KP Cienega-Blue Ridge Primitive Area

"Strawberries, cherries, and an angel's kiss in spring. My summer wine is made from all these things." Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood-Summer wine 1967


Que pasa amigos,My son Jacobo and I just returned from our campground at 9000' where weescaped the valley's intense heat and found our summer wine.K. P. Cienega is five miles south of Hannegan Meadows on US route 191 andthen 1.5 miles east of FR 155. There are only five loosely spaced units ofthis campground that lie on a loop road on the fringes of the conifer andaspen forest. Below the campsites, lovely meadows grace the area where anabundance of wildlife can be viewed. Every time that Jake and I have beenhere we have had the campground to ourselves.The last time we were here weheard some of the Mexican Grey Woves. There are forty lobos roaming thearea.Close to where we camped are a number of small but perennial streams linedby magnificent forests of hardwoods. There is excellent fishing in the Blueand Black Rivers, home to brook, brown, and rainbow trout as well as a fewof the endangered Apache trout. We may have seen a couple of these on ourhike in the Bear Wallow Wilderness. This is a hiker's paradise, withexcellent conditions for wildflowers.And, the best part is that very few of our species come here, due to thisremote location. I know that I am gushing, but with good reason.Highlights of this trip include:-Wildlife sightings of 2 black bears, flocks of wild turkeys, deer and elk.-Wildflowers galore! and where there are wildflowers there arebutterflies-- everywhere.-Magnificent hiking: Bear Wallow Trail-16 miles Upper Fish Creek Trail-5 miles West Fork of the Black River-6 miles-Over cervezas, viewing the brilliant display of stars in the Arizona sky.-Dinner at the Hannegan Meadows LodgeMen Behaving badly-Jacobo, for refusing to study or even take interest in the display ofanimal skat in the Ranger's office. Jake doesen't know SKAT!!!-Jacobo & El Lobo, real men, enjoying butterflies and wildflowers?

Montana Mountain Superstitions

Montana Mountain-5557'-10 miles-2800 ft. elevation gainI haven't hiked in the Superstitions for about five years, I had coveredmostof the trails and simply felt that there were better alternatives to deserthiking.I decided to go on a Sierra Club Hike and check out the environmentalimpactduring the last five years.The hike was a lot fun and it restored my love of the Supers. I amplanningon doing an off trail ridgeline trek for 15 miles. I will go up throughSyphon draw.We hiked through Whitford Canyon on portions of the Arizona trail and thehistoric trade route used by Elisha Reavis. On top of Montana mountain wewere treated to a panoramic view, looking down on most of the SuperstitionWilderness.I hiked with John, whom is 79 years young. He was the first to the top. He asked me if I would like a beer? I said I would love one, and to myastonishment, he pulled two Old Milwaukee's out of his pack that had beenonice!John Chugged his. I sipped mine.On the road we met a group resembleing the characters from Mad Max, dunebuggies etc. One interesting looking fella asked if I wanted a cool one?I responded that I would love one! He then took the beer out of hissignificant other's hand and gave it to me, half gone. He then cracked openanew one.I thanked him and his significant other and downed the rest.If I recall, the same thing happened to Clark Griswold in the movieVacation.His brother in law-EDDIE -made the same offer and gave Clark theopen beer and cracked a new one for hisself.

Superstitions Backpack

Superstition Wilderness Backpack


Participants: Bruce Corey and John HofdahlI picked up Bruce at 6:00 AM and we embarked on what was supposed to be atwo-day loop in the Superstition Mountains. The forecast was sunshine witha high of 68 degrees. We arrived at the Peralta Trailhead at about 7:15AM.We agreed on a twenty-one mile loop that basically circled Coffee FlatMountain. The Dutchman, Coffee Flat and the Red Tanks Trails were thetrails we would travel. The Coffee Flat Trail veered off the well-traveledDutchman Trail.We were basically the first ones at the trailhead and the only humans wesawon the route were two hunters. They were decked out in camouflage huntingJavalina with bows. We spoke to them for a short moment as we all agreedonwhat a beautiful day it was. It felt like it was 75 degrees and there wasnot a cloud in the sky. The mountains were beautiful. We took inspectacular views of Miner's Needle and Buzzard's Roost.We noticed how well the Saguaro's looked. They were very plump whichsurprised us because we haven't had much rain. We also saw some greatChainFruit Cholla's. They were as big as trees.As we traveled down the Coffee Flat Trail we began to notice increasingamounts of horse droppings. I didn't think much of it; I guess I justwatched my step. On two points along the trail we had to open a rugged,barbed wire gate. It then occurred to me, they were cattle droppings andthey were everywhere. The Superstition's allow for the grazing of domesticlivestock provided by the Wilderness Act of 1964. (Said it in the map)The trail began to become more difficult to follow. The trail traveledtrough a wash, so it really didn't have continuity. There were no trailmarkers to help and the cairns were sparse. We tried to use the Topo mapsbut we really were not sure of our position. As we continued to hikethrough the wash and brush we realized that we desired to hike on abetter-traveled trail. The elevation change was very minor, but hiking onrocks and sand for several hours makes the bottom of your feet hurt. Wehadhiked for about nine miles when we decided to backtrack to a spring thathada nice campsite. We would set up camp and build a campfire and then hikeout the next morning. As we hiked back to the site, it lost its initialappeal because of all the Cow Shit. It was everywhere. We decided to justhike back to the car and go home for the night. It ended up being an18-mile day hike with a 40-pound pack on our backs. We got back to thecarat about 4:30 PM. Props to Bruce, he had brought a beer for each of us andit was awesome.Demerits:Bruce- lost his reading glasses; the hunters found them and placed them onthe trail marker.John- while leading the hike went ½ mile up the wrong trail until Brucerealized something was wrong.

