have, it has just been this distant recognition. But within the last week, that has changed.

Heart Lake, site of our campground

Last Monday, I sent an email to the guys asking for suggestions on a non-perishables shopping list that we could tackle ahead time so that we had all that out of the way. The resultant flurry of emails is what made the trip seem imminent. With that came the excitement. Perhaps concrete planning makes it seem more real, I don't know. But whatever it was, it came on strong.

A lunch trip to a nearby Eastern Mountain Sports store netted me a couple of maps of the area, including the Trails Illustrated map of Adirondack Park (Lake Placid / High Peaks). I also placed an order from Amazon which was delivered in a remarkable three days. For background reading, I now have Discover the Adirondack High Peaks by McMartin and Ingersoll, and the guidebook Adirondack Trails, High Peaks Region (13th edition), edited by Tony Goodwin. This second book covers the hiking trails of the region in great detail. So I have some reading to do.

I also still have a few things to buy, but nothing major. I went through all my camping gear and hiking clothing and am in good shape other than the need to have some warmer layers. The Dakotas trip had no real expectation of things getting cold. Here, there is that chance. And bad weather could set in during hikes or on the mountains, which has happened to these guys before. So some additional layering items are needed.

The packing list that I made for the Dakotas needs a little bit of tweaking, which I have been doing, as this is a shorter trip, but that list serves as a good starting point, and prevents me from having to start from scratch. I have begun setting aside some of what I need, and will do more this weekend.

I still have concerns over my fitness level, but there's nothing to be done about that at this point. On the bright side, Dave's back is apparently doing very well and he says he's just about 100%. I hope that holds for him.

Speaking of Dave, I have gone back and read his posts about the last Adirondacks trip in June 2008, and found it especially interesting given that we will be staying at the same campground and climbing at least one of the same mountains. All of a sudden, this makes Dave's posts very real to me. Anyone interested in what's in store for me should go to Dave's Musings and read the posts here.

Book Review - The Cove

As I have noted before, Ron Rash has become one of my favorite authors, and when I saw on Amazon that he had a new novel out, it didn't take me long to order it, get it, and devour it. The Cove is set, as usual, in the western Carolina mountains, this time in the closing days of World War 1.

The namesake cove of the title is a canyon-like valley in the shadow of granite cliffs set into the mountains. It is a dark and gloomy place, believed haunted by the superstitious locals. Brother and sister Hank and Laurel Shelton are doing their best to improve the hardscrabble farm they have inherited from their parents. Hank is soon to get married, and Laurel is a lost soul, shunned as a witch because of the pronounced birthmarks that she has and where she lives. Things begin to change for the Sheltons when a mysterious mute stranger shows up one day, ends up staying for a while, helping around the farm, and having Laurel predictably enough fall in love with him. I won't say much about how the book ends, but there is a certain inevitability to the plot, as the things that have been set in motion roll inexorably downhill toward their conclusion.

The book is as well written as all of Rash's are, and the pages flew by for me. It deals with themes of the nature of war, duty, honor, etc..., as well as family, prejudice and intolerance. I enjoyed the 250 pages very much, but if I were to have any complaint at all, it would be that it was somewhat predictable, especially given Rash's other works. Rash's world is a very sobering place; a place where bad things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people. There are strong elements of tragedy in most of his novels and stories, and the cold dark hand of fate hovers over the end of most of his books including certainly this one. That being said, they are still great stories, great reads, and some of my very favorite books.

I would give this 3.5 stars out of 5, perhaps even 4 out of 5, more on the basis of predictability than anything else. A very worthwhile read.

At the same time I ordered this, I also got two other novels: In One Person by John Irving and Canada by Richard Ford. Both are brand new novels from big name authors I have read before. I am a few chapters into Canada as I write this.

The Checklist Manifesto

I did something I rarely ever do: I read a non-fiction book that wasn't history. Atul Gawande, a surgeon who writes frequently on medical issues for The New Yorker, has long been a favorite of my wife's. She reads pretty much anything he writes, in the magazine or books, and has recommended him to me many times. Since this isn't the kind of thing I generally read, I haven't read anything of his other than a couple of single articles.

For whatever reason, I picked The Checklist Manifesto; How to Get Things Right (2009) off the bureau the other day and plowed through it in a couple of days. It was very well written with a bunch of interesting stories supporting his general theme. The theme is that in an age of mind-boggling complexity and sophistication, something as basic as a well constructed checklist can do wonders for helping us not make mistakes, i.e. "get things right". The book revolves around Gawande's role in helping to create a basic surgical checklist for the World Health Organization that could be widely distributed and cut back on the number of avoidable surgical errors occurring in countries all over the world.

