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December 29th, 2016

12/29/2016

8 Comments

 
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There are lessons - small lessons, enormous lessons, lessons that may be crucial to the planet's persistence as a green and diverse place and also to the happiness of its inhabitants - that nature teaches and TV can't. Subversive ideas about how much you need, or what comfort is, or beauty, or time, that you can learn from the one great logoless channel and not the hundred noisy onces or even the pay-per-view. Bill McKibben

​Morning y'all,
It's a classically fog filled day up top. The high yesterday reached 47 degrees. The overnight low was 29 degrees. It was 29 degrees and in the clouds at 7am observation. The mountain received .64" of rain, with a thunderstorm (!!!) rolling in late last night. The trails are sure to be a bit soggy and may even have some glaze ice. Get out and enjoy the day!

I went out for a brief evening run last night along the Boulevard trail. It's been a while since I have done a pitch black night run (November 4th!) and was excited to have the opportunity. There is a different level of endorphins that seem to be pumped into you at night, as if your body is recognizing an even more primal set of circumstances and floods the system... it's not just runner's high, but a kind of survivor's high. I felt a bit like I was in 'The Most Dangerous Game'. The stars were pheomenal, as always. The trails were quiet and the lights of the surrounding area consistently surprised me - I kept mistaking them for headlamps when I hurriedly turned corners! The residences seem to fold into the mountains during the day, but at night it's pretty incredible just how many lights you see as you round different corners. I made it up to Anakeesta Knob, then turned around just as last night's front was approaching. I was lucky enough to make it back to the lodge half an hour before the skies opened and the thunder roared. It's not common to have both a headlamp jaunt followed by a thunderstorm... I've only heard thunder up here one other time I can recall. As bizarre as it felt to have a runner's high while I got ready for bed... and a thunderstorm started in late December... at this point, nothing will surprise me about this 'unusual' season!
8 Comments
barrie
12/29/2016 11:25:24 am

I wonder and worry about you as you run the trails alone. Do you have any way of getting help if something happened, like a broken leg or bad fall? Just an old grandma who has made 30 summits and hiked all of the trails talking. Not sure I will ever get up there again so I live my dreams through your posts. Thanks, B

Reply
JP
12/31/2016 08:49:51 am

Barrie,

I always carry a park radio with me, as well as a small medical kit. I have been fortunate so far, but accidents can happen anywhere... Perhaps I'm a bit reckless, but I enjoy it too much to let fear stop me...

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Maggie Jeff
12/29/2016 11:50:29 am

Great description of ..."primal set of circumstances that flood the system." The quiet, only penetrated by the pounding - feet, heart, lungs, head..."Only silence can reach that dimension of reality that is too deep for words." - Merton

Reply
Kathy
12/29/2016 12:35:53 pm

The Lakota Sioux call this Wikanyans, the Thunder beings or spirits. Very powerful, positive energy of protection!

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doug y link
12/30/2016 09:03:59 am

Yes, your nighttime excursion was a most invigorating experience. Doing that is refreshing, enlightening, and deeply rewarding. One of the things I always like when I'm at the Lodge, especially when I'm in Cabin No. 9, is seeing all the lights in the valleys below. It's rather a stunning sight. And how great it would be to have a sizable telescope up there where light pollution would be minimal, but then that would be infringing on the "wildness" of the place to some degree.

Reply
Randal Barnett
12/30/2016 08:13:13 pm

Was wondering about the lost little boy hiker on the Boulevard Trail on Dec 28? Was he found and okay?

Reply
JP
12/31/2016 08:51:18 am

Randal,

Yes, he was found safe. A NG helicopter that was working on the plane crash was able to provide assistance and let rangers know that he and (presumably) his father were headed in the right direction with their cell phone flashlights. I made it to Anakeesta Knob before it was confirmed that they made contact with the rangers.

Reply
Randal Barnett
12/31/2016 07:53:22 pm

Thanks JP, We saw you run back by the shelter later that night. You were right to not let us help in the search. We couldn't keep up with you on the trail. Especially at night. We saw the helicopter with the red cross working at the crash site down below the summit. And we heard it come back after dark. That must have been the search for the lost boy. Thanks for what you do as caretaker up there all winter. Hope to come back again soon. Take care...& happy new year...2017.


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