Montana & Canada

Olla,Gerry and I both love to tour Montana and Canada.Canada is a great summer destination for Phoenicians. The weather was inthe60/70s and the exchange rate favorable. Canada enjoys just 10% of the USpopulation with more square miles of land mass offering unrepeatable beautyand serenity.We flew into Spokane Washington and set out from there. This is a greatgateway to Glacier NP in lieu of flying into Kalispel Montana. The cost ofairfare is much cheaper, and the four hour drive through Idaho and Montanaison a scenic byway.Cost per person $175 round trip and we were able to get first classupgradesboth ways. Air travel to Kalispel from Phoenix is between $600 and $900each.Year of the Great BearWhen you think of Glacier/Waterton you think of grizzly bears. Withintheseprotected lands roam one of the densest concentrations of "GRIZ" in NorthAmerica.We have seen many Grizzly bears in Alaska at Denali National Park, andwerehopeful that again we would see the bears at a distance. In Alaska theyweremeandering in the tundra eating berries.We got our wish, with two encounters, a little too close for comfort, oneinGlacier and one in Waterton. In Glacier we met Griz, only 20 yards away onthe Iceberg Lake trail. They had closed this trail the week previous due totoo high a concentration of Grizzly and black bears. A Mother with her twocubs had been surprised by a group of hikers and charged the group twice.Thefirst charge was a false one. The second one had the Bear within four feetbefore pepper spray was invoked.We did not have pepper spray but fortunately our encounters wereuneventful.We just carefully kept moving.Gerry thought that the Iceberg Lake, nine mile trail was the most beautifulshe had ever experienced. The Wildflowers were brilliant! Iceberg lake wasaqua blue. We were in awe of the mountains and glaciers.Other highlights of this trip include:--Hiking in unbelievable beauty in six National Parks-- Shopping and dining at the River Front Restaurant in Calgary. Calgary isa wonderful progressive city.--Seeing the splendor of Lake Louise--Visiting the icefield region, including the Columbia Icefield--Hanging out in Banff, feasting our eyes on the Canadian Rockies whileslamming down Molsons--Relaxing in soothing Radium Hot Springs--Enjoying the uncountable aqua green lakes, rivers, and waterfalls--Wildlife viewing of elk (one with the biggest racks I have ever seen),moose, fox, deer, mountain sheep, prairie dogs and of course the Griz.--hanging out in Sandpoint Idaho, visiting the Clear Water Creek store(ClearWater Creek Catalogue sales) that spans across a river, walking along PendOreille Lake--hanging out in Spokane Washington, walking the Riverfront walk to Gonzaga