Complementary stories include the building of modern day huge buildings, flying the WW2 era B-17 bomber, how an upscale restaurant kitchen functions, and the controlled crash landing of a US Airways A320 in the Hudson River.

It was 193 pages of fascinating stuff that made me wonder how I could apply some of these learnings at work. On second thought, perhaps reading a book and then thinking about work lying in bed at night is why I don't read these kinds of books. But all kidding aside, it was worth it.

Book Review - Thanksgiving Night

I've been back on a little bit of a fiction reading kick, and the most recent novel finished was Richard Bausch's Thanksgiving Night (2006). I have read a decent amount of Bausch's short fiction, a genre he is terrific in, and have also read his most recent novel, Peace (2008). Peace was a short novel, but I liked its sparse, tightly constructed framework. (I would link you to one of my brief reviews, but I read it right when it came out which was before I started blogging... so there is no blog entry...).

In short, this novel is the intertwined story of a handful of characters who are not related at the outset, but whose lives become intermingled over the course of the book. There are a couple of eccentric old ladies, a troubled middle aged couple with grown kids with their own issues, a single mom with two smaller children, and a few others mixed in for good measure. What you end up with is dysfunctional stew, with the various failings of many of the characters coming together to build to the requisite crescendo and denouement leading up to, at, and in the immediate aftermath of the titular Thanksgiving night dinner.

I liked the novel, but if I had a complaint at all, it would be that whereas Bausch's stories are very tight (as necessarily the case in a good short story), this novel meandered around a good bit over 400+ pages without ever really getting to the heart of the characters the way I would have liked, or hoped for.

3.5 stars out of 5. An entertaining enough read, but not great. I have no issue having spent a week of nights reading these 403 pages, but if I were recommending Bausch (which I would), I would say to start with his short fiction.

Next up: Canada (2012), by Richard Ford.

Crunch

The estimate is in on my car, and I guess we really were hit as hard as it felt like we were. The body shop's estimate for fixing all the damage is $12,700 and should take about 30 work days. That's 5 to 6 weeks of calendar time. I guess I should get used to driving that rental...

Five days have passed since the accident, and I am happy to say that I am feeling almost 100% back to normal. For that I am thankful (as well as for the fact that I just found out that the person who hit us is properly insured).

Not Again...

Back in October 2010, the impetus for me getting the car I have now was a random and unpleasant event. I was driving along, minding my own business, when a tree branch fell onto my windshield, shattering it and scaring me pretty badly. That car was older and nearing the end of its useful life, so the damaged windshield was the straw that broke the camel's back. The Accord is the result. Not great car karma, but I got a beautiful new car as a result.

Today, the Accord had its turn at being randomized, and in a much more unpleasant way. To make a long story short, while at a complete stop at a red light, I was rear ended, and hard. It was a bright sunny morning, dry roads, straight stretch with perfect visibility. Rush hour traffic. No sudden stop. But for whatever reason, the driver behind me completely overlooked the need to stop, something that the other twenty or so cars stacked up at the light on a major road had remembered to do. Texting I suppose, but I have no way of knowing for sure.

I was hit hard enough to push me into the car in front of me, and it turned into quite a scene. By the time all was said and done, we had a fire truck, two ambulances, two cars of state troopers, and quite an audience. The car that hit me is probably totalled, mine has a lot of cosmetic damage (and I hope that is all), and the car in front of me has a dented rear bumper. Knowing how hard the hit felt, I am amazed at the fact that the rear end of my car doesn't look much worse than it does.

Much more important are the people, of course. The woman in the car in front of me was fine, having been bumped into not that hard. The woman in the car that hit us was bleeding from the forehead and very shaken up. I heard her telling the paramedics that she was pregnant. She was taken by ambulance to a hospital with a trauma center to be cautious. I had picked up a friend from dropping her car to be serviced, and was bringing her to work (we work together). We were going to swing by Starbucks on the way in, and she was digging for a gift card in her purse when we were hit. Her head hit the dashboard and dazed her. She ended being ambulanced to a nearby hospital strapped to a backboard because of the blow to the head and the potential for a neck injury. Scary stuff to see a friend in that position.

