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December 14th, 2015

12/14/2015

5 Comments

 
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A man does best when he is most himself. Thoreau

Morning y'all,

It's a very windy day up top. The high yesterday reached 53 degrees. The overnight low was 42 degrees. It was 47 degrees and raining lightly at 7am observation. We received .40 inches of rain and it looks as thought a bit more is on the way. I also heard from the Park Service that there is a high wind advisory, so be especially careful about 'widowmaker' trees coming down while you're on the trails. I don't have an anemometor up here, but the gusts at Cliff Tops last night were substantial. They weren't quite enough to knock you down, but they felt like a gentle shove and it does not appear to have calmed yet. With that all said, get out and enjoy the mountain's fury!

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Top photo: Blustery sunset. Above: Heading back on the Boulevard.

I was looking at some photos from last season and my suspicions were proven correct - we had a quite a bit more snow on the ground! Which is alright by me, as long as February makes up for it... With such prime trail conditions, my friend Begga and I decided to head out for a long trail run. We headed out the Boulevard at around 10 am and took up a nice conversational pace - it was nearly summer (well, at least summer where I typically am...) weather. A shirt felt like overdressing, which just seems amazing at 6,400' in December.

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Ledgey!

We chatted and enjoyed the big views, marvelling at just how insane it must have been to cut a trail on this wild ridge. There are quite a few blowdowns, which made for some fun scrambling. We had lunch (let's be real - mostly Milky Ways) at the Jump Off, then headed back. The last mile up to High Top isn't the longest or steepest, but it always seems to feel that way at the end of a big day. There's something anachronistically fun about that type of suffering, where you're pulling as much energy as you can from your legs, wondering why you feel so tired, letting your attention drift away and then back to your discomfort...
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Milky Ways are the only way.
5 Comments
Shiridy
12/14/2015 08:56:37 am

Milky Ways, what a childhood memory. Growing up food was sparce to say the least, my dad was an alcoholic, which accounts where the food $ money went, we had the basics, beans, potatoes, skillet bread, as many other families had, but meat & milk would have been delish! So on rare occasions my dad would bring in 2 milky ways, one for my mom (she deserved a whole one) and the 10 children would each get a slice, to this day I could have a whole one to myself but I don't savour it like that small little slice...memories.

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judy link
12/14/2015 12:57:43 pm

to hear this story means a lot to me. thank you for sharing.

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kat
12/14/2015 01:48:25 pm

I think alot of us grew up in these same conditions. I think that is why "Coat of Many Colors" struck such a cord with us. We could all relate.. Milky Ways will always be my favorite candy

r mcculley
12/14/2015 09:00:54 am

just one more j.m. .....just could not resist

few places in this world are more dangerous than home
fear not to try the mtn. passes.......they will kill care...........
save you from deadly apathy......set you free and call forth every
faculty into vigorous, enthusiastic action.........
john muir

see you up on a pass !!

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christ
12/14/2015 06:47:57 pm

Boulevard trail is my favorite....wonderful to see the pictures....p.s. its windy down here too

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