Exploring Oregon

Exploring Oregon957 mile loop. Portland- Mount Hood, Bend, Ashland, Eugene,Corvallis-Portland-Trip Rating 10.0We left Phoenix eight days ago with first class upgrades in hand. From thatvantage point I gazed down on the harsh and unforgiving Arizona landscape,happy to escape to a mellower more colorful environment that appeals to allthe senses.Although I have made countless trips to Oregon, I always look forward toreturning. I love the culture. Oregon is the running capital of the world.Oregonians are conscientious stewards of their beautiful state.I have been told that I rate on the superlative end of the scale, however,this tour of scenic, GREEN western and central Oregon was nothing short ofsuperlative! The weather was perfect. We also enjoyed some of the highdesert.Gerry has dreamed of Ashland theater all her life. I dreamed of returningto Hayward field at the U of O in Eugene.The American west is a dream to me. We should not, and cannot let terrorismtake away our dreams.Highlights of this trip include:-Hiking along the Metolius and Deschute Rivers-Slamming down Pale Ales at various Oregon Microbreweries-Tasting Oregon Pinot Noir-Hanging out in Sisters and Bend-Touring the Oregon High Desert Museum-Visiting Newberry National Volcanic Monument and Crater Lake National Park-Ashland Theatre-MACBETH and Cupid and Psyche performances-Walking in indescribable beauty in the park in Ashland-Visiting with the Cornelius family-Running on the track at Hayward field and along the Willamette River inEugene (Track City)-Climbing Spencer's Butte outside of Eugene in thick forests and sword fernOregon High Desert MuseumIf you like the Arizona Desert Sonoran Museum in Tucson, you will love theOregon High Desert Museum. It is Smithsonian class, a wonderful place tolearn about the nature and culture of the High Desert. Having lived in theHigh Desert for many years in Reno, I really appreciated the exhibits,animal habitats/interpretations, and the history. Don't miss it if you arein the area!Cornelius EstateWe had an absolutely wonderful visit with our good friends Rick andMichelle Cornelius and their two young sons, Josh and Jacob. Josh is quitea good 400 runner and Jake is outstanding in Babe Ruth baseball. They bothare good looking young men.The Cornelius family has a beautiful historic home on three acres. They areall doing very well. Rick and Michelle and quite involved and proud of theAshland community. We were treated royally and really appreciate their downhome hospitality. Rick makes the best martinis in the western world!The MECCA-Hayward FieldIn Eugene, my first order of business was to return to-Hayward field.Hayward field is even more holy to me than the old Boston Garden and FenwayPark.Hayward field is where Pre ran. Other legends, including Mary Decker andAlberto Salazar still work out on the track. Nowhere, is more important toNike, than Eugene and Hayward Field.The women's hurdle team was working out on that morning. They gracefullyglided over the hurdles, a beautiful sight.As youths, both of our boys won National TAC/AAU events on this field.I stretched and laid out in the infield with my eyes closed. I could hearthe announcer introduce their names and lanes. I could visualize theirfinishes.Exciting times.Track and Field may be losing it's popularity, but not in Oregon. It is myabsolute favorite sport.Hayward field also brought back the memory of golf balls driven by Delta's"Otter" that struck ROTC cadets on the helmet causing Neidemeyer's horseto buck him in National Lampoon's classic "Animal House" movie that wasfilmed at U of O. Unfortunately, the Delta house has now been torn down.This reflection brought tears to my eyes.That was then, Do it now!With that thought in mind and caught up with the spirit of the moment, ElLobo decided to do an all out 400, tight hamstrings and all.It was worth the pain and agony.The last time I ran a 400 was on my fortieth birthday at the UNR track. Inspite of a tremendous hangover I was able to break a minute. I didn'tbother to record my time this time around.I then limped to the OSU book store and purchased a hooded and pouched"Oregon track" sweat shirt. It is a prized possession.The very popular Men and Women behaving badly section.-Who needs a GPS along when Gerry is in the car. She started her driving"suggestions" as soon as we left for the Phoenix airport and continued to"suggest" driving tips for the full 957 miles.Gerry-For wining about being hungry and cold while she was telling me howto drive and then complaining about how cold it was at Crater Lake. Themanly El Lobo wore his sandals in the snow just to get a glimpse of themagnificent lake.El Lobo-For drinking three beers before the MACBETH performance and havingto find the rest room 10 minutes into the performance and then not allowedto return. He was exiled into a room with a television monitor to watch theduration.El Lobo for refusing to apologize to his soul mate on the way to thePortland airport for rude and bad behavior. After all, there werecircumstances warranting such behavior. We were late and there was a hugetraffic backup due to an accident. The helpful motorist advising El Lobothat his rear tire was going flat put him over the top.Home againLifting down into Phoenix, the surrounding landscape reminded me of kittylitter. I love sunny Arizona but it is not Oregon. I will return to theRepublic in August for a backpack with Rick to the Sister's Wilderness andthen in September for a backpack with Sawtooth Steve to the Eagle CapWilderness in Northeast Oregon. In the short term, I guess the canyoncalled the "Big Hole" by Chevy Chase will have to do. In the long term wewill continue to dream of building in Placerville California.