I thought I was fine, but when the ambulances were gone and things settled down somewhat, I got in my car to see if it was drivable, and realized I had a bit of a headache. Since I wanted to see if my friend was ok anyway, I drove myself to the hospital that she had been taken to and checked myself into the ER to get looked at as well. I know my head bounced hard off the headrest, and there is no sense not being careful about your head. Three hours later we had both been checked and cleared to go home. I had nothing major, and she might have a mild concussion, but nothing dramatic we hope.

(Day plus 2 update): I have a stiff neck and upper back, and have had some minor intermittent headaches and dizziness. My friend is experiencing the same, if a little more so than me. Given how hard we were hit, it could have been worse, and for that I am thankful.

In the Shadow of Marcy

As May 20th has come and gone, there is only one month left until the Boys' camping trip of 2012; a return to the Adirondacks. Well, a return for all of them, and a first venture for me. The lead-up to this, compared to the Dakotas trip of last year, is very different for me.

For the Dakotas I planned, ordered trail guide books, prowled hiking websites, created packing lists, fiddled with my gear, and just generally basked in the glow of the impending trip. This year... not so much so. And I'm not really sure why not. It's not that I need this trip any less than last year's. If anything, work has been way more stressful recently than it was at any point in recent memory, and not having been to the Adirondacks before, it is not that the thrill of a new place to see is any less relevant. Perhaps I am missing the thrill of a trip that requires flying. A trip to some place very significantly different from what the world looks like around here. Perhaps I am feeling guilty about missing my little one's birthday. Perhaps the first trip of this sort is the one that really gets the juices flowing. I don't know. Maybe it's just that I am so darn busy that it's hard to claim the intellectual and emotional real estate to get excited about anything right now. I suspect that is it more than anything.

Whatever the case may be, I do have prep work to do. I haven't needed any quantity of hiking/camping clothing since a year ago, so I need to inventory what I have and see if I need anything. Rain gear is always important on a trip of any length, but much more so in the Adirondacks than in the Black Hills and Badlands. As I have noted before, I could use a mini LED camp lantern (just because). And I still would like to look at camp cooking gear. Again, just because.

I'm also concerned about brother Dave. I did something to my back a couple of weeks ago that basically immobilized me for a day or two, but it was muscular and passed fairly quickly with no lingering effects. My familial Aikido master has done something to his back that is more concerning, as it doesn't seem to want to go away. I worry (as I am sure does he) about his ability to enjoy this trip fully. But we have 5 weeks to go and will hope for the best.

So, at this point, 29 days until blast off, and hopefully that special something, whatever it is, will be arriving shortly.

Longwood Gardens

Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day, with sunny blue skies, puffy white clouds, and a nice cool breeze on a warm day. In other words, perfect for a stroll around Longwood Gardens. Nothing to write about that I haven't written about many times before, but here are some nice pictures.

My girls

Yellow rose

Interesting shaped pink rose

"Chinese Tower"

Fountains

Grace at the perennial garden

The Heat of the Moment

There was a side benefit to the Willie Nelson concert that we saw a couple of weekends ago - I got a chance to take a look at the Keswick's schedule of events for the foreseeable future. There was one thing that caught my eye; the 30th anniversary tour of Asia, one of my favorite bands growing up. They are touring with the original lineup. John Wetton on bass and vocals (from King Crimson). Steve Howe on guitar (from Yes). Carl Palmer on drums (From Emerson Lake and Palmer). And Geoff Downes on keyboards (from Yes, and the Buggles - "Video Killed the Radio Star" - the very first video ever played on MTV).

Asia certainly had immense MTV-driven popularity for a short period of time, especially in 1982-1983, in the middle of my high school years. For a while, you couldn't turn on MTV without seeing one of a half dozen videos, and they were played on the radio constantly. Among my friends, there seem to be two schools of thought on them; great band, or sellout pop supergroup. I suppose both are true. There is no denying that all four were fantastic musicians with terrific pedigrees, but it is also hard to deny that the music (as complicated as it is technically in many places) was entirely catering to the pop market. I obviously come down more on the side of "great band". I have always liked the kind of music that some would find over-produced; melodic stuff with layered harmonies, lush keyboards and all that. "Pretty" songs. These guys certainly did that, and mixed in some amazing musicianship while they were at it.

Remembering this band, it has been fun going back and finding all the old songs and videos on YouTube, like Heat of the Moment, Sole Survivor, Only Time Will Tell (recent live version here), Don't Cry, Open Your Eyes, The Last to Know, and Wildest Dreams. Or lesser known songs that I aways liked such as Daylight. It's interesting that many of the best live videos of Asia from back then are lifted from the 1983 "Asia in Asia" concert from Japan that was broadcast on on the radio and shown on MTV (featuring Greg Lake in John Wetton's place). Not surprising I guess, since this was way before the iPhone days when every second of live music is captured and posted so fast it's virtually streaming.

As always, looking at anything on YouTube sends you down a rathole of time spent following trails to all sorts of other stuff, such as Steve Howe, the guitarist, playing some of his classic acoustic songs from his years with Yes (and yes, he does look like Elrond from TLotR movies...).

Of course, no trip through YouTube would be complete without a check-in on what my all-time favorite band of 70-year-olds sounds like these days, so check here for a 2012 version (with not great sound quality) of a classic song. Or this one (with good sound). Or Driftwood, a song they rarely play.

So... other than a trip down memory lane, what's the point? Four seats to Asia's 30th anniversary tour in the 7th row, dead center, at the Keswick Theater on October 20. I can't wait.

Willie Nelson at the Keswick Theater - May 6, 2012

Courtesy of Dave and Lori, I did something that I never would have imagined myself doing; I went to a Willie Nelson concert tonight. My knowledge of Willie's music is perhaps a little more than the average person's, but probably not by much, and I wouldn't consider myself a huge fan. I appreciate that he is a musical icon, and there are some songs of his that I like, but that has been the extent of it. Until now (but I am jumping ahead).

The tickets were for a show at the Keswick Theater, a 1,300 seat theater in Glenside, PA. I had never been there before, but talking to several people who had been to concerts there led me to believe it would be much like the Tower Theater in Upper Darby. It was exactly that. An aging theater, a little shabby around the edges, but a nice old place complete with a bar in the lobby.

The show was to begin at 7:30, and as far as I could tell from the website, there was not an opening act. We arrived in plenty of time, almost got run over by Willie's tour bus in the parking lot next to the theater, and were in our seats with a glass of wine 15 or 20 minutes before showtime. The setting was very spare; a smallish stage with a plain black backdrop and almost no equipment on the stage. Minimalist might be an understatement. There was a beat up old acoustic guitar on a stand, a few amps, a piano, a couple microphone stands, and a pair of basses (one electric, one upright). On a small platform at the back was a lone snare drum and a stool. Minimalist.

At about 7:35 or 7:40, Willie and a few others walked out onto the stage, picked up their instruments and said "hi". A huge Texas state flag unfurled behind the stage, and Willie and his little band launched into their first song. They barely took a breather for the next hour and forty minutes. Song. Thank you. Song. Thank you. Song. Etc... The band consisted of Willie, a bass, a piano, a pair of drummers who took turns playing the single snare drum, and a harmonica player. That's it. Nothing fancy; this was entirely about Willie and the music. The majority of the time, the other musicians faded into the background and almost weren't there at all...

Dave and I both remarked afterwards how many songs he was able to cram into a one hour and forty minute show. As Dave put it, fifty songs at two minutes each. This is an exaggeration, but probably not by as much as you might think. The songs came fast and furious, and despite not being a true Willie fan, I knew most of them (as I think would most people). Our Dad having liked Willie, and having a few of those albums played around the house when we were high school or college aged was a contributor to that, I am sure.

There were the well known but kitschy. On the Road Again, To All the Girls I've Loved Before, and Mamas Don't Let You Babies Grow up to be Cowboys. Amparo and I both agreed that Too All the Girls made us both cringe, but we saw Willie perform it live, and that's something. Me and Bobby McGee.

The Beautiful. Always on my Mind, Crazy, and Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground. Classics like Georgia on My Mind and Night Life. The lovely Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, which is the Willie song that makes me think of Dad more than any other. And my absolute favorite of his - City of New Orleans. (another good version of City here...)

There was a more recent song that I recognized from a CD I have; Beer for My Horses. A very old song that he re-recorded recently; A Horse Called Music. Yesterday's Wine. Whiskey River. I Never Cared for You. And the hilarious You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore. Superman.

Several of these last songs I don't know, but I have to say that seeing an American music icon in person in a small venue made me want to document this while it was still fresh in my mind. Internet discographies have come to my rescue and provided the titles; I remember some lyrics or the choruses, and the titles become obvious.

As with many concerts we go to these days, we were on the younger side of average. I think more than anything this certainly says more about the kinds of music we like, but we like what we like. Much of the audience were obviously big Willie fans and had been to his concerts before, judging from attire, the back and forth singalong bits, and the obvious knowledge of the music.