White Canyon Wilderness

On Saturday Steve Yahner and I attended a hike sponsored by the Sierraclub.This hike was a 11 mile off trail exploration of the eastern rim of theWhiteCanyon Wilderness. At the heart of the Wilderness is White Canyon itself, adeep drainage ringed by Soaring Cliffs.This hike had countless vistas of wild and spectacular slickrock terrain,resembleing the slickrock terrain in Southern Utah close to Moab. Animalsresident in this watery environment include the Sonoran Mud turtle.We had never tried a Sierra Club hike before and thought that this onewouldbe a good one to try.There was a group of 15 that assembled at the trailhead. Ken Mcginty, thetrip's leader asked everyone to identify themselves and their favoritebeer.El lobo hates to participate in this type of activity but was a good sportandresponded cheerfully if not a little sarcastically, with "Fosters" thatsAustralian for beer. Steve replied "rootbeer". How boring. Many of theyounger Sierra club singles responed with a micrbrewery beer. This was suchgreat fun to start out on. At this point we were looking at each other andasking what did we get ourselves in to?I was dubious of this group's ability to handle this rugged terrain, butmosteveryone proved to be strong hikers. There was only one incident where ayoungdamsel got in trouble on a steep climb to a peak and fell and could not getup. She was on very loose, crumbling rock, and in a dangerous situation.ELlobo came to her rescue, and she was very greatful. She told Steve that Ihadsaved her life, and he was very Jealous of El Lobo's heroism. When I toldSteve that she had to grab my leg to get up, he was really upset.The hike was great. We hiked relentlessly up and down hill, ascended highridges, and bagged peak 4023.The views from above were incredable. Never ending panoramas!!!The ascent to the ridges were clogged with sharp brush . We went throughCholla cactus and pulled spines out of our bodies most of the day. Webalanced our way along knife sharp ridges and fought through the spiny,brushy, truculent vegetation.I will bring gloves next time!The group was a fun group, and we really enjoyed everyone, although wewouldprefer not to be hiking with a herd.We saw no one else but our group. Steve was up to his old antics, makingloudnoise on the trail-quite an embarassment- and generally anoyed anyone hecould. He did bond with a broad named "Sudsy"Overall this hike is rated a solid 9.0. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves inthis beautiful area.It is a great alternative to hiking the Superstitions.We do plan on going again, perhaps this weekend. Ken McGinty has a 9 mileexploratory off trail ridgetrek, north of Carefree. Plans are to bag 5,013Kentuck peak then follow a series of ridges to Maverick Butte.MEXICAN WOLF UPDATETo date, 5 of the 11 Mexican wolves reintroduced have been shot. El LoboGrande, conservationists, and all Sierra club members are outraged. ARichardHumphrey of Tucson shot the first wolf in April near Turkey creekcampground.The US fish Wildlife service refused to prosecute him even though it wasclearthe wolf was shot from the side while standing still and was not a threattoHumphry's family as he later claimed. The other 4 wolves were shot fromAugustthrough November.Anyone that believes that they have information that might be helpful inapprehending the perpetrators should call US fish and Wildlife specialagentsat 602-835-8289.

Mt. Pinos

This weekend I stayed in Southern California and drove 2 hours North tomeetmy hiking partner Hannu Haarma.Hannu had an orienteering meet at Mt. Pinos. Orienteering is a little knownsport in this country but very popular in the Scandavian countries of theworld. It was an Olympic sport at one time.Hannu was one of the best in the world and competed on the Fin Nationalteam.The competition involves running overland routes to various coursecheckpoints, utilizing the provided topo map and a compass. This course wasabout 8K.Hannu finished with a good time but badly twisted his ankle early on.Always the warrior, he heavily taped it and we went on a moderatelystrenuoshike up Mt. Pinos and along the Los Padres forrest ridgeline. The Mt. Pinosarea is Southern California's winter destination for cross country skiiing.Mt. Pinos at 8831 is the highest peak in the Los Padres National forrest.This hike involved continuing along ridges to the summitt ridge of GrouseMountain.It afforded great views of the San Quaquin valley, the most fertileagricultural area in the world. We went for about 11 miles start tofinish.I rate this hike a 7.5 It is one of the best in the area.The next day we chose to hike "Pothole" close to Lake Piru. Hannu's anklewas quite swollen and blue as a glacier, but wanting to get a workout afterhis long drive to Southern California. He had flown back from Virgina onFriday night and didn't get home until past midnight. He got up at 3 in themorning to drive South from his home in San Ramon Northern California."Pothole" ended up not being a good choice. The 1994 California Hiking bookis in need of update. We had to hike an additional 3 miles to gain accesstothe trailhead.The road had been closed. Once we finally found the trailhead we climbed1000+ ft on a very feint trail to the top of a ridge. We spooked a herd ofcows that were sleeping in a side canyon and almost got crushed in astampede. I hate bovines!!!!!!Death to Open grazing!!!From here it just got worse. The trail was so badly overgrown we werepummelled bysharp branches and our legs were attacked by stickers. This "trail" hadnotbeen used for years. We were defeated! We would not get to the beautiful?natural depression caused by an earthquake fault , filled with grass andlined with trees.The views of Lake Piru gave us some salvation but overall this 11 milepunishing walk was not my idea of being in Harmony with nature. I thinkthatHannu liked it because it was similar to orienteering!Not recommended -Overall rating a 2It was great to see Hannu-we have other adventures planned this summer. Iheaded back to Marina Del Rey for a nice relaxing 15 mile bike ride on thebeach. Hannu headed for Northern California. He had an early flight out thenext morning.

Nebraska & Kansas

Nebrask is not boring!!!When you think of adventures you do not often include the midwest-HoweverGerand I had a great long weekend in the heart of the USA.We spent 2 days at the Arbor Day farm in Nebraska city. The Lied ConferenceCenter is a beautiful state of the art environmentally friendly structure.The National Arbor day foundation is dedicated to tree planting andenvironmental stewardship.The Arbor day farm is a National Historic Landmark and it's grounds includearboretums, windbreaks, agroforestry demo area, apple orchards, hazlenutresearch field, and a fuelwood plantation. This is a virtual forrest inthemiddle of the prairie!On Sunday morning I had a beautiful run in the sunshine through thecornfields.ANOTHER STATE BITES THE DUSTEl Lobo added Kansas to his lifetime lists of states. Three more left-NDakota/Teddy Roosevelt National Park scheduled in late August and SouthCarolina, Arkansas to be scheduled."Goin to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come""They got some crazy little women there and I'm going to get me one" Wilbur Harrisson1958On our way to Kansa City Missouri we stopped in Laurence and toured the KUcampus. We went to the arena where Wilt and JO JO played. It's animpressivecampus with many architectually interesting buildings. Great little collegetown.In Kansa city we visited the Negro leagues Baseball Hall of Fame museum inthe historic section at 18th and Vine. This museum is of the Smithsoniancaliber-World Class. EL Lobo is addicted to all souveneir shops and treatedhimself to an Atlanta Black Crackers baseball hat.The Nego leagues history and exhibits are a moving experience. Theseplayersendured incredable hardship in segregated America.We also visited the Jazz hall of Fame -it's OK, worth seeing.Kansas City Jazz clubs are legendary and we were fortunate to be thereduringthe Jazz festival. We loved the music and the junk food-barbeque, cajunetc.El Lobo enjoyed 3 oilcans of Fosters and spilled barbeque sauce all overhisshorts and shirt. Even El Lobo was slightly embarassed to be walking aroundpretty like that. Gerry of course was thoroughly disgusted.On Monday morning Ger headed to a meeting in Washington at the White houseand I headed back for Phoenix.

Buzzard's Highline Route

On Friday Dan Shapiro, (proud father of a new baby boy-Cole) Mooseman andLobo headed north for Lee's Ferry. We arrived close to noon and went downCathedral Wash a couple of miles to the river and had our lunch on thebeach. This is an easy river route with only a couple of pour offs thatrequire some negotiation. We also hiked up to Lonely Dell Ranch close tothe Paria River and to the Lee's Ferry cemetery. This area is rich inhistory and trout fishing in this part of the Colorado is world class dueto the cold water from the Glen Canyon Dam.Later we hooked up with Bob Audretsch and Bruce MCintyre at the MarbleCanyon Lodge for some pre trip planning. The Marble Canyon Lodge has anexcellent selection of books on the Southwest and the Grand Canyon andseveral were purchased for home libraries.We met an NP young fella that was tracking condors. There were two nestedclose to Navajo bridge. There are thirty-four in this area.We then took headed for the backroads on Navajo land and camped on a bluffoverlooking the Colorado across the River from Lee's Ferry.Lobo spent a sleepless evening within the confines of his bivy sack. A loudowl, the full moon, and foul smells assisted the insomnia. We rose at 4:30A.M. and drove Dan's vehicle on a very bad road requiring four wheel drive,in the dark to the start of the CCC route.We started up the Echo Cliffs with headlamps. It took a while to find theill defined route but thanks to some excellent navigation skills providedby various members of the group we were able to locate the passage. Thisroute was constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps workmen during the30s. It apparently was built so that the Navajos could more easily movetheir livestock to the bottom lands at Lee's Ferry.Cresting the Echo Cliffs we enjoyed extraordinary views of the VermilionCliffs, Marble Canyon and the snow capped North Rim of the Grand Canyon.Our plans were to hook up with Buzzard's Highline trail on the South andeast sides of the Echo peaks and then travel down a long sand slope back tothe river and follow the Stanton Road back to the cars. The onlydocumentation we could find on Buzzard's Highline reported that the routeis extremely faint and difficult to follow, consequently not recommendedfor hikers. Apparently this route was used infrequently by white men cominginto Lee's Ferry in the early 1900s.The group had much difficulty locating the Buzzard's Highline connectionbut again excellent navigation, provided primarily by the Mooseman got uson the route.Along the way we observed a very large bird on the top of one of EchoPeaks. There was much discussion as to whether it was an eagle or condor.After observing it's flight it was generally agreed that it was an eagle.The East side provided views of Glen Canyon, Lake Powell and the smokestacks of that nasty coal burning Navajo plant.When we crossed the ridge and got our first view of Lee's Ferry there was alarge pile of stones A battle between Navajos and Utes happened here.Subsequently, Navajos that passed through would throw a rock on the pile.The descent down the sand dunes was fun and we enjoyed fantastic riverviews up Glen Canyon. The rest of the trip was high above the river, apersonal favorite hiking position of El Lobo's.The Mooseman and Lobo walked an additional couple of mile while the rest ofthe group took a vehicle to retrieve Dan's shuttled vehicle. This ran themileage to about ten miles.Cervezas were at the car and we also stopped back at Marble Canyon Lodgefor a group beer.Dan, road warrior extraordinary got us home by 10:00 P.M. Thanks to Dan fordriving and to Bob Audretsch for organizing the trip.Men Behaving BadlyAll, I will spare the details.LoboWhen relating crude details of the trip to his son Jake, Dean Coreyrequested that El Lobo:"Eleminate the tone, and still remain informal and fun." ???????????Sunday evening Gerry and I enjoyed a superb gourmet candlelight dinner(steak, scallops, wine and carrot cake) hosted by the Sheas in their desertcampsite. We had a lot of fun observing the stars with Bob's new telescopeas coyotes yipped in the distance.Life is good.