After an hour and forty minutes, and having played just about every song of his I could have expected, he said "thank you, good night" and put down his guitar. While the band continued to play background fill, Willie went to the edge of the stage and began shaking hands and signing autographs. We figured he would do this for a minute or two then do an encore song. More time passed. More signing and shaking. More time, more signing and shaking. We began to debate whether he was done or not. But the band was still playing in the background. Then more signing. After a solid ten minutes, it became apparent that he was done, we all shrugged, and headed for the exit. Watching a legend sign autographs for ten minutes was less exciting than the music. As we made our way out of the auditorium, Willie waved goodbye one last time and walked off the stage as roadies began to pack his gear. Given the tiny amount of equipment on the stage, we joked that he and his band would be loaded up and on the road to the next city before we made it to our cars. He probably was...

Despite not knowing quite what to expect going into this, it was in many ways a magical night. It's not everyday that you get to see a living legend from about 100 feet away, and the music was terrific. His voice may have gotten a little rougher as he has aged (he just turned 79), but this is Willie Nelson after all, so how could you even really tell? I thought his voice was strong and clear for a man his age, and was every bit the trademark sound you would expect it to be. The biggest surprise to me, I suppose, was his guitar playing. I knew he played, but didn't know how well. I guess I thought his playing would be more along the lines of strumming along while he sang, but that was far from the case. Calling him a virtuoso would be an overstatement to all those technical masters out there, but in his own way he was just that; rugged, rough around the edges, but heartfelt and genuine. In other words, his playing matched his singing and his music perfectly. He played country, folk and blues riffs and fills, and even a few beautiful passages that sounded more classical than anything. This was all a surprise to me and a very nice one. It was a wonderful evening and a great concert.

Fan or not, I can't recommend seeing Willie Nelson highly enough. I loved it. And somewhere Dad is smiling...

Painting Table - Medieval "Red" Knights

It seems like no matter what else I am painting (and I have been busy lately), I always enjoy sneaking a few more knights into the mix every now and then. I enjoy the liberty I can take in painting them however I want, and adding in as much detail as I feel like. Over the last week or so, while working on some Vampire Counts fantasy figures and some Lord of the Rings Rohan stuff, I knocked these out very quickly. They aren't the best painting I can do by any means, but they are a serviceable quality unit to bulk up my generic medieval armies. I would generally paint a unit of knights like this to have every one unique, but part of the exercise for this unit was to see how fast I could do a decent job while using one consistent color scheme with only minor variation. The answer is... I can do this very quickly. Quickly enough that there is another unit of knights parked by the side of my work area waiting to be tackled for when the mood strikes.

"Red" knights (Old Glory 25mm)

I just need to add a banner on the banner pole at right, and finish the bases.

Book Review - The Sense of an Ending

My first foray back into fiction in a while was Julian Barnes' 2011 Man Booker prize winner, The Sense of an Ending. This was a short little novel, more of a novella really, of 163 small format pages. I did with this what I try to avoid; I read the first half in a couple of days, and then put the book down for a week or ten days before picking it back up and finishing. Even for a book of this length, the lack of continuity can be noticeable.

In the case of this particular book, which has a significant twist at the end, I found myself confused. I wondered if I mis-remembered something in the short time I had put the book aside, as it struck me that there was something not quite right in what I was remembering. If I had it to do over again, I would make it a point to read this one straight through with no breaks. C'est la vie.

Regardless, I enjoyed this book very much. It was slow paced, a minimalist character study of an aging man looking back over some of the key events in his life, both as a high school and college aged boy and how those events came back to affect him in his 60's. This was my first experience with reading Barnes, and it was a very good one. I have a couple other books of his, and might dive into another one next (I just ordered Ron Rash's new novel The Cove from Amazon this evening and might as well read something else while I wait for it to arrive).

Barnes has an eminently readable style and I wish I had tagged more nice passages as I read; there were many. I must be out of practice or something...

"History isn't the lies of the victors, as I once glibly assured Old Joe Hunt; I know that now. It's more the memories of the survivors, most of whom are neither victorious nor defeated." [p. 61]

And on looking back on a long life: "There is accumulation. There is responsibility. And beyond these, there is unrest. There is great unrest." [p. 163] A fine closing passage.

Happy Easter

I do not consider myself a religious person by any means, but I do appreciate Easter as a time to gather with family and be thankful for all that we have. I know this is not the intended point of the holiday, but to me it has become a Spring Thanksgiving in a way. To all family and friends, I wish you a happy day, and hope that you are able to celebrate it in whatever way has meaning for you, surrounded by those you love.

My sous chef honing her knife skills