Idaho Oregon Eagle Cap Wilderness

I am not writing the trip report. "Tooth" (Sawtooth) and "Teet" (Tetons) myIdaho backpacking companions were tasked with that responsibility. They arelate and as a result have both been issued demerits by Lobo. (Monikersbestowed by El Lobo)They will eventually get around to writing it. Last year's River of NoReturn trip report came six months later. When it does arrive, El Loboexpects to get massacred in the Men Behaving Badly Section.I will provide some preliminary information.On the way to Oregon I met the boy's cousins in Idaho at every stop alongthe way. They were all named Cletus or Jethro. Their neck's were all ashade of red.The concept of backpacking light has apparently not yet reached Idaho. Theboys started out from the West Eagle trailhead carrying sidearms, 2 sixpacks of tecate, as well as bottles of tequila, rum and brandy. To ensurethat they had enough nourishment they packed close to five pounds ofshelled peanuts and kit kat bars. Each pack weighed at least 70 lbs, justright for a 3000' climb over 55 switchbacks to Echo and Traverse Lakes.The Eagle Cap is Oregon's largest Wilderness, an area of alpine lakes andmeadows, steep glaciered valleys. I found it topographically similar to theDesolation Wilderness in Northern California.After one night's stay in hail and rain flurries, Traverse Lake wasabandoned in favor of warmer weather. We packed out and headed for thedeepest gorge in North America-Hell's Canyon.This also gave us theopportunity to pick up more beer and tequila.In the Hell's Canyon Wilderness we did a fifteen mile loop that involvedCanyoneering down Mcgraw Creek. Wildlife appeared everywhere. At one pointa prairie rattler scooted over El Lobo's boot. We saw numerous othersnakes and a plethora of bear scat.That evening in camp we celebrated our Hell's Canyon survival with a feastof junk food and straight shots of tequila. With a quarter of the bottleleft, one of the party drained it, let out an Apache war scream andshamelessly tossed it into the Snake River. Later, while sleeping,(passedout) a skunk came into camp and got into the garbage that was not hung up.This gives you the flavor of the trip. It was great fun and very badbehavior. A detailed report will be forwarded at a later date.SequelTonight Gerry and I attended a lecture given by Robert Kennedy Jr. at ASUas part of the Jonathan & Maxine Marshall distinguished lecture series. Youmay have heard of the John Marshall Wilderness in Montana.RFK Jr. has been a resolute defender of the environment and was quiteimpressive.My kind of guy!He is responsible for a litany of successful legal actions, includingprosecuting governments and companies for polluting the Hudson River andLong Island Sound.He has worked on environmental issues across the Americas and has assistedseveral indigenous tribes in Latin America and Canada in negotiatingtreaties protecting their traditional homelands He also is credited withleading the fight to protect New York City's water supply. He establishedthe "River Keepers" and has provided legal representation for poorfishermen, against the nation's most notorious corporate polluters. Heappears to be much like his father, always fighting for the down trodden.During the lecture El Lobo reflected on the ugly tequila bottle incidentand hung his head.

Horsetail Falls Desolation Wilderness

Subject: Horsetail Falls/Desolation Wilderness trip report (Embedded image moved to file: pic24482.jpg)Fellow Veteran Cosmic Travelers,In documenting the adventures of a well travelled Lobo, my trip reportshavehad the same theme whenever Gerry is not my companion:-We climb-We do adventure-We pass wind-We drink beer-WE ARE MEN-WE ARE STUDSWhen Gerry is along the report usually reflects the beauty, serenity, andsimplicity of our original natural environment or the cultural andartisticwonders of our civilization.The female gender is clearly the more healthy of our species.This trip includes all the macho aspects of adventure but I will try tofocuson the raw and dramatic Wilderness-Desolation Wilderness.Desolation Wilderness lies above the jewel of the Sierras-Lake Tahoe. Youcanfind over 130 Alpine lakes packed into 100 miles of mountain scenery. ThePacific Crest trail crosses the heart of this granatic rock environmentthatincorporates the best features found in the high Sierra. As much time as Ihave spent in this compact Wonderland, I have yet to visit all the lakes.My old friend and roomate Hannu Haarma picked me up from the train stationin Hillsdale after work on Friday. I used to commute to the city on Caltrainand was delighted to see that the old mean witch of a train was still onthe5:40.Hannu is a champion orienteer and we were able to find our way to theRoseville residence of friend James Cabanas with whom I had shared a GrandCanyon adventure last week.That evening we went to the great eating establishment of ex 49er DannyBunz-"The Tackle", referring to his famous tackle in the Cincinnati SuperBowl. Pitchers of Sierra Nevadas were liberally shared.The next morning we started up a steeply slabbed trail to Horsetail Fall,roaring as it plunged 100 feet into a pool. The route was basically crosscountry, boulder hopping 1700 ft up to Avalanche lake. We then climbed toPitt and Ropi lakes.James had backpacked into this area the past summer. This is the quickestaccess into the Desolation Wilderness.The temperature was unseasonably warm, you could have spent the day on thebeach at Tahoe.This hike is rated a 9.5. It was a refreshing change from the harsh GrandCanyon habitat.The afternoon was spent at Apple Hill and El Dorado wine country.We alsotook a tour of our property and both James and Hannu agreed that weshouldbuild at the top of the lot and take advantage of the Majestic SierraNevadaview. We startled several small deer that were bedded down in the tallgrass.We stayed at James's beautiful new home that night and returned to theEastBay the next afternoon for a flight out of Oakland. Ger and Lucy picked meup at the airport and we arrived home in time for the trick or treatersthatnever came.Next weekend- Ger and I will take in Lake Quinalt and Kaloch Lodges-OlympicNational Park Washington and Vancouver Island/Victoria before returning toSeattle for the week.

Hannu & Barking

This trip got off to a delayed start, due to our hometown airline (AW)havingone of their mission critical systems down for 12 hours on Thursday. It wastotal caos at the airport, all flights were cancelled and over 1000 peoplespent the night enjoying the Phoenix airport. I was supposed to interview agentlemen in San Francisco whom had flown in that afternoon. I missed him,he spent the night in a nice hotel and enjoyed a great fish dinner-all onAmerican Golf.I was able to get out the next morning and met my old buddy Rey Javier fromWorldCom for lunch at the M&M taven and Grill. It was great seeing Rey andpaying for his lunch.That evening I took Cal train down the penninsula and met my friend HannuHaarma. Beer and popcorn made for a more enjoyable train ride. We had aniceevening at the Elephant Bar & Grill in Burlingame.The 30 oz. Sierra Nevadas that Hannu poured down me put me to sleep overtheSan Mateo bridge while the great orienteer guided us home to San Ramone.The next morning we picked up my old friend and roomate Eric Redmond inHalfMoon Bay and drove the coast to Santa Cruz and stopped at Niesen Mark statepark for a 13 mile hike in the Redwoods. This is a beautiful park. We hikedto a spot where we had excellent views of Monterey Bay.After returning to the Redmond Estate we were treated to San Miguel beersandsnacks. Joal Redmond recommended Ketch Joann's casual (hole in the wall)seafront restaraunt and we were quite pleased with her recommendation. Thefood and atmosphere was excellent. It was a fun place; however not everyone in the restaraunt wanted to have fun:For some reason, one of the waitresses objected to my mode ofcommunicationsand lectured me on the rudeness of a barking gesture.When I explained to her that it was a friendly bark and that barking was anexcellent way to communicate she again repeated '"you know that a barkinggesture is rude".I then explained to her that we should all respect other species besidesthehuman species and their mode of communications. She again repeated thatbarking is a rude communications gesture. My only option at this point wastoalso get on my high horse and explain that good customer service andpracticing tolerance meant acceptance of a customer that barked. She heldfast. Another waitress intervened and said that she would be delighted toserve barking customers. Sooo we continued to try to have fun when anotheruptight lady in the booth next to us leaned over and interupted Hannu'srapiddescription of the scenery on Venice beach with "Sir, you are very loud andscaring my little boy"! The little spoiled brat didn't look scared to me?Hannu is a gentle soul, how could he scare anyone?In spite of these rude people's behavior we had a great dinner and numerousNegro Modello cervezas.Hannu again navigated us over the bridge to safety.

Great Basin National Park

This latest trip started and finished stressfully, however the quality inbetween was superb!!!Dealing with some serious work crisis and my Bosses boss caused me to makeamad dash from North Phoenix to pick up Ger in Tempe and make it to theairportin a 1/2 hour in order to make our Friday afternoon flight to Las Vegas.Fortunately the plane was late so we made it to the gate 5 minutes beforetakeoff. I was still on my cellular working when we were on the runway andpicked it back up at the LV airport upon arrival.We drove 4 1/2 hours to Baker Nv on Friday night and stayed at the BorderInnfor $29.00. The Border Inn is a nice little slice of life. I loved theplace!!On Saturday we hiked in Great Basin NP to a couple of alpine lakes and aglacier(actually an icefield) and to the Bristlecone pine forrest. Bristleconesarethe oldest living things on earth, reaching more than 6,000 years. TheWheelericefield is the only permanent icefield in the Great Basin region betweentheSierras and Wasatchmountains. This was a very nice hike.Great Basin NP is the least frequented park in the system and is truly aremarkablegem. It is over 300 miles from the closest major airport in LV or SaltLake.Baker is a state of mind when things were simpler, it is in a time warp. Ithasn't changed much since it was founded in the 1880s. It has unusualartworkall about.In the afternoon we visited Lehman caves, paleing in comparison to Carlsbadbut was still worth touring.The Mt. Moriah Wilderness is just North of Great Basin. We did not get upthere but I understand that this is one fine Wilderness to find yourselfallalone in large Aspen groves.We had a fun dinner at one of Baker's 2 cafes, retired early and then gotupat firstlight to start up 13,063 foot Mt. Wheeler. This was a fantastic hike,starting in meadows we saw many deer and quickly ascended above 3 alpinelakes. This is a 4.2 mile trail climbing from 10,000 to 13,000. It wasquiteeasy with the exception of the last mile that was quite steep. There wasstilla lot of snow on the mountain but we did not have to hike in much of it.Infact it snowed here three weeks ago. The sun was very intense on top. Theviews were panoramic covering some of the prettiest scenery that you willeverlay your eyes on. We started down at 9:15 which was fortunate asThunderheadsrolled in shortly after and chased us down the mountain in the rain.This was really a special hike for me. Tto complete Wheeler NM and WheelerNVon successive weekends and to be able to return to the Nevada high desertthatI love really made it worthwhile.The road back to LV turned out to be a lot more stressful than the hike.I turned the wheel over to Gerry in Caliente (hot) famous for its boysreformschool- to catch a little shuteye and within 10 minutes she managed toattractthe rador of the Nevada Highway patrol while she was passing another carthatwas also speeding. After retrieving a whopping $270 ticket -98 in a 70zone-Lobo took back the wheel. Next, instead of getting gas like I usually do Ideferred to the gas gage that read 1/2 and my wife's insistance that wehadplenty of gas. Just as we passed the sign that read no services for 93milesthe gas gage took a plunge much like my stock at work this week, andregistered at 1/8 of a tank. It was over a 100 out and we coasted into N LVonfumes with the out of gas alarm giving me its third and final warning.I found all this a little stressful. So life decided to really give me thebusiness by having me wait in line at the Flamingo Hilton for over an hourtoregister for our HotelThe tense, crowded, noisy LV hotel Casino was just what I needed - quite arefreshing change from the contrast of Baker Nevada and the serenity ofGreatBasin.We did walk to NYNY and have dinner. A lot of overweight middle aged folks-Just like us- Guys in Tank tops and mamas in hot pants. Nice!!!! The showmustgo on. Too bad we had to get up early the next morning so I could make itintowork on time at my LV site. We missed Siegried and Roy!!!!It rained so hard that night that flash floods flooded our building andbrought down much of our equipment. I really like my job!!!!On our flight home this evening AW lost some reservation files and since wewere "ticketless" we almost did not get on the flight. Being a Masterfrequentflyer is the only thing that saved us as they had cancelled 2 previousflights. AW blamed their computer problems on the thunderstorms-just sweptaway their reservation files-Amazing!!!Another adventure bites the